Chapter Ten
Bailey
I pulled my knees to my chest, happy that the pain had subsided in my hip and ankle. Staring out the window, I watched Xander split logs effortlessly with his strong arms and back, sighing at the thought of being with him again. It had been a week since we were together, there was still no word from his buddy Liam, and there was no attention from him. Had I put him off in some way?
Goosebumps formed on my arms as the chill from the thin window rolled in. The cabin was warm, kept warm by Xander, but near the window, the draft was almost unbearable. I couldn’t take my eyes from Xander, so I pulled a wool throw around my arms and snuggled against the back of the large chair.
His long hair curled out of his toboggan, and snow crested his goatee shades of white. Heat exploded between my legs remembering our night together. His strong arms, gentle touch, and piercing blue eyes penetrating through me pulled me back to that night, beneath him, and filled me with a longing for more. Why hadn’t he made a move? I was determined that he would again.
With a swift swing of the axe, Xander’s head turned towards me, his eyes stopped on mine, and his lips rolled into a flirty smile. Fuck, I wanted him so bad!
His head shook slightly, as if he was amused by my spying, and then went back to his log splitting. I jumped up, a new mission on my mind. I was going to get noticed, and he was going to make a move.
I slid out of the baggy jogging pants he’d given me to wear, pulled my hair from its tight ponytail, and fluffed it up with my fingers just as he walked in the front door. As I stepped out into the room, the blast of cold air from outside nipped at my bare legs. Xander’s eyes immediately fell on my exposed flesh, lingering, but only for a moment. He walked towards the fire, dropping the logs he’d split beside the stone fireplace, and knelt down, warming his hands in front of the flame.
“How’s the weather?” I asked, trying to act nonchalant as I moved to the couch.
“It’s still pretty rough out there. I can see barely twenty feet down the mountain side,” he responded without turning around.
“So, I guess we are still stuck?” I smirked, beaming inside that I got to stay in the cabin with Xander.
He turned to me, his eyes widened, and his lips parted to allow an escaped sigh. I watched as he appeared to drift off somewhere else, somewhere other than this cabin with me.
“I mean, you seem to be feeling better. We could try to make it down,” he offered.
I couldn’t tell if he was reluctant because he didn’t want to try to make it down, or if he was reluctant because maybe he did. Maybe he was ready to get rid of me. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t paying attention to me anymore. My heart sank into my chest at the realization that I may be able to leave this mountain. Where would I go? What was waiting for me, who was waiting for me?
“I’m not sure I could make it down,” I hesitated.
Xander’s smile spread across his face, causing my heart to lighten. He didn’t want to get rid of me.
“I could make it down, maybe find out who’s looking for you,” he suggested.
“And leave me here alone?” I panicked.
“It would just be a couple days,” he explained.
I pulled my legs onto the couch, tucking them beneath me, and covering them with Xander’s long t-shirt I wore. I hated that idea almost as much as the one where I climbed down the mountain.
Xander laughed, his eyes filled with amusement as he stared at me. “Are you afraid something will get ya?”
“I’m not afraid,” I lied. “I just don’t want you to leave me,” I whined.
He shoved a log onto the fire, and then poked it a couple times to position it before getting up and moving towards the couch. He sat beside me, his body still exuding the cold outside air. “I won’t leave you,” he promised, pulling me into his arms.
My legs filled with goosebumps, and I shivered from the cold.
“Why aren’t you wearing pants?” he chuckled.
“It was hot in here,” I smirked, knowing the real reason was to get noticed.
“I’m gonna wash up,” he smiled, releasing me from his grip. I watched as he got up, walked into the bathroom, and shut the door. What the fuck?
I reached up, pulled the blanket from the side of the couch onto my legs, and snuggled into the cushion. I watched the flame flickering as I thought about Xander and his distance. There had to be a reason why he’d been so uninterested all week.
The water squealed from the faucet as Xander took his time washing up. My eyes grew heavy as I waited for him to exit the small room, eventually falling closed to darkness.
“You hungry?” Xander’s voice pulled me from my sleep. It was still daylight, but it felt as though I’d slept for hours.
“What time is it?” I asked, wiping the sleep from my eyes.
“Around four,” he responded.
He was sitting beside me, and the cabin smelled of garlic and lemon. I pushed myself up, feeling the grumble of hunger roll in my belly. “I’m starved,” I admitted.
