Chapter 10
Seth was packing gear onto the trailer attached to his four-wheeler when Thomas found him the next day. He’d been avoiding everyone, not just Lauren, since the morning before when he found out that the one thing he’d sworn he’d never do he’d done. What made it worse was that he’d spent the best night of his life with the woman he’d just married. Most men would have been overjoyed, but Seth had never planned such a conventional life and couldn’t quite come to grips with the fact that it had suddenly been thrust upon him.
After a long discussion with Grandfather, who had verified that the marriage was real and binding, pointing out that he and Lauren had been dressed in the ceremonial clothes, had signed the marriage license in front of the entire village, then spent the night together. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t make it go away,” he’d said, then added, “But when the year is up, if you still feel this way I’ll do what’s necessary to end the marriage. That’s the best I can do for you, son.”
Seth wanted to ask him why he’d participated in the ceremony in the first place, but it would be unbelievably rude to challenge him, so he left quietly trying to figure out what he was going to do with his new wife. Intentionally or not, he’d made a commitment to Lauren, a promise, and he never broke his promises. Most alarming was the little part of him that was thrilled with the fact that Lauren belonged to him, and the little part that wondered what it might be like to wake up with her in his arms every morning.
He’d been pushing those thoughts from his mind when Thomas walked up, “Looks like you’re about ready to leave,” he said, testing the waters to see just how mad Seth was.
“Now that the lease is signed, I have a ton of things that need to be done before winter sets in,” Seth said, tightly. He was still mad at Thomas who had played a role in the mess he was in.
Thomas couldn’t let him leave with things the way there were so he tried to explain, “You know I had to do it, don’t you?” he tried, but Seth only shot him a dirty look and kept packing. “Look, I know guys don’t usually talk about stuff like this, but I’ve seen you with Lauren and take it from someone who loves his wife very deeply, she’s the perfect woman for you.”
“That’s for me to decide. You know how I feel about marriage,” Seth said, finally really looking at his friend for despite what Thomas had done, he knew that he was his friend.
“For what it’s worth, I didn’t agree with Marci, but I was outvoted as usual,” he said, with a silly grin, remembering how Marci had convinced him. “But whether you like it or not, you and Lauren are married for the next year, give it a chance, you might be surprised what you discover.”
Seth looked at him skeptically. “And if she doesn’t want to? What then?” Seth asked, knowing that he was voicing his biggest fear.
Thomas laughed. “You really don’t know how this works, do you? You chase her, do whatever you can to convince her to give it a shot. But do you really think you’ll have to?”
Seth thought about that and really didn’t know the answer. “I honestly don’t know.”
Seth and Lauren had been on the trail for two days, carefully circling around one another. Seth pushed them hard so by the time they stopped for the night, they were both too exhausted to do more than set up camp, feed themselves, and go to sleep. Neither had mentioned the fact that they were married; it seemed to Lauren that they were going to handle the situation by ignoring it, which was fine with her.
She was still in a state of shock and a little bit hurt that Seth had just disappeared that day, only to show up two days later to report that they were leaving the next morning. Since then the only words they’d exchanged had been those necessary to keep them functioning on the trail. Each day that passed made Lauren more and more sure that she’d only been a diversion for Seth, that what they’d shared was a one-time thing, and her cheeks burned to think how easy she’d made it for him.
Seth was thinking very different thoughts, thoughts that were so foreign to him he couldn’t quite get his head around them. He’d been keeping his distance, trying to sort through his confusion, but each night when he crawled into his tent all he could think about was Lauren sleeping just a few feet away. There had never been a woman who affected him the way Lauren did and he had no idea how to handle those feelings, so he buried them, only letting them out at night when he crawled into his sleeping bag alone.
When they finally reached his house after an especially long day on the trail, Lauren immediately began dragging her gear over to her little car. But Seth stopped her. “You can’t go home tonight, it’s too late,” he said, taking her bag from her and heading to the house.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve driven at night before, you know,” she said sarcastically, fed up with Seth’s silence.
“Not after spending three days on the trail. I know you’re tired, I am,” he said, the concern in his voice softening his words.
