Love at the End of the World

by Christiana Miller

  Caleb’s thoughts came to a sudden halt. Why was he contemplating her pleasure and not his strategy? Usually the two did go a bit hand in hand, but Caleb had to admit, he’d thought little about the exit strategy.

  “Perfect. I’m starving, so I’ll probably make a couple of steaks since I just picked up some caribou meat.” She started for the kitchen. “You can come peel potatoes.”

  “Remember how I said you could trust me?” He followed her into the tiny galley. “I don’t know if the same applies in the kitchen.”

  “I figured as much.” She looked him up and down and shrugged. “You look like a protein shake and avocado toast kind of guy.”

  * * * *

  Aurora tried not to giggle when Caleb grit his teeth so hard she thought they’d be dust. Obviously, he didn’t appreciate the avocado toast comment. Teasing the big guy seemed like the only way to break the sensual tension still lingering in the air.

  She hated to admit it, but she did want him. She’d never wanted anyone so bad in her life. As a matter of fact, she couldn’t think of anyone she’d ever wanted. Period. Part of that was her extreme solitude out in the bush, and the other half was that it was difficult to be interested in anyone from the small villages nearby. Everyone knew each other and it just felt weird. She didn’t know Caleb, and that had to be why she was so attracted to him.

  “Here ya go.” Aurora handed Caleb a potato peeler. “There’s a big bag right over there. Ten or so should do.”

  Just ten minutes ago, Caleb had drawn a gun faster than Aurora could blink, all while keeping her wrapped around his waist. But now he fumbled with the potato peeler like he’d never seen one before. When his peeling fails couldn’t be ignored any longer, Aurora put her steaks down and came up behind him, placing her right hand over his.

  “Bring the peeler back toward you,” she instructed.

  From the close proximity, she inhaled the scent of Caleb. He’d been in her cabin long enough, he smelled of burning firewood and coffee, two of her favorite aromas.

  “Don’t stand so close to me,” he warned as he peeled the potato easily now. “I might have a mind to say ‘screw dinner’ and move on to dessert.”

  She moved away to get the water boiling for the potatoes, but part of her wanted exactly what he warned her of. Instead, she tried to focus on getting the caribou steaks ready. Satisfied that she had plenty of garlic and seasoning, she retrieved the olive oil for her pan.

  As her cast-iron skillet heated up, Aurora watched Caleb work on the potatoes and concluded that it wasn’t so bad having someone else in the kitchen. It was a small space, but she realized she didn’t mind so much. After all, he wasn’t terrible to look at.

  What would be the harm in taking him to bed? Surely after all this time alone out in the bush, she deserved a little enjoyment of the opposite sex. And he’d probably be flying out soon when the storm lifted. Maybe this was her only chance, and he looked like he was practically built for sex.

  “When are you flying back out?” Aurora noticed her voice sounded a bit higher than normal. She hoped she didn’t sound as desperate as she felt. She was suddenly feeling very enthusiastic about making a poor choice.

  What was the worst that could happen by having sex with a stranger? He obviously wasn’t trying to kill or rape her, or both would have happened already. Well, he could have tried. Her father had prepared her to survive life as a young woman in Alaska where females were sparse and young women were even more rare.

  According to the history books, Alaska had fewer women than men even before the nuclear war decimated much of the state’s population, just because it was such a harsh environment. Her dad had made sure she was a good shot, a good trapper, and knew the land well enough to outsmart trespassers hoping to steal from them or worse.

  Aurora didn’t think Caleb was there to steal anything. Judging from the fancy parka he’d hung up, the man had money. And there certainly wasn’t anything worth stealing in her cabin.

  “Excited to get rid of me?” Caleb looked over from his potatoes. “But what will you do without your sous chef?”

  Ignoring him, Aurora grabbed the potatoes he’d peeled and began chopping them in smaller pieces to boil.

  He reached for the knife. “I can do that.”

  Aurora was taken aback. “You don’t trust me with a knife? If I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve shot you when I had the chance.”

