Snorting at my own thought, I pulled the one chair to the end of the porch so I could watch him while I finished my sandwich.
The mountain image wouldn’t leave me. It was one of the things I’d dreamed about last night, distinct mountain ranges. A ridge with three peaks and a lake that glowed gold in the sunlight. The image was so clear in my mind, I could have sworn I knew it from memory. Except, I’d never been to a place like that.
And Kane was a grizzly bear. This place, as rugged and beautiful as it was, didn’t seem like his natural habitat since there weren’t any mountains. Just like this wasn’t my natural habitat. I was an American Bobcat, born and raised in the States.
I finished my bite, then asked, “Did you come from the mountains?”
He stiffened, then straightened, slowly turning toward me. He raised his eyebrows in question but kept his expression blank.
“Grizzlies come from the mountains, don’t they?”
He nodded once, then turned back to his task. I wasn’t sure if he was admitting to coming from the mountains or if he was agreeing with me that grizzlies did indeed come from there. Either way, I took the hint. He didn’t want to talk about it.
After a minute, he moved around the house, out of sight. I didn’t become worried that he was going far. I could feel him.
It was so strange, this tug in my chest. No previous experience with anyone compared to it. How was it that we were so connected when we’d only known each other a short time?
When he returned, he held a ladder. It probably came from the shed at the back of the cabin. He leaned it against the wall and climbed up to secure a hook beneath the eave. Then he climbed down, grabbed a chain, climbed up and fed it through the hook.
I still didn’t understand what he was up to.
He tested the chain, secured it to another hook lower down, one above a little wood platform he’d attached to one of the logs. It wasn’t until he attached the chain to an empty pot that I started getting a niggling of an idea. By the time he was hanging the tarp off the pipes, I understood. My lips parted in wonder.
A shower. He was making me a shower.
My breastbone pinged pleasantly. He’d spent the morning making this for me. The idea of a shower right now made me hyper-aware of how badly I needed one. My hair was a mess. I hadn’t used deodorant in days. I’d been fucked senseless all night. Yeah, I really needed a shower.
I couldn’t remember receiving a better gift.
Once the tarp was hung, making a square little private box, he stepped back with avoilàmovement.
I clapped, the sound sharp in the quiet around us. “It’s fantastic!” Jumping to my feet, I moved toward him, shielding my eyes from the sun with my hand. “When do I get to try it out?” I felt all hot and sticky and gross all at once. A shower would be heaven right now.
He smiled, his eyes crinkling, and I got the distinct impression he was amused by my eagerness. It didn’t bother me one bit. He could laugh at me all he wanted as long as I got to have a hot water flowing over my body soon.
When he unhooked the empty pot and nodded once, I squealed. “I’m going to find clean clothes. And that soap you gave me.” He followed me inside, grabbing the pot off the stove before leaving again.
I returned outside with a clean T-shirt, a pair of sweats, soap, and a towel clutched to my chest. The steaming pot of water sat on the ground beside the tarp. He gestured to it for me to check the temperature.
“Yeah, it’s okay,” I said after testing it with my fingers.
He hefted it up on the shelf. A little ledge kept it in place. He looped the chain through the pot handle, then to the back of the shelf. When he pulled on the other end of the chain, the pot tipped forward allowing water to trickle out depending on how fast and hard he pulled.
“Don’t waste it,” I said, putting a hand on his arm. “That pot isn’t that big.” I was used to long showers. Now I wouldn’t take them for granted ever again.
He’d set a stool beside the tarp, and I placed my bundle on it. Without hesitating, I whipped the plaid shirt over my head, threw it over the top of the stall, and stepped inside, ready to clean myself from top to bottom.
17
KANE
Bare skin,her round ass, her intoxicating scent… I froze, ready to grab Brooke and pull her to me. The bright blue of the tarp obstructed my view in the next instant. My fingers twitched, wanting to rip it aside.
The first splash of water out of the pot was followed by a satisfied moan. It hit me right in the groin. I couldn’t stand there and listen to her make those sorts of noises and not join her.
Forcing myself to turn away, I walked toward the lake, stripping off my jeans before I stepped onto the dock. Next came my underwear. I dove into the ice-cold water, willing it to cool my sex drive.
I’d never been so horny or needy for a woman in my life, not even as a pimply teen with too many raging hormones. All I wanted to do was bury myself inside her and stay there all day and night. That, and make her happy. The look of joy on her face when she’d realized I’d made her a shower—I wouldn’t trade the feeling for anything.
