“No, I just gave him a wipe.” The crimson in her cheeks is back with a vengeance. “I didn’t…you know.” She plays with her necklace. The aquamarine stone set inside the silver key matches the colour of her eyes.
Shit. All this time she’s been left hanging, unable to finish. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come in your room, but I knocked several times. Then I heard you say my name and…” I run a hand over my face. Shit. I’ve said too much.
“I didn’t say your name.” Her voice wobbles, then she swallows as if she’s gulping down a Christmas bauble.
“My mistake. I thought I heard you saycome in.” I don’t want her to feel embarrassed any more than she already does, so I’ll gladly go along with the lie. But I know she definitely said my name. “You must have just said you werecoming, or something…”
“Can we not talk about it? I just want to forget the whole thing.” She moves the food around her plate again.
“Sure. It’s already forgotten.” That memory will never be forgotten. Her bouncing tits with my name on her lips will live in my head rent-free for eternity. And I’ll be playing that back like a movie reel on a loop the next time I take a shower.
I smile at her to reassure her, but I shouldn’t be here. I should’ve gone the first night when I had the chance. Looking out at the dark night, the snow continues to fall, trapping me here with my sinful thoughts and the woman wet dreams are made of. It’s as if the devil on my shoulder is whispering that it’s okay to take what I want, but the angel on my other shoulder reminds me of who she is. My Angelica, my best mate’s little girl, only this girl is now a woman with a body that could make any man commit a crime in the name of love.
There’s no denying I love the lass. Always have, but the longer I’m forced to stay in this close proximity with her, the more I’m lusting after something I can’t have.
9
ANGELICA
“What’s that noise?” My brow furrows as a loud cranking sound comes from the utility room as if the cabin is groaning and grumbling about the cold snap we’ve been having.
“It’s the boiler. It’s been on the blink ever since I got here.” He pours coffee into my mug. “Want a drink?”
“Yes, please.” I chew on my nail. “It was making an awful sound when I was in the shower yesterday.”
“I’ll make sure there’s plenty of wood in case it packs up.”
“Could it pack up?” I gulp, looking out the window at the snow. The tyres on my car are no longer visible.
“It packed in before. I told your dad he needs to invest in a new one. This one’s about as old as you are.” He drinks the last of his coffee, then rounds the counter. “How are you, by the way? No headaches, blurred vision, vomiting?”
“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry.” I smile as I blow into my mug.
“How’s Mr. Snuggles holding up?” His smile reaches his eyes before he turns and exits the kitchen.
I follow him, holding my mug with both hands, warming them as I walk to the large glass doors, and watch in awe as helifts the axe, then brings it down onto a large log, splitting it in two. He may be like a giant teddy bear and great for cuddles, but wielding an axe, he’s all man.
My body shudders as he brings the axe down on another log. I never knew I’d be so engrossed in someone chopping wood, but Sawyer has me hypnotised. The way he swings it around is like a warrior going into battle, only now the threat is an old boiler.
A smile curves my lips and he catches my gaze through the glass. My cheeks heat as they have done every time he looks at me since he caught me red-handed, or should I say caught in the act with Mr. Snuggles.
It wasn’t my finest moment. I couldn’t possibly have looked sexy, humping a teddy bear, fresh from the shower with limp, wet hair and no makeup.
But Sawyer has done his best to make light of it since. I just hope one day I can see the funny side, but I doubt it. I’m completely mortified. I should go to my room and hide there all day from pure shame and embarrassment, but I’m sure he’d drag me downstairs with him.
I sip on my coffee, inhaling the cinnamon sprinkles Sawyer added. My mind wanders back, trying to remember when I developed feelings for my dad’s best friend. It’s hard to know when I started crushing on him. A memory from my late teens pops into my head. I was at a party and I called him to pick me up because my parents were out of town.
A smile curves my lips, knowing that was the first and last time I ever had too much alcohol. Sawyer thinks someone spiked my drink, and he called his friend Shane to shut down the party. If he didn't have to take care of me, I'm sure he would have shut the party down himself. He held my hair back while I threw up, then stayed over and kept checking on me throughout the night. I guess I knew then that I wanted a man just like him who was attentive, caring, and able to take care of me like my daddy does.
He chops more wood, then wipes his brow with his sleeve. Gathering the logs into a basket, he brings them inside.
I stand to the side, letting him pass. “What time did you get up this morning?”
“Early. I couldn’t sleep.” He strides over to the fire, staring at Blitzen, the wooden deer on the wall. “What are you looking at?” he says to the deer, making me giggle.
“What did Blitzen ever do to you?”
“He gives me the creeps.” He drops the basket next to the open fire. “It’s like he’s watching me.” Sawyer turns around. “You don’t think your dad has a camera in there, do you?”