Lauren sighed. She wanted to get home, get away from Seth, but she was exhausted, the last few miles had been especially hard. When he felt that he was beginning to sway her, he added, “A hot shower and some real food might be nice too. I might even have a bottle of wine somewhere.”
It sounded so good, and Seth looked so hopeful, she agreed and followed Seth into the house. She followed him up the stairs to a room that faced the ocean. “My room is next door, this is a big house and I only keep a few bedrooms open. There’s a connecting door, but it locks from both sides,” he said, putting her bag down on the bed.
After he left, Lauren stripped off her clothes and climbed into the big shower, thinking that she could get used to this, then chiding herself for her thoughts. None of this was hers, and never would be; in a year they’d dissolve the marriage and she’d walk away no richer than when she’d begun, but certainly a little wiser.
She found him in the kitchen. He’d obviously showered as well, his dark curly hair was still gleaming with moisture. There was a fire lit in the fireplace and a wonderful smell coming from a pot on the stove. “Something smells wonderful,” Lauren said, her stomach growling so loud she was sure Seth could hear it.
“Just a quick sauce and some pasta,” he said, giving her a brilliant smile, thinking that she looked nice in his kitchen. Then quickly pushed the thought away.
“Can I help?” she asked, coming farther into the room.
“No, everything is ready,” he said, dishing up the pasta into two bowls and taking them to the little table he’d set next to the fire. In a move that surprised even him, he held her chair for her while she sat down.
He returned to the kitchen and came back with a bottle of wine and a basket of bread. Lauren took one look at the wine and promised herself she’d only have one glass tonight; no way was she going to let her guard down. The pasta smelled wonderful, the first real meal she’d had in days, so she took a bite and moaned when the flavors hit her tongue.
“Seth, this is wonderful,” she said, scooping another bit into her mouth.
“Well, I have time on my hands in the winter and I like to eat,” he said, pleased with her praise.
Lauren was surprised that he was talking to her, he’d been so distant on the trail that she’d begun to think that he was never going to talk to her again. “So now that the lease is signed, what’s the next step?”
“Well, I need to work on the logistics more, but I’ll have the entire winter to do that. As soon as the first snow flies, I’ll be heading for my cabin,” Seth said, not even realizing that what he did affected Lauren now too as if he’d truly forgotten that they’d gotten married.
Well, she decided in that instant, if that was the way they were going to play this, then that was fine with her. When the year was up, they’d meet at the village, do what had to be done to end things, and move on with their lives. “Oh, I thought we’d get started right away,” she said, to cover her hurt feelings.
“In Alaska as soon as the snow flies, everything shuts down until spring, I’ll be lucky to get all the supplies in before then. Even if we wanted to start construction, the weather wouldn’t let us,” Seth explained patiently, thinking that it was going to be a very long winter for Lauren.
They finished their dinner in silence, then cleaned up the kitchen together, their habits from the trail surfacing naturally. Seth wanted to take Lauren in his arms and kiss her but sensed that it wouldn’t be welcome. Lauren couldn’t stop thinking about the night they’d spent together and wondered if it would be as good a second time or if it had just been the alcohol. The tension in the room continued to grow, each of them acutely aware of the other as they stood side by side at the sink.
When the dishes were finished, Lauren knew that she couldn’t face another minute with Seth, so she yawned hugely, and said, “I’ll think I’ll go to bed.”
Seth was disappointed but couldn’t see any way to keep her there with him. “Okay, goodnight.” Again, he was tempted to kiss her but instead let her walk out of the room, knowing that it was the smartest thing to do.
Lauren hoped that Seth would stop her, would come after her, but he didn’t. By the time she got to her room, she wished that she’d risked it on the road; late and tired or not, it would have been easier than Seth’s rejection. As she got ready for bed, she swore that she would never put herself in this position again, never let Seth reject her again, it just hurt too much.
He'd laid his plans out quite clearly, and she didn’t figure in them at all. Stifling the hurt that washed over her, she climbed into bed. Maybe it was a good thing that Seth had been so clear about his plans, at least now there wouldn’t be a question about where their relationship was going. She’d always striven for clarity in her life, and although it hurt, she had clarity now. Tomorrow, she’d head home and live her life as she’d planned; that thought should have made her feel good, but all it did was make her more upset.
