CHAPTER EIGHT

Chase

I could feel her warm, soft body curled into mine and didn't want to move, but I had to move, or she would freeze. I needed to get wood on the fire before it went completely out. I didn't need to look at a clock to know it was five in the morning. I woke up at five every day. No alarm clock needed.

I allowed myself a few more precious minutes of holding her tightly against me, relishing in the feel of her naked body pressed into mine. Last night had been amazing, but I wasn't satisfied. I had barely scratched the surface of what I wanted from her. It had been a long time since I had been with a woman, and it had taken monumental self-control to hold back as long as I did.

With very slow movements, I untangled my arm from under her head and stood up, covering her with the blanket as I did. The chill in the air sent a shiver through my system. I quickly picked up my clothes, pulling on my boxers and jeans. I put on a heavy flannel that I’d left hanging by the door, slid into my thick snow boots, and headed outside. It would only take me a few minutes to chop up some kindling and grab a few logs to get the fire roaring again.

The air was cool and brisk and always had a way of clearing any remnants of sleep from my brain. I took a few seconds to look around the property. Quiet, as usual. I got busy chopping, doing my best not to make too much noise as I did.

When I walked back into the cabin, I was surprised to see Madison in the kitchen. She was wearing my T-shirt. It was just long enough to cover her butt. I stared at her, measuring out coffee and was instantly hard.

“Hey,” I said, still holding the stack of wood in my arms. “Did I wake you?”

She smiled. “No.”

“What are you doing up so early?”

She made a big show of sighing. “I was cold.”

I kicked off my boots and placed the wood in the box next to the woodstove.

“I'll get the fire going.”

It didn't take me long to build a fire. She came to stand next to me in front of the hearth, handing me a cup of coffee. I loved how normal and domestic the gesture felt, but something nagged at the back of my mind.

There was a man back home in Florida whose ring she had left behind. Though it had sounded like she didn’t think she should be with him any longer, I knew that a fling with a random guy thousands of miles away from home didn’t exactly equate to calling off the wedding.

“How are you feeling?” I asked, needing to fill the suddenly awkward silence.

“Like a normal human again.”

“Good.”

We went back to standing there, staring at the fire, both of us sipping our coffee.

“I should shower and dress,” I told her.

“Okay. Chase?”

“Hmm?”

“Is everything okay?”

I smiled, gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and stepped away. “Everything's fine.”

I could see by the look on her face that she didn’t quite believe me.

I went to the bathroom and turned on the water, stepping under the spray and thinking about how much I wanted Madison to be in the shower with me. Maybe next time…

No. There couldn't be a next time until she and I had a talk.

I let the water pour over me, and my mind drifted back to me fucking her on the floor of my cabin. How could her so-called fiancé not care about her? The guy had to be crazy. If I had a woman as gorgeous, smart, and kind as Madison, I would not let her go to Colorado for two weeks without me. I wouldn't let it get to the point she felt she had to run away from me.

Mark was a douchebag. That was the only explanation.

By the time I got out of the shower, I was a little more in control of my body. My erection had softened, and I managed to get my jeans buttoned without pinching and squishing parts that should never be pinched or squished.

The second I opened the bathroom door, I paused, blinked, and inhaled. Bacon. I smelled bacon.

I deposited my dirty clothes in the hamper and headed for the kitchen in my bare feet. I froze at the sight of her, standing at the stove in that T-shirt. She was humming as she cooked.

“Wow!” I said, startling her.

“Well, you've been cooking for me and waiting on me hand and foot this week. I figured it was my turn. I can pull my own weight around here. How do you like your eggs?” she asked.

“Uh, scrambled works.”

“Scrambled it is. Have a seat.” She used the tongs in her hand to gesture toward the small circular table.

I did as I was told.

She brought me the coffee cup I had earlier and refilled it.

“So, you said you owned this place?” she asked as she cooked.

“Yes. Well, it's been in the family for a long time. When my mother passed away, I inherited the cabin and a nice chunk of land,” I explained.

“What kind of shifts do you work? I mean, you’ve been able to be here with me this whole week. Do you have a flexible schedule?”

I hesitated, not sure how much I wanted to tell her. “I don't currently have a job.”

I knew that made me sound like a world class loser. What she didn't know was that I had a very healthy inheritance I barely touched. It wasn't like it cost a lot to live up here, being single and all.

“But I thought you were a paramedic?”

The questions were making me uneasy. I needed to change the subject and quickly.

“No, I completed the training and got my degree, but I haven't actually worked as a paramedic.”

She turned to look at me, questioning me further, but I declined to answer. She must have gotten the hint I wasn't thrilled talking about myself or my past and quickly dropped the interrogation.

“You? You said you did some shows. What kind of art? Like painting, sculpting?” I asked, turning the tables on her.

“Abstract painting. I like to make people think. I don't want to push what I see in a painting on someone else. It's supposed to mean something different to each person. I like to think it has to do with what's in a person's heart and mind that determines what they see.”

I raised an eyebrow. It sounded like a lot of mumbo jumbo new age stuff to me. “Oh.”

She laughed. “I know it sounds crazy, but I promise there’s more to it than paint splattered on a canvas.”

A dark look crossed her face, and her cheery demeanor changed. I had a feeling good ol' Mark had used that term to describe her work.

I watched as she cracked some eggs in the pan and stirred. The motion caused the shirt to ride up an inch or so and gave me a lovely view of her bare ass. And just like that, I grew hard again. It was going to be tough keeping my hands off her. I don't know why I thought I could. The only thing that would keep me from fucking her again was if she told me no. I didn't know Mark, but I didn't like the guy. My allegiance to the man code was already dissolved.

Fuck him. If he couldn't take care of his woman, I would. He fucked up by treating her like shit.

“Breakfast is served,” she said, placing a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of me.

“Thank you. It smells and looks delicious. I usually just have a bowl of cereal,” I grinned.

She winked. “I figured you needed a big breakfast after all the work you put in last night.”

The woman was going to kill me if she kept talking like that.

She dug into her breakfast with gusto, and I had to bite back a laugh. She was a small woman, but clearly, she had a very good metabolism. Maybe she was making up for the lack of meals the past few days while she had been recovering. Whatever the reason, I liked it.

She caught me staring and paused, the fork filled with eggs midway to her mouth. “What?”

I smiled. “Nothing. Good to see you eating.”

She lowered her fork a bit. “You're not the only one who worked up an appetite last night.”

Yep, fuck Mark. I was only human. I could not resist this woman.

We finished our breakfast, and she began clearing the table.

“No, you made breakfast. I'll clean up,” I told her.

She nodded. “Okay. I should probably get dressed. Can't be running around in your shirt all day.”

I begged to differ, but she had a point. If she wore that, neither of us would get anything accomplished. I needed to split more wood and get ready for the next storm that would be rolling in. There was always another storm coming. Living up here meant I was constantly getting ready for the next storm. I didn't mind. It kept me busy and my mind off things I didn't want to think about.

I decided to focus on Madison and enjoy the brief time I had with her. When she packed up and went back home to Florida, I could go back to dwelling on the past and all the mistakes I had made. For now, I had a beautiful woman in my home who wanted me. That was all I wanted to think about.