A Twist of Fate (13 page)

I turned back to Cally, feeling exasperated, but I still smiled
when I waved goodbye.  I couldn't stay mad at her.  When she winked at me
though, I intentionally ignored it.

Edwin drove super slow down the slippery driveway and relief
washed over me when he pulled up tight to the quaint wood cabin.  A motion
sensor caught our approach and flashed a light on at the front door,
highlighting the rich wood and elaborate trimmings.  The rumbling engine cut
out as I leapt out of the truck.  I walked toward the front door, carefully
gripping my feet to the ground with each awkward step.

Edwin went into the back of the truck to get our bags and
slung them all over his shoulders.  He didn’t even ask for help, though I had
brought enough clothes to effectively dress an army.  I expected him to
complain - waited for him to demand my help. 
Nothing.
  I watched him
fumble with the keys until he finally got it in the hole.

"Persistence pays off, yet again," he mumbled, as the
door swung open.

I reached in and flipped the light switch, not knowing what
to expect.  We both glanced in without moving and stood there mute, stunned by
the romantic sophistication and natural charm of the cabin.  I looked to Edwin
and smiled.

"Ladies first," he said, raising his eyebrows.

Unable to deny him that, I stepped out of the cold and into
the cozy, open space.  I placed my snow-covered shoes on the small mat at the
door and opened the closet to find hangers for our coats.

Edwin dropped the bags to the floor and scanned over the
immaculate country kitchen, that had state of the art appliances.  Then he slipped
his feet from his boots.  I lined them up next to mine, then hung my jacket in
the closet before closing it up.  Edwin hung his coat over one of the tall
stools at the breakfast bar and glanced at the cozy dining space and beyond
through the patio doors.

His big, shadowed silhouette did strange things to me,
evoking old feelings I had long forgotten about.  I turned away, in an attempt
to brush off those thoughts and shake that picture of his profound stance from
my memory.

I steered myself to the focal point in the room, a natural
stone fireplace, perfectly centered in the living space.  It was flanked with
an abundance of comfy, contemporary furnishings.  It was perfect.  The sky
light was dark, partially covered in snow, resting snugly in the high vaulted
ceiling.  Everything was amazing, but I found my eyes tracing their steps back
to Edwin.

When my heart skipped a beat, I knew it was time to seek out
some privacy.  I opened the one and only solid door in the place, which I
expected had to lead to the bathroom.  Hiding wasn't much help at rerouting my
thoughts though, when the bathroom was home to the most luxurious glass shower I
had ever seen.  It had twin, ceiling-mounted rainfall showerheads.  It was what
dreams were made of.  Naughty ones.  I had to escape back to reality immediately.

I turned on my heel to bolt from the spacious bathroom, but
before I could take a step, my legs turned into noodles.

Edwin was leaning against the door frame, his lean hips
cocked to the side, his muscular arms tugging tight on his shirtsleeves,
straining the soft fabric.  "Pretty amazing, huh?"  He stretched a
thick arm across the doorway, officially blocking my path.

"I'm definitely amazed," I breathed.  I meant the
house, but he could sense my desire.

Neither of us could deny that it felt like a romantic
getaway for two.  I only hoped that Edwin couldn't see right through me, the
way his gaze said he could.

I pushed through his arm with both of my hands. 
"Excuse me," I said, hustling ass to the living room and plopping in
the middle of a plush, brown sofa.

Thankfully, he had let me out.  Because if he had stopped
me, I was a goner.  I could sense Edwin was behind me, even before he spoke. 
My sensual awareness of him became incredibly hard to understand and even more
difficult to ignore.  I glanced over my shoulder and found Edwin peering over
the half wall to the sleeping quarters.  As if I hadn't already noticed.

The bedroom was the only room in the place with three full walls,
settled in the corner next to the bathroom.  An oversized fan hung above the
large bed, giving it the feel of a tropical oasis.  The four-poster bed filled
the room, with its white dressings, leaving only enough room surrounding it to
get in and out of the bed.

