Page 19 of Pine Creek Lodge
Nat shifted her leg, spreading Sofia’s thighs more, the friction intensifying as their bodies moved in perfect harmony. She could feel Sofia’s body tensing, the anticipation coiling tight, mirroring her own. The room around them seemed to fade away, leaving just the heat of their bodies and their growing pleasure.
In a final, breathless moment, they let go of all inhibitions, their movements frenzied and raw, chasing release together as they clung to each other. They exploded and cried out, leaving them tangled together, breaths coming in gasps, their bodies still wrapped together.
They lay still in a mess of sheets and sweat, and Nat rested her head on Sofia’s chest, her heart still racing. She hadn’t anticipated this—none of it—but it felt right.
Nat’s fingers moved absentmindedly over Sofia’s arm as she listened to the steady rhythm of her breathing beneath her. The silence was warm, filled with the quiet aftermath of unbridled passion. She closed her eyes, focused on the slow rise and fall of their breaths, and sank into the calm that surrounded them.
Chapter Fourteen
Nat stirred, the early morning quiet settling softly around her. She blinked against the pale light filtering through the window, momentarily confused by the unfamiliar warmth beside her. Then, her eyes focused, and there was Sofia, lying next to her, a peaceful expression on her face, lips slightly parted in sleep. Nat’s heart skipped. Despite her internal alarm nudging her awake, telling her that the day’s routine had begun, she felt an urge to linger, to remain beside this surprisingly vulnerable version of Sofia for a little longer.
Her mind ticked over to her duties: breakfast prep, clearing up, cleaning, checking weather reports, ensuring Sofia’s ski gear was ready... She had responsibilities, and that sense of duty tugged her away from the comfort of the bed. When she made a move to slip out quietly, a warm hand wrapped around her wrist.
“Don’t go yet,” Sofia’s voice was a sleepy murmur, her eyes still closed but her grip firm. “What’s the rush?”
“I, um…” Nat hesitated, her breath catching as Sofia’s fingers tightened slightly. She glanced down at her half-smile, charmed by the disarming honesty of it. “I have to get breakfast ready for my… guest,” she added, smirking. “And there are some other things I have to take care of.”
At that, Sofia opened her eyes and looked at her, her amber gaze still softened by sleep but sparked with a hint of amusement. “You know, I’d much rather you stay here with me than worry about breakfast right now.”
Nat let out a soft laugh, her cheeks warming. “Maybe, but I literally work for you. You’ve paid a lot of money for my services—at least in the breakfast department.”
Sofia’s expression turned serious. “Nat,” she said, “do you really think we still need to play that game? After last night, I think it’s safe to say we’ve moved beyond guest services. Unless…” Her lips quirked into a grin. “The only services I’m interested in right now are of a more… personal nature.”
Nat felt the tug of Sofia’s gentle challenge and relaxed, letting herself be drawn back under the covers and into Sofia’s arms. Their lips met in a slow, tender kiss that turned heated as they both sank deeper into the embrace, making the world outside, with its routines and obligations, feel distant and irrelevant.
Sofia pulled away and looked at her, a playful glint in her eye. “Why don’t we spend the morning together? No work, no schedules. Just us.”
Nat chuckled. “I’m so going to get fired.”
“No, you won’t because no one will find out,” Sofia whispered, brushing her lips against Nat’s. “We’re good, right? Nothing’s urgent.”
“But I should at least make breakfast…”
“We’ll make it together, later,” Sofia insisted. “I think we’ve earned a lazy morning as it’s been a long, strenuous night…”
Nat’s cheeks flushed as Sofia’s words pulled her back into memories of the night before, each moment vivid and intoxicating. They had drifted in and out of sleep as if resting was merely a pause, their bodies seeking each other the moment their eyes opened. There had been laughter, soft whispers, and the undeniable magnetism that kept drawing them back, overand over. She remembered how Sofia would touch her face gently, her fingers tracing Nat's jaw before they’d fall into another kiss, and then into more... Each time felt as electric as the first, the night stretching out like a soft, endless loop of shared breaths and tangled sheets.
The thought made her heart pound, and she glanced at Sofia, who was watching her with that knowing smirk. There was something wonderfully surreal about waking up with the woman who had started as her guest and turned into so much more in one unexpected night. Every had melted away, leaving her feeling raw and completely at ease all at once. She wanted to stay here, wrapped in the warmth of this strange, wonderful intimacy.
Nat was about to respond when a tiny mewl sounded from the foot of the bed. Both women looked over to see Moxie, stretching and gazing up at them expectantly. They shared a laugh, Sofia rolling her eyes.
“Well, I guess we’ll have to get up after all. Moxie’s breakfast demands clearly come first.”
Nat sat up and bent over to scoop up Moxie, who purred immediately as she nestled into her lap, stretching her tiny paws and squinting up at them with that adorable, sleepy-eyed look she’d come to love.
“Can we keep her?” Sofia asked, almost childlike as she stroked the kitten.
Nat’s smile faltered just slightly, a tension creeping into the softness of the morning. The question lingered longer than it should have, and she knew Sofia had noticed it too. They weren’t a “we”, not by a long shot. It was okay though; Nat hadn’t had this much fun in a long time, and their whirlwind romance had clearly been good for Sofia too. She’d been tense and wound up when she’d first arrived, but now she seemed entirely relaxed and maybe that was enough.
“Or maybe you could keep her?” Sofia suggested.
Nat’s heart squeezed, but she kept her tone light as she scratched behind Moxie’s ears. “I’ll make sure she has a happy life. If we can’t find her owners, she’ll either stay with me or my parents. Don’t worry about her, she’ll be safe and loved. I adore her already.”
“So do I. Thank you.” Sofia’s shoulders relaxed, her hand drifting down to stroke Moxie’s tiny head again. They fussed over the kitten together, laughing as Moxie pounced, her soft little paws kneading at their legs. But the kitten’s meows soon grew louder and more insistent, reminding them of her breakfast demands. They exchanged a look, both reluctantly pulling away from the comfort of the bed to tend to her.
In the kitchen, Nat moved to start on breakfast, pulling out ingredients with practiced efficiency, but Sofia slipped her arms around Nat from behind, stopping her.
“Hey,” she murmured, pressing her chin to Nat’s shoulder. “I don’t want you to work for me anymore. It feels strange, especially after last night. Like I’m just here, hooking up with the chalet girl.”