It took Lauren hours to fall asleep, but when she did, it was a deep sleep. One that was full of dreams of Seth, of him holding her in his arms, of the wonderful way he made her feel. But those dreams were interrupted by a loud crash of thunder deep in the middle of the night, which had her jumping out of bed, confused and disoriented. She went to the window and pulled the blinds to see a churning sea and lightning flashing over the water.
She watched fascinated as the storm grew, then the rain began to come down in sheets, so thick she could no longer see the ocean. The wind began to blow, rocking the house with its force, the lightning and thunder making her jump. Lauren had never been afraid of storms, but this was like nothing she’d ever seen. She shivered and crossed the room to go back to bed. Storm or no storm she needed to get some sleep if she was going to leave in the morning.
But just as she was going to get back under the covers, lightning lit up the sky and the ground shook, the thunder that followed made her scream and cover her head. Only a minute later, Seth came charging through the door, as disoriented as she’d been a few minutes ago.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, pulling her into his arms without even thinking.
“I’m sorry, it’s the storm,” she said, trying to pull away from him. “I’m okay, it just surprised me.”
Seth loved the feel of Lauren in his arms, had in fact been dreaming about just that, so it was impossible to let go of her. “The storms can get pretty bad out here,” he said, rubbing her back.
Lauren couldn’t help but sigh when she felt Seth’s arms around her, but she knew that they were in dangerous territory, the memory of the night they’d shared still so fresh in her mind, she’d be powerless to resist him if he pushed her. “Storms don’t usually bother me this much, but I’m okay now,” she repeated, hoping he’d go back to his room.
“I can stay with you for a while if you want,” he offered, hoping she’d say yes.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said, pulling away from him and walking over to the window to look out at the storm which although just as fierce had become unimportant.
He let her go, his heart sinking, then he did the most impulsive thing he’d ever done in his life and pulled her back to him. Lauren didn’t resist, but she was stiff in his arms, clearly unwilling to let things go any farther. Seth had known from the minute they’d gotten on the trail that he’d hurt her; after the wonderful night they’d spent together, he’d just walked away and stayed away for days.
It had been a decision he’d been regretting for days, especially now that she was in his arms, and all the feelings he felt when he was with her came flooding back. An apology was called for, he knew that, but apologizing to anyone had never been his strong suit, something he’d inherited from his father. Lauren deserved one though, so he tried to find the right words.
“Lauren, I’m sorry about the way I’ve been acting. I just wasn’t sure how to handle the fact that we were married. It’s nothing personal, in fact, if I had to be married to someone, I’m glad it’s you,” Seth said, shocked by the words that had just come out of his mouth.
But Lauren didn’t hear them the same way he was feeling them. “Well, that’s good to hear, I mean we wouldn’t want you to be completely unhappy,” she said sarcastically, her fear of the storm draining away with her anger.
Seth knew that he’d screwed up but couldn’t quite figure out why, he’d been being honest with her. “Maybe that didn’t come out right. The truth is that I really like you, Lauren, I feel good when we’re together,” he said, quietly.
Lauren looked up at him, surprised by his words which didn’t match the way he was acting. “You have a funny way of showing it,” she said, still hurt.
“I really am sorry, but I got scared. I have no idea what to do in this situation, but a close friend gave me some advice. He said that we should give this marriage a try, see if it might work,” Seth said, thinking back on Thomas’ words and realizing that he really did want to try.
Lauren studied his face. It felt so nice to be in his arms, but if she gave herself to him, she knew that it would all be over for her. Before she’d been able to rationalize what had passed between them that wonderful night, but if she embraced their marriage, treated it as if it was real, there would be no turning back. She was already half in love with him, could already see a future with him, a future that promised so many possibilities.
Seth could see that Lauren was wavering, so he pulled her tighter against him and found her mouth with his. The kiss he gave her blocked everything else out of her mind, her fears of being hurt, the fact that she might lose her job, even the storm faded as his tongue teased and tasted her. Briefly it occurred to Lauren that she was truly powerless when it came to Seth, and for the first time understood why her mother had let her father treat her the he had.