  “I just don’t want you to cut yourself. I may not have used a potato peeler before, but I’m pretty good with knives.”

  “Well, so am I. In case you didn’t notice, I live out in the bush by myself. I can fillet a fish better than any fancy-pants five star restaurant chef in California.”

  “Yeah, but less than an hour ago, you were unconscious. Just humor me.” Caleb grasped the handle over her hand, electricity igniting between their skin.

  Aurora almost jumped, but instead, she released the knife. “All right, but chop them up pretty small so we don’t have to wait long for them to boil.”

  Caleb grinned. “See, isn’t this nice? Now you get to sit there, drink coffee, and boss me around.”

  Aurora couldn’t help a grin as she seated herself on the counter behind him. “You’re right, this isn’t so bad.”

  From her perch on the countertop, she had a great view of his wingspan. There was something about his broad shoulders that drew her attention like a schoolgirl. Perhaps it was because she’d already felt how easily he’d lifted her into his arms.

  “So you’re planning on flying back out once the snow lifts?”

  Caleb finished the potatoes and dumped them into the boiling water. “Unless you invite me to stay longer.”

  The look he sent her with his brown eyes was enough to send goosebumps down her skin. Despite the seriousness in his gaze, there was also a hint of a smile there, as if he was daring her to take him up on his offer. Which she was very seriously contemplating.

  “Time to put the steaks on. They’re thick cuts, so they should be done at the same time as the potatoes.”

  As if obeying her command, Caleb grabbed the steaks from the plate she’d prepared them on, and seared them on the cast-iron pan. The scent of charred meat and garlic filled the air.

  “Damn, that smells good,” he said.

  “It’s going to taste even better.”

  “How long will they need to be on?”

  “About eight minutes,” Aurora answered, suspecting that Caleb had a motive for asking that was about more than burning the food.

  Caleb positioned himself between her legs where she sat on the counter and eased toward her. She closed her eyes, expecting him to kiss her, but instead, he buried his face in her neck. She moaned when he suckled softly on the sensitive flesh hidden beneath her hair.

  He pushed her braid back and trailed kisses lower toward her collarbone. He grasped the collar of her turtleneck and yanked it down as if he needed to devour every inch of skin possible. Aurora’s body responded in kind, and she arched her back, too turned on to be embarrassed that she wasn’t exactly backing down from the affection. There would be no going back now. He’d know for sure she craved his touch.

  Aurora pulled away. “Time to flip the steaks.”

  Chapter 4

  The caribou meat that melted in Caleb’s mouth was so good he had to stifle a moan. Curiously enough, the mashed potatoes were equally delicious. Aurora had instructed him to mix in some garlic and horseradish with the butter, and it was absolutely divine.

  Now that he’d done it, Caleb wondered why he’d never cooked himself dinner like this before. He had to admit that being in the kitchen with Aurora hadn’t been bad at all. As a matter of fact, cooking the food had been a bit cathartic.

  “You did a good job on the steaks, chief,” Aurora complimented.

  “You did most of the work. Luckily for us, I’m not too sexy to distract you from your timekeeping abilities.” Caleb still couldn’t believe the damned interruption; time had seemed lost
on him as he’d explored his new target’s soft skin with his lips.

  “I wouldn’t say that.”

  Caleb looked up from his dinner at Aurora’s confession. Her eyes were lit with mischief, and it was all he could do not to say ‘to hell with dinner’ and take her to bed. But he had to gain her trust.

  “So how does a beautiful woman like you end up living alone in the bush?”

  Aurora took a sip of her water. “I was raised out here. My dad built this cabin for me.”

  She took another sip of water, and Caleb got the impression she didn’t want to say much else. They lingered in silence, and although normally Caleb enjoyed solitude, he had to learn enough about her to find an angle to get her out of the bush.

  “Where is your father now?” Caleb instantly felt like an asshole when he noticed her peer toward the fire as if trying to blink away tears.

