I visibly shook my head to clear my mind enough to follow what was subtly but obviously my orders. I was surprisingly all right with that. I had promised myself I wouldn’t be under anyone else’s control ever again, but this didn’t feel so much like control. It felt like gentle guidance. I felt comforted by it, not suffocated.
Leaving the kitchen, I picked up my bag and walked up the stairs to the loft where the bedroom was. I assumed the bathroom was attached but wasn’t expecting much. As nice as the cabin was, it wasn’t a five-star resort. The bed was a huge four-poster king bed, with a fixed canopy swathed in deep blue velvet. It looked so soft and cozy, I was tempted to jump in and take a nap, but I needed to get clean first. All the nerves and anxiety I’d had driving in the storm had given me a bad case of the sweats. It wasn’t sexy, but it was the truth.
I put my bag on the luggage rack by the window and was shocked when I looked out and saw the trees behind the cabin were all bowing over from the weight of the ice and snow still coming down. I knew I needed to hurry in case we lost power, so I went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. When I flipped the light switch, I was stunned at the level of luxury. The whole room was done in a rich cream marble. There was a huge soaker tub in front of me with sinks and mirrors on either side. To the right was a large walk-in shower with at least five showerheads that I could see, and to the left was a door that was probably a closet.
Ignoring the closet, I lingered over the tub. I wanted a long soak, but Sebastian was cooking, and I didn’t want to take too long. So, I went to the shower, got the water piping hot, and hopped in. It was heaven. The water coming from all different angles felt like a standing massage, which I needed after the whole day of driving.
My brain tried to bring up all the problems I had at the moment, like how was I going to get to the conference, how or if it would be possible to rescue my baby from that damned ditch, and would it be drivable even if we could get it out.
All the issues tried to take over and ruin the relaxing feel of the shower, but I wouldn’t let the thoughts take away this joy. I shut my brain down and decided that for however long I was here, all I would worry about was food, sleep, and all the things Sebastian could do to me. The mere thought of Sebastian made my cock perk up, but I ignored it. I was hungry and wanted, more than I would admit, to know what he wanted to talk about over our dinner.
I finished up my shower quickly, toweled off and got dressed in my plaid fleece PJ pants and a soft long sleeve tee. I hadn’t brought a ton of underwear, and I was hoping with any luck I wouldn’t need them later. Thinking about the possibilities, I couldn’t hide the small grin on my face as I descended the stairs to the most glorious smell of grilling meat and veggies.
“Something smells fantastic! What are you making?”
I walked over to the gas stove where Sebastian was flipping what looked like a skewer of chicken and peppers on the flat part of the cooktop. He flipped the last one, then leaned into me until his nose was almost touching my neck. “You smell even better than dinner.”
Blushing, I moved a little closer to him so his nose could nuzzle my neck.Fuck.I felt the soft brush of his skin on mine all the way to my toes. “Thanks, it’s just some body wash I get online. I love the sandalwood, cedar, and citrus.”
Sebastian gave me a little touch of his lips on my neck, then got back to his food on the stove. “You need to sit over there on one of the barstools, Josiah, before I burn dinner, and we have to eat something else.”
I was feeling a lightness in my belly and was filled with the urge to flirt. “Would that be such a bad thing? I know something you could eat instead.”
“Mmmmm, don’t distract me. I think we need to talk before we eat anything other than theseshashliks.”
“I’m sorry, what did you call them?”
“Shashlik?”
“Yeah, I’ve never heard that before. I always thought they were shish kebabs.”
“They’re similar. These are a popular street food back home. Usually, it’s lamb or beef, but I like it with chicken. I did a quick marinade of olive oil and some Greek spices.”
“That sounds amazing. Do you need me to help with anything?”
Sebastian looked up with a bright smile. “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ve got it. I’m a quick and dirty cook, so I’ve got some quick rice in the microwave to go with.”
“Nothing wrong with quick and dirty.” The words just popped out, but the appreciative look I got from Sebastian was worth it.
He winked at me and started moving theshashliksto our plates. “My thoughts exactly. For all kinds of things.” He retrieved the herbed rice from the microwave, placed it on the plates with the meat and veggies, then carried them around the island to the table he’d already set. “Shall we eat?”
I noticed he didn’t have drinks on the table yet, so I offered. “Let me grab some drinks. What would you like?”
“Oh, I forgot, I have a bottle of white wine chilling in the fridge. You don’t mind white, do you?”
I was very pleasantly surprised since I’d expected him to say beer. It wouldn’t have been terrible, but I did love a glass of good white wine. Retrieving the bottle, I looked for the opener, but Sebastian had come back into the kitchen, pulling an opener out of his pocket. He took the bottle and had the foil off and the bottle opened in about five seconds. Shocked, I just lifted an eyebrow, and Sebastian shrugged.
“Just habit, I guess.”
“How do you get into the habit of opening bottles at the speed of light? Are you a bartender?”
“No, I own a winery, actually. Tastings go fast sometimes.”
The news hit me like a bullet to the heart. I’d only just started imagining having some time with Sebastian, getting to know him better. And maybe more? Suddenly reality was hitting hard.
Sebastian had a life half a world away.
He was only going to be here a week or two, and then he’d be gone.
