As I’m cleaning up the last of the prep work from the sauce, I wonder idly if there are any cabins for sale around here. Or maybe I could look into building one. It would be amazing to have a place like this where I could get away whenever I want. Although it’s so rare that I take both days of the weekend off, I’d probably never use it. But then a crazy thought enters my mind. What if I looked into reducing the time I spend at work? I could learn something new, develop a hobby, or learn a language or something. I’ve already earned more than enough money than anyone in my family could ever spend, and after a lifetime of chasing money and success, maybe I should think about stepping back. It’s an interesting thought, but truthfully, I’m not sure how well I would function without coming into the office every day. After all, I’ve spent far more time there than I have at my home. I shake my head, knowing it was probably just a thought. More likely, I’ll just keep on doing what I’ve been doing for decades. But I make a note to talk to Derek about it at our next appointment.
After throwing another log on the fire, I watch the snow fall from the big picture window for a while, enjoying the wine. I have a strange feeling that I’m exactly where I should be, which is weird. Maybe the fresh mountain air is already getting to me.
Chuckling to myself, I settle into one of the comfortable chairs in the living area and grab the remote. I’m about to start channel surfing when I’m shocked by the sound of knocking at the door, followed by the chime of the doorbell.
What the hell?It must be some kind of emergency. Why else would anyone be out in this storm? I hurry to the door and wrench it open, only to nearly lose my balance and fall on my face when I recognize the man standing there.
For some reason, Case is standing on the doorstep of this cabin in the middle of nowhere, looking a little like a snowman as his eyes get big and round when he sees me. Yes. That Case. The one I spent the hottest night of my life with over a year ago. The one I never dreamed I’d see again. That Case is standing at the door.
“What the fuck?” we both say at the same time.
CASE
It only takes a moment for the door to be wrenched open after I knock. I’m sure whoever’s inside is wondering who the fuck is out gallivanting around in the middle of theSnowpocalypse.But when I realize it’s Matt, the guy I’ve spent the last year thinking about and to whom I compare every date I go on, I’m pretty sure I do a literal double take.
“What the fuck?” we say at the same time. He looks as shocked as I feel, and there’s an awkward moment of silence while we both stand there speechless, our faces wearing the same stunned expression and our mouths opening and closing silently like a couple of fish gasping for air.
“Umm.. well, um hello… What, uh, what are you doing here?” he asks awkwardly. It’s snowing so hard, and the wind is so strong it’s blowing through the doorway and forming a tiny little snowdrift in one of the corners of the foyer.
“Uh, I’m happy to explain, but could I come in?” I ask.
“Oh, shit, of course, I’m sorry,” he jumps out of the way, opening the door wider so I can step inside. The wind is so strong he has to use his body weight to close the door against the force of it. But as soon as the door closes, all traces of the storm disappear. There isn’t even a draft sneaking in through the cracks. It’s like the entire world outside ceases to exist.
“Here, let me take your coat and things. Come in.” He smiles, but I just step inside, not making any move to take off my coat or boots. I feel like I’ve stepped into the Twilight Zone or some shit. How is this person, this complete stranger from a year ago who lives hundreds of miles away, how is that person is standing in front of me right now?
“Yeah. I, ah, I’m kind of confused.. How.. Why are you in my friends’ cabin in the middle of the Canadian Rocky Mountains?” I ask, trying not to be rude, but holy fuck, my head is spinning.
He smiles. “I could ask you the same thing. But I’ll go first. This place is owned by someone I work with, Hunter Davies. He and his husband are away for the holidays and Hunter offered me the cabin for this week. I got here earlier this afternoon. Now it’s your turn.”
“Right. Right. That makes sense.” I mutter. I know Hunter works for some video game company; he’s apparently had a meteoric rise to almost the top over the last few years. But Reed and Dylan know Penn better than Hunter, so that’s about all the info I have on him.
“Penn and Hunter are friends of my best friend, Reed Morrow. I was on my way to spend a few days skiing with friends at a place a couple of hours further up the highway, but the weather closed the road and I had to turn around. I called Reed and when he found out where I was he contacted Penn who told me I should come here and stay until the weather clears.”
“Oh.. right. That makes sense I guess.” Matt nods his head slowly. “Well, ah, come on in. I’ll show you around and you can choose a bedroom. I mean – I assume you’ll stay? The place is huge, more than enough space for both of us.”
“Um. Yeah, I guess. I don’t really like the thought of fighting this weather back down to the coast, and they say the storm is getting worse.” I say, still not quite believing what’s happening.
As Matt leads me through the huge living room with a stunning two-story high stone fireplace taking up one full wall, a cell phone chimes, and he grabs it off a side table. Looking at the screen he chuckles, and when he looks up at me his eyes are twinkling. A jolt of electricity runs from my balls up my spine when his eyes meet mine, and I’m surprised I don’t actually jump from the strength of it.
“Cell service is a little sketchy, I guess, because it looks like this text was sent an hour ago and the notification just came now, but it’s Hunter, telling me exactly what you just said. He was at the gym working out when your friend talked to Penn. Penn didn’t realize Hunter offered the place to me this week, so he didn’t have a chance to warn me you’d be coming.” He grins at me again and fucking hell, I nearly go weak in the knees. “But he says here you’re a ‘great guy and definitely not a serial killer’.”
I let out a snort of laughter. “I hope you’re reassured.”
“Definitely.”
He hasn’t changed much, if at all, from a year ago. I still have trouble looking away from him. He has these huge brown eyes, almost too big for his face, but somehow it works on him. He’s shorter than me, and I remember vividly how perfectly his body lined up with mine, and how good the rough hair on his chest and legs felt against my skin.
With the mystery of how we ended up here together solved, we stand in the living room and stare at each other for a moment. I wonder if he’s having the same erotic flashbacks I am. It’s like my body recognizes who I’m talking to, and against my wishes, my cock has started to fill.
After he’s shown me around, I pick one of the spacious guest rooms and after taking a few minutes to clean up a little, I head back to the kitchen where I smell something absolutely delicious.
“Can I get you a glass of wine?” Matt asks. “There’s spaghetti for dinner if you’re interested. Made with my Sicilian grandmother’s sauce recipe.”
“Whoa, I’m not about to turn down a Sicilian grandma’s spaghetti sauce, that’s for sure.” I grin.
“Good, because it’s a life changing experience. I can’t make it as well as she did, but I swear to you it has moved grown men to tears in the past. It’s that good.”
I laugh. “You sold me. And I’ll take a glass of wine. It appears I’m not going to be going anywhere tonight, that’s for sure.” I nod at the window where the snow is coming down so fast it’s as if the window looks out on a blank, white wall.