  She didn’t glance away from the flames flickering in the hearth, as if mesmerized. “My mom and dad died in a plane crash when I was eighteen. I had planned on going to college, but after they died I didn’t want to leave the cabin we built together. I didn’t want to leave the river where my dad taught me to fish. I didn’t want to give up the romance novels that my mom read by the fire. This place is home to me.”

  So the romance novels belonged to her mom. Caleb had no way to imagine the hurt she was feeling, so he said nothing. Although he hadn’t known Aurora long, he knew her well enough to understand that she’d rather have silence than some sorry-ass comment about her pain.

  After enough silence passed, Caleb realized he had an angle to work to get her to California. “It’s not too late to go to school. Do you know what you would like to study?”

  “Probably marine and fisheries ecology.”

  “That’s a pretty specific field.”

  “Yeah. I spent a lot of time on the water with my dad. We may have lived out in the bush, but we’d fly all over to fish.”

  Caleb found it hard to imagine this beautiful woman getting her hands dirty, but obviously she had to in order to survive in the bush. Despite her beauty, it was a different look than the models he was used to seeing in southern California. Aurora’s face was makeup-free, and yet the bright emerald color of her eyes still popped. Her full lips were free of color, but glistened when Aurora had licked her lips to savor the taste of the dinner they’d cooked together. And the long, blonde hair that had been tied into a braid made her look like a Scandinavian goddess.

  “Do you ever get bored out here all alone?”

  “No,” she replied without hesitation.

  “I admire that,” Caleb admitted.

  “You do?” She lifted a brow as if surprised. “You don’t think I’m crazy?”

  “Hell no. People back home are always looking for the next best thing to keep them occupied. Nothing is ever exciting enough.”

  “By people do you mean women?”

  “No. I don’t have any women. I’m not the type that likes to date. No patience for it.”

  She didn’t question him further, and he was grateful for that. He finished the last bite of his steak and realized how disappointed he was that it was gone. It was probably the only home-cooked meal he’d ever had.

  “What about your parents? Are they in California?”

  Damn. “Yeah.”

  “I’m guessing by your tone that you’re not close.”

  “Not really. Growing up, I was more of a trophy for them to show off than anything else.”

  “That’s nice though, right? It means they were proud of you.” Aurora took her braid out and rebraided it, and Caleb had to wonder if she was nervous.

  Caleb had to change the subject before it revealed too much of the truth—that Caleb was one of the first few babies that the Stork Company had sold. He’d been bought by a family as a symbol of prestige in an era where others weren’t conceiving and couldn’t afford to adopt. Time to change the subject. “This caribou meat was very good. Is most of what you eat hunted in the area?”

  Aurora nodded. “Hunted or harvested. Some things I trade with people from the village, but I’m able to grow a lot here. By doing my own hunting and fishing, I can make sure what I eat is clean.”

  Caleb took a moment to reflect on the dinner. Compared to the rest of the states, Alaska had suffered significantly fewer effects from the radiation after the nuclear war, but the weather wasn’t conducive to rebuilding crops and food was expensive to import. Enough years had passed now that most of the ‘disturbed fauna’ had been exterminated and new radiation-free breeds were emerging. Still, for a long time, the only affordable meat was from animals that weren’t safe to consume, a main cause in a good deal of the population becoming sick and dying post-war.

  Aurora continued, “Before the war, my family had all lived out in the bush. I come from a long line of doomsday preppers. Although these days we’re just called survivors. I use the river water as a power source, and my dad also installed solar panels. It’s good to have both, because in the winter the river freezes, and of course, we don’t always have a steady supply of sun.”

  “I’m really impressed.” More truth. “It doesn’t sound like living out here is easy, but you conquer it on a daily basis, on your own.” Aurora gazed at him for a long moment, as if trying to figure out if he was being genuine, so he added, “I’m glad the blizzard rolled in so I could find you out there in the snow.”

  * * * *

  The compliment filtered through Aurora like sunshine. She wasn’t drinking alcohol, and yet she felt buzzed. How on earth had events unfolded this way? This morning she woke up alone to her daily grind, and tonight, a handsome, charming, sexy man was complimenting her. And he wasn’t telling her that she was beautiful—he seemed to be admiring her on a deeper level.