The king sized mattress was so high, you needed a trampoline
to get onto it, unless you planned on taking a running leap.  One glance at the
room told me it served one purpose very well, and it wasn’t restful sleep. 
Edwin's expression proved that he got the same impression.

"You can hardly call this a cabin, eh?" I said. 
My voice was raw and desirous.  I hadn't realized how few words we had spoken
since we discovered the space so many minutes earlier.

"It's more like a grand suite.  Good thing Aliah and
Hunter didn't come.  There would've been no privacy for the whole week.  That
could've gotten awkward."

I nodded.  It was only just perfectly spacious for two, but
the contemporary finishes turned it into a modern day fantasy.  And I would
have to be here alone with Edwin.

"I call the bed," he teased, provoking me.  He
smirked, then dropped backward onto the fluffy blankets.

"The bed is mine!"  I chased after him and bounded
onto the bed.  With another leap, I landed on top of him, my hands flat on his
chest, pinning him against the totally dreamy bed.

Edwin bumped my crotch with his thigh, drawing me up higher,
forcing me to firmly plant my hands on either side of his head.  My body
pressed his into the bed, our faces drawn close together.  It shouldn't have
affected me like that, in a way that I wasn’t ready to admit.

I forced a painful reminder into my head. 
Babies.  Edwin
doesn't want any
.  Feeling like I had already made a big mistake, I rolled
off of him and lounged there facing the large window; away from him.  I
realized on a deep breath that I had been holding mine.

He turned to face me, but stayed a safe distance away,
chuckling at me.  "It's a big bed.  I'm sure we can share it."  He
stretched his arms over his head and growled.  "That is if you can keep
your hands off me."

When I turned to face him, I saw the way his shirt wrinkled
around each flexed abdominal muscle and it made me wonder whether I could.  But
after a deep breath, I also decided I couldn't let my sour mood ruin our
holiday.  It would be much more fun to play his game.

I leaned into him, flaunting my newfound confidence, and
fluttered my long, dark lashes at him.  "I think I can handle it.  But
maybe you’d better wear your shirt to bed, just to be safe."  I slowly dusted
my fingers across his wide chest, teasing, and tugging on his shirt.

Why do I insist on tantalizing myself?

Edwin was clearly amused, but he still took a sharp intake
of breath to reign in his arousal.  "I'm impressed with your
self-restraint."  His grin burst from his handsome face.

I patted his chest, releasing him from my grip, then flung
myself back onto the pillows.  “Oh yeah, this is the life.”

"We're gonna have a good time this week.  I'm sure of
it," Edwin said, equally as relaxed now.

I smiled, because I knew he was right.  We always had a good
time together.

Feeling ready for bed, I whipped open the blankets and
crawled underneath them.  I stripped off my clothes, until I was wearing
nothing but panties and a fitted undershirt.  It would have been just plain
cruel to send Edwin off to the sofa now, so I didn’t.

"Night, night," I said, as I rolled away, to the
far edge of the bed.  There, I felt cozy and safe. 
Safe from his advances.

Edwin slid out of bed and turned off the light, then peeled
off his jeans and sweater, being sure to keep on his undershirt to appease me.  That
night, curled up on my respective side of the bed, I relaxed for the first time
in what felt like ages, and Edwin left me to usher in some surprisingly naughty
dreams.

I OPENED MY EYES and stretched my
arms out over my head, drawing in a long breath to relieve myself from my
alarming dream, which I faintly recalled but desperately wanted to remember.  I
could hear running water and figured Edwin was in the shower.  For that I was
grateful.  He had been the object of my dream that had left me breathless and
overwhelmed with a fresh lack of clarity.

I squeezed my eyes shut and strained to remember the dream
that had felt so real only moments earlier.  Bits and pieces started to come
back to me in vivid colour.

Tropical waves crashed the white sand shore, the bright
sunshine warming my skin while the fresh morning air teased through my hair. 
There were endless views of tree-covered mountains, ridiculously grand rocks
and crystal blue waters.  All that was fine and great, but what tripped me up
was that Edwin was there with me.  We were isolated on this secluded island and
I was completely happy.

