I sat in the warm interior of the car for a while listening to the Depeche Mode tape that I dubbed from the CD and absorbing the flowing heat. I knew that I had to get out of the car and take my bags inside but somehow I just could not bring myself to move from the driver's seat.
Finally after about five minutes, I gathered up my strength and energy and turned the engine to the small Tracer off. I opened the door and trudged through the building snow to the trunk. Quickly I pulled out my luggage and dragged it up the snow covered walkway to the front door. I sat the luggage down in front of the door so that I could find the key to unlock the door. After thumbing through the keys several times, I found the one that I was looking for and inserted it into the keyhole.
Once inside, I immediately turned the furnace on and began to drag my luggage up the stairs to the bedroom. I looked around as I went, pulling memories from the back of my mind as I went. My fondest memory of this cottage was when my ex-boyfriend Richard and I came up here to get away from all of the people who were utterly determined to break us up. It was a wonderful weekend. He had filled it with candlelight and dancing.
I found that I was smiling as I finished the trip up to the beautifully furnished bedroom that I would be staying in. This was the room that Richard and I had slept in when he brought me up here. That was the bed that we first made love in. It was a lovely antique four poster bed with unique carvings. The dark wood was well kept and shined in the light coming in through the window.
As I watched the sunlight stream in and make the wood of the bed glow, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway brought me out of my trance. I walked over and looked out of the window to see a nice new Blazer parked in the driveway. I didn't recognize it so I went down the stairs to see who could possibly intruding on my weekend to myself. I reserved this cabin months ago for myself.
Just as I reached the bottom of the stairs, I heard a soft knock on the door. My mind started whirling around trying to figure out who was on the other side as I finished the short walk to the door and opened it. Who was on the other side shocked me so badly that I passed out right in front of the door.
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The person at the door saw me falling and quickly bent down to pick me up before I froze right there in the doorway. It was too cold out to be lying there like that with no way of keeping warm. I would catch hypothermia if he'd let me stay there. After making certain that I was securely in his arms, he moved in far enough to kick the door shut with his foot and carried me over to lay me down in front of the blazing fire I had started after I turned the furnace on.
He quickly took his heavy coat and gloves off and began to see if I was ok. He was used to women swooning at the sight of him but not in this kind of weather. It was too dangerous to do that in this kind of weather. The cold would kill you before you ever got the chance to wake back up.
The stranger gently slapped my face until I came around. Slowly I opened my eyes to find myself staring into the face of none other than Roy Dupuis! It couldn't be! My mind was whirling around so fast that I got dizzy before I could even sit up. The best part of it all was that he carried me over by the fire and had my head lying in his lap gently!
"It's good to see you are ok. You gave me quite a scare there." Roy laughed out with his accent dangling in the air like an expensive perfume.
"I…. I…. I'm f-f-f-f-f-ine…" I bit out trying to steady my voice. The shock of finding his gorgeous hunk of a man on my doorstep was too much for me to handle at this moment.
"What is your name?" He asked lightly trying to ease the tension in the room. He knew that I already knew who he was by my reaction.
"Name?" I asked dumbfounded. My mind whirled and twirled trying to compute what he was asking for. "Uh… Cheryln."
He laughed lightly when he heard how much trouble that simple little question had caused me. The varied expressions of emotion on my face also caused him to laugh. His laughter was music to my ears. I smiled in return and tried to sit up although I really didn't want to leave the warmth of his body. It took a lot of effort on my part and some help from him for me to finally accomplish my task.
"What are you doing way up here in the middle of no where?" Curiosity got the better of me and I asked him the question that was whirling around the most in my cluttered mind.
"Well, I was heading to a cabin I reserved that's about 25 miles from here. I figured that I would not make it that far when I heard the weather report on the radio and saw how hard the snow was falling. When I saw this cabin I was very relieved and was hoping that I could stay here until the snow subsides long enough for me to make it to my cabin." He explained seriously.
"You're quite welcome to stay here with me if you don't mind burnt toast in the morning!" I laughed trying to calm my shattered nerves. It didn't help. Roy Dupuis was going to stay here in this cabin with me! Comprehension was beyond my complete control so it was taking a while for things to sink in.
