Emma
I start to shiver.
The floor is cold, and I’m worn out, but I’m also utterly content and satisfied. What an amazing evening.
Dylan picks me up and carries me to bed.
“I can walk, you know,” I mutter but nuzzle against his bear-like chest.
“Sure you can, but this way, I get to feel you naked against my skin.”
He lowers me onto the bed, and I feel his lips against the top of my head. I get under the fluffy covers and wait for him to stretch out beside me. I push my back against his front and revel in the feel of his muscles of steel.
For the first time in a long time, I feel safe.
The curtains of the window are still open. Dreamily, I stare out at the vastness of white. As far as the eye can see, there’s snow. Even the tall trees are covered in it.
Suddenly, I feel incredibly small and insignificant, like a pimple on the ass of the world.
Life.
It’s beautiful and fragile.
I’m thinking of asking Dylan what he gets up to when he’s not entertaining a guest like me, but the sound of his snoring lets me know I won’t be getting an answer.
I close my eyes. The significance of the moment does not escape me. I’ve never been so close to a human being before—expect for maybe my own mother.
I remember climbing into bed with her as a little girl, but it was nothing like the man beside me now. Our bodies seem to fit together perfectly. We are one.
His body is hard as steel, muscled, and bear-like while mine is soft and curvaceous.
Maybe if I close my eyes, sleep will grab me, too, and I’ll enter a dream world, along with Dylan.
Time passes. Nothing. I’m still wide awake.
What are some things people do to try and get some sleep? Count sheep.
Yes, I’ll start counting sheep. One, two, three, four, five…
Nope. Counting sheep is also not working.
Turns out Dylan might be the perfect guy, but there’s no way I can get to sleep. I think he’s snoring so loudly that the walls are shaking. Or maybe it has nothing to do with his snoring.
Maybe it’s me.
It’s as if Dylan’s awakened something in me, some wild beast, some creature that has been slumbering deep within me—a creature only he can satisfy.
I sigh.
His snoring has now reached a near deafening crescendo. At this rate, he might unleash an avalanche outside.
I try and struggle out of his embrace, but he tightens his hold on me. Darn.
There’s no way I’m going to be able to sleep with this racket going on. He doesn’t sound like a bear—he sounds like five bears!
Somehow I manage to untangle myself from his grip and slide off the edge of the bed.
I hesitate and let my eyes travel over his naked body. I still can’t believe what happened. It’s almost like a fairy tale come true.
Here I am, not a princess, just an ordinary girl beside the most eligible bachelor on the mountain.
Okay, so he’s the only fucking bachelor up here, but when he was in the city, in Manhattan, he was the most sought-after man. Women practically threw themselves at him.
Did I deserve him? I bite my bottom lip. Of course, he hasn’t said anything about a future.
No mention has been made of what’s going to happen when this blizzard stops and the snow melts.
Mixed feelings settle in the pit of my stomach. What would happen next? Not quite the fairy tale I imagined after all.
Now my thoughts are swirling around my head like a fly trapped in a glass jar, unable to escape.
No matter which way I look at the situation, I reach the same conclusion. It’s fucked.
With so much on my mind, I tiptoe downstairs. Boss is fast asleep on his bed. I grab another log and put it on the dying the flames.
For a while, I squat next to the bear and watch the dance of the flames. Blues, yellows, reds and orange combine and merge in a spectacular formation.
Boss would grow up.
I shift my gaze from the fire to the bear and ruffle his fur. He grumbles and twitches a little. I’m not sure if he’s dreaming or stirring because of my touch.
Better to leave him to it.
Aimlessly, I meander through the cabin. It’s curious how there are no photos of anything or anyone on the walls.
The walls and floor are made of wood, but Dylan has placed rugs here and there.
All in all, this cabin is pretty basic. Nothing flashy, yet everything one needs is here.
Something strange on the floor stops me. It looks like the wood’s been shortened. As I walk closer to it, I realize that it’s a gap.
I get onto my hands and knees and, to my surprise, find a latch. It’s a trap door.
My imagination is suddenly running wild. Perhaps it’s a portal to another world? I wonder giddily.
As a child, I used to love reading portal adventures. I imagined my wardrobe led me to a magical world, just like Narnia.
Should I go and explore? I slow my breathing and listen.
All I can hear is snoring. Both the bear and Dylan are sound asleep.
Gently, I lift the latch and peer down into the darkness. I can make out a staircase, and it does not take me long to find a light switch.
After I take the first two steps, I stop. Holy shit. What was I doing?
My heart starts to beat a little faster. Would Dylan mind if I went into his secret room?
What if I discovered some dark secret of his? What if this hides the remains of someone he killed?
The more I think about it, the faster my heart beats, and the crazier my thoughts become.
Dylan said he had to leave in a hurry because someone wanted to hurt me...but how do I actually know if he was telling the truth?
With a deep breath, I keep walking down. And then I stop walking and breathing.
It takes me forever to come to terms with what I’m seeing. My brain refuses to accept what my eyes are seeing.
Eventually, probably only a few minutes later, I go all the way into the room.
It looks like some secret surveillance operation. There are numerous monitors all over the room.
What had stopped me dead in my tracks were the images of my burned apartment.
Dylan...was spying on me.
I take a deep breath as my heart pounds in my chest like a jackhammer. I never did ask him how he knew my apartment had been set on fire.
Mixed emotions rage through me. I’m fucking angry, disappointed, and hurt. I feel so betrayed.
To distract myself, I look at the other monitors. Some of them are blank. Was he watching other people or had it only been me?
The room is spinning a little. I still can’t believe it. All this time he’d been watching me from up here in the mountains, and I had no fucking idea.
And then, movement on the screen distracts me. I approach it and watch.
There are men on the monitor. It takes me a while to recognize what the fuck I’m looking at.
I’m no geography expert, but I bet these men are now on our mountain. There are four of them, and they’re heading our way. Judging by their black clothing, facemasks, and guns, they’re not coming over for a friendly chat.
Were these the same guys who set fire to my apartment? But what are they doing here?
My thoughts are in such fucking disarray. The only reason they’re here would be to…but surely they couldn’t...they wouldn’t.
By now, my heart is beating in my throat, and I’m starting to panic.
What the fuck am I going to do now? The four men are moving quickly.
Where was Dylan?
Dylan.
Of course. I turn around and race back up the stairs.
Having a go at him for watching me would have to wait till a little later. We have dangerous men to deal with.
As I race up the stairs, I wonder how we’re going to get out of this alive.