Page 59 of Prince of the Northwest Forest
“I think I need to catch my breath,” I say. “I liked following that baby deer, but she was moving a little faster than we usually do. Should we start a fire?”
Glancing around at the setup of this place, he nods. “We need to dry our clothes. I think it’s going to be cold tonight. I can go fetch more wood so we can take warm showers on the back porch later on. Looks like the fireplace can heat the shower water.”
“That sounds divine, but I don’t think a prince should fetch wood,” I say. “That’s for his subjects to do.”
He shrugs. “I can do manual labor just fine.”
“Well, maybe if this whole in-line-to-be-king thing doesn’t work out, you can be a woodsman.”
Kalle’s eyes wrinkle in a friendly way. “Sounds good to me.”
“We’d better get the wood before it gets dark and before we get too settled in. I doubt what’s here is enough to see us through the night.” I add, because I’m still intensely curious, “Do we need to invite a wood nymph to cook?”
“No. It seems there’s plenty here for us to figure something out for dinner.”
We step back out into the rain and go to a shaded area where there are a few dead, fallen trees that are mostly dry. We haul them over to the cabin and find an axe in a little toolshed beside it.
Then Kalle gets to work with the axe. Figures theforestprince knows how to use one. He looks so sexy splitting wood, his chest seeming broader, his arm muscles more pronounced. His face is focused as he concentrates on hitting the mark, which he does with precision and efficiency.
I bite my knuckle and hide my admiring smile.
We take turns chopping wood and bringing it inside, and then we get a nice fire going to take the chill off. Though we’re in a river valley, we’re still fairly high up in the mountains, and I’m grateful to look forward to a cozy night. There’s only one bed, but that’s what we had last night. I suppose if Kalle objects, one of us can sleep on the ground in the sleeping bag. No big deal. I’ll volunteer if it makes him feel better.
Except I think he’ll be fine with us sleeping together. I just don’t know how I’m supposed to get any rest when he’s so sexy and distracting.
While the potbellied fireplace hums, I unlock the cupboard and find canned vegetarian stew. There are some crackers that don’t look too old and dried fruit. Even a few bottles of beer.
A veritable feast. This cabin is looking even better.
“Why don’t you take a shower?” Kalle asks. “The water should be getting hot, so it’s a good time to do it.”
“Okay,” I say.
I take off my boots and shirt and sniff my armpits. Yeah, I need to do this. There’s really no reason to stay in my clothes to go out there, so I strip down to my boxer briefs and then grab one of the towels.
Night is coming soon, and Kalle’s security have taken up residence on the front porch. The back porch faces a meadow, and there’s nothing on it but a showerhead and a little half door covering part of it on one side.
So, this is like skinny-dipping but … not. I’ve always wanted to take an outdoor shower.
There’s a window facing inside, but oh well. If Kalle wants to watch, he’s welcome to do so. Otherwise, it’s me and the meadow in the fading grayish light, a light rain still falling beyond the roof overhang.
I turn on the water, and while it’s frigid at first, in just a moment or two, it’s too hot. Then it’s perfect, so I take off my underwear and step in. There’s a bar of soap on the windowsill. This is going to make me smell so much better.
Chapter Seventeen
KALLE
I glance outside the window of the little cabin and freeze. Justice is naked.
Verynaked.
I’ve seen naked men before, obviously, but I usually avert my eyes. He makes me stop and stare.
I shouldn’t. I should give him privacy.
But part of me really wants to watch. And I get the idea that he wouldn’t mind. Though maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
He turns around to splash water on his face, and I get a view of his back. And his backside. Both are beautiful. The water drips down his spine, and I lick my lips at his muscles. At the way his tattoos outline his body and highlight its different parts.
