“So…” I draw out the word, desperately thinking of something to say. “My dad says you have your own cabin out here?”
“Yeah, about ten minutes away.”
God, does his voice really have to be that deep? Every time he opens his mouth, I have to press my thighs together, trying to ease the ache inside me.
“Is your cabin similar to this?” I ask a little breathlessly.
“Not as big, but there’s a lake just a few yards from my backdoor.”
“Sounds like heaven.” I can feel his eyes on me, my pulse skittering as I pretend to inspect a cobweb in the corner. “It must be a beautiful place to live. I’m more used to the suburbs. Strip malls and housing developments, you know?”
Wyatt grunts. “You gonna be okay out here for a week? No Starbucks for miles.” There’s a twinkle of a smile in his eyes, teasing, even if it doesn’t reach his mouth.
“It won’t be easy.” I heave a fake sigh, clutching a dramatic hand to my chest. “How will I cope without my daily Caramel Frappuccino?”
This time, Wyatt’s lip definitely quirks. “I think you’ll do just fine out here, Pixie.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Pixie?”
He nods at me, eyes on my hair. “That’s what they call it, right? A pixie cut.”
I laugh, more than a little surprised that this wild-looking mountain man knows what a pixie cut is. “Yep, that’s right. I cut it all off on a whim a few years ago and never looked back.”
“Suits you.”
Wyatt’s steady gaze makes me shudder, and suddenly I’m hyperaware of how close we’re standing, all alone in this tiny bedroom. He takes up so much space—his height, his hulking frame—it feels like he’s bearing down on me, pulling me under.
The front door bangs open nearby. We hear the sound of my dad heaving luggage across the threshold, his footsteps heavy as he walks through the cabin toward us. Instinctively, I step back from Wyatt, and a moment later, Dad appears in the doorwaywith my suitcase. Guilt squirms in my gut as he gently sets it down on the bed for me. If he knew how Wyatt was making me feel, he’d shove our luggage right back in the car and drive us back to Denver in a heartbeat.
“Got everything you need?” he asks, glancing around the room.
“I’m good, Dad. Thanks.”
“Alright.” He leans in to press a quick kiss on the top of my head. “Night, Izz. Sleep well.”
“Goodnight.”
He doesn’t go right away. He’s looking at Wyatt expectantly, waiting for him to leave the bedroom first.
“See you tomorrow,” Wyatt says, nodding at me as he retreats toward the door.
“Yeah…” I smile weakly. “Goodnight.”
Dad closes the door behind them, leaving me alone. There’s still a hint of Wyatt’s masculine scent lingering in the air—musk and sandalwood—and I breathe it in eagerly as I unpack my clothes and toiletries. There’s a small bathroom attached to the guestroom, and I head inside to brush my teeth before pulling on a pair of pajamas and getting into bed. It’s cloud-soft, the sheets fresh and cool against my skin. But I can’t sleep.
Wyatt.
I wonder if he’s still here or if he drove back to his own cabin for the night. I didn’t hear his truck leave, so I’m guessing he stayed. He could be right on the other side of the wall right now, his muscular body sprawled on the bed.
I wonder if he sleeps naked.
The thought makes me groan, irritated with myself. Why is it so hard to stop thinking about this guy? We only just met, yet I’m already losing sleep over him. I’m not used to feeling this way. I wasn’t interested in any of the guys at college—frat boys,finance bros, football players—none of them ever made my heart pound like this.
But it’s not just Wyatt keeping me awake. It’s being back here in Cherry Hollow. This is where I’m from—the place where it all began for me. I might have no memory of it, but the past feels closer here somehow, hovering over me like a shadow. It’s stirring up feelings and questions that have been buried inside for a long time, and my brain whirs as I look up at the ceiling, a million thoughts rushing through my head.
Something tells me I won’t be sleeping anytime soon.
4
