as far as it goes. It’s the most intimate I’ve ever been with a woman. Sure, sex is intimate, but this…. We’re both naked, and it’s about the touch of my skin against hers and the sated look in her eyes. A look that’s also full of heat when her eyes find mine. It’s more than sex. It was us, and whatever this is between us burning bright. Touch by touch, we learned one another.
“I say we sleep in the fort tonight,” she says as we make our way back downstairs.
“We can do that.”
“Really?” She turns to look at me, her eyes bright.
“Sure. We worked hard on that fort. Besides, it holds some memories.”
“That it does,” she agrees.
We make our way back to the living room, and I turn off the TV before climbing back into our fort and pulling her into my arms. We spend the next hour making out like teenagers, my hands memorizing her, which leads to making love to her again before she drifts off to sleep.
I didn’t sleep a wink last night. I didn’t know what the light of day would bring, and I couldn’t bear to miss a second with her sleeping peacefully in my arms. Her naked body pressed close to mine.
I lost track of the number of times I’ve replayed last night over and over in my mind. I know part of what made it so incredible was the lack of barrier between us, but it was more than that. It was magical.
Magic.
Maybe the old man isn’t crazy after all.
Every time she would wake up and reach for me, it did something to me. Something I can’t explain. Hands down, last night was the most incredible night of my life.
Now I just need to figure out what to do about it. Things can’t go back to the way they were. I can’t see her and pretend she didn’t single-handedly change me as a man. I don’t know how she’s feeling or what she thinks, but I intend to find out. Today. Before our families arrive, I need her to know that last night wasn’t just a night of fun for me. It meant something. She means something. She means everything. In the span of a few days, she’s suddenly everything.
I need to get up and add some wood to the fire, and it’s starting to get chilly down here on the floor. It would help if we put clothes on, but trust me, you wouldn’t be dressed either if you were me. Not to mention, I need her again. She slept so peacefully I couldn’t bear to wake her up. I need her again before we have the talk about what this means and where we go from here.
My phone rings and I clamber to answer it. I manage to grab it from the end table and see Marshall’s name on the screen. “Hey, Marsh.” Aspen cuddles closer, and I can tell that she’s now awake.
“Con, you ready for the family to descend?”
I look down at the beauty in my arms. I’m not ready, but we will be by this evening. That gives us all day to talk. “Yeah.”
“Good. We’re about an hour out.”
“What?” I still. “What do you mean an hour out?”
“Grant got a call from Josh letting him know that they took care of the road to the cabin last night. Everyone decided to come earlier to make sure it’s all hands on deck.”
“Good deal. Listen, Marsh, I need to shower. I’ll see you when you get here.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that one before. I thought you might appreciate the heads-up. I’m leading the pack, so I’ll make a stop. Buy you some time.”
“Not necessary,” I tell him.
“Conrad, I can tell by the sound of your voice. Kick whatever random woman you have in your bed, wake up Aspen, and get your ass in gear. Ninety minutes, brother, that’s the best that I can do.” He ends the call without saying goodbye.
“What’s going on?” Aspen asks.
I lean in and kiss her slow and deep. Regardless of the fact that we need to get this place in order and ourselves, I need to kiss her good morning. Nothing would keep me from that. Not even our families. “The roads are clear. Josh called Grant. They left early. They’re about an hour and a half away.”
“Shit!” She scrambles out of the fort, bringing some of it down with her. “We have to clean this place up. Shit. Shit. Shit.”
“Hey.” I grab her arm,