Cabin Fever

❅ 7: Hannah ❅

Hannah felt the sharp sting of the rejection long after he disappeared from view. She deflated in her seat, pushing around the cooling remains of her sandwich without much enthusiasm for continuing her meal. She eventually threw the rest away before cleaning up after breakfast. His kiss and words last night had been so encouraging, but now he seemed unable to tolerate even being in the same room with her.

If he was trying so hard to resist her, maybe he just needed a little push over the edge. She had some ideas on how to accomplish that. If he rejected her again, though, she promised herself that she wouldn't try again. Her pride could only take so much, and she certainly wasn't trying to force him into it. She just didn't want him to feel like he had to withhold part of himself in order to keep from scaring her.

She wanted to be wanted. She wanted to be someone's life mate. She wanted someone who wasn't bothered by her presence or considered her to be an inconvenience.

Once she finished the dishes, she decided she wouldn't spend the day in the same way as yesterday, fretting over his return, so she went through his selection of books until she found one that appealed to her. Then she curled up in the cozy rocker in front of the fireplace, leaving him the armchair across from her, and started reading.

She got lost in the book until the howling of the wind outside drew her attention. Looking through the window, she saw the world was darkening, and another storm had swept in, bringing in a fresh round of snow and freezing temperatures. Shivering, she placed another log on the fire and closed the curtains. She hoped wherever he was that he was safe.

She tried getting back into reading, but her mind kept wandering to Finn out there in the snow, avoiding her and potentially endangering himself to do it.

Just when the wait became unbearable, the door was flung open and Finn hurried in, slamming it closed behind him. Snow coated his shoulders and the top of his head and he shivered as he brushed himself off, stomping his boots on the mat before kicking them off.

"It's getting cold out there," he told her, and she smiled. She would keep things civil for the moment. Lure him and allow him to get settled. Then, when he was right where she wanted him, she would make her move.

"Sounds like it. Did you have a good run?"

"Oh yeah, the storm caught me by surprise, though. Took a while to get back." He unbuttoned his flannel as he walked over to wrack. That's a good idea, she thought, unbuttoning the top couple buttons of her flannel. Her breasts pushed against the fabric in what she hoped was a teasing and sexy sort of way. It was difficult to tell from her vantage without a mirror.

As he pushed the fabric of his shirt off his shoulders, she perked up in anticipation, but he was wearing a white t-shirt underneath. She still enjoyed every bit of flesh she could see. His arms were well defined and the t-shirt clung to the muscular body underneath, giving her a good idea of his figure. He pulled on another flannel before putting the kettle on the stove, and only then did he come over to where she was sitting. He sat in the armchair, grabbing a book from his pile.

Though she kept her head tilted towards her book, her eyes followed him. Now would be the perfect moment if it weren't for the tea he just set to make. She needed to make sure he stayed in that spot. So she wanted anxiously for the kettle to whistle and when it did, she shot up before he could move.

"I'll get it," she told him quickly and bounded to the kitchen. He said nothing, but she was aware of his eyes on her. She hummed to herself as she poured the water into mugs and steeped some tea bags, not looking in his direction and trying to appear inconspicuous. "Do you take anything in your tea?"

"No, thank you. I prefer it plain." She nodded and tossed the used bags. Grabbing the mugs and heading back over to the fireplace where they were relaxing. Or, well, he was relaxing, and she was panicking.