Chapter 30
Lucy
Inside the cabin, there was a fire burning in the fireplace; although Lucy could see that it would need stoking soon. Several lamps lit the one-room cabin with a warm glow, and even though the furniture was sparse, it was homey and welcoming. There was a tiny kitchenette along one wall, with a mini fridge tucked under the counter, and a corner of the cabin was walled off—the bathroom, she presumed. There was a sofa that faced the fireplace, a low table in front and next to it, a small dining table and two chairs.
The table was set simply but thoughtfully, with plates, cutlery, two wine glasses, and plain white cloth napkins. While Lucy took in all these details, Will rushed about striking match after match to light the pillar candles dotted about the room.
When the last one was lit, he stood still and looked at her. “Do you like it?” She could see him gulp down his uncertainty and she crossed the room in a heartbeat.
“I love it,” she said, reassuring him with a grin.
He blew out a breath, and she sensed his relief. How could he have doubted that the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her would hit the mark? She looked about the cabin again, taking in as many details as she could, and noticing a bottle of whisky on the table in front of the sofa. “Is that one of yours?” she asked.
“If you mean, did one of my clients make it, then yes.”
“Mmm.”
“Do you like whisky?”
“Um, sometimes. I mean, there are so many different sorts, aren’t there?”
“Well, this one’s a favourite of mine. Have a seat and I’ll pour you some.” Lucy peeled off her outer layers and Will did the same before retrieving two tumblers from the cupboard and joining Lucy on the sofa. He cracked the seal of the bottle and poured two generous glugs of whisky, then handed a glass to Lucy.
“So, what shall we drink to?” she said, relegating the task of the toast to Will.
He seemed to think on it longer than she would have expected, then lifted his glass and looked her in the eye. “To snowstorms and traffic jams.” He clinked his glass against hers and winked before taking a sip.
Lucy was momentarily rattled. It was almost as though Will knew all about her “snowed-in” fantasy. There was no way he could have, but this was all a bit uncanny …
She lifted her glass to her lips, breathing in the spicy sweetness of the aroma of the whisky, then took a sip. It tingled on her lips slightly. “Oh my, that’s dangerous, that is.”
Will frowned. “Too strong?”
“Oh no, dangerous because it’s delicious—possibly too drinkable.” He chuckled. “But Will, this place … was this why you weren’t about this morning? You were here?”
He cocked his head. “Guilty.”
“But how … how do you do all of this in one day?”
“Oh, no, the cabin’s always like this. I mean, it’s kept up. It’s a hunting cabin that we share with some of the other families in the area. I just made sure we’d have it to ourselves, then came early and dropped off the food, cleaned it up a bit, lit the fire.”
“Oh, right.” Had she really thought that he’d lugged everything there, as though there was some sort of dogsled division of U-Haul specifically for outfitting isolated cabins in the woods? She giggled at herself for being so silly, foregoing her usual self-flagellation.
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s lovely. Very thoughtful.”
He bit his lip and stared down at the tumbler that he was turning in his large hands. He’s nervous. The thought did incredible things to Lucy’s insides because in her mind, that could only mean one thing. He’d brought her there to seduce her! Oh, happy day!
Lucy took another sip of her whisky, feeling it warm her through. “Will,” she said in her best sultry voice. He looked up at her and she met his eyes with an unwavering stare. “Here.” She took his glass and placed it on the table, adding hers next to it. Will watched her, his lusty expression telling her that she had guessed correctly. He released his bottom lip and his tongue flicked to wet it. Lucy turned to face him, her hand reaching for his chest. He captured it in his and pressed it to him.
Just when she thought she couldn’t bear being apart from him any longer, he pulled her onto him in one swift movement, burying a hand in her hair. Her face close to his, she took in the flushed colour of his cheeks, the fullness of his lips, and the dreamy expression in his eyes, then felt the firm touch of his other hand on her hip.
This was it—this was the fantasy!
Her phone pinged from her coat pocket, yanking Lucy’s focus away from Will. It was an email notification. Worse, it was a work email notification. Angela! Angela had replied to her email. It had to be that. No one else would be emailing her during the holidays. There was no need, as they were all on holiday too. But what appalling timing!
“Do you want to check that?” She glanced at Will and it was clear that their sexy spell was well and truly broken. Bollocks. She sighed, then tried to push herself up, one hand landing on Will’s groin. She realised almost right away, but not before she’d put half her body weight on that hand. Will groaned and, likely on impulse, jerked his knees in to protect himself, catching Lucy in the back of the head.
She tumbled off the sofa onto the floor with a thud, her hand flying to the back of her head to nurse the emerging lump. Both had, “I’m sorry,” on replay as they each tried to soothe the other, and soon they were doubled over in fits of laughter, Lucy gasping for air as she
