by Marci Bolden
Will reached it first, pushing the door open and stepping inside as he waited for Carrie to join him. She cursed as she made it to him as another clap of thunder caused the world to quiver.
Once inside, they both took a moment to look around. A metal cot frame was covered with a thin mattress and a vintage blue and red quilt. A small table with two wooden chairs sat in the middle of the room, and the old potbelly fireplace had been cleaned and painted with a fresh coat of black heatproof paint. Along one wall, a tall oak hutch stood, filling much of the space. Though the cabin was only a few hundred square feet, the space had been converted into a cozy space that would be used for the film.
Gasping for oxygen, Carrie pressed her palms to the small table in the center of the room, finally feeling the chill in the air as the storm front pushed the warmth of the last few days east. When she could breathe again, she swiped the soaked strands of hair from her face and turned to Will, who still had his hand against the door, trying to steady his breathing. His T-shirt stuck to him like a second skin as water formed streams over his face.
Heat twisted her belly, but she pushed the sensation away. “You okay?”
He turned his face to her, and Carrie found that she wasn’t the only one who noticed how wet cotton tended to mold to the person wearing it. Will clearly took a moment to skim the outline of her body, letting his gaze linger over her breasts, before he looked at her face and nodded a little. “You?”
She pretended she hadn’t noticed the path of his gaze and managed to nod her head the same as he had. Outside in the rain, running for the nearest shelter seemed like the best thing to do, but after taking in the one-room building with a made-up cot on one side, Carrie realized hiding out here was the worst decision she could have made.
Seeing a blanket spread on the small bed, she snatched it up and brought it to her face, blotting away some of the water, only to have more run into her eyes. Hearing the sloshing of Will’s water-filled shoes as he moved to stand next to her, Carrie turned her gaze his way. What was supposed to be a glance turned into one of those long stares they’d seemed to find themselves locked in from the moment they’d met. He’d brushed his hair back from his face, but a wayward strand fell, sticking to his forehead and sending a band of water down his cheek.
The urge to brush it away was irresistible, and Carrie started to lift her hand, stopping midway with the realization that touching his face would be inappropriate. She put her hand to her own hair, squeezing water from her ponytail, all the while feeling the proximity of his body.
“This is crazy,” he said over the pounding on the tin roof.
Carrie’s heart thudded against her chest. She looked at him, shocked that he dared to put voice to the insane attraction that she seemed to have, but she realized he was referring to the fact that he was soaked. She watched him grab the bottom of his shirt and pull it up, exposing his chest. Turning away, her eyes wide, she listened to water splattering on the floor as he wrung out his clothing. She’d only caught a glimpse of his bare skin, but it was enough to convince her that he did indeed have a perfect body.
“I haven’t seen a storm like this in a while,” she said.
“How long do you think it will last?”
“No way to know, really.”
“Great.”
She turned back to him, and her mouth fell open to find him dropping his shorts. “Will!”
“What?”
This time, she spun away from him. “You’re in your underwear. In front of me.”
His laugh sounded a bit too self-satisfied for her liking. “I’m sorry. I forgot how innocent you country bumpkins can be.”
She couldn’t resist the urge to glance over her shoulder, hoping he had the decency to pull his pants back up. Instead, he yanked the sheet that was on the bed free. Wrapping the material around himself, he smirked. “Better?”
She faced him. “Yes. Thank you.”
“You might want to do the same. You look a little cold.” He let his gaze lower for a moment and then looked into her eyes and smirked.
Carrie dropped her face and noticed her nipples pressed against her shirt. When she looked at him again, he raised his brows and his grin widened.
“I’m going to try to start a fire.”
She watched him in front of the potbelly stove for a moment before turning her back on him. She glanced over her shoulder one more time to make sure he wasn’t watching and then whipped her wet shirt over her head. Hurrying as she focused on the sound of him stuffing logs in the stove, she kicked her shoes off and pushed her shorts down. Still wearing her sports bra and underwear, she quickly wrapped the quilt around her and gathered her wet clothes, draping them over the edge of the table so they could dry faster.
“You have to, uh…” Carrie gestured toward the stove. “You need twigs, paper, things that will burn long enough to catch the wood.”
Looking around, Will frowned. “There isn’t anything.”
Moving closer to the fireplace, her face sagged as well. “Apparently, there was no intention of starting a fire.”
“Shit.” Looking impossibly cute with the sheet haphazardly wrapped around him, he started opening drawers in search of something to start the fire. “Aha,” he announced when he found some old newspapers. “This is from 1983. Wow. Maybe we shouldn’t burn these.”
Carrie stepped beside him to look at the papers. “It’s that or freeze. I vote for burning.”
He agreed and moved to the fireplace. A few minutes later, he stood back proudly as the fire whooshed to life and spilled a glow into the room. “Look at that.”
