"Relax. It's ok, Emma. You are fine. I am so glad you are fine." His tone was warm and assuring. My heart instantly calmed down after listening to him. I looked up and saw worry in his eyes.
"How am I here, Jake? What happened?" I barely controlled my sobs and began reasoning with him.
"You got stuck on the trail Emma, and then there was a thunderstorm. You were found unconscious. Thanks to Brett, he found you and got you downhill."
"Brett? Who is Brett? And how did he find me? What are you doing here?" I fired back to back questions in one breath.
"Relax Emma. I will tell you everything. But before that, just calm down a bit. Thankfully your temperature is down. You have been unconscious for good seventeen hours straight. Let me get something to eat first, and post that we will talk, alright?" He slowly wiped the tears off my cheeks using the back of his hand. I shivered under his soft touch. I took a deep breath and nodded.
He was about to get up and was turning around to leave the room, that's when I suddenly realised,
I held his hand and pulled him back, stopping him from leaving my bedside.
"Wait. Jake. One second. How the fuck am I naked? Who removed my clothes?" The softness in my voice was replaced by shock. His eyes lingered on me, and a small smile crept up his lips.
I gulped, looking at his intense gaze on me, my face flushed with embarrassment. I held tightly to the blanket wrapped around me and instantly dodged eye contact.
There was a long pause, before he finally muttered, "There is nobody accept us in this cottage, Emma."
"What do you mean?" I paused for a second, apprehending the meaning behind his words.
I was fuming with rage, "how dare you touch me without my permission? You pervert! What the hell happened last night? Oh my god. What the hell did you do?" I demanded answers, raising my voice, with worse possible scenarios running through my head again.
I was furious at his audacity; I had tears running down my cheeks again. How could he do this to me? Did he take advantage of the situation? I wished to pinch myself and see if this was all a sick dream. I was non-stop accusing and pushing him away with my weak hands. The room was filled with my crying and yelling again.
That was when he just held me tightly by cupping my face in his strong hands. He lifted my face, and within a second, his lips came crashing on my mouth, totally shutting me up. He was kissing me avidly, his lips were so soft against mine, and his tongue danced inside my mouth. His touch was soft, and after a couple of minutes, I shamelessly kissed him back.
He tightened his grip on me and was now showering me with more passion. After a deep long kiss, he retreated his lips and then began giving me soft pecks at the corners of my lips. His head was now leaning and touching my forehead. Both of us were breathless.
He whispered "I can never take advantage of you, Emma. Please don't think low of me. I changed you out of your clothes because you were drenched, and your skin was ice cold. You could have died Emma. You looked lifeless."
He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. He was now trailing the back of his fingers on my right cheek. All my struggle and anger mellowed down instantly.
"Unfortunately, there was nobody else available to take care of you. I promise I covered you properly with a blanket before removing your clothes, and I swear I did not look." He saw how I calmed down as he caressed my skin, and gave a victorious smirk, aware of how much his touch controlled me.
He got up and moved towards the door; he returned within minutes with a pair of clothes. They looked like the clothes that I was wearing yesterday, dry, neatly folded and placed in his hands. He handed them to me without looking at me.
"Get changed Emma; it is already noon. I will fix up some food for us and wait for you outside". He said calmly, and before leaving the room, he turned around with a teasing smile plastered on his stupid face. He gave me one last look and left.
Oh, God. Why did he have to be so handsome? All the frisking time? And hell, did we just kiss? Again? What about his girlfriend?
I felt so embarrassed. He was dating someone else, and here I was eating his mouth and admiring his good looks. My heart and body lost all their will when it came to him. He was like a drug to me. As much as I was attracted to him, I could never have feelings for a cheater. He was in a relationship, and I was getting involved with him, that was so wrong and unfair to his girlfriend, even if she was a snob.
But it was he who kissed me first?
I reasoned with my conscience in an attempt to justify myself.
And you let him like an idiot and kissed him right back. My conscience spat, showing me my place.
Finding him here at my rescue was least expected, and yet here he was, making me feel crazy things. I was done playing hide and seek with him.
I was determined to get out there, look
