Page 20 of Adrian

Adrian squeezes me. “You’re safe here,” he whispers.

And I feel safe. Not just from the storm but from my life. I think this man could battle my demons and win. I’ve lost my mind.

Eventually, I turn away from the baby room and into his arms. He pulls me into his embrace. Now, he’s holding me chest to chest. Or chest to stomach, since he’s so much taller than I am.

He’s warm, physically and emotionally. Could he be duping me? How would I know?

But then I remember the nursery. His brothers and sisters-in-law obviously trust him enough to leave their daughters in his care. I tip my head back. “Where do they go?”

His brow furrows. I can’t see his eyes well. The only lighting is coming from his bedroom because I didn’t flip them off when I went to find him earlier. “Where does who go, princess?”

“Your brothers and their wives. When they go out and leave your nieces with you, where do they go? It didn’t look to me like there was much in town of any level of excitement. Is there even a bar?”

He grins. “There’s a hole-in-the-wall dive bar, but none of us have been there. Usually, when I watch my nieces, it’s not because their parents left the property. It’s so they can go back home and have their cabin to themselves.”

“Ohhh.” My face heats. Duh.

“I assume they make good use of their time because Hannah is pregnant with their second.”

I chuckle. “TMI.”

He laughs, too. “You were the curious one. I’m just providing answers to your questions.” He turns us toward the bedroom, guides me inside, and angles us toward the bathroom.

I fidget my hands in front of me while he opens a drawer before he triumphantly holds up an unwrapped toothbrush. “I knew I had a spare.”

“Thank you.” As I open it, he brushes his teeth. This should be awkward. We’re in the bathroom like an old married couple. I’ve never been in this sort of intimate situation with a man before. Not because I haven’t dated, but because I’ve simply never been this comfortable with anyone.

Maybe the reason we’ve jumped in so deep is that Adrian had no choice but to strip me naked and help me bathe earlier. I was so cold that my core temperature was probably low, causing me to feel confused and lethargic. I struggled to care that he was seeing me naked. But did the odd circumstances cause us to feel more intimate than we really are?

Adrian steps aside and hands me the toothpaste. He also kisses me on the forehead before leaving the room.

For several seconds, I stare at the closed door. I get the feeling the man isn’t the sort of person who cares if we pee in front of each other. But he’s being cautious with my feelings tonight.

I brush my teeth, use the toilet, and wash my hands. My reflection in the mirror is barely recognizable. I’m not sure who I am. I’ve literally never left my hair to dry on its own in over a decade. The natural wave is kind of refreshing. I think I might like it, which is good since there will be no call for styling my hair if I’m going to live alone in the mountains and spend my mornings in the garden.

Am I, though? Going to live alone? I arrived today with my ridiculous beliefs, dreams, and plans. Already, I’ve been deeply humbled. And rescued. I could throw in the towel and give it all up. I could move into this cabin and marry the owner.

I giggle. How preposterous.

When I enter the bedroom, Adrian is sitting on the edge of the king-sized bed. The only light is coming from a lamp on the nightstand. He smiles and holds out a T-shirt. “I thought you might be too hot sleeping in that sweatshirt. If you want to change…”

“Thank you.” I take it from him, feeling shy. I’m never shy. Not even with a lover.

I should return to the bathroom and change. He’s right. I’ll probably get too hot under the covers in his sweatshirt. It’s warm in the cabin. I wonder if he intentionally turned up the heat for me. He would do such a thing.

There’s a new distraction, keeping me rooted to my spot, unable to turn around. Adrian is wearing nothing but loose nylon shorts. His chest is bare, and fuck me, but it’s even finer, completely revealed, than I imagined earlier this afternoon when he had the top several buttons of his flannel undone.

Adrian is ripped. Is it a mountain man thing? Maybe he works hard in the fields or some shit. I’ve only dated studious guys who’ve never been in the woods, even to go camping. None of them were built like Adrian.

He starts chuckling.

I blush and jerk my gaze up to find his eyes wrinkled at the corners with laughter. No reason to deny my attraction. “Maybe I will marry you,” I toss out as I spin around and head back to the bathroom. I’m playing with fire.

Two seconds later, I return, wearing his T-shirt. It’s almost as long as the sweatshirt, reaching halfway down my thighs, but it’s also white and doing nothing to hide my nipples.

Am I about to have sex with Adrian?

He pulls the covers back and pats the mattress.