Page 15 of Defying Ella
Think, Ella. There has to be a solution.
The sliding door to the patio opened, blasting me with frigid air. Goosebumps travelled across every piece of bare skin and there was a lot because I still hadn’t changed out of my pyjamas.
Jared stepped in, biting his lip but his feet were mercifully free of snow thanks to the overhang covering the deck.
“There’s no side access I can find. If it’s there, it’s under the snow.” He slammed the door shut and started shrugging out of his coat. His hands and face were red, and his teeth chattered. “It’s freezing out there.”
I refrained from pointing out that snow and cold went hand in hand. He disappeared into the cloakroom to hang his coat while I set to work on building a fire. The heating was on but the fire would warm him up much faster.
“What are—? Let me do that,” Jared said right behind me.
I dropped my collection of kindling in his proximity, and he took it as permission. He crouched down, crowding me and brushing my hands away from the fireplace. I scrambled to stand, glancing towards the stairs and an easy escape. Yet no matter how much I willed myself to move, I couldn’t. My gaze returned to the enigma at my feet.
His sudden mood change freaked me out. I side-eyed him as I put distance between us. He seemed… chipper? I’d gladly take the change but it jarred against his earlier panic or even his biting remarks.
When the wood started to crackle, Jared stood. Inches separated us and I almost wished we’d been closer. At leastthen I wouldn’t have felt the phantom brush of his body against mine and the touch memory that went with it.
Yet again his gaze skittered down my body, lighting a fire of its own. I shivered despite the building heat.
Maybe likening his current mood to that Jared had been stupid. The desire in his eyes wasn’t really there. Just a figment of my sex-deprived mind.
There hadn’t been a lot of opportunities to pick up guys on tour. The only options for one-night stands left had been the bands and road crew. I’d already experienced the catastrophe of unknowingly forming attachments to flaky musicians, I didn’t need to purposefully risk it with one I had to see every day for a month. The same went for the road crew. I preferred my one-night stands to remain that.
Jared had been a fluke.
“I’m going to get dressed.” I spun on my heel before he could react.
Silence followed me. For once, it didn’t relax me. It set me on edge.
Questions whirred inside my mind. What was he thinking? Did he feel the burn of interest too? Why had his attitude changed so fast? Would it be permanent? Unlikely. But would it?
I slammed into my room, frowning and very seriously considering locking the door and staying put until we got rescued. There was an ensuite. I could grab a stash of food and water from the pantry. I had some books to read, yarn to knit.
It would keep me sane longer.
A truly viable option.
After a cold shower, I tried to settle down with my book. When that couldn’t hold my attention, I unearthed my knitting project and forced my mind blank. Still, my eyes were drawn to the door, my ears strained for sound outside my safe space.
I knew what waited for me if I left my room, yet I still crept back up the stairs after less than an hour hidden away.
Masochist.
Icurled up in a ball on the three-seater sofa with my phone, content to read in front of the glowing fire. Jared had disappeared when I returned. A small mercy maybe. I might have done something reckless that I’d immediately regret.
No, reading would be far safer. Even if the heat level spiralled and need got the better of me. Jared had to remain off-limits. I would not go there again.
An hour after I lay down and the fire started buffering me towards a nap, a series of clattering sounds started behind me.
Nothing like a sudden blare of sound to wake you right up.
I sighed but didn’t move.Maybe he’ll go away if I don’t react.Wishful thinking, I know.
He didn’t stop. The banging just got louder. Cupboards, pots, plates. What the hell was he doing?
I peered over the back of the sofa, careful not to make a sound and draw his attention. The slamming around could have been innocuous, but it could have been the start of another panic spiral. The first, I could ignore. For some inexplicable reason unknown to me, I’d feel compelled to jump into the fray on the second.
Jared stood at the stove, piles of packages and kitchen items around him. My brows rose at the sight of a cake pan.How didn’t I know he baked?