I wore nothing but flowered bikini bottoms.  Edwin wore
fitted, white swim trunks that contrasted against his dark, tanned flesh.  He
pulled me into his arms and so tenderly kissed my exposed neck and chest.  His
hands gently cupped and caressed my breasts, leaving me aching with a need so
deep I could feel it in my bones.

Every touch scorched my senses and I wasn't hiding my
attraction to him, running my fingers through his hair and digging my nails
into his back as our kiss became more heated and necessary.  Edwin lowered me
onto a large, white lounger with an overhang that blocked our half-naked bodies
from the harsh morning sunrays.

Edwin caressed my eyelids with kisses and slowly, thoroughly
made his way down my body.  His hand traced down and around my curves and when
it dipped between my legs, my entire body shuddered.  My eyes were still closed
and I had parted my lips to draw in a breath, just begging Edwin to carry on.  Through
half-closed lids I devoured him.  But then he stopped.

"What is it?" I breathed.

He smirked and I felt that smile everywhere.  "Those
aren't going to get you knocked up," he said, pointing at the moist scrap
of fabric between my legs.

I smiled back.  "Then maybe you’d better do something
about that."

Edwin obeyed, slipping off my bikini bottoms and stripping
off his own shorts, leaving us wonderfully naked in each other's arms.  Edwin
had every intention of giving me the child I had always dreamed of and he
wouldn’t stop trying until I was impregnated.  He hovered over me, his eyes
gazing intently into mine as I directed him to where he needed to be.

He slowly eased inside me with a purpose.  Needing more
pressure, I arched my back and bucked against him, until he filled me with his
hardness.  His kiss softened my moan as he repeatedly worked himself deeper. 
He sucked on my neck and I moaned unreservedly, dazzled by the intense
sensations racing through my body.

I tensed beneath him and began to climax, every muscle in my
body twitching around Edwin as he prepared himself to detonate inside of me.  With
a final grunt of ecstasy, Edwin gave me what I wanted and I screamed out in
outrageous pleasure.

Suddenly, I opened my eyes, panting this time.  And there I
was, in bed, caught in a whirlwind of sexual anguish and mental torment.  I sat
up, my taut nipples brushing against my fitted shirt, only to find Edwin
walking up to me wearing nothing but a small towel draped across his hips.

"Oh, you woke up."  His bright aqua eyes sparkled
and I knew it was because he had noticed my arousal.

I tugged the blanket to my chin to cover my chest, but it
couldn't mask my flushed face.  A few stray water droplets glistened on Edwin’s
perfectly sculpted body and it drew my eyes to his hairless chest, looking just
as good as it had in my fantasy.  I couldn’t contain my residual attraction to
Edwin.  Especially with his own arousal now tenting from his towel.

In need of a pinch, I squeezed my eyes shut, laid back on
the bed and exhaled harshly.  It was a shoddy attempt to collect my bearings
and, when I reopened my eyes and turned them on Edwin, it only confirmed that I
was no longer dreaming.

"Do we have a problem?" Edwin asked me.

I flashed my hungry eyes away from his delicious body,
terrified of what I might agree to in this moment.  Edwin lifted his bag onto
the bed and squinted at me, seemingly confused by my awkward awareness of his
nakedness.

I put my hand over my eyes and sighed, hoping that if I
didn't look at the sex-god, then maybe the attraction would fade.  "I just
had the craziest dream and I'm having a hard time waking up."

I heard his towel hit the floor and wished that I was back
in dreamland.  I kept my eyes covered, though I wanted so badly to watch.  To
touch.  I waited for the zip of his jeans before I resumed breathing.  Edwin wasted
no time coming to me.  I removed my hand from my forehead and looked up at
him.  He was still shirtless. 
Dammit.

Edwin rested his hand on my arm.  Even through the blanket it
seared my senses.  "It's about Cameron isn't it?"