But then Seth’s hands found her breasts under the thin cotton t-shirt she’d put on before bed that night and nothing existed but the two of them and the pleasure his hands were giving her. When his thumb and finger found a stiff nipple, she sucked in a deep breath, gripping his shoulders until she left nail marks, the pleasure so intense it left her weak kneed and trembling.
Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled just outside the window, the sea frothy with giant waves that crashed against the rocky shore in huge arcs of water. The air was full of electricity not just from the storm but from the passion building between Seth and Lauren, a passion that was quickly getting out of their control. Seth’s sudden urge to possess Lauren was all consuming, coming on him so quickly he had little hope of controlling it, as if something beyond him had taken over and all he could do was ride it out until it was satisfied.
Lauren felt it too and reached for his boxer shorts, her goal to hold him in her hands, to stroke him until he was as wild for her as she was for him. But he was already there, his need for her obvious as her hands wrapped around his throbbing penis, making the moan that Lauren wanted escape his lips. She sucked in a deep breath as waves of pleasure washed over her, the act of giving Seth pleasure making her tingle between her legs, the throbbing inside her growing until all she wanted was him inside her.
He ripped off her shirt and threw it to the floor, then through gritted teeth said, “I need you, Lauren.”
Lauren’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the raw passion in his eyes, her need increasing with each passing moment. “I need you too, Seth,” she said, sliding her hands up his chest and pulling his mouth down to hers.
This time she thrust her tongue into his mouth, tasting and teasing as he’d done, her hands returning to his engorged cock to stroke him. Seth could only take a few minutes of Lauren’s ministrations. Unable to stop himself, he turned her around, braced her hands on the glass of the window and buried himself inside her from behind, in one hard thrust.
Lauren, shocked to suddenly have Seth buried so deeply inside her, could do nothing more than brace herself against the glass, her body not only taking every inch of Seth’s length but wanting more. His hands gripping her hips, he drove himself into her over and over, the power of taking her so completely nearly driving him to orgasm. But then he became aware of Lauren’s whimpering sounds of pleasure, and the need to possess her faded. A part of him aware that she’d given herself to him willingly, that there was no need to possess her, she was already his.
That thought brought out a tenderness in him he hadn’t know he possessed, and he had an overwhelming need to bring her pleasure, to taste her, to devour her. When Seth pulled out of Lauren, she suddenly felt very empty. Unable to understand what he was doing, she stood up and looked at him. “Seth?” she managed to say before he pulled her to him and kissed her.
Between kisses, he said, “Lauren, you’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever been with, I don’t want this to end too quickly.” Then he pushed her over to the bed.
Lauren sat down on the bed, looking up at Seth who had come to stand before her, the lightning from the storm giving her delicious flashes of his naked body. He knelt before her and pushed her legs apart, then kissed the inside of her thigh, sending wonderful waves of pleasure through her and making goose bumps erupt on her skin.
She didn’t resist when he pushed her back on the bed and spread her legs wider. The anticipation building inside her making the moment his tongue lapped at her tender flesh that much more amazing. Seth used his tongue to bring Lauren just to the brink of oblivion, then thrust his finger into her, pushing her over the edge, her muscles gripping him as wave after wave of pleasure left her panting, but still needing something more.
Desperate to be inside her again, he flipped her over, pulled her to her hands and knees, grabbed her hips, and entered her from behind. Almost immediately her body responded to his, her muscles gripping him as her body demanded satisfaction once again. Seth had no plans to slow things down this time and gave himself over to the wonderful feeling of being inside Lauren. Thrusting himself deeper and deeper each time, until he was buried deeper than he’d ever been before.
Lauren thrust her hips back, and wiggled them, the delicious feeling of orgasm building once again inside her. That was all it took for Seth to tumble over into oblivion, his orgasm making his body spasm and tremble as he too experienced the power of their passion. Lauren went with him again, crying out his name as her body shook and shuttered, a deep feeling of completeness washing over her when he spilled himself inside her.
As she lay in his arms, the storm still raging, she knew she was in trouble. It wasn’t only the passion they shared, or the fact that only Seth had ever been able to make her feel this way. She knew deep down in her heart that she loved him, a love that would last forever, a love based not just on sex, but on the connection between them. Sighing deeply, she pushed thoughts of tomorrow from her mind, content for just now to live in the moment.