  Aurora stood up and moved to where Caleb was seated. Before he could get up, she straddled him in the chair. She rested her arms on each side of his shoulder so that their lips were only inches away from each other. “I’m glad the blizzard rolled in too.”

  Their lips met like magnets with crushing force. The desire that had built up inside of Aurora threatened to explode before Caleb even touched her. She parted her lips, begging him to explore her mouth. He complied, moving his hands down the side of her body. He pulled her closer until their bodies almost felt like one.

  He stood from the chair, carrying her in his arms. The kiss broke and Aurora realized she was smiling. Caleb laid her on the floor by the fire and immediately covered her body with his. He thrust against her as he kissed her neck, and she felt the size of his erection straining against his pants.

  Was she really about to do this?

  Caleb took her earlobe into his mouth and suckled gently. She moaned from the pleasure. Yes, she was definitely about to do this.

  Caleb’s kisses were driving Aurora mad with need, but as she felt him grind against her, she became more and more daunted by the size of his erection. Will it hurt? Just when fear was about to get the better of her, Caleb halted his kisses and pulled his shirt over his head, revealing a long, chiseled torso. The man was a work of art. The fire was dwindling down, but it still cast enough light to contrast the deep shadows lining his abdomen and the muscles carving his arms.

  Was this the part where she was supposed to take off her own shirt?

  She suddenly felt self-conscious. Luckily, Caleb took charge, wrapping an arm around her back to unclasp her bra beneath her shirt. In an easy move, he had both garments off and the air hit her skin. Her nipples hardened from the cold, but Caleb took one into his mouth, warming it. Pleasure consumed her as his tongue wrapped around her sensitive peak. Desire made her go wet, the apex between her thighs aching with need.

  Caleb released her nipple from his mouth and laid kisses down her stomach. When he reached the top of her waistband, he looked up at her as his fingers dipped between her legs to feel the damp fabric. “God, you’re so wet.”

  Aurora nodded, breathless.

  He slid his hand
beneath her leggings, and Aurora almost lost it. Pleasure had built up to the point where she thought she would climax just from a single touch. His fingers slid beneath her panties, but before she could prepare, he inserted a finger deep inside of her.

  Pleasure and pain exploded within her walls.

  “Fuck. You’re so tight.” Caleb halted, his finger still inside her. “You’re not...don’t tell me.”

  He shook his head and removed his finger slowly, gently, from within her. He moved away from her, and Aurora suddenly felt embarrassed. She grabbed her shirt from nearby and held it over her chest.

  Caleb ran a hand through his hair nervously. “Are you a virgin?”

  She nodded, feeling heat creep into her cheeks. “I wasn’t saving myself for marriage or anything, I just never encountered anyone that I liked enough to take to bed.”

  “Were you going to tell me?” His brows furrowed, his dark eyes angry. “Fuck, I almost took you right here on the floor like an animal.”

  Aurora didn’t know what to say. She felt humiliated. “I didn’t think it was a big deal. I’m a grown woman. I made the decision to take you to bed. I wanted you. I knew you were going to be gone in the morning, but I didn’t care.”

  “Do you still want to have me?” The low, even tone of his voice beckoned her, more like a spell than a question.

  “Yes.” Aurora sucked in a deep breath. Now that the passionate frenzy was over, she had to admit, she was a bit nervous.

  “Then we’re going to do this right.” Caleb scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom. He set her gently on the bed and covered her with the throw. “Do you have any candles?”

  “Inside the top drawer of the dresser. There should be matches too.”

  She watched Caleb line the top of the dresser with the white candles that she kept for loss of power. Next he placed a couple on the bedside table. The dark room glowed with candlelight.

  “You didn’t have to do all this for me,” she said.

  Caleb climbed onto the bed, positioning himself between her legs. “Yes, I did. You chose me tonight, and now I’m going to put those damn romance novels to shame.”