My healing heart winced.  The thought of Cameron knowing
about my dream involving Edwin, drilled holes through my chest and filled me
with guilt.  Even more disgusting was the fact that the sexual tension plaguing
me now had far surpassed the relatively distant pain in my heart.

It was just a dream.  Not to be confused with reality.

Edwin misconstrued my silence and dipped his hand under the
blanket to grasp mine.  I gasped, not realizing he was only trying to comfort
me, while I fought the temptation to pull him onto me and swallow his tongue.

"Whenever you're ready to talk about it - whatever it
is - I can handle it now," Edwin insisted.  He let go of my hand and
brushed my cheek, his touch so gentle and sensual.  Then he returned to his bag
and dragged it to the foot of the bed, where he tucked his clothes into the
tall, wood chest.

He glanced back up at me, catching that I was still staring. 
"Whatever it is," he repeated, "I hope you can set it aside for
now.  You really need to get ready."

I nodded, acknowledging that I did indeed have to set it
aside now and forever, though I knew Cally would love to help me decipher my
dream.  We used to do that all the time as kids, sitting on the front porch of
her parents’ house in the country.  Concentrating on that, I slipped out of the
blankets and sunk my feet onto the thick carpet skirting the bed.

First, I had to get past Edwin.  But after I rounded the end
of the bed, instead of moving he stood up tall.  I tucked my chin down, as my
heart began to race, and Edwin turned his large frame to let me squeeze past
him.  I turned sideways myself to slip by and rested a hand on his shoulder, to
make sure I didn’t bump the dresser with my shapely behind, which I then realized
was on display thanks to my lack of pants.

Edwin tilted his chin down and I could feel his warm breath
on my eyelids.  I knew if I only looked up our lips could meet.  They would
meet.  A breath hitched in my throat as I brushed across him, my stiff nipples
skimming along his smooth, solid chest.  I deliberately stole my hand from his
shoulder for my arm to cover my tender nipples and hide my arousal.

I quickly tip-toed across the cold floor, hoping Edwin would
ignore me, but I heard his feet padding on the floor behind me and felt his
heated stare when he stopped and trained them on my backside.  Terrified to
visualize his awareness of my condition, I rushed into the bathroom and locked
the door behind me.

I was in need of privacy, while I took my unpleasantly cold
shower.  Luckily Edwin had left his toiletries behind, because I had forgotten mine
in the other room and I certainly wasn't heading back out there to get them.  When
I scrubbed Edwin's shampoo into my hair, I inhaled his memorable scent,
reminded of my intense fascination with him in my dream.

As the cool water flowed over my aroused body, I touched
myself, immersed instantly into my colourful imagination.  Edwin and I were back
on the warm, sandy beach, this time fully clothed, but Edwin's white shirt was
open.  It distracted me, as the front panels dangled on either side of his
body, the gentle wind parting it to expose his hulking chest and amazing core.

Edwin came to me and knelt in the sand.  He nuzzled his cheek
against my flat belly, then pulled me down to my bare knees.  I pulled him to
me and he responded with a kiss so intimate that I had to touch him to stop the
tears from flowing.  I freed his arms from his shirt and smoothed my fingers
across his chest and down his rock hard abdominals.

I tugged at his waistband and flashed him a look of desire. 
With a slanted smile, he took my mouth and laid me out beneath him.  He lifted
my flowing skirt and pulled down my panties, his glorious eyes locked on mine,
reflecting the crashing waves both in colour and intensity.

He unzipped his pants, freed his arousal and with a gentle
push he was inside of me.  I quickly reopened my eyes, the sound of my moan still
echoing through the bathroom, while I waited to hear whether Edwin had heard
me. 
Great.  Now I was daydreaming about him too.
 
But damn, did I have
a good imagination.

Had my feelings truly returned for Edwin or was I just
creating something from nothing?  That damn dream had shaken me to my core and
every inch of my body ached with a need for Edwin.