“Good. I made an early dinner,” he announced, getting up abruptly from his spot next to me on the couch. “Stay there. I’ll bring you a plate,” he insisted.
I hated, and loved, that he took such good care of me. Maybe that was the problem; he didn’t want to make a move on someone so helpless. I had to show him I was fine, that I could take care of myself.
My hip ached from the way I’d fallen asleep on the couch, but not bad enough to stop me from my mission. I pushed myself up, stretched out the kinks in my back and neck, and moved towards the kitchen. Xander was unwrapping a foil package that released more of the delicious aroma into the air when opened.
“I told you I’d bring you your plate,” he smiled softly.
“I can take care of myself,” I smirked.
The satellite radio he’d gotten weather reports from was on low, and a reporter was heard announcing yet another burst of bad weather. I reached across Xander to the small radio, and turned the small dial. Static blasted through the tiny speakers, until finally music played. I turned it up, immediately noticing Xander’s surprise. My hip hurt, and my ankle felt weak, but I started dancing anyway. His eyes widened, and his smile spread quickly up his cheeks.
“You’re feeling better,” he chuckled.
I was feeling better. Much better.
I grabbed the plates from the counter and held them for Xander to slide a piece of fish onto each. He opened another foil package that contained potatoes, peppers, and roasted tomatoes, splitting the contents equally between the two plates. My body swayed to the music, and suddenly I started to sing along. Your mama don’t dance, and your daddy don’t rock and roll.
“You remember this song?” Xander asked, his surprise impossible to hide from his expression. His eyes widened even further as he listened to me sing the next verse, one that hadn’t been sung yet, so no way that I was just mocking the musician.
I stopped suddenly, shocked myself that I was singing along so effortlessly to the song I couldn’t remember ever hearing before.
“I don’t know,” I gasped, unable to contain the smile rearing up on my face. I must’ve heard it before, somewhere.
“That’s great,” he exclaimed, taking the prepared plates from my hands.
“I don’t remember it,” I sighed, following him to the couch.
He set our plates on the table and then pulled out two beers from the cooler next to the couch.
“Maybe music will help jog more of your memory,” he suggested.
“It couldn’t hurt,” I admitted.
“Have you remembered anything?” he questioned.
His voice was filled with concern, and it was obvious it bothered him that I still hadn’t remembered anything. I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders.
That first bite of fish melted in my mouth, the flavors exploding against my tongue.
“This is amazing,” I gasped, quickly scooping another bite onto my fork.
Xander smiled proudly while watching me eat.
I could tell he had a thousand more questions about my memory, but I didn’t have any answers. I’d grown accustomed to being there with him, and after our passionate night together, I quit worrying about what was waiting for me outside this cabin. I felt as though I could stay here forever, happy, content, and never worrying about what life I had before. It couldn’t have been that great, otherwise I’d remember it, right?
I sucked down my beer, and Xander handed me another. I hadn’t drank much since I’d been there, and after half way through the second, I felt my head get a little light. I didn’t care. I was enjoying myself. The music was still blaring from the other side of the cabin, and every other song I seemed to remember the words, even if I didn’t remember the song.
I grabbed our empty plates, danced towards the sink, and started cleaning up the meal that Xander had prepared. “I’ll get that. You need to rest,” he insisted.
“I need to dance,” I laughed, working my hips back and forth in front of the sink.
He leaned in, pressing against me, and instantly sending chills down my spine with excitement and anticipation.
“Here,” he said softly in my ear, reaching up to grip the washcloth above me.
He handed me the cloth, our hands touching gently for a split second, and then backed up, removing his hard body from my backside. I tingled with frustration and want, wishing I had the balls to just turn around and grab him, taking him right there.
The beer was enough to distract my irritation, and the music on the radio enough to keep me happy and cheerful. I continued to dance around the kitchen area, cleaning everything and placing it back in its spot while Xander helped, but mostly just watched in amazement.
“Everything’s clean,” he announced, standing stiffly in front of the sink.
My body wiggled to the beat of the music as I slung the wet cloth over my shoulder. Our eyes met, and I wasn’t willing to let go. I locked onto him, letting my eyes seduce him with their desire as he continued to remain frozen in his spot. What was his deal?