Page 66 of Curvy Cabin Fever
I nod. “It’s…peaceful.”
He glances down at me, something shifting behind his eyes. “That’s what you do to me, y’know.” His voice has lost its usual playful edge, replaced by something raw and honest.
I blink. “What?”
“You make it quiet. In here.” He taps his temple. “All the noise shuts off when I’m with you.”
I don’t know what to say to that—no one’s ever said anything like that to me before. Not even close.
We reach a little clearing surrounded by pine trees, the snow deeper here, undisturbed. Morgan stops and turns to face me, brushing snow off a fallen log before patting it. “Have a seat, gorgeous.”
I sit, the cold wood seeping through my leggings, but I don’t care. Not with the way he’s looking at me. I love how the sun hits his face just right, highlighting the scruff on his jaw and the fire in his eyes.
He kneels in the snow in front of me, and my heart stutters at the sight. His jeans must be soaking through, but he doesn’t seem to notice or care.
“Morgan—what are you doing?”
“Something I’ve been wanting to do since the moment you walked into that cabin.”
He takes my gloved hands in his bare ones, pressing kisses to my knuckles through the fabric. “I know we’ve been circling this. And I know the others have had their time with you. But I want you to know this isn’t just about sex for me. I’m not trying to compete. I’m just trying to be worthy.”
My throat tightens as I watch him, this beautiful man kneeling in the snow, offering me his heart without pretense.
“Morgan…”
“I’m not perfect,” he says, looking up at me with those eyes that hide nothing. “I mess around and joke too much. But I seeyou, Aria. All of you. And I’m not gonna pretend I don’t want you. Every way a man can want a woman.”
The sincerity in his voice makes my heart ache. There’s no performance here, no carefully crafted charm. Just Morgan stripped down to his core.
“I’ve spent my whole life hiding parts of myself,” he continues, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand. “Hiding who I love, what I feel. With Rhett—” He stops, swallowing hard.
“You can tell me,” I urge in a whisper, squeezing his hands.
He looks away, watching his breath cloud in the cold air. “With Rhett, I’ve been half-living for years. Wanting someone who couldn’t want me back—not the way I needed.” His eyes find mine again. “Or at least, that’s what I thought. But then you came along, and suddenly I’m feeling everything all at once. For him. For you.”
I reach out, cradling his cold-flushed cheek in my gloved hand. “You don’t have to choose, you know. Not with me.”
Something like hope flickers across his face. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I see you too, Morgan. All of you. Including how you look at him.”
He leans into my touch, eyes closing briefly. When they open again, there’s a vulnerability there that steals my breath away.
“I think I’m falling in love with you,” he remarks simply. No grand declarations, no flowery words. Just raw honesty.
Before I can answer, he rises and cups my face, fingers sliding beneath my beanie, thumbs brushing over my cheeks. His lips press to mine—soft, slow, and melting me from the inside out.
It’s different from the other times we’ve kissed. This isn’t teasing or playful. This is Morgan giving himself to me completely, holding nothing back.
I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer, trying to pour everything I’m feeling into this kiss. The snowflakes fall around us, catching in his hair, on his eyelashes, making this moment feel suspended in time.
When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing hard, creating little clouds between us.
“Let’s go back,” I murmur against his lips. “I want toshowyou how I feel.”
The walk back to the cabin seems both endless and too short. Morgan’s hand finds mine, our fingers intertwining despite the awkward barrier of my gloves. Every few steps, he pulls me close for another kiss, like he can’t bear to not be touching me.
“What about the others?” I ask as the cabin comes into view.
