Page 4 of Forever His Brat

The cabin, however, didn’t have a generator, just the fireplace. That would keep them from freezing, but it might not be overly comfortable if the heat was off for too long. “Maybe you should tell them that if the power goes out, they should come back over here to stay,” she suggested.

Sam shook his head. “They’ll probably be better off staying there. The cabin is small enough that they can camp in front of the fireplace and stay warm. Probably warmer than they would be after trucking back here through the snow.”

She frowned, but there was wisdom in that. “You’re right, I guess. Plus, they’ve got most of a cord of wood there. That should last them.”

“Yep. So…” Finally divested of all the outdoor gear he pulled her into his arms and lowered his voice. “What do you think of them so far?”

She relaxed into him automatically, soaking up the comfort of his arms. “I like them. I mean it’s too early to really be sure, but they seem pretty great. Katie is fun.”

“I’ve never met her before tonight, but Nick’s a real good guy. We spent a lot of time together during our off hours and I’ve been looking forward to having him around again.”

“They remind me a little of us. I mean you can tell they have a similar relationship and the way they tease back and forth made me laugh. I think it’s going to work out,” Charlie said. After a second, she added, “I hope so anyway.”

Sam chuckled and brushed his nose against hers. It was still cold. “Told you not to worry. This is just the first step to all our dreams coming true, darlin’. We’re on the path now and we’re going to make it happen.”

There was absolute assurance in his voice. She took comfort from that.

The sound of a throat being cleared dramatically caught their attention. They looked toward the living room archway. Nick stood there, fingers hooked in his belt loops, grinning. “Sorry to interrupt, but Katie’s pretty tired and I think we could both use some sleep. We all set to go check out this cabin you got for us?”

“Sure thing. I turned the heat up and started a fire so it should be toasty for you. I’ll lead you over with the truck. Normally I’d say you could just follow the path I plowed, but the way it’s coming down it’s probably not that visible,” Sam said as he let go of Charlie and reached for his heavy coat.

“Sorry to make you go back out in that. Hate having to go into it myself,” Nick said as he shifted his glance towards the windows. “Ah well, no sense putting it off.” He looked back over his shoulder. “C’mon Katie doll, get your coat on.”

Katie appeared, looking reluctant and hugging her half-filled mug against her chest. “Already? I’m still shivering,” she complained.

“Not too far to go, baby, and then we’ll get you warmed up,” Nick said. His voice was filled with calm patience as he held up her coat for her to step into.

“Ugh fine.” She continued to complain but he simply ignored it as he bundled her up again.

The whole thing was so amusing that Charlie almost forgot the cookies. “Oh, hold on a second,” she said. She darted into the living room and grabbed the plate.

It took a second to wrap it up tight in plastic wrap and then slip it into a bag before she handed it over to Katie. “These are for you. And I didn’t want you to arrive to an empty fridge, so I went shopping yesterday. I wasn’t sure what you liked but it’s stocked with the basics and the cabinets have some dry goods you might need until you can go into town.”

A bright smile spread across Katie’s face as she collected the cookies. “Thank you! You’re so thoughtful. I—” She cut herself off and shot a quick look at her husband, Nick, before continuing. “To be honest I wasn’t sure about this move at first. I know it’s a good opportunity for Nick, but I loved our little house, and I don’t make friends easily so moving is always hard, but I think this is going to be good for us.”

Charlie understood that. She’d always struggled to make friends too. “I’m sorry. I really hope you’ll be happy here.”

Katie tilted her head, staring intently at Charlie for a long moment. “You know… I think I will be.” There was another pause, barely more than a hesitation. “As you can see Nick and I aren’t very subtle. We’re kinky and we don’t care who knows it. In fact, I want them to know it because I’m proud to be his. It um, it doesn’t always go over well with other women.”

Her mouth twisted and she sighed. “I guess I’m not what you’d call a feminist. Or at least not what they consider a feminist. It seems personally offensive to some people that I choose to submit.”

Oh boy, Charlie related to that on every level. She shook her head. “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t be a feminist and a submissive. I’ve heard it too and I listened to them. It messed my head up for a long time. But like my therapist says, ‘Feminism means getting to make your own choices and as long as you’re choosing this kind of relationship that fits the definition.’”

The words had burst from her, and only afterward did she worry she sounded like she was preaching. She could feel her face heating. “Sorry—I didn’t mean to lecture you. I just… I struggled with that for a long time too.”

Katie laughed and shrugged. “No worries. I understand what you’re saying and you’re right. But it’s just really nice to be around people who get it without me having to argue.”

Nick snorted. “Youenjoyarguing. Besides, we’ve had scene friends before,” he pointed out. His tone said he was confused about the difference.

Katie rolled her eyes in his direction. “I enjoy arguing aboutsomesubjects—not about whether my lifestyle is holding other women back.” She turned to Charlie. “He’s right we’ve had scene friends, but they were just … event friends. We saw them at kinky places, not in our regular life. It’s different, at least for me.”

The two women shared a look of understanding and wordless communication. The men probably had their own struggles about their kink identities, but it wasn’t the same. Men had been dominant and bossy throughout human history so being the boss in a relationship wasn’t likely to get them called a traitor to their own sex. If anything, they’d probably get high-fives all around for being manly.

“I haven’t really experienced much of the scene or played with… well, it’s mostly just been Sam, but I get it. This feels like a more personal connection,” Charlie agreed. It had been part of her struggle over opening up the ranch to two strangers and made sense on that level too.

It was great that things felt so in sync. It wasn’t often she met someone and knew immediately that they could be friends. Katie seemed like one of those rare few.

Sam chuckled. “And to think I was worried about you two getting along. Look, ladies, this isn’t a visit. Nick and Katie will be living here now so you’ll have plenty of time to discuss all of this. But me, I’d like to get them settled for the night so I can get back and into a hot shower.”

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