"I'll make the toast in the morning. I love to cook." He replied easily. I couldn't understand how he could be so calm at a time like this. Didn't he know who he was?!
"That's good because unless it's baking deserts and stuff like that, I'm a complete failure in the kitchen." I informed him as I tried to get to my feet. He must be cold and dying for a cup of coffee. I wanted to be a gracious hostess and serve it to him with the best of my ability and what little supplies were here.
Roy saw what I was trying to do and helped me up. The touch of his hand on mine sent a warmth spreading through my body like a blaze of fire. He had no idea what he was doing to me by the look in his eyes. Doesn't he feel the electricity passing between us? I wondered to myself silently.
I didn't pull my hand away from his until a few moments had passed. When I became aware of the fact that he was looking at me like I was some kind of nutcase holding onto his hand for dear life, I pulled my hand away quickly. I didn't say a word as I turned and made my way into the huge kitchen and began the motions of making coffee.
Roy had reseated himself in front of the fire after I left the room. He rubbed his strong hands together basking in the warmth from the fire and the sensation he had felt by the touch of her hand. It took all of the acting abilities he had to make it seem as if he was unaffected by her touch. The softness of her skin seemed to fit with his perfectly. He shook his head violently to get the thoughts out. This was not like him. No other woman had ever affected him like this.
He listened quietly to the noise coming from the kitchen area knowing he should go and help her out but then thinking that he should stay put. He didn't need for anything like this to happen. He was happily dating Celine. That was up until this moment he met Cheryln.
Roy rolled the name around in his head for a while trying to decide if he liked the name any. Finally, he gave up trying to tell himself that he didn't because he knew he did. He knew that it was a part of her and that was the main reason that he did like it.
Just as his decision was made about her name, she walked through the door as if she heard his mental summons of her. She was carrying a wooden tray with two cups full of coffee on it. She had even thought to toss on a bowl of sugar and a cup of cream just in case he liked his coffee that way. He looked up at her as she walked into the room.
As I prepared the coffee, the thought that Roy Dupuis was in my livingroom would not leave my mind. My hands were shaking uncontrollably due to the shock of seeing him in person. He was even more gorgeous in person than he was on television! His hair was shorter now than it had been in the last season two episode but I heard somewhere that he had had it cut. It looked great on him.
What would my online friends think of this? My mind managed to insert within the chaos. They would probably be so jealous of me! I ought to try and let them know! Then I heard the beginning whistle of the teapot letting me know that the water was hot enough to add the instant coffee to. I quickly took the pot off the burner with my shaking hands and poured the water into the two waiting cups carefully. The last thing I needed was to get burned by boiling water.
I started out of the kitchen with the two cups of coffee when I remembered the he may like cream or sugar in his coffee. I turned around and walked back into the kitchen and pulled out the wooden tray that I kept on top of the refrigerator just in case I needed to carry something that was too hot into the diningroom. Quickly, I poured some sugar into a bowl and some cream into another bowl and added them to the tray.
Regaining my composure, what was left of it that is, I picked up the tray and carried it into the livingroom. I wanted to be near him again so bad that I could feel it throughout my body. I stopped short when I saw him sitting there with only the light from the fire illuminating him in the darkened room. My breath caught in my throat.
He must have heard me take the sharp intake of air because it brought him out of his thoughts and made him look up into my eyes. My heart melted when I looked into his. He was such a perfect male. The firelight danced across his face as we stared at each other in the soft light.
I stood frozen to the spot as I watched him rise from his sitting position to walk over to me. He silently took the tray from my hands and set it down on the table nearby.
My eyes followed every movement he made like a tigress stalking her prey. This is what I've been dreaming of every night since I started watching that show! My mind kept telling me. I tried to push the thoughts out of my mind but it wasn't working. Something had to be done now!
"I wasn't sure whether you liked cream or sugar in your coffee so I brought both…" My voice trailed off towards the end as I watched him pick up the cup of coffee and gulp down four swallows. He picked up my cup and handed it to me as he turned and walked back over to the fire.
