My steps skidded to a halt when I found Gabi standing in my living room with her bare shoulders and legs peeking out from underneath the blanket she had wrapped around herself. Was she naked under there? I gulped painfully as I took in every inch of her creamy skin.
“I decided I’d take you up on your offer.” She stepped toward me, her silhouette glowing from the firelight.
“I can see that. I have to take the top off, and I’ll grab you my slippers to wear. While I’m at it, I’ll set out these candles through the house so you can see and find your way around.” My eyes darted around the room, trying not to stare at her for too long.
I set a candle on the coffee table and lit it before making my way to place more in the kitchen, bathroom, the bedroom I’d quickly setup for her, and lastly my bedroom.
I realized that I hadn’t asked Gabi if she had any luggage, but surely, she had something besides her purse. I pulled out the smallest pair of sweatpants I could find, knowing they’d still be too big for her. Next, I got her: a pair of my thickest wool socks, my only pair of slippers that had seen better days, but no one ever saw them so who cared, a t-shirt, my robe, and my warmest sweatshirt. I took all but the slippers and robe to her room.
“Ready?” I asked even though I had no need. Gabi was standing at the sliding glass door that led out to the backyard. She had her headlamp on as it shined through the glass. I doubted she could see much, but for some reason, I didn’t want to think too much about that. I liked it that she was curious about my house.
She whirled around wide eyed. “From what I can see with this,” she pointed to the headlamp. “Your backyard is beautiful. Even in winter. Everything is.” She indicated around the room.
“Thank you. Did you expect something else?” I laughed. “Not your typical bachelor pad, huh?”
“Definitely not. Are you going to join me?” She asked looking back and forth between me and the outside.
“Have you already forgotten how cold it is out there?” I placed the slippers on the floor and watched as her tiny feet slid into them. I could see from the light of my headlamp that her toes were painted a bright blue. They were cute. “I’ll set this out on a chair for you when you get out.”
“Won’t you please join me?” she asked innocently. Although I knew it was far from innocent.
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea. Are you hungry? Maybe I could make you a sandwich or something.”
She tilted her head to the side and watched me. “Why isn’t it a good idea?”
Jerking my chin up at her, I kept my eyes locked on hers. “You’re naked under there.”
“Have you never seen a naked woman before? Don’t tell me you’re a virgin. Your voice…” Abruptly she stopped and turned back to the doors. “I’m ready to go now.”
“On it.” I was happy to get away from her line of questioning. Slipping passed her, I made my way to unlock the cover and pull it back. Steam rose from the water into the cold night air. Halfway back to the house, Gabi cracked the door open and peeked out. “Is it ready?”
“All ready.” I answered indicating the area with steam filling the air. I met her underneath the roofed part of the back porch that was protected from the ice. “Hang on to me again. It’s pretty slick on the concrete and bricks.”
“Ice storms suck,” she muttered right before one foot slipped out from under her. Wrapping my other arm around her waist, I righted Gabi and held her steady. Looking up at me in wonder she asked. “How long do these normally last?”
“The ice or the power outage?”
“Both, either, or.” She answered before she turned to the water, dropped the blanket, and quickly stepped into the water.
Turning my back to her, I picked up the blanket and set it on the chair with the robe and towel. “I’ll go make us some sandwiches.”
“You don’t have to go, Jax.”
“Yeah, I do. I’ll be back to help you get out and to the house.”
There was a sigh of resignation from her as I started to walk away.
She didn’t understand how close I was to striping down and taking her in that moment. Her body was perfection. Her ass was round and tight, her breasts firm, creamy handfuls. I knew just by looking at her the one time. Her body was the epitome of a Greek goddess. Tattoos graced her arms and ran across her chest and back. In the dark, I couldn’t get a good look, but I wanted to get acquainted with each and every one of them. Preferably with my tongue.
Slapping two sandwiches together to keep my mind off Gabi’s sexy body, I hoped she liked ham and Swiss on wheat with mayo because that was all I had at the moment. I grabbed the potato chips out of the pantry and placed everything on the island.
After helping her out of the hot tub, we sat eating quietly. The crunch of chips and the occasional sound of freezing rain hitting the windows were the only sounds.
“Ugh,” Gabi sniffed and then popped another chip in her mouth, chewing quietly.
“What? Did the meat go bad?” I smelled my sandwich, but it seemed fine.
“No, you make a great sandwich. I smell strongly,” she emphasized the word as if it was dirty. “Of chlorine. It never occurred to me that I wouldn’t be able to take a shower.”
Fuck! Now that she’d mentioned it, there was a light chlorine smell in the air.
“Sorry. Did I not tell you that you can take a shower? The water should be hot, but the room will be pretty dark. I have a gas water heater, and the power outage doesn’t affect it. With any luck, we’ll have power by morning.”
“Then it won’t happen,” she mumbled against her sandwich.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I have shit luck.” She frowned, swiped another chip, and tossed it into her mouth.
“Do you want to tell me about it?” I asked, curious.
“Not really.” She sighed and looked off into the dark.
I wanted to know more about her and didn’t at the same time. The more I learned, the more drawn I’d be to her.
“Still, I shouldn’t complain. All you’ve done is help me. I should be more grateful.” She smiled around the sandwich wickedly. “Why didn’t you get into the hot tub with me?”
“Earlier, what were you going to say about my voice?” I countered.
Shaking her head, Gabi ran her fingers through her still damp hair. “You first.”
Clearing my throat, I tried not to grimace. I didn’t want to tell her, but if I refused, she wouldn’t open up to me. “Fair enough. It was the right thing to do. I was trying to be a gentleman.”
“Was it really? Wouldn’t the gentlemanly response be to join your guest when said guest asked you to join her?”
Eyebrows raised, I asked, “Really? Said guest?” Her only response was to smile and nod. “Fine, because if I had gotten into that water with you knowing you were naked, I would have taken advantage of you. I wouldn’t have been able to hold myself back.”
I could swear even in the dim light, I could see her face flush, which was surprising. I’d only known Gabi for a few hours, but she seemed like the type of person who would never be shy about anything. Bold and brash were more her style.
“Your turn.” I pushed her but gave her a wink to lighten the mood. If she saw, I wasn’t sure.
“Okay.” She shook her head, smiling. “Wow. You were definitely honest.” Clearing her voice, she answered resolutely. “I was going to say that with your voice alone, you could get any woman you wanted.”
“So, you like my voice? First time I’ve heard that.” Warmth spread through my chest.
She shrugged. “It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever heard.”
I sat back in my seat to hide in the shadows. It didn’t help to know that she liked my voice, no matter how it made me feel. How was I going to be able to stay away from her?
To put an end to the night before I did something I was sure I’d regret, I stood and started to clean up. “You’ve had a long day, and I’m sure you’re tired.”
“Yeah,” she stammered. She was probably taken off guard at my sudden change of subject. “Do you need help with anything?”
“I got it. Do you need me to show you to the bathroom or your room?”
Gabi tilted her head to the side and watched me intently for a moment before answering hesitantly. “I can find it. Goodnight, Jax.”
“Night.”
Maybe it was good that she thought I was an asshole. Then she’d stay away from me, and I wouldn’t be tempted.