I sat opposite her and watched as she took her first bite. I had lit a few candles in the kitchen, so I had a better view of her than I had in the bathroom. Kaylee also had a few oil lanterns. One was in the kitchen, one in the living room, and those were lit too.
“Ty, oh my gosh, this is so good! Who would have thought you knew how to cook!” Her eyes closed, and she let out a moan as she pushed another spoonful of soup into her mouth.
Fuck me every which way to Sunday. At this rate, my cock was going to combust if she didn’t stop whimpering and moaning. I mean, it wasn’t like I hadn’t just seen her half-naked and had my face mere inches away from heaven.
“Are you having sex with it, Kaylee, or eating it?” Holy shit, that just slipped out. I just made a bad situation even tougher by bringing up S-E-X.
She looked at me, hurt in her eyes. I hadn’t meant for my words to come out so cold and harsh, but my still-hard cock was pissed with me for not taking care of him.
With eyes downcast, she focused back on the soup and took another bite, quietly eating, and I wanted to tell her I was sorry. But my pride and pent-up frustration wouldn’t allow it. So, I didn’t.
“So what’s with the bidet up in your bathroom? I saw it when I ran up there earlier,” I finally said, hoping to move on. The problem was, I kept picturing those panties, the smell of vanilla from her soap or maybe from some lotion she probably used. It made my damn head feel foggy and put me on edge.
With a shrug, she answered, “I wanted one, so I ordered it.”
“I can hook up the water for you once the sun comes up. I wasn’t sure where your tools were, and I already felt like a jerk looking around your place for candles.”
A small grin played at the corners of her mouth. “They’re in the laundry, under the sink. I’m still learning what is what, but I’m getting the hang of it.”
“Okay, I’ll take a look at it in the morning. It’s too cold up there right now, and obviously pitch black.”
“Honestly, I can take care of it. YouTube has been a lifesaver for me when I don’t know how to do something around here,” she said, still giving me a slight grin.
There was no sense in arguing about it with her. I’d just do it, and she’d have to deal with it.
We finished the dinner in silence. After I took our bowls and put them into the sink, I helped her stand up.
“I think I’m going to try and walk up the steps and shower. Maybe the hot water will lessen the pain some.”
“Kaylee, there’s no power. The pump on the well can’t bring any water up to the house, and not to mention the water heater is off.”
Her lower lip jutted out into a pout. It was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. “Then what do we do?”
“Do you have any board games?”
Her eyes seemed to light up at that, or maybe it was simply the candlelight flickering in her eyes. “Ty, you don’t have to stay.”
I handed her more ibuprofen and a bottle of water. “I honestly am stuck. I went outside before you woke up to go get more firewood. It’s really bad out there. I could hardly find my way to the barn to get the wood and back to the house, it’s snowing so hard.”
“Yikes. What happens if you can’t leave in the morning?” she asked, chewing nervously on her lip.
“It’ll be fine. Tanner or Brock will get the plow out and make a path. Don’t worry.”
She nodded, then said, “I’m going to go find some warmer clothes. I don’t have anything for you to wear. I’m sorry.”
“No worries, I’ll be fine. I’ve got some sweatpants in my truck. I’ll run out and get them. You might want to make any calls you need to, especially before your phone dies. If the cell coverage is even working. It’s hit or miss when it snows this heavy. Maybe to Lincoln, or to Channing—let him know you’re all right. My signal wasn’t working earlier, so I had to use your phone and saw you had some missed calls, but it’s working now.”
Kaylee stood there for a moment just staring at me before she finally spoke. “Right. I’ll do that.”
Then she walked out of the kitchen, and I closed my eyes and internally cursed myself. Why did I have to bring up Channing? Probably because he’d called her earlier while she was asleep. My phone wasn’t working, so I borrowed hers, and when I’d glanced down at it, I’d seen his name.
Dick. Asshole jerk.
I used to like the guy until I saw him kissing Kaylee and walking into her house. The thought of him with her made my stomach roll with nausea.
After using a bottle of water to rinse out the two bowls, I stacked them in the dishwasher, then put on my jacket to head out to my truck. When I got to the front door, I heard Kaylee talking to someone, and my curiosity got the better of me. I quietly made my way up the steps. It was freezing upstairs.
“I’m fine, honestly. No need to bring the fire truck, but it’s sweet of you to offer to come warm me up.”
Rolling my eyes, I made a silent gagging motion. I hated the thought of that asshole being in her bed. Warming her up. Inside her. My fists balled at my sides.
“No, it’s painful to sit or stand, but walking seems to be okay. I’m going to stay down in the living room tonight where the fire is. Yes, I’ve got plenty of firewood.”
It wasn’t lost on me that she hadn’t mentioned I was there.
“No, Ty started it for me a few hours ago. He stopped by to make sure I had enough.”
Still no mention of me actually still being there. Interesting . . .
“Honestly, Channing, I’m fine. I don’t need you hauling out the fire department simply for me. It’s dangerous on the roads, anyway. Besides, I’m not helpless.”
Even I could hear the frustration in her voice. Kaylee didn’t like to feel useless, or be made to feel weak, and I admired that about her. She could own up to her weaknesses when she wanted to, which wasn’t often, yet she wasn’t prideful either.
“Let me go ahead and let you go; I don’t want to use up all my battery. I’m going to shut off my phone, so if you try to call or text, you’ll know why I’m not answering.”
Turning, I quickly headed down the steps to the front door, seeing as she was getting off the phone. Once I stepped outside, I sucked in a breath, then coughed.
“Holy crap, it’s freezing out here,” I said out loud.
I carefully made my way down what had once been the steps, but they were covered with so much snow I couldn’t see them. The snow was now already halfway up my tires. I opened the back door and smiled when I saw my gym bag.
“Thank you, God.”
Now I had a change of clothes and a sweatshirt I could wear. I grabbed the bag and trekked back up toward the house. I looked to my left and couldn’t see anything but white, everywhere. Thank God I didn’t park that far away from her front porch. We were in a whiteout, and I made a mental note to check the weather on my phone.
When I got back into the house, I shook the snow off, removed my jacket and boots, and made my way to the guest bathroom to change. I was ready to get out of these jeans and into some more comfortable clothes. Sleeping in the living room wasn’t looking so bad after all, now that I knew I wouldn’t have to wear my jeans.