I can't face her. He thought to himself silently. She has too great of an affect on me. He lifted the cup to his mouth once more and gulped down a few more swallows trying not to think about the beautiful creature standing near him. He could feel her eyes watching him. The feeling of pleasure at the knowledge she was watching him disturbed him. He wanted to remain faithful to Celine but somehow, he didn't think it would be possible. Not now. Not with this woman here with him that evoked emotions from him he didn't even know existed. He had seen how the firelight danced around her face and body when she just stood there in the doorway holding the tray of coffee. It had made his mind soar to new heights. He had to know more about her!
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I took my cup of coffee and sat down by the fire next to him. It was time that the tension in the room ceased. I couldn't handle such tension, which's why I came up to the cabin in the first place.
I cleared my throat and looked directly at him. "Look, I know that you must feel uncomfortable being in this situation as much as I do but is there some way we can get past this? It's going to be a while before the snow lets up and anyone can go anywhere."
He looked up at the sound of my voice and nodded his head distractedly. I wondered why he was so distracted. I knew of him and Celine being an item from all of the gossip on the Internet. I was deeply envious of her but I had no intention of making a move and being shot down. I would enjoy this short time he's stranded here with me and then let him go.
Suddenly, he looked at me with a new light in his eyes. I was startled by the change in him. It was too quick.
"I agree. We shouldn't let anything come between us and this nice fire. I'm sure there are plenty of things that we could do to keep busy until the snow lets up." He told me with enthusiastic cheer.
With the mention of plenty of things that "we" could do, naughty thoughts filtered through my already clouded brain. If he knew what I was thinking, he'd be out braving the storm to get to his cabin. It was one thing that I was a great fan of his but another to overstep my boundaries. I had more self-respect than that.
"Well, what should we do?" I asked trying to drag my mind from the gutter and put it back into the nice mode. It wasn't working too well.
"We could sit here and talk. Get to know each other better." Roy said relaxing a bit. I relaxed a bit seeing him relax. I took a sip of my cooling coffee and leaned back against the couch. I closed my eyes as I let the liquid slide pleasantly down my throat waiting for him to begin. I didn't realize that I was so tired until my eyes closed and exhaustion hit me like waves hitting a beach.
Roy watched me as I closed my eyes. He was intrigued by me and at this point, I didn't care. All I wanted was some sleep. I took another sip of my coffee and then sat the cup down on the table. Just as I set my cup down, the phone began ringing. I felt furious at the intrusion but I got up to answer it regardless. "Hello?" I said when I picked up the phone.
"So that's where you are!" The voice on the other end responded and fear filled my body. I hung up the phone immediately. Unfortunately Roy saw the look of fear that crossed my face.
"What's wrong? Who was that?" He asked concern filling his voice. I was glad to have him there at that moment but my fear was also heightened. I didn't want him to get hurt.
"It was no one. Don't worry about it." I told him uneasily. I didn't want to lie to him but I didn't want him overly worried either. I walked back over and sat down next to the fire suddenly wide-awake.
"Don't lie to me. I know that you were genuinely afraid when you received that call. Who was it?" He asked seriously. He took hold of my shoulders as he spoke trying to make sure that he actually cared and wanted to help.
"It was some guy that has been following me around for weeks now. He calls my home at all hours of the night, sits in his car and watches my house, follows me to work, things like that. I lost him coming here and he had no idea about this cabin. That's why I came here. To get away." I told him honestly. "All I wanted was peace and quiet. I wanted some relaxation time with myself. Don't worry about it."
" Do you mind if I use the phone?" He asked quickly.I had no idea why he's want to but I agreed quickly. I knew he must have had a plan.
I watched as he got up from where he sat by the fire and walked over to the telephone and picked up the receiver. He quickly dialed a number and waiting for an answer on the other end. Just as he was about to hang up, the other person answered.
"Hey, it's me Roy. I need some help. I need a security team out here two cabins before the one I was supposed to be staying at. I got snowed out from that one and am stranded with a nice woman who's got a stalker." Roy informed the other person before that person could utter a single word. Roy nodded his head a few times then hung up the phone with a bright smile on his face.
"What's going on?" I asked rather stupidly.
"I just called the chief of my security team, he's sending one or two teams up here to protect us. They will get here no matter what the weather is like outside. I don't want to take any chances." Roy said as he sat back down by the fire with me and took my shaking body in his arms.
