“What do you mean?” Christopher looked up from the ruination of the living room where he was gathering and straightening my battered books. It looked like a lost cause.
“Real Tech is looking for Brandon’s serum. They took the research.”
“I’m tired of all this intrigue,” said Christopher. “We need a vacation. We have to wait for the antivenom anyway, so maybe we take the entire week at Thanksgiving. We’ll have to arrange it with work, but we need to get away.” He grinned. “I know just the place.”
Chapter 13
Christopher and I made arrangements to leave town for the week of Thanksgiving. The Museum owed each of us vacation time before the year-end. I needed to forget Eric. The break-in had left me uncomfortable, knowing that people had looked through my belongings. It was a violation. Late November was a good time to be away from the museum. Work was quiet in the fall, at least until the Christmas break, when we got busier with families looking for holiday activities.
We were both on edge leading up to Thanksgiving. Real Tech and Eric knew where Christopher lived and where we worked, and the black SUV followed us a few times, always at a distance. There’d been no more home invasions. We suspected they were waiting for us to make progress with Brandon’s notes.
We’d seen no sign of Eric, which left me feeling on edge. We hadn’t seen the last of him. He would wait and make his next move when I’d least expect it. To make it easier to leave town incognito, we rented a vehicle, an unremarkable white SUV that neither of our stalkers would recognize. It was indistinguishable from half the vehicles on the road.
Christopher’s perfect place was his family’s cabin. It had once belonged to his grandfather. It sounded remote and like a perfect getaway. Well, perfect for somewhere cold. I preferred the idea of lying on a beach somewhere, but this wasn’t that kind of vacation. We were still working on how to wake up Brandon.
Meghan and Andrew took Ember for the week, and we dropped her off Friday after leaving work early. Andrew promised to leave a squad car stationed outside Christopher’s place while we were away. The cabin was located outside of town, a four-hour drive into the mountains. Christopher assured me that once there, you were in a different world.
We turned off the main highway, onto a smaller, older one that was smooth, and almost deserted. Since turning onto this road, we’d only seen one other car. Yellow and orange-leafed trees still wearing their finest fall colors lined the side of the mountain road. In places, the trees arched over the road, creating a yellow-gold tunnel. It seemed like we’d wandered into a fall painting. It was too stunning to be real. In the distance, the mountain peaks were covered with a dusting of snow that completed the storybook feel.
“Brandon and I haven’t been up here together for a couple of years, since before he started dating you,” said Christopher. “Not your fault. He was just too busy. Some of our best summer holidays were here with our grandfather. We were such city kids. This was the perfect escape. It was like a dream come true, to come to the mountains where it’s quiet. I love it because it’s a break for my brain. Nobody’s thoughts interrupt or bombard me.
I shot him a look, wondering if that’s how he considered my thoughts. An invasion.
“Sweetheart,” he said. “Your thoughts aren’t intrusive. They’re welcome, but I get as much from the expressions on your face. I love being around you. I’m hoping that I hear your voice more one day. It’ll happen when you’re ready, but until then, hearing your thoughts helps me to know you.”
My heart flip-flopped. His words made me crazier about him than ever. We’d been together only two and a half months, but I’d known no one as well as I knew him, or let anyone know me either.
The homemade cabin nestled at the end of a long driveway, beneath a canopy of trees. It was cold here—the air temperature had plummeted on the mountain.
“It’s going to freeze tonight,” he said as we parked. “I’ll build a fire right away.”
The air was crisp and smelled like snow. I wouldn’t be surprised if we woke up to snow on the ground. We took our bags inside and Christopher started a fire in the woodstove while I ferried the remainder of our belongings inside. From the cabin’s porch, an ocean of trees and the mountain rose above us. The cabin was completely private. I looked at Christopher and my heart danced. We had the same thought from his naughty grin. We were free to be uninhibited.
The slow burn of anticipation began as he collected more firewood from the woodshed around back and turned the water on from an outbuilding. I stowed our groceries in the small kitchen. He’d stocked the cabin with enough canned food for months, though we’d brought a week’s supply of food. If there was ever an apocalypse, this should be our destination.
The cabin had electricity for lights, a fridge, and a stove. There was no Wi-Fi and no cable. No cell service either; we were off the grid. The TV was hooked up to a DVD player, old-school style. An extensive video library filled the shelves nearby. Upon examination, it looked like Christopher kept it up to date.
He came in, stomping to warm his feet. He held his hands to the wood stove, then tossed more firewood into the blaze inside. The iron lids on the stovetop rattled. “Brrr. I should dig out my gloves.”
“Who eats all this?”I said, pointing to the pantry. His phone didn’t buzz.
With no cell service, I wouldn’t be able to talk my usual way. To get his attention. I shook my phone by my ear as if it was broken. I could text and show him the screen if I had to, but it was inconvenient.
“Oh, right,” he said. “I forgot to mention that, didn’t I?” The smile lines around his eyes looked amused. “You’re going to have to find a different way to talk to me.”
I raised my eyebrows and pointed to the cupboards and to the now empty grocery bags. I picked up a can of tomato soup in the cupboard and one we’d just brought, balancing them back and forth as though trying to choose between them.
“Every time I come, I bring extra and eat the older stuff. My grandfather told stories about being snowed in here. More than once he had to melt snow for water and live on canned food. I keep the wood pile stocked and plenty of emergency supplies on hand. There’s also a backup generator.”
I moved the newer cans to the back of the cupboard and rotated others forward.
I hadn’t heard Christopher come up behind me. He swung me around, taking my breath away.
“I’m going to ravish you tonight,” he said, as he returned me to my feet. “I’ve dreamt of bringing you here. It’s my favorite place.”
He took my face in his hands, then bent to kiss me. It always amazed me how he could be so much bigger than I was, yet we were a perfect fit. He was warm already and his lips were soft and teasing. I wasn’t hungry for dinner anymore.
“You’re going to have to tell me what you want,” he said. “I remember a conversation in Reno. Your words on my skin bewitched me. I want more.” His pale blue eyes seemed to see inside me. How did he always make every situation better?
