I tossed and turned, trying to get to sleep. On the other side of the room, I heard Blake doing the same. A few minutes later, there was the sound of footsteps outside. I sat up to see a shadow pass the window.
Oh God, no.
I turned to Blake. He was already on his feet, holding a gun that, judging by his askew pillow, had been hidden there. It was the fake police officer’s gun.
His eyes meeting mine, holding his finger to his lips, he motioned for me to follow him. Creeping out silently, he peered around the corner before heading to the front door. He did the same there, peering around before going out to the side where my window was.
But there was nothing.
Suddenly there were footsteps right behind me. I whirled around to see a deer eyeing me dopily. I practically collapsed in relief while Blake burst out laughing. Spooked, the deer trotted off into the trees.
“Must have been an old senile one,” he said mid-chuckle.
Turning to Blake, I felt a hysterical laugh rising in my own throat. “I thought…I thought…”
Blake clasped my face in his hands. “I know. I did too.”
Now the laughter came bubbling out of my lips, and he was laughing too, still grasping my face, and the only thing that seemed right to do next was to kiss him.
So I did. As soon as our lips met and I realized what I was doing, I jerked back. I gaped at Blake, scanning his face miserably. Oh God. What had I done?
Blake didn’t move. His eyebrows were frozen up, his lips still parted. His gaze was on my lips.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured, but he only shook his head. Taking my face in his hands, he kissed me again, and then again and again.
His hands ran up and down me with unrestrained passion, while mine clutched at his face, his arms, his chest. We kissed our way back inside, back into the second room where, under my sleeping bag, after shedding our useless clothes, we joined into one. We were warmer than ever.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I awoke warm, cozy. Blake. I was in his arms, his soft pine breath tickling my cheek. Though asleep, he was still wearing a smile from last night.
I didn’t wake him. I watched him, marveling at every blond fiber of his beard, the trembling of his sandy blond lashes, the full curve of his lower lip.
Everything, suddenly, was so clear. What I really wanted, what was right for me, was him, here, this. Blake and Aspen and nature. This was the life I wanted for myself.
I carefully untwined myself and rose. I was not afraid anymore. I knew what I had to do. I put on Blake’s shirt, turned on my phone, and went outside.
I got the fire started and put the last four pieces of bread we had on a stick. Once they were toasted nicely, I laid them on the tree stump and padded back inside the house.
Kneeling down, I woke Blake with a kiss. One eye sleepily regarded me, widened, and then both opened. He gazed at me with a stupid grin.
“Good morning,” I said.
“Good morning,” he mumbled, still staring at me like he’d just won a million dollars.
“Last night…”
“Was phenomenal,” he said, his smile growing even larger. “I…I’ve been wanting to do that for some time, but your situation…”
I put my finger on his lips. “Come have breakfast. I have something to tell you.”
Stretching, Blake let his eyes settle on me. “Is that my shirt?”
“You did say that I could,” I said, sauntering out of the room.
As we ate, I watched him like a scientist studying a specimen. Blake ate with that slow, thoughtful chewing. His eyes were closed, his toast-eating an entirely immersive experience. No, he had no idea what I was considering.
I took out my phone and stared at my sure reflection. The determined, makeup-free woman who looked back seemed like a stranger. I hadn’t been determined about anything for a while, but now I was.
I tapped my phone to wake up the screen and then turned off airplane mode before tucking it in my shirt pocket. I didn’t feel like dealing with a deluge of messages right now. Then I smiled to myself.
There. Now there was no turning back, no matter what Blake said. I had made up my mind about what I was going to do.
The longer I watched Blake, the slower he seemed to chew. Finally, after what seemed like an age, he swallowed the final bite of toast, and I started talking.
“About my situation… Blake, you don’t have to worry anymore. I’ve decided what I’m going to do.”
I held up my phone. “I’ve turned it on. I’m going to call the police. Now, maybe. I don’t want us to have to hide anymore.”
Blake blinked, and I felt like throwing up.