curious look on his face.
I slowly took in my surroundings. My jaw literally dropped.
“Holy shit,” I breathed.
I looked around the cabin. I couldn’t get over how gorgeous it was. The inside was wooden as well, only here it was beautiful. Polished smooth. The place was strong. Simple. Masculine. The couches were big and plush, the color of coffee. There was a matching chair that looked big enough to hold two. It was centered around a stone built fire-place. Above the fireplace, mounted on the wall, was a flat screen TV. It was appropriately sized for its surroundings, and a recent model. It was modest and fit with the rest of the furniture. It was a pleasant change from Damien’s house, which was too flashy.
This felt like a home.
I moved closer and the hardwood floors creaked under my feet. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the couches were older than they first appeared. The cushions were worn in certain places. The table between them was scratched and stained with water rings. I smiled thinking how comfortable this place felt. It was lived in, whereas Damien’s home was clean and polished. Even back with Lupen pack, Isaac’s wasn’t treated like a museum.
“I love it,” I said, turning back to Hunter. He was watching me closely as if expecting me to run out of the place like my hair was on fire.
“Good,” Hunter said and started to move.
I followed, taking in the place as we walked. It wasn’t overly large, but the outside was deceptive. The living room opened up into a kitchen. I didn’t get a very good look at it before we moved down a hallway. I was checking the walls expecting to see family photos, or something, anything, but the walls were bare.
We passed one door before Hunter stopped for a second. He looked at the lonely door on the right and continued to the last door on the left. He opened and held it open for me. I walked forward into a simple room. It was off-white, and the bed was in the middle of farthest wall. Everything was simple, almost bland. I assumed this was his guest room. I was actually surprised that he had a guest room.
“Thanks, Hunter,” I moved past him and set my bags down.
This was the only place in the house that felt sterile and unused. The rest of it had a homey feel. Hunter nodded and set my other bag over by the closet. I smiled at him, even if it felt a little forced.
“Would you like me to show you the rest?” Hunter asked, his eyes sharply following my movements.
“Sure.”
We arrived at the door, and Hunter paused. He seemed to be making a decision, though I couldn’t see his face. I could tell by the set of his shoulders and the rise and fall in his breath.
“This is my room.”
Hunter opened the door. It was almost like a smaller version of the one at Damien’s house. His scent wrapped around me, and while it was throughout the house, it was the strongest here.
It wasn’t horribly dark, the window on the farthest wall let in a flood of light. The window opened onto a view of trees surrounding the house and the bright blue sky above. I knew that at night the stars would be breathtaking. I wanted to explore more inside of the room. Hunter moved out of the doorway and made motion for me to follow. I left reluctantly thinking that his room would tell me more about him than he would. I wouldn’t invade his space, knowing it was hard for a wolf to have any sort of privacy. Until he invited me in, I wouldn’t go snooping.
Next Hunter showed me the bathroom, which was nothing really special. It was tidier than I was expecting for a guy who lived by himself. But Hunter was full of surprises. He showed me the kitchen. While there he started to make lunch for us both. I waited, watching him.
“What do you think?” Hunter asked as he set a plate in front of me. I knew he wasn’t talking about the sandwich he had made.
“Homey.” I said warmly.
He granted me another smile. This one was different from the mega-watt smile, different from his half smile. It was his smile that held contentment that I decided was his best. His eyes softened around the edges, and his body relaxed as his lips lifted a little.
Chapter 17 — Dangerous Conditions
Another week had passed. It had been