"That's enough, Richie," River said. "Thank you for helping me. Now go hike up that mountain and disappear."
"I'm serious about the storm, River," Richie said. "Get yourselves all settled and stay in until it passes."
"Noted," River said.
Richie patted the open window, then pushed away. He disappeared for a few seconds, only to reappear in a massive, beat-up truck. It looked like a monster truck almost. He sped away and was swallowed up by the trees.
River threw open his door, and it made a groaning, growling kind of sound.
I grabbed for him, wanting to know what his intentions were, but he slipped away.
I got out of the truck and looked up to the skies. It was pretty clear out. Not that the weather actually mattered.
River grabbed all of our stuff.
I chased him down.
"Did you plan all this?" I asked.
River stopped dead in his tracks. He looked back at me. "Of course I did. I've been waiting for this for years, Lacey. I'm not going to hold back and waste another second."
His words cut through my heart and soul as he walked into the cabin.
I was left behind.
When I looked up at the sky again, clouds were moving in.
There was a storm coming.
Not just up in the sky either.
River
PRESENT DAY
I threw the bags into the bedroom. I'd deal with that situation when it came. Worst case, I'd sleep on the couch. I checked the fridge and cabinets, and I had to hand it to Richie. He did a good job helping me out. The move may have been hopeless and teetering on desperate, but I had no choice. If I was getting Lacey alone, even for one night, it was going to be everything I had been waiting for.
I grabbed a beer and turned to find Lacey in the doorway to the kitchen.
"Want a drink?" I asked.
"No thanks," she said. "I'm a little chilly."
"I can build us a fire if you'd like."
"Sure."
"I have to bring all that firewood in anyway."
"What are we doing here, River?"
The question was from left of field, but I was ready to deal with it.
I walked across the kitchen and put my beer on the counter. I left less than a foot between me and the only woman I'd ever really loved in life.
"You tell me," I said.
"You really kept coming up here? That man said you were here hours … "
"Day until night," I admitted.
"What did you do while waiting?" she asked me.
I reached into my pocket. No, I wasn't reaching for an engagement ring. Although the thought of Lacey wearing nothing but a diamond ring was enough to make me harden immediately. Instead, I took out a key and showed it to her.
"What is that?"
"I use it to cut into a few trees, for fun," I said. "But this key … I owned my own tattoo shop. After my life took a wicked twist, I fought back. I had a little place on the beach. Right there on the beach, Lacey. This awesome little place. Anyone would kill to have it. But it was just a filler. Took up time while I waited for you."
She reached out and touched my hand with the key in it. I then opened her hand and put the key into her palm. I shut her hand and took mine away.
"It's yours anyway," I said. "All of it."
"All of what?" she asked.
"Me, darling. Me."
I touched her face, tracing lines down her soft cheek. She grabbed at my shirt with her free hand. She had a damn handful as she pulled at me.
"You're hiding still," I whispered. "Whatever it is, don't hide it. Not from me."
"Do we have a chance at this, River?"
"We have a chance at anything you want."
"I feel lost, River. I mean, with everything in my life."
"But you're right here," I said. "You said it to me in the truck. You're meant to be here."
"And we're meant to be what?"
"I'll be whatever you need," I said. "I'm not asking you to marry me. I'm not asking you to love me. I'm not asking you to live with me."
"Then what are you asking for, River?"
"Just to be in your presence," I said. "Because it's the only time I feel alive, and I feel okay."
I stepped back, needing to put distance between us.
As romantic as I wanted that moment to be, I had to be honest. I was fucking on fire. A hot rage of lust coursed through my veins, searing me to my core. My hands balled up into fists. Between my legs, my dick was seething. I was filling up faster than I cared for it to happen. I wanted to take Lacey back to the only place of pleasure I knew.
I grabbed the beer bottle with force and turned to go out the back door of the cabin.