CHAPTER 2

ABBY POV.

“Where are you from and what do you do for a living?” He asked and I looked up at him again. He looked genuinely interested and something inside me shifted just a little. no one has taken an interest in me for a long time. Not even before the time that Josh dumped me. I smiled up at him. “I actually grew up here in Westford.” I said and he raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Yeah. I went to Westford High and when most of my classmates ran to get out of the little town, I … stayed.” I said and shrugged my shoulders sadly. Marcus’s thumb brushed over my skin, and it felt soothing for my wounded heart. “Let me guess, you stayed for this Josh?” He asked and I sighed. “Yes.” I said and looked to the ground. “I felt bad that I got accepted into a college and he didn’t. Besides, my dad needed me too. The business was struggling, and he needed the extra help and that brings me to what I do for a living.” I said and looked up at him. “I’m in the bakery business. I helped my dad turn things around until my dad finally handed it all over to me last year.” I said, looking in front of me as a smile grew on my lips as I felt proud to have built it up to where it is today.

“What about you?” I asked as I turned to look up at him. He was looking at me with a soft smile on his lips as our joint hands swayed between us as we walked. This whole thing should be freaking me out, but I felt completely at ease and safe with him. It must be the vodka.

“I’m also from here. I also went to Westford High, but I believe that I graduated before you went there because I would have remembered a beautiful face as yours.” He said and my heart skipped a beat as my stomach swirled with butterflies. “After I finished high school I…” He said and looked to be in thought for a moment before he spoke again. “I went away for training in order to take over my family business.” He spoke as he directed me down another path and I followed without a second thought of it. “Which is?” I asked interestedly. “Real estate.” He answered and I felt myself being surprised by this. “Real estate? Really?” I asked in surprise, and he raised an eyebrow at me, and I uttered a laugh. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything bad by that. It is just… you know… the way you look… tall, dark hair and eyes and full of muscle… I thought that you were part of the mafia or something?” I said and giggled shyly. He snorted with a broad smile on his face. “Yeah, I guess you can call it something like that.” He said and I didn’t know if he was joking or being serious. “My family owns a few hotels here and there and then some real estate. I will be taking over from my father when the time is right.” He spoke and I smiled up at him. I admired him in that moment. It was clear that he and his family had money, but the way he was looking at me gave me the impression that he didn’t care about money status whereas to others it was all that mattered.

“Here we are.” He said and I looked up at him in surprise. “What?” I asked dumbly before he motioned with his head to look in front of me and I gasped. How could I have not noticed? The path we walked down came to a halt in front of the most beautiful cabin I have ever seen. It was a simple log cabin with an elegance to it and I found myself openly staring at it with my mouth slightly open. The polished wooden logs that the cabin was made out of shone in the last rays of the sun and I could see our reflection in one of the large front windows next to the carved front door. The front door was between the two windows. “Oh, this is so beautiful.” I commented aloud and I felt him lift our entwined hands and when I looked up at him, I saw him plant a kiss onto my hand. “I’m glad you think so.” He said and I blushed as I saw his eyes sparkle with pride. “It took me almost a year to get it to where it is now, and I still want to add a few things.” He said and I looked at him in shock. “You built this?” I asked and he gave me a lopsided grin before nodding. “That is amazing!” I uttered and he started to walk towards the little forest house with me behind him. “Wait until you see the inside.” He said and I felt myself going with him. No warning flag going off as to me going into a house in the forest where nobody even knew and probably didn’t care, where I was.

As we neared the front door, I could see engravings of wolves and it was obvious that it was hand carved and I admired it as Marcus opened the door without needing to unlock it. “This cabin has been in my family for generations and was in need of a good remodeling." He said as he opened the door fully in order for me to enter first. I stepped into a living space that was divided into two parts. To the right, there were a few matching couches and a coffee table and lamps in the corners that gave off soft lighting in the room as the sun was almost fully set now. To the left was the kitchen. It was an open-plan room with a marble countertop that divided the two spaces. The kitchen was modern with everything that one could need out here.

“Do you live here alone?” I asked. I couldn’t help myself in asking this. Something about him and this place felt homey, and I didn’t like the idea of anyone else being here. I heard him chuckle and my cheeks turned red in embarrassment for asking that. “Yes, I live alone here. I come here when I need to think about things. it’s my personal space so I rarely allow people to come here.” He said and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. He didn’t allow people here, but he brought me here. I thought and after he shut the door behind us, he came to my side and took my hand again. “Do you want to see the rest of the place?” He asked and I nodded eagerly, and he led me through the living room/kitchen and down a short hallway. There were three doors. One on either side of us and then one at the bottom of the hall. “This is the spare bedroom.” He said and opened the door to reveal a simple, yet comfortable room that had a double bed with bedside tables on either side and a wooden chest with six drawers that was painted white.

“This is the bathroom.” He said once he led me out of the spare bedroom and down the short hall to open the middle door. It was a full bathroom. It had a toilet and basin and then a triangle-shaped bath that was clearly big enough for two and then a walk-in shower. “Very nice.” I commented impressed. Not even my own little apartment that I lived in was this comfortable. Marcus smiled down at me as he led me out of the bathroom to the last door in the hall. “And this is the main bedroom.” He said and opened the door for me and led me inside. This room was about the same size as the other one but in here I could see that someone was actually living there. The bed looked larger than the other one and the bedding was crumpled as though he didn’t bother to make the bed when he got up this morning. The bed also had bedside tables with a few things on it and to the one wall was another chest of drawers, but a bigger and taller one so that you could hang up your clothes. To the other side of the room where the window was, was a small desk with papers all across it and the desk chair had a few clothing pieces strewn over it.

I was about to tell him that he had an amazing little place when I felt his hot breath on my next and my breath hitched in my throat, and I closed my eyes as the goosebumps ran over my skin.

His lips felt warm and soft against my neck, and I felt myself turning around to face him. I suddenly felt the urge to taste those lips for myself and it was as if he knew what I wanted, and he immediately found his way to my lips. It was even better than I thought it would be as my lips tingled delightfully and I responded to him by opening my mouth to deepen the kiss. Somewhere at the back of my mind, I was screaming ‘What the hell am I doing?’ but I couldn’t care. This felt right and I wanted it.