I managed to shake the dream from my mind, but it only
brought me back to my reality.  Only minutes earlier Edwin had approached
our
bed looking naked and delicious.  I couldn't help but imagine what could have
happened if I had yanked that towel off of him and pulled him into bed with
me.  Would he have satisfied all of my fickle fantasies, if only for the fun of
it?

Irritated by my own suggestions, I cranked the water to full
on cold.  As the water turned icy, it sprinkled over my heated body like hail,
sending a chill across my skin that only intensified the heat between my
thighs.  Realizing it was a lost cause, I turned the water off, quickly dried
my body and tiptoed to the sink, internally scorning myself for leaving my bag
in the other room.

With my ear to the door, I listened for an indication of
what Edwin was doing.  There was only silence.  I tried to open the door, but
it was locked. 
Why had I done that?
  When I finally got the door opened
a crack, I found Edwin looking out the patio doors at the snow-covered forest
and my bags resting on the floor at my feet. 
Great.  Edwin must have tried
to bring them to me.
 
I never lock him out
.  But I
had
locked
him out.

After readying myself for the day, I burst into the living
room where Edwin was still sitting a little too quietly.  "I'm
ready!" I announced.

Edwin didn't budge and he didn’t snap back with a smart-assed
comment either.  That worried me.  Having regained control over my urges, I sat
next to him on the couch, hoping to fix the problem I had caused.

I squeezed his knee, in as friendly a gesture as possible,
and yet my arousal reignited full force.  "You okay?"

He seemed to blink out of the zombie-like trance he had been
in.  "Just daydreaming, I guess."  His voice was plain and hopeless.

"Happy dreams, I hope."

"Not exactly.  I might as well get it out of the way
now, or there's no way we'll be able to spend the rest of this week
together."  He paused and I gulped back a whimper.

Shit!  He’s caught on to my weirdness.

"I realize I kind of invited myself along,” he said.  “I
just hope I'm not the root cause of all your unhappiness."

"I'm not unhappy," I admitted, without thinking,
to my own surprise.

"You seemed fine last night, but this morning…”  He trailed
off, and then found the words.  “Let's just say, when you woke up, you looked
less than happy to see me.  Then you locked me out of the bathroom.  If that’s supposed
to be some kind of warning, I get it."

I laughed nervously and spoke again, without thinking.  "That's
not it at all."  I hoped he couldn’t read into that, since he was usually
pretty good at getting me.  I sighed.  "The last thing I want to do is
turn you against me too.  It's not you.  Well, it kind of is, but it's more
me."  I had already said too much.

"Oh, right:
It's not you, it's me.
  This is the most
pitiful friendship ever.  Why is this so difficult when we’re
just friends
?"

We were never very good at being
just friends
.  Hell,
he didn’t even believe that a man and woman could be
just friends
.

"I'm sorry this has to be about you, but it is,” I
admitted.  “I'm the one with the problem.  I told you I'm messed up.”  My eyes
glazed over as I stared off into space.  "Just give me a chance to sort it
out in my own head first, and you'll be next on my list to know what's going
on.  I promise."

One thing Edwin could always rely on was my promise.  My
only problem now was that the facts were pretty clear to me. 
I want Edwin.
 
Even after all the love I had shared with Cam,
I want him
.  Sitting
right at his side, his electrifying touch sizzling against my leg,
I wanted
him
.  Even in light of the fact that he didn't want kids now:
I still
wanted him
.  That terrified me the most.

It surprised me how much relief I found, having just
admitted that to myself, even if only in my own mind.  When the foggy haze
cleared, I realized that Edwin had watched me reach that epiphany.  He could
sense my uneasiness and I recognized the understanding in his eyes.  Then a
knowing smile spread across his lips.

"I knew you couldn't resist me.  I'm just that damn
irresistible."

I couldn’t even defend myself, because he was 100% correct
this time, but seeing that smile was enough to lighten my shattered nerves.  I
teased him back with a fake scowl, since I knew he couldn't possibly read my
mind, then shoved him playfully.  He fell back on the couch as though I had
delivered a life threatening blow and laughed even harder.