Chapter 9 - The Storm WithinWe stayed in the cabin for three days while Julian recovered.
It was a strange, suspended reality where the outside world didn't exist.
He didn't treat me like an employee anymore.
He watched me constantly, his dark eyes tracking my every movement with a smoldering intensity.
On the fourth night, a massive winter storm rolled through the mountains.
The power lines snapped, plunging the cabin into absolute darkness.
I lit a fire in the massive stone hearth, shivering in my thin clothes.
Julian emerged from the bedroom, holding a thick cashmere blanket.
He sat down next to me on the rug, wrapping the blanket around both of our shoulders.
The forced proximity made my skin prickle with heat.
“Are you scared?” he asked, staring into the flickering flames.
“Of the dark?” I joked weakly.
“Of me,” he corrected, turning his head to look at my face.
“I was terrified of you for eighteen months,” I admitted honestly.
“And now?”
I looked into his eyes, seeing the ruthless monster and the protective savior warring inside him.
“Now, I think you are the only real thing left in my life.”
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Julian didn't hesitate; he reached out and cupped the back of my neck.
He pulled me in, his lips crashing against mine in a kiss that tasted like whiskey and absolute possession.