"Thank you…." I said softly as I began to relax into a light sleep that was well needed. He just held me in his arms gently and laid us both down without waking me up and then he fell into a light sleep himself.
The next morning came too soon for me. I woke up before Roy did and was pleasantly surprised to find that he had his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. I didn't move any. I just laid there and enjoyed the time while I had it. I must have laid there for a good half an hour before he woke up but it felt like just minutes.
I watched as he opened his eyes and saw how close we had gotten during sleep and immediately pulled away. I was saddened by how quickly he pulled away but did not let on to him that feeling.
"I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed quickly, not sure what to say.
"Don't worry about it. I've been awake for a little while and decided not to wake you up by moving. You looked so peaceful and happy…" My voice trailed off when I realized how much I had just let on about my attraction to him. I was embarrassed by my admissions and walked over to look out the window.
I felt rather than heard him come up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders. We both looked out of the window to see that the security team had arrived shortly after they had fell asleep. Roy seemed relieved by the sight of them but I was not. I wanted him to leave and stop reeking havoc on my life. No man had ever made me feel the things that I felt when I was with him. Not even my beloved Richard. I was broken out of my thoughts when Roy gently turned me around by my shoulders to face him.
"Thank you." He said lightly.
"For what?" I asked inquisitively. I wasn't sure what he had to be thanking me for.
"For being kind enough to lay there still for that long just so that you wouldn't wake me up. I have to be honest with you about something." He let his eyes wander away from me for a minute then turned them back towards mine and looked directly into my eyes.
"About what?" I asked when his eyes returned to mine. I was afraid of what he had to say.
"Don't look so scared! I'm not going to rape you or anything!" Roy laughed as he said the words. I was taken off-guard with his unexpected comment and began to laugh with him. I hadn't intended on letting my feelings show but they must have come out without my knowledge.
"I'm sorry, I must be getting cabin fever or something." I was starting to really fidget when he turned and started to walk over to what was the fire last night. It had died down considerably. He tossed a few blocks of wood onto it trying to get it started again. When he was satisfied that it would begin blazing again, he stood straight and walked back over to me.
"Now, where were we?" He asked with a broad smile on his face that made my knees turn to water. It took all of the strength that I had to keep from falling right into his strong muscular arms and losing myself there never to be found again.
"Uh, you were about to be honest with me about something." I told him honestly. I couldn't stand to be dishonest with a man as kind, gentle, and beautiful as he.
"Oh, now I remember! Well, I can't leave here with out telling you how grateful that I am that the snow blocked me from getting to my cabin. This time that I've spent with you has helped me put my life into perspective." He told me with happiness in his eyes.
I felt like the world had just dropped on my heart like a boulder falling from a cliff hard. I didn't know what to do so I turned away from him so that he could not see the tears welling up in my eyes. "What do you mean?" I asked in a very tense but controlled voice.
"I mean that I think I'm falling in love with you." Roy told me lightly putting his arms around me from behind. I released the breath that I had been holding since he began as I heard the words and felt his arms circle my body and pull me close to his warm body.
"You're… Falling in..in..in love… With me?" I stuttered out with my back still towards him and his arms around me tightly.
He turned me around to face him and gently touched his lips to mine in a gentle but loving kiss that told me all that I needed to know. We kissed for what seemed like seconds before he pulled away. He looked deep into my eyes and took ahold of my hand.
"Shall we go now?" He asked with a bright smile written all over his face.
"Where are we going?" I asked surprised. I had thought that we'd spend more time here together.
"We're going back to my farmhouse so that I can show it to you. I know that you are a fan of mine so you must have at least heard about it. Besides, I don't want us to spend time here where you and someone special in your past have spent time together." Roy told me happily.
"How did you know?" I asked astonished that he knew about my time with Richard here.
"It wasn't hard, I could see how special this place was to you as soon as I looked into your eyes." He told me then tugged lightly on my hand. "Now, let's go!"
"Ok!" I shouted merrily as I followed quickly behind him, put on all of my heavy outerwear, and left the cabin with him without anything that I had packed. At this point, I was the happiest I had ever been in my life and wouldn't change any of it for anyone or anything. For once, everything in my life was falling into place.
THE END.
