Page 23 of Wren's Winter

After I scrubbed off the grime and the smell of sulfur, I turned the shower off. Clad in a towel, I walked up the stairs and into my bedroom. Maizie followed behind me, trying to lick at the water on my legs. Not bothering with the lamp on the other side of the room, I grabbed my clothes, pulling them on as fast as I could. I needed to move the switch to beside the entrance. I stepped closer to the window to make sure there were still lights on.

The shirt in my hand dropped to the floor. Tucked in the back corner of the side porch, Wren sat naked in the hot tub. From almost any other angle, I wouldn’t have been able to see her, but from above, the single bulb was a spotlight in the most erotic scene I had ever experienced. Wren’s hands roamed over her body, pinching her nipple and delving between her legs. Her head thrown back and water sluiced over her skin as she rocked over her fingers.

Clumsy and raw, it was nothing like in porn. It was the single most entrancing thing I had ever seen. I knew it was wrong to watch her, but I couldn’t look away. Her mouth opened and closed with words I couldn’t make out, and her pace increased. Water splashed over the side of the tub. Her face screwed up tight, and her whole body tensed before she cried out. Eyes still closed, her head rested back against the headrest, a small smile on her face as her body relaxed.

All I could hear was my shaky breath as I tried to get myself to step back and turn away before I was caught peeping on her like some ’80s movie villain. But my feet wouldn’t move. Still in the tub, Wren sat up, taking a long drink from her can. As she set the can down, her face tilted up, her gaze directly on my bedroom window. Her arm stilled as our eyes caught. It was too far away to tell if she was blushing, but her breasts disappeared under the water until she was submerged up to her shoulders. Her arms wrapped around each other.

Shit, I was a total peeping tom. A voyeur into what was a very private moment. As I was about to turn away, Wren seemed to get a burst of courage. She stood in the tub until the water line was below her pubic bone. In the light, water gleamed over her bare skin. Her breasts were soft and teardrop-shaped. Her hips were full, perfect for holding onto.

Her eyes on my window, she slowly climbed out of the tub, not rushing as she wrapped a towel around her body. With one backward glance at me, she picked up her empty can and phone before disappearing into the cabin.

I don’t know how long I stood there, half disgusted with myself and fully turned on. The lights went out in the cabin as I waited for reason to come back to me. I wasn’t that kind of man. Wren would probably never want to see me again after I spied on her in that moment. And she would have every right.

Climbing into bed, I pulled the sheet over me and rolled over. It was wrong; disgusting, and devious to be playing the scene over in my head. But still, I reached into my pants, pulling my cock free. I was going to hell for this, but I didn’t care. Again and again, I recalled her face, the way the water clung to her bare breasts, the movement of her hands between her legs. Pumping harder and harder, my movement kept time with the image of Wren. It was horrible—I was horrible. But still, I stroked myself until spent on my sheets.

The haze lifted from my eyes, and I looked at the mess I made. Grumbling, I stripped the bed and walked downstairs to start a load. I may be a voyeur for Wren, but sleeping on top of my own jizz was a whole other level of gross.

A wetness on my forehead woke me. Maizie’s scruffy face was an inch from my own as I opened one eye. Rolling back over, I took my blankets with me. My eyes shut, I tried to drift back to sleep, but now she was using her little sharp nails on my back.

“Okay, okay, I’m up,” I grumbled, rising and pulling on a pair of sweatpants off the floor. Once in the kitchen, I turned on the coffee maker and leaned my butt against the counter. I scrubbed my face, trying to wake myself up, my beard scratchy under my hand. The dog danced around my feet, her tongue dangling out.

“I’ll take you out in two minutes. Let me get a cup of coffee first.” There were too many eagles, coyotes, and cougars in the area for me to let her roam the woods on her own. Not that she was going to go far in the snow. Her dainty little paws didn’t like the cold.

Pulling on my jacket over my bare shoulders, I zipped it up to my chin, and we walked out the side door. Maizie took off down the three steps into the side yard area facing the river. Standing on the porch, I kept the wiry fur ball in my sight as I sipped my coffee. The cool air nipped my exposed skin as the drink warmed me. Sparing a single glance over at the cabin beside me, I saw no movement. Her car was still parked in the same spot, and the lights appeared to be off. The cover was back on the hot tub that was the scene of the night before.

The river was a low roar as I flowed a few hundred feet from my porch. A bird song and the sound of Maizie breaking branches as she walked. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I opened the text to see that Tam was inviting me out to dinner downtown.

I sent off a thumbs-up and set the phone back down on the railing.

Maizie pranced back, having done her business near a tree. She climbed up on the porch and gave a large shake to dislodge the bits of snow on her fur.

“All that trouble for two minutes?” I asked her as she scratched at the side door to be let back into the warm house. I pushed the door open, allowing her inside. As I was stepping behind the dog, I heard a loud shriek coming from the river.

Setting my coffee mug down on the railing, I ran down the side stairs and toward the river. The weather had warmed enough days before to send torrents down from the top of the mountain. At the foot of the embankment, Wren was scrambling out of the rushing water. Clods of dirt and snow fell over her hands as she tried to pull herself out to safety. Despite walking this path constantly in my lifetime, my feet slid out beneath me. My heartbeat was loud in my ears, and a coldness seeped into my chest at seeing Wren in the water.

Judging the distance, I jumped down into the water, wading toward her. My feet were impossibly clumsy as I struggled to get to her faster.

“Adrian!” Surprise and relief laced her expression as I worked my way to her side.

“Grab me. I’ll pull you up.” Holding on tight, I grasped her elbows, pulling her up to me until she could stand. The water was still rushing by our ankles, but at least now we were out of the worst of the danger.

Clumps of mud and leaves cling to her sopping wet coat and pants. Helping her move on to the bank, I pointed to a spot a few feet down. “You’ll need to climb up that, but I’ll be there behind you in case you slip, okay?”

She nodded, her teeth chattering together as she trudged to the path. One step behind her, I pointed to the spots where the roots made steps for her feet. Her feet slid out once, But I caught her by the hips, steadying her before she took us back down into the river again. Once we got to the top, her teeth were audibly clicking together. Wrapping my arm around her shoulder, I pulled her close to me, towing her toward my cabin.

“W-W-Where are we going?” she gasped out between clacking teeth.

“My cabin. It’s closer.”

Opening the door with one hand, I pushed her inside to the warmth. Once the door closed behind us, I turned to her. Pulling off her coat, hat, and gloves as fast as I could, I dropped them in a heap on the floor.

“Hold on to my shoulders.” Her icy fingers found me, balancing. Kneeling down, I grabbed one of her boots and pulled it off, followed by the second one. Still kneeling down in front of her, I grabbed her soaked jeans, unbuttoned them, and started pulling them down.

“W-W-W-What are you doing?” she shrieked.

“Getting these wet clothes off you. You’re going to get hypothermia if you keep them on.”

“I c-c-c-can do it,” she stammered out, her hands moving to her pants, slipping against the stiff fabric.

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