“I’m very impressed.” Carrie smiled as she moved next to him. Pulling the band that held her hair back, she ran her fingers through the damp strands and stared into the fire. Though she saw him turn his face to her from the corner of her eye and felt his intense gaze, she forced her focus to remain on the small fireplace. She was tempted to ask what was on his mind, but decided that, for as long as they were hidden away in a tiny cabin, it was probably best she didn’t know.
Carrie smiled a little as she stared into the flames, but it faded quickly. Will was amazed how easily he could read her emotions. He might not know exactly what was going on inside her head, but he’d figured out the difference between her genuine and faked smiles. He’d also noticed that she seemed to save her real smiles for him. And when she gave them, her eyes seemed to soften.
He’d watched her desire building over the last few weeks—he refused to believe he was imagining the connection between them. When she looked at him now, he sensed she was struggling with what to do next. He’d been having that struggle himself.
He was attracted to her. He couldn’t deny that, nor had he tried. He admired her strength and how giving and understanding she was. In fact, he couldn’t think of much he didn’t admire about her.
She must have felt the weight of his stare because she looked at him and held his gaze. He noticed that her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to stay something but didn’t know what. The uncertainty in her eyes made him want to pull her to him and kiss her so she had no doubt how he was feeling, but he didn’t know how she’d react to that. He was still debating when lightning struck outside, and she turned her gaze to the window.
“Why do you do that?” Will asked when she continued to stare out at the rain.
“Do what?”
“Divert. Look away. You do that whenever we look at each other,” he clarified when she hesitantly returned her gaze to him.
Her lips curved slightly. “You stare. Intently. It’s…disturbing.”
“Disturbing?”
“It feels like—”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re trying to read my mind.”
“I am.” Will shrugged his shoulders slightly. “I seem to have developed a fascination for you that keeps me from thinking about much else. I am more attracted to you than I have been to anyone in a very long time. However,” he said hesitant
ly, “I’m beginning to wonder if it’s one-sided.”
Carrie held his gaze for another few heartbeats before looking away.
Will sighed heavily at her unspoken rejection. “I know that you have enough on your plate with Doreen. I don’t mean to add to it.”
“You didn’t.”
“I did.”
“It’s not one-sided,” she answered. “It’s just that right now—I don’t think it’s a good idea to act on this.”
“Because of Doreen?”
“Because of a lot of things. I don’t need a broken heart.”
Will moved closer, standing close enough to smell the sweetness of lavender rising from her body. “I don’t want to break your heart, Carrie.”
“But you will. I’m not exactly a summer… Well, in this case, an autumn fling type of girl. I’ll get attached to you, and then you’ll leave, and I’ll be watching you in your next movie, wondering what the hell I was thinking.”
He exhaled, knowing her assessment was probably more logical than his shortsighted desire to act on his lust for her. “This wouldn’t have to end because I left. There are telephones, computers, social media. The United States Postal Service.”
She lifted her brows. “Long distance? That doesn’t really work, does it?”
“It can.”
Carrie exhaled slowly. “Honestly, Will, I don’t know that I’m up for that. I’m spread so thin with Doreen. I don’t know that I could do that. And I have to wonder if you could either. I don’t think it would be fair to either of us.”
“I’m not proposing here, Carrie. I’m just… I like you. A lot. I want to know you better. And before you ask—yes, I do mean in a possible romantic relationship kind of way.”
She sighed, but her lips curved back into one of those soft smiles that seemed to warm his heart. “I like you too. A lot. More than I should.”
“You probably think I do this all the time—”
“God, I hope not. You don’t—”
He put his fingers to her lips to hush her. “No. I don’t. I was about to say that I actually make it a point to keep my distance. People tend to befriend me for all the wrong reasons. You’re genuine. I can see that you’re genuine. That means the world to me, Carrie. Maybe that’s why I feel like I need to take this chance and try to be with you. I don’t meet very many genuine people in my life. I try to keep the ones that I do.”
Carrie returned her focus to the fire. “Mama couldn’t possibly understand me seeing someone, Will. She thinks Mike is still alive.”
“We don’t have to tell her.”
She looked up at him and attempted to look cross. “Do you have an answer for everything?”
“I try.”
“Donnie?”
“Donnie isn’t an issue.”
“Oh, but he is. He doesn’t like me, and he certainly doesn’t like that you do.”
“You let me deal with Donnie.”
“I’m not sure it’s that simple where he is concerned.”
“It is. It really is. It’s all a game, a very high-stakes game. And I trump him.” Seeing that she was still hesitant, Will ran his hands up the cool flesh of her bare arms until he was cupping her face. “I’m not going to push this. I’ve told you how I feel. But you need to know that this thing between us isn’t going to go away.”
Searching her eyes in the flickering light of the fire, he saw a longing that gave him the courage to lean down to her. Her eyes drifted shut, and his breath mingled with hers, heating the whisper of space between them.
With his entire body reacting to the seductive teasing, Will slid one hand behind her head, tangling in the wet strands of her hair. He wrapped the other around her waist and gently but firmly pulled her body against his. He captured her mouth with his, kissing her hard, showing her how much he wanted her. She answered his demanding mouth with her own, brushing her tongue over his when he parted his lips, moaning deep in her throat and raking her fingers through his hair.
His stomach didn’t simply flutter. It completely turned over, sending waves throughout him, settling in a knot of longing low in his gut. She clung to him as the fire inside him flared, escaping in the form of a passionate kiss. Even though the rain had left them both chilled, he could have sworn that her bare skin pressed against his was scorching him, and he wanted more. He wanted to tear the quilt away, press the length of his body to hers. He wanted to pull her with him to the cot and let her warm him from the inside out.
Running her hand down his bare back, she gripped his hip as she ground against his erection. He returned her movement, tightening his arm around her waist, holding her closer. Pulling back, on the verge of going further than he suspected she wanted, Will panted to catch his breath. “My God,” he whispered, feeling the shock of their exchange pulse throughout his entire body.
With her head on his shoulder, Carrie drew a deep breath. A moment later, she brushed her nose along his bare chest, followed by a few light kisses. His hand tightened in her hair as she kissed her way up his neck.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she breathed in his ear.
He would have taken that as a sign to back down if she weren’t pressing herself against him and clutching his sheet-clad hips so tightly. Instead, he pulled her closer to him. “We’re not hurting anyone.” He dipped his head down and caught the cool skin of her neck with his hot mouth.
Her head rolled as he suckled her there.
She sighed and laughed softly. “It’s just been so long.”
“Too long.”
His mouth covered hers again. Her lips instantly parted and her tongue pushed between his lips. He let her deepen the kiss, loving the feel of her hands running up his back. She was so passionate, so hot against him, he nearly lost all his sense.
Finally, she broke the kiss and looked up at him. “I think we should stop this while we can.”
“Yeah.” His disappointment sounded in his tone. “Let’s.” Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her against him and nuzzled his nose into her hair. “Tease.”
She chuckled. “You started it.”
“That I did.”
They were silent for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts, before she said, “The rain has stopped.”
Sure enough, he realized, the constant drumming on the roof had gone silent. Frustration settled over him. He didn’t want this time alone with her to end. “I guess we should head back.”
“Probably.” She sounded as unenthusiastic about returning as he had. “I’m worried about Mama. I’ve been gone too long.”
He held on to her as she started to pull away. When she looked at him, he gave her one of those longing looks, moving his hand to her face, gently stroking her cheek before dipping down and putting his lips to hers.
The kiss was soft and sweet, much more tender than before, but he felt the passion simmering below the surface. He had no doubt that he was going to make love to this woman, and when he did, he expected it was going to set him afire. Leaning back, he smiled at the blush on her cheeks.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered and watched her smile spread. He brushed his thumb over her lips. “And incredibly sexy.” He grinned when she laughed.
“While I could stay here and listen to this all day, we really do have to leave.”
“Fine.” He sighed dramatically as he slipped his arms from around her. “But you remember, as you’re putting those cold, wet clothes back on, I was willing to keep you nice and warm.”
She picked up her shirt and took a breath before stretching it over her head. As soon as the material hit her skin, she squealed. “Okay, that is freezing!”
“Told you.” He smirked.
After dressing, Carrie closed the flue and the door on the fireplace so the fire would smother. “Do you think we should clean that out?”
Will shook his head. “I’ll tell Donnie I got rustic. He’ll have someone clean it up before we film here.”
“Just don’t tell h
im I was with you. I’m pretty sure that I’m already on his shit list.”
“So I shouldn’t tell him that you brought me here to seduce me in the rain?”
A blush tinted her cheeks at his teasing. “No.”
“And I shouldn’t tell him that I wanted you to?” he asked, losing the taunting in his voice.
“You’re going to get me in so much trouble,” she whispered and then bit her lip.
“But it’s going to be so much fun.”
“I’ll bet. Get dressed.”
“Fine,” he said with an overly dramatic flair. He reached around her to grab his shirt. He put his damp shirt on, shivering as it clung to his skin.
When he was dressed, he draped his arm over her shoulders, and they exited the building. “Forget about Donnie and all his bullshit. I’m bored out of my mind. I have spent the last few weeks penned up in this house—not that it isn’t lovely, but if I don’t get out of here and do something, I’m going to go insane. What do you suggest?”
“What do you want to do?”
“Anything.”
She clearly debated before extending an invitation. “I have to go to the farmer’s market before all the good stuff is gone, but we could go to Des Moines after that. Mama has said a few times that she’d like to go to the art center.”
Will nodded. “The art center it is.”
“After the farmer’s market.”
“But of course. Race you back to the house?”
“What?”
But he’d already started running.
“Cheater,” she yelled as she picked up her pace.
Chapter 7
“I am completely disgusted by this,” Carrie said when yet another vendor at the market refused to take payment for the goods they had selected.
“What can I say?” Will chuckled. “People love me.”
“Take advantage while you can.” Mama looped her arm through Carrie’s. “They usually overcharge.”
