Page 30 of Faking All the Way
“I should…” I gesture weakly toward my phone, not quite able to meet his eyes. “Sam wants to talk. She doesn’t always have service, so I should probably call her back now while she’s at the base camp and has Wi-Fi.”
“Right.” Asher clears his throat and runs a hand through his hair. “I’ll give you some privacy.”
He heads for the door, pausing only to grab his jacket from the back of a chair. As soon as he’s gone, I sink onto the couch, staring at our perfectly decorated Christmas tree and wondering what the hell just almost happened.
And why part of me wishes my phone hadn’t interrupted it.
Chapter Twelve
Asher
I run my fingers through my hair, trying to focus on literally anything other than the woman across the way and that moment between us earlier.
The way she felt in my arms when I caught her keeps replaying in my head on a loop. She was so soft and warm, and I can’t seem to forget the way her chest brushed against mine or the fullness of her hips under my hands. The little gasp she made when I caught her and the way her fingers gripped my shoulders for balance.
She seemed worried that she was too heavy for me, which is ridiculous. She’s perfect. Not some fragile thing I have to be careful with, but a gorgeous woman with curves in all the right places.
The weight of her body, the way she fit against me…
I shake my head as I raid my small stash of basic supplies from the galley kitchen, settling on a protein bar and some cold chicken for dinner. I eat standing at the counter because sitting down feels like too much effort. I don’t want to disturb Kat whileshe’s on the phone with her friend, and honestly, I’m not quite sure if I should be going over there after what happened.
Yeah. Better to give her some space. Better to givemyselfsome space to get my head on straight.
After I eat, I change into workout gear and spend the next hour putting myself through a training session. Push-ups until my arms shake, sit-ups until my abs burn, burpees until I’m gasping for air. Physical exhaustion has always been my go-to method for quieting an overactive brain, and today is no exception.
By the time I’m done, my shirt is soaked through with sweat and my mind feels clearer. The restless energy that’s been riding me since I left the main cabin has finally settled into something manageable.
It’s gotten dark by now, the winter evening coming early. I head up to the bedroom, tugging my sweaty shirt off with one hand and tossing it toward the hamper, but when I glance toward the cabin, I notice movement at Kat’s bedroom window. She’s standing by the window, her curvy figure backlit by the warm glow of her lamp.
Wait. Is she… watching me?
The thought sends a bolt of heat straight through me. I grin despite myself and grab my phone from the nightstand.
ME: Enjoying the view, bright eyes?
In my periphery, I see her jump a little, as if the sound of her phone startled her. Her response comes back almost immediately, which tells me she definitely had her cell in her hand.
KAT: I have no idea what you’re talking about.
ME: Right. You just happened to be standing at your bedroom window staring directly at the guest house.
KAT: I was checking the weather. It might snow again tonight.
ME: Sure you were.
I can see her moving away from the window now, probably mortified at being caught. There’s a longer pause before her next text comes through.
KAT: Sorry. I wasn’t trying to spy on you.
I could tease her more about it. Push a little harder, maybe bring up what happened earlier at the cabin. That moment when we were inches apart and I’m pretty sure I almost kissed her, when my fingers were under her chin and her lips were right there…
But instead, I let her off the hook.
ME: It’s fine, I’m just giving you shit. Honestly, I kind of like that I can look across the way and see into the main cabin. I’ve never stayed in a place like this before. Remote and rustic, in the middle of nowhere. It’s nice to be able to look over and see the light coming from your windows or catch a glimpse of you inside. It feels cozy. Less lonely, I guess.
I watch through the window as she looks down at her phone, reading my message. Then she looks up and grins at me across the distance, and even from here, I can see the smile light up her face.
KAT: I agree. I’ve spent a ton of time at this cabin over the years, but never on my own before. If you weren’t across the way, I think I’d be a little freaked out sometimes. It’s so quiet here, especially compared to Philly. No traffic sounds, no neighbors through the walls, just… silence.
