Without You Here by Carter Ashby Page A

then we were off to this new destination.
    He rested his hand on my thigh as he drove us out into the hills, down a curvy highway. There were signs for a lake up ahead, which I guessed was where we were going. I braced myself for the possibility that this was some run-down fishing cabin. But my hopes soared when we turned down a lane lined with very nice, two-story cabins. Some had lights on. We turned into the driveway of one that didn't. The driveway was steep, but leveled off at the top onto a covered carport.
    Wyatt came around and opened my door for me. I let him. That's the one thing my boyfriend had always been good about. Opening doors for me. I thought it was weird at first, but I got to liking it. I'd never dated a guy who did that.
    We went in. The cabin was bigger than any bachelor would ever have need of. We didn't even use the upstairs that night. The main bedroom was on the first floor and the bathroom had a huge, corner whirlpool tub. Which was right where I headed when I saw it. I immediately started running a nice, hot bath. I was chilled to the bones from the night air and the swim in the river and the frightening Deliverance episode.
    Wyatt came in. "I'm going to run out and get us some food," he said. "You be naked in that tub when I get back, okay?"
    I nodded. I was beginning to feel I could always be compliant with this man. His wants and needs ran hand-in-hand with my own.
    I was naked in the tub when he came back. He stepped in the bathroom and stripped, no hesitation. He climbed in and lounged against the corner opposite me. The heat had already sunk into my bones. My head was back on the rim and my eyelids were heavy. "What did you bring us to eat?" I asked.
    "Got KFC. It won't be as good as yours. But I had my heart set on chicken."
    I bit my bottom lip to keep from smiling. "It will be every bit as good as mine, I'm sure."
    He narrowed his eyes at me. And then he leaned forward. "It's KFC in the cooler in your car, isn't it?"
    I gasped in mock surprise. "I'm offended! I slaved over that meal."
    He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him. I stretched my body along his and kissed his neck. He leaned his head back while I kissed and nibbled. I found the hickeys I'd given him. I'd just wanted him to have to remember me for at least a little while whenever he looked in the mirror. I ran my hands over those powerful shoulders and down his chest. I pressed my breasts against him and savored the feeling. "I tried," I said with my cheek pressed to his chest, "to make chicken. I spent two hours frying pieces of chicken and I never could get them done in the middle without turning them black on the outside. So I cried and threw it all away and went to KFC."
    His hands were making slow trails up and down my back. "I appreciate your honesty," he said.
    Oh, how I loved the slick feeling of his body against mine.
    "It was sweet of you to try and cook for me." His voice was low and kind of scratchy.
    "I thought it would be romantic. Instead I went out and bought Tupperwear and transferred all the food into it like it was homemade. My whole life is a lie."
    He laughed and squeezed me tightly. "Aw, Ettie. You're a hell of a find, you know that?"
    I nuzzled my head up beneath his chin. "You too, Wyatt."
    He pushed my head back just enough that he could take my lips with his. He kissed me gently. Lovingly. That's what it was. A loving kiss. And I ached in my soul from it. It made me...yearn. And that scared the shit out of me.
    Even though these were my thoughts, it still startled me when he said: "This doesn't have to end tomorrow, Ettie."
    I looked at him. He was totally open to me in that moment. All the pain he'd lived with bared before me. All the hope and need he fought so hard against, right there in his eyes. I wanted to shout, "Yes! Yes! Let's make this last forever!" But I knew he wasn't really offering me anything more than an extension of our weekend. Another weekend. And another. Until this burned out.