WHIT
My run into the nearest town only took an hour, but I felt as though I was going to come out of my skin while I was gone. I didn’t like leaving Victoria alone at the cabin, but it was safer for her there. I couldn’t run the risk of someone spotting her and then recognizing her later on the off chance the cartel tracked her this far.
Normally, I would’ve been chomping at the bit to get back in the field, but no way in hell would I trust Victoria’s safety to anyone else. Staying with her at the cabin was the safest move, and I didn’t even care if it meant someone else was going to get the guys who might be after her. No adrenaline rush compared to what she made me feel. If sitting at a desk pushing paper for the rest of my life was the price I had to pay to have her in my life, I’d be more than willing to pay it.
If that didn’t prove I’d fallen in love with Victoria, I didn’t know what would. Less than a week ago, I’d been pissed the fuck off over being forced to take a vacation. Now I dreaded going back to the office because I hadn’t gotten any guarantees from my woman that she’d come with me. But that was a discussion we were going to have. Sooner rather than later.
“Honey, I’m home,” I called as I strode into the cabin.
Victoria was in the kitchen, stirring something in a large pot on the burner. “That was faster than I expected. I hope you were careful driving. The road leading to the cabin is so narrow, I thought about keeping my eyes closed when you brought me up here.”
“I’m always careful, baby.” I crossed the cabin to brush a kiss against her lips. “And I have even more reason to be so now that I found you.”
Her pretty brown eyes practically glowed with happiness as she smiled at me. “Don’t you forget it, buddy.”
My nostrils flared as I dragged the scent of the stew she was making into my lungs. “Can you take a break from cooking to help me with something?”
“Of course.”
I loved how her answer was so freely given. There was no hesitation. She was ready for whatever I asked, which made me even more excited to show her the surprise I’d brought back with me. “There’s something outside you need to see.”
“Okay.” She turned down the burner on the stove and slid her palm against mine. “Show me.”
I led her out to the truck and murmured, “Ta-da,” as I lifted the tarp in the back.
Her pretty lips parted on a gasp, and she pressed her hand against her chest. “Is that a dark room kit?”
“Yup.” I dropped the tarp on the ground so she could get a better look at the boxes the canvas cloth had been covering. “I researched what you’d need and had Brecken get it for me under a shell corporation so the order couldn’t be traced back to me. He had everything shipped to an address fifty miles away, and we used a courier that’s known for their discretion to bring the delivery into town. Even if the cartel has connected the two of us, getting the dark room kit here didn’t put you at risk.”
“Of course it didn’t.” She twined her arms around my neck and pulled me down for a deep kiss. “You wouldn’t do anything that could hurt me.”
“Never,” I promised, meaning the vow from the depth of my soul.
She gave me another quick kiss before whispering, “I can’t believe you went to all that trouble for me.”
“I’m not sure how long we’re going to be up here, and I want you to be happy.” I swept my arm toward the bed of the truck. “I know you have film you could develop, and I figured why wait when you could do it here.”
“Why wait, indeed?” she echoed with a grin. “How long do you think it’ll take us to put this thing together? I’m familiar with the equipment, but the actual construction of a dark room is way above my pay grade.”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” I dropped the tailgate and pulled one of the boxes to the edge. “But there’s one easy way to find out.”
I carried the heavy stuff into the cabin while Victoria brought the smaller bags of supplies that I’d grabbed while I was in town. After we got everything put away, she asked, “Where are we going to put the dark room?”
“I was thinking we’d use the closet in the smaller bedroom”—the one she’d chosen but hadn’t used after the first time we’d slept together—“since there isn’t much stuff stored in there and it should be the perfect size.”
We went to check the space, but she didn’t seem convinced it was a good idea. Her nose wrinkled, and her bottom lip pushed out in the tiniest frown, which was adorable as fuck. “Are you sure your grandfather won’t mind?”
“Not even a tiny bit.” As much as my grandpa loved the cabin, he wouldn’t care if I burned the thing to the ground if that waswhat it took to secure my happiness. And it would only take him a minute around Victoria to realize what she meant to me.
“Yay! Let’s put it together now then. Please.” Her tits bounced as she did a little celebratory dance, making me hard. If she hadn’t been so damn excited about the dark room, I would’ve tossed her on the bed and fucked her until we both passed out. Instead, I ignored my hard-on and started to open the boxes I’d carried into the room. The faster we finished our project, the sooner I’d be able to have my sexy photographer’s pussy wrapped around my cock. Only I seriously underestimated how long it would take us to put everything together, and my dick didn’t go down the entire time.
“I can’t believe we just spent five hours putting together a dark room that I might only have the chance to use once.” She shook her head as she pulled her hair over a shoulder and fanned her face, which was a little flushed from all the work we’d just finished.
“You’re gonna have plenty of opportunities to use it,” I promised.
A wrinkle popped up in the middle of her brow. “I am? Do you think we’ll be here that long?”
I stroked my thumb across her forehead and shook my head. “No, baby. The dark room isn’t going anywhere, and we’ll come back here again plenty of times after the bullshit with the cartel is taken care of.”
