“Shit!” I grab onto Sterling’s shoulders tightly.
“I’ve got you,” he says, gently pulling his semi-hard cock out of my pussy and reaching past me to shut off the water.
Sterling guides us out of the shower, my bare feet touching the cool tile, and feels around until he finds his phone on the counter. He switches on his flashlight to give us some light as he glances at the screen.
“There’s a blizzard warning in effect,” he mutters, thumb swiping quickly. “And I have no service.”
My stomach dips as I pray that Levi made it back to his house or the resort before the blizzard hit. Before I can say anything, Sterling aims his phone at the wall hooks, grabs one of the thick towels that hang there, and wraps it snugly around my shoulders before taking a towel for himself.
“Let’s get your phone,” he says. “Mine is about to die.”
He takes my hand and leads me down the hall, the chalet eerily silent as long shadows stretch across the floor. When we reach the living room, we find my phone on an end table.
I pick it up and tap the flashlight, seeing I have fifty percent battery left. “Hopefully it’s enough to last until the power turns back on.”
“Keep that steady, I’ll get the fire started.”
The glow of my flashlight bounces weakly off the walls as Sterling stacks logs and crumpled newspaper into the fireplace and strikes a match. Within seconds, the first flames lick upward and within minutes, the faint crackle and warm orange glow fill the room.
“Better,” he murmurs, before disappearing into the hall only to return with an armful of thick blankets and another towel.
I watch as he drops them onto the rug in front of the fire, before tossing the spare towel over my head with a crooked grin.
“Dry that hair before you catch a cold,” he says.
I laugh, muffled by the towel as I rub it over my dripping strands. When I’m a little drier, Sterling spreads the biggest blanket out across the rug and drops down into it, tugging me with him.
I let the towel drop from my hair to the ground, the fire popping and hissing, the warmth rolling over our skin. He leans back on one elbow, watching me with complete adoration.
I wish I could just sit here, with him staring at me the way he is now, but words I haven’t said yet sit heavy on my chest. I clear my throat and scooch closer to him.
“I never said thank you earlier, for what you did to Jeff.” Sterling slides his hand to mine and squeezes it gently. “You didn’t have to step in or hit him, but you did. For me.”
His jaw tightens as he stares into the fire. “I’d do it again,” he says. “And I won’t apologize for it.”
“I’m not asking you to,” I whisper. “I’m just saying thank you.” I drag the blanket tighter around my shoulders, heart pounding as I gather the courage for what comes next. “And, I need to say I’m sorry too.”
Sterling blinks at me. “For what?”
My chest tightens, shame twisting in my stomach. “For the things I said to you when I ended things three years ago. I was cruel and I said things I didn’t mean.”
For a long beat, he just stares at me, and his silence is suffocating. Finally, he exhales. “Why won’t you tell me the real reason you left me?”
“Sterling—”
He shakes his head, looking away from me. “Ilovedyou. I would’ve done anything for you. And you cut me off like I was nothing. Like what we had was just…a mistake.” His jaw clenches. “I want the truth, Maisy.”
My throat tightens, tears hot behind my eyes. I force myself to look at him, because he deserves the truth I should’ve given him three years ago. Even if he doesn’t love me anymore.
“Because I felt weak. I thought you deserved better than me,” I whisper. “After the accident I wasn’t myself anymore. I was so broken, so angry, and the doctors told me the road back was likely going to be long and ugly.”
I swallow, digging my nails into my palm to stop the shakes. “I didn’t want you chained to that—to me. I wanted you to be free to focus on your career, to chase everything you’d worked so hard for without worrying about me slowing you down.”
I see shock flicker across his face, but I keep going, my voice trembling. “It wasn’t because I didn’t love you, or because I blamed you for what happened. God, I loved you so much it terrified me. But I thought letting you go was the only way to protect you from the mess I had become.”
I swipe at my cheek, but a tear slips free anyway. “What I didn’t expect was for you to give it all up. You walked away from your career. You left town.” My chest aches. “That wasn’t supposed to happen. That wasn’t what I wanted for you.”
Sterling is silent as he watches me, his jaw tight. When he finally speaks, his voice is low but shaking.
