Page 15 of Cut to the Heart of It
As I approached, I stepped on a twig and he turned, axe in the air. A grin spread across his face but just as quickly disappeared. He lowered the axe to the ground and grabbed a towel.
He was still wiping sweat, or maybe rain, from himself when I got closer. The man was still glistening, and his salt and pepper hair was wet and slick. His skin was flushed, and his arms were even bigger; swollen from the manual labor. His chest looked as I pictured it in my head after leaning against it, then swatting it when he carried me to the bedroom…perfectly rounded, rock-hard pecs with pert little nipples. His abs were defined and flexed and there was a thin trail of dark hair leading below the waistband of his underwear that was peeking from the top of his jeans.
“CJ?”
“Huh?”
His brow was lifted. “What’s up? Was this too loud?”
Oh, shit I was ogling and didn’t hear him.
“Oh,” I giggled, “no. I hadn’t even heard. My tummy was grumbling so I got up to make lunch and realized you were gone.” I held the bag out to him. “When I saw you, I thought you may be hungry, too.”
His eyes widened as he reached out. “Oh, thanks. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know, but you’ve fed me so fair is fair.” Act cool, CJ. “So, whatcha doing out here?”
He pulled the sandwich and a water from the bag then sat on a log. “I was bothering you inside but was getting bored outside, so instead of sitting around I figured I could pretend to put a dent in the trail.”
Wringing my hands, I replied, “You aren’t bothering me.”
He looked up through his thick lashes at me. “You don’t have to say that. It’s fine. You came here for peace and quiet and got stuck here with me.”
How many times had I said that? Shit. “No, Johnny. Look, I’m sorry—”
He waved me off. “Seriously, its fine.” His tone was flat and cold.
Wow. This one is hot and cold.
“Okie dokie then. I guess I’ll let you get back to it.”
“Thanks for the sandwich,” he called as I walked away. I waved my hand without turning back.
My forced smile turned to thinned lips and my hands went to fists. Ugh. Why was I losing my cool? It’s just a random stranger I met and happened to get stuck with because the universe had a silly sense of humor.
I went back inside, looked at my sandwich but decided I wasn’t hungry anymore, so I put it in the fridge. Wanting to take the edge off, I grabbed my Fireball from the freezer and took a swig from the bottle. It wound up being more than I intended and my face pulled at the huge gulp of hot but cold liquid going down.
“Woo,” I said then blew the cinnamon burn out.
I snagged a water then went to sit back down. Once the laptop was open, the words were pouring furiously from me, and I pounded away at the keyboard. Angry writing was the best.
But wait…I’m not angry. That would mean I cared what that beastly man thought, and I most certainly did not.
Several hours went by and my back was stiff, and I needed to pee. I tossed my water bottle then pulled my Fireball out again but poured some into a glass this time, so I didn’t take such a huge gulp.
I knocked that back in two shots then headed upstairs; I didn’t want to use the bathroom on the main floor and have him be standing there when I came out.
After I used the bathroom, I plopped down on the bed to stretch my back. After sitting with the laptop in my lap for two days straight, my neck and back were killing me. The Fireball snuck up on me, so I closed my eyes for a minute.
“CJ.”
My eyes flew open, and I sucked in a breath. “Hmm, what?”
“Sorry to bother you but I was going to see if I could hop in the shower before I got dinner started.”
I was still sleepy, and a little moan escaped me. “Mmm, sure. Wait.” I sat up in the bed, rubbing my eyes. “You can shower, just give me a minute. But I can make my own dinner.”
I threw my legs off the side of the bed and twisted around to pop my back then stood up and headed to the door. He grabbed my arm as I tried to pass him.
