“He’s out of the shower. I gotta go, Shay.”

“Can you please do me the favor of at least giving him a chance to say what’s on his mind?”

“I already know what’s on his mind.”

“After all these years and everything we’ve been through together…if you can’t listen to me…” aggravation elevated her tone. “You know what? I’m done. Figure it out for yourself.”

The phone went dead in her ear.

Carrie Ann held the phone out, blinking repeatedly, utterly dumbfounded. In a bit of a daze, she ambled toward the living room. Summer and Aspen were both down on all fours, facing each other in a standoff. Bottoms raised, they crouched like tigers, ready to pounce at any minute.

“She hung up on me.”

Without breaking his stalking position, Summer questioned, “Are you sure? Maybe you lost connection.”

“No. I’m sure.”

He pounced toward Aspen and she flopped to her back with a whimper. “Chicken,” he teased, rubbing her pink belly.

“I’m not a chicken!”

“Not you. The dog.” He seemed amused by her misunderstanding.

Taking closer examination of his position struck a chord. The corner of her lip twitched as her gaze fell to his thighs, solid in muscle, rocking backward and resting on his calves. A smug smile touched his mouth, tracking her movements. Forcing one foot in front of the other, she swiftly made her way by him, sinking into her comfy chair.

Pretending to read, she periodically peered above the cream colored pages watching the two pounce, roll, chase tail, and play dead. Both were content in their playful bonding time. After a while, the sound of soft rhythmic breathing kept time with the wind howling through the thick branches of the majestic pines. She glanced over her book. Heat painted her cheeks, striking flames to the lobes of her ears. Summer lay sprawled out on his back, sound asleep with Aspen curled in a ball, nose to tail, in the crook of his armpit. The endearing sight turned her heartbeat unruly.

Unable to shy away from the scene, she quietly raised from the chair and tiptoed to her room. Returning with her phone, she snapped a few pictures. A strange ease of contentment, old and acquainted, simmered over her.

He stirred, rolling to his side, pulling Aspen to his chest. Seeming to sense her nearness, Summer reached out, caressing her ankle. One heavy lid peeled open. His mouth bowed upward. “Whatcha doing, Red?”

Not wanting to disturb his sleep, she whispered, “Just taking a picture. You two look so cute together.”

His grin grew lazy and lopsided as his eyes drifted shut. His thumb turned a lumbering circle near her calf. “We’d look cuter if you were down here with us.”

He made another pass over her skin before the tension slipped from his hand. The moment the warmth left her flesh, she suffered the distinct sense of melancholy. A profound feeling of loss she’d all but forgotten.

Moving numbly toward the chair, Carrie Ann retrieved a throw pillow and blanket. She covered him from the waist down. Gently tapping him with the pillow, she encouraged him to lift his head. He managed to murmur thank you before dozing back to sleep.

She didn’t know how long she’d stood beside them, paralyzed, watching them sleep, but it felt like forever. His handsome features, relaxed and peaceful, resembled the young man she knew before. Carrie took several deep breaths, searching for courage with each exhale. The burden of years of secrecy staking claim to her voice. “Summer,” came a hushed whisper. “I need to tell you something.”

He responded with a soft snore.

Licking her parched lips, she tried again. Her conscience desperately yearned to spill, but her affliction grew even stronger at the chance she might. The inner struggle verged on maddening. Carrie Ann opened her mouth, but a dry broken sob burned her throat stealing her words.

She began to unravel at the seams. Her face crumpled and the tears broke free, streaming down her face. Swamped in despair, she went to her room, crawled in bed, and cried herself to sleep.

*

Carrie Ann laid awake in bed for hours waiting for the dawn to break. A lull in the falling rain beckoned her to the window as morning filtered through her room. The planked flooring still held its early morning chill as she traipsed to the window bundled in the comfy down blanket.

The dark, ominous thunder clouds gathering on the horizon mirrored her sullen attitude. She’d slept straight through dinner, declining grumpily I’m not hungry when Summer tried to wake her. Stress knots gathered in her neck and shoulders. She stretched her neck from side-to-side and rolled her shoulders in broad circles, massaging the soreness with her fingers.

Peering out the window, she watched the wet leaves on the tree shimmer in the wind. The white bark of the quaking aspen was stark in comparison to its vibrant green foliage. A dense fog hung above the soaking pools practically calling her name. Carrie Ann tossed the blanket on the bed and plodded toward the armoire. Flipping through the hangers, she managed to find her bikini…bottoms.

“Whatever,” she grumbled, stripping out of his boxers and into her cheeky Brazilian cut bottoms.

She brushed her teeth and piled her long dark hair on top of her head, looping a hair tie around the loose bun. Her reflection in the mirror wore puffy red eyes and bruising shadows hollowed the thin skin beneath.

She hated crying.

Quietly, she ventured into the kitchen wearing his oversized flannel shirt from the day before. Wandering into the living room, a cool draft wafted across the back of her bare legs causing her to shudder. There was no sign of Summer or Aspen and the fireplace held only a pile of grey ashes.

Tiptoeing through the living room, she heard a noise coming from the hall. Twisting her neck, she noticed Summer’s door ajar. As she stepped into the hall, the corner post of his bed became visible through the six inch crack.

Carrie Ann stopped dead in her tracks catching a glimpse of him lying on the bed. His back hard-pressed to the mattress and torso strained with exertion. A sensual awareness ripped through her, taking aback by the sight of his head thrown back, buried in his pillow as he pleasured himself. The veins in his neck were thick and pulsing, and his lips parted for breath. The lids of his eyes closed drowsily. Velvet lashes lay like crescents against his skin.

Her tongue played over her open lips, craving the sweet taste of him, the clean masculine scent of him, the silky feel of his skin in her mouth.

Silently, she shifted to one side so not to be seen, gripping to the wall for support, fearing her knees might buckle. The white linens made a glorious backdrop for his dark tan physique. His broad chest labored in breathing. Sinews and muscles flexed in a delicious rhythm, his movement sure and purposeful.

Her nipples tightened and a low throbbing ache began to build between her thighs. She eased forward, hugging the wall, stretching her neck to see more. Her own heavy breathing bounced off the wall. Waves of moist heat fanned across her face.

Grrr whoof whoof Aspen’s boisterous growl and bark boomed from the far side of his room.

Carrie Ann nearly jumped out of her skin. She lurched to the side, hiding from their view. Both hands instantly covering her mouth to silence her panting. Not that it would matter. She was fairly certain Summer and the dog would be able to hear her heart slamming against her chest from all the way across the cabin.

Her stare locked on the doorway, waiting for a shadow of movement. Before she had time to steal another peek the puppy barked again and again. Not letting up.

“Fuck.” She heard a long groan of frustration. “Go on girl. Go lay down.”

The sound of his body lifting from the mattress and several snarling curses, indicated no happy ending. Contractions bound her core in a tight relentless knot. She’d damn near climaxed. Confusion wracked her body, unsure if she were happy or unhappy about the outcome delivered to both of them. Fearing her legs might buckle, she stumbling down the hall, slipped on her boots and quietly snuck out the door.