First Night

First night in Gabe's new cabin

"I'm excited, are you excited?" she asked and grinned up at Gabe. They'd been dating for a while, and Gabe had only asked her two weeks ago to move to Browntown. She'd thrown her arms around him and kissed him. They'd made love on the couch of her tiny apartment.

Clearly Gabe was ready for the next step in their relationship, or he wouldn't have asked her. She bit her lip and waited for him to reply.

Finally when she thought he wouldn't answer her, he tore his gaze away from the cabin. He smiled at her and nodded. "Very," he said and let go of her hand. He slipped his arm around her and held her so he could feel her curves against his muscle. He smiled to himself.

They'd finally gotten the cabin ready to live in. Sure, it wasn't decorated yet. But the walls were finally sturdy and cleaned. Both the inside and outside had been scraped and sanded, it now gleamed a silver gray. A new floor had been laid, the roof repaired. A new sink and cabinets for the kitchen. Next week they would work on the wiring to run a line from the generator.

The entire Brown family had worked toward this first goal of getting the cabin livable. Gabe couldn't have been more proud of everyone. It had only taken five days to complete. Of course, it wasn't painted, and it was only partly furnished. But the rest was easy to accomplish and wouldn't need everyone's full attention.

But for now... for now it was getting dark. It was after dinner and everyone had split up to do their own things.

"Well, come on," she said and slipped from his grasp. He chuckled and followed her through the tall grass to the cabin. "We need to set out the candles and lanterns before we can't see to do it."

"And get the bed ready," he said.

She turned and walked backward looking at him. She shook her finger at him. "Is that all you think about?" she asked. "You're almost as bad as Matt."

"I wasn't thinking about sleeping," Gabe said a slow smile spread over his full lips.

She gasped. "Naughty!" she said and spun back around and dashed up the steps intending to go through the open door. But she was caught around the waist. She squealed as she was lifted bodily and dragged back down.

"Gabe? What are you doing?" she asked as she turned, a slight frown on her face.

"Bad luck," he said and scooped her up, bridal style.

"What! What are you--" she asked and squirmed. It never failed to surprise her just how strong Gabe was. He picked her up like she was a tiny child, despite her size.

He silenced her with a kiss. She moaned and cupped his cheek.

"I have to carry you over the threshold," he said after he broke from the kiss. His lips teased her skin. She shivered.

"We're not married," she said. 'Yet,' she added silently.

He smiled down at her. "But I still have to," he said softly. "To show the spirit of the house that you belong here."

She melted then. Belonging. That's what she had wanted from the very first. From her first days in Hoonah, her new town. She'd made a few friends, sure. But she felt like an outsider. Doing everything alone. Not sharing anything with anyone. Until Gabe came along and invited himself into her life.

She kissed his cheek as he mounted the steps and carried her inside. Slowly he set her down, sliding her plush curves along his hard muscle. She shivered again and leaned back into him. He rested his hands on the swells of her hips.

"Oh!" she said and moved away from him. "Shoes!" she said. "Off! Off!" Gabe chuckled and followed her back to the little area they had designated for their muddy, dirty shoes. She had wanted the cabin to be a 'shoe free' place and was requiring everyone to deposit their shoes either on the steps in good weather, or on the thick rubber mat just inside. They had left a wide swath carpet free but lined with the rubber matting.