Twisted (11 page)

Maddie stood there thoughtfully for a minute, confused by
Edwin's comment, then shrugged her shoulders.  Satisfied, she packed the suit
up.  Samantha on the other hand, who was no stranger to Edwin and I, looked at
me stunned.  I just shrugged my shoulders in response, hoping that'd be enough
to curb her curiosity.  She was onto us.

"So are we ready then?" I asked Maddie animatedly.

"Yes, I'm ready."

Samantha suddenly seemed equally as eager to get out of
there, pulling on her shoes and stringing her purse over her shoulder.  “Have
fun guys.  Catch ya later.”

“See ya Sam.  Thanks for your help,” Maddie said, as Samantha
took off.

Edwin picked up the two bags at the door, as Maddie pulled
her tote toward me.

My mouth dropped open.  "Did you dump your whole
wardrobe in there?"  I laughed, as I looked at the amount of things Maddie
had packed for such a short trip.

"You'll thank me later," she said, smirking.

I glanced at Edwin wide-eyed and he smiled back at me,
acknowledging that she was as crazy as I thought she was.  I headed outside to
pop the trunk and Maddie nearly tumbled over me, trying to get to the car
first.

"Shotgun!" she hollered, dropping her bag at
Edwin's feet.  She held onto the passenger door like it was a life line.

"Um, no.  Edwin's driving.  I got shotgun.  My car my
rules," I said.

"Edwin's driving?  That's weird."  Maddie sighed
and grudgingly got into the back seat.

I couldn't help but smile.  I waved at Samantha as she pulled
away from the curb, and then took my seat next to Edwin.  I couldn’t wipe the
smile from my face.  I was happy.

Edwin drove us away, leaving the craziness of the city behind
and disappearing into the serenity of the country.  After a good hour passed, I
was ready to dump Maddie.  She would not stop talking.  I swear if that woman
didn't shut up, I would have to dispose of her in some other unfriendly way.

Edwin's brow furrowed.  He felt the same way.  Then, shaking
things up, his hand slowly wandered to my thigh.  He squeezed and brushed his fingers
higher.  I gasped for air, shocked at his brazen act, but also incredibly
intrigued.  Heat electrified through my body from my thighs to my mouth.

Edwin smiled and smoothed his hand back down my thigh.  He slowly
scooped my hand into his and I gave him a guarded glance.  Ignoring my wide
eyes, showing more emotion that I cared to, he brushed his thumb over my
knuckles.  Such a soft touch and yet it stirred so many feelings.  I chewed my
lips and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to steady my rapid breaths.  When I
thought I was in the safe zone, I locked my eyes on Edwin, until he finally
smiled and gave me a wink.  Maddie didn't even seem to notice, too caught up in
her own story.

When we pulled into the resort, the sun was still shining
high in the sky, and Maddie hadn't said anything about our handholding.  The
road quickly turned from pavement to gravel and Edwin slowed the car so we
didn't kick up so much dust when we winded down the narrow drive.  The land was
naturally beautiful, native flowers covered the forest floor beneath the lush
green trees that hovered protectively over the secluded road.  We reached a
clearing, leading us to what looked like an over-sized log house.  It
overlooked the natural lakeside, a stunning display of nature at its finest. 
The first bout of silence went on, as Maddie watched out the window, equally as
taken by the amazing view.

"I can run in and get our keys if you want," I
suggested.

"Okay