He stared at her, the wheels in his head turning. When she didn’t say anything, he realized she was waiting for an answer for him.
“I mean. If you want.” Her shoulders sank, and she curled her body inward, her gaze dropping to her lap.
She wanted him to leave the mountains. Come down to town. Meet her family. It dawned on him that she assumed this was some kind of emergency shelter for rangers. Not his actual home.
The look of hurt on her face from his silence was evident, and his bear threatened to tear him up, angry that he had been the one to put it there. Pushing his bear deep inside, he cleared his throat. “Pie sounds good.” It wasn’t a lie. But it wasn’t quite the truth she wanted, either.
A small smile curled up at the corners of her mouth, and the tension between them eased. “I promise, Aunt Rosie and Aunt Angela are super nice. They’re the reason I moved here. To Blackstone. I got my fashion design degree from Parsons in New York, and I was doing all these dead-end internships. I came to visit one time and … I don’t know. Something about this place just called to me, you know? My aunts seemed happy here, even though they moved away from our skulk from Connecticut.” She curled a lock of red hair around a finger. “I thought, I would be too. The cost of living was low enough, and I had already started my business online, creating a few pre-made pieces and taking commissions. Then I met these girls, and I eventually designed their wedding dresses. I wasn’t really keen on making wedding dresses and I didn’t want to compete with Aunt Angela, but she assured me we have different markets. Then when I made Sybil Lennox’s dress last year, things just kind of exploded and.…”
He listened to her talk, fascinated by how animated and passionate she was about her work. Every word absorbed in his brain—how could it not? While he was proud of her and what she had accomplished, his stomach knotted at the realization that she already had her own life. Outside this cabin. Filled with dinners out and parties. With friends and family.
Idiot.
Of course she had her own life. What did he expect? That she would live here with him, in the middle of nowhere, away from everything and everyone she knew just because he was too fucked up in the head to be around other people?
That selfish part of him said, yes. He could make her happy. Devote his days and nights to giving her pleasure and serving her every need. Up here. Away from everyone.
But he knew that wouldn’t last. It couldn’t. Couldn’t trap her here. She didn’t deserve that. This was his prison. Not hers.
“John?” Her head cocked to the side.
“Food should be hot.” Turning his back to her, he went to the oven and took out the platters of food.
“You’ll burn yourself!” she cried as she came up behind him.
The heat from the platters seared his fingertips. “It’s fine.” He dropped them on the counter. “It’ll heal.”
“Silly man.” With a sigh, she wrapped her hands around his wrists and kissed his fingers. Lifting her head, she stared up at him, those beautiful light blue eyes boring right into his soul.
How could he give her up? But how could he trap her here? His bear fought him, raging inside him. She must have sensed it as her auburn brows drew together, but he quickly shut his animal away.
“John—”
He silenced her with a kiss. A deep, rough kiss that demanded her attention. Arms wrapped around his neck, and he lifted her up so he could carry her back to bed. This would have to be enough for now. He would enjoy her body and her company. Maybe the snowstorm would continue on. Forever. And he wouldn’t have to face the sobering reality that lay ahead for them.
Another night had passed, and when Krieger woke up the next day, his stomach filled with ice. He didn’t have to look out the window to know that the storm had passed. He just did.
His arms tightened around Dutchy. Just a little longer. He would hold on to her as long as he possibly could. But eventually he would have to let go.
He breathed in her scent, committing this moment to memory. The softness of her skin, the way her curves fit into his body, how her coppery hair caught aflame in