Sawyer gives me a smile and steps away, walking over to the fireplace to stoke the flames. He drops another large log into the fire, casting more warmth into the main room of the cabin. As he tends the fire, I look around and smile. The cabin is supposed to look rustic and rugged, but it was obviously built and decorated by people who never really spent a lot of time outdoors.
The walls of the cabin are meant to look like rough-hewn logs. They’re aged and distressed looking, though it’s obviously just an affectation. The furniture is all top of the line and built for comfort rather than the strict utilitarian furniture you’d find in a real hunter’s cabin. It’s also got all the latest electronic gadgets and comfort items for city folk who like to escape to ‘nature’.
Still, I’m not going to complain. I’m a girl built for comfort, not roughing it. Give me a king-sized bed with a memory foam mattress over a sleeping bag in the dirt with all the bugs and critters any day of the week.
“How about we go take a dip in the spa?” Sawyer offers.
“Are you kidding? It’s like thirty degrees out there,” I laugh. “It’s going to snow.”
“Have you ever sat in water that’s a hundred and two degrees while it’s snowing all around you?” he asks.
“I can’t say I have,” I grin.
“Then you’re not living,” he replies. “It’s exhilarating.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” I giggle.
“Come on, live a little,” he presses. “You’ll like it. I promise.”
“I didn’t even bring a swimsuit.” I roll my eyes. “This isn’t exactly beach weather in case you haven’t noticed.”
He laughs. “Who said anything about a swimsuit?”
“Oh my God,” I squeal. “I’m not going out there naked. What if somebody sees us?”
He flashes me a crooked grin. “There isn’t another cabin within half a mile of here,” he assures me. “This is a very private place.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I own it,” he responds. “Along with acres and acres of land around us. Believe me; we’re alone.”
I bite my bottom lip, considering it – and in disbelief that I’m considering it. It’s not only way out of character for me, it’s even further out of my comfort zone. Still, there’s something enticing about it. Even kind of sexy. I look up at him, a coy smile on my face.
“Okay, let’s do it,” I finally agree.
“Good girl.”
A few minutes later, we’re walking across the wooden deck at the back of the house. I pull the thick, plush robe tighter around me. It’s every bit as cold as I thought it would be, and I’m suddenly regretting my burst of boldness. A couple of steps takes us down to the large spa. The water roils and churns. Thick clouds of steam drift up and off into the evening sky. Sawyer walks over and opens a box mounted to the side of the cabin. He flips a couple of switches, and the bright lights in the spa go out, plunging us into darkness.
“Just so you’re a little more comfortable,” he says.
“Thank you.”
I watch as Sawyer saunters over to a small bench built into the low wall that surrounds the spa. He slips out of his robe and drops it onto the bench, then walks back to the spa. Even in the dim ambient lighting, I can see the way his muscles ripple as he moves.
He’s a beautiful man. Incredibly strong and fit. He looks like he was carved out of granite. Not for the first time as I take in his toned and taut body, I still can’t believe an Adonis like him is in love with me. I don’t consider myself anything special. In fact, although I think I’m pretty, I also think I’m pretty ordinary.
But when he turns those sparkling brown eyes of his on me and looks at me the way he does, like he’s seeing through me, he makes me feel like I really am special. He makes me feel beautiful and extraordinary. And I love him for that.
“You going to join me?”
I snap myself out of my reverie and see that he’s up to his neck in water, the steam billowing around him. Grinning like an idiot, I walk over to where his robe lays on the bench and hesitate for a moment. I take a deep breath and let it out, then yank off my robe before I can overthink it anymore. I drop my robe on top of his and squeal as the cold air hits my bare skin.
“Oh my God, it’s freezing,” I cry.
“Then you better get that sweet ass into the water,” he replies with a laugh. “It’s perfect in here.”
I dash to the edge of the spa and then carefully pick my way down the stairs, settling myself into the deep, warm water. I lower myself until I’m neck deep in the water and let out a long, loud sigh.
“This water feels amazing,” I moan.
“I told you so,” he smiles at me.
I settle down on a seat beneath the hot, churning water and lean back against the side. Sawyer settles in next to me. Our bodies so close they’re touching, and we both lean our heads back on the edge, looking up into the sky above. Not that there’s much to see – it’s covered in thick dark clouds that look ominous.
I watch as the thick clouds of steam rise up and float away on the breeze. Jets of water knead my muscles, somehow magically working out the kinks and knots that seem to be a constant in my life. I know they’re stress-related – because I’ve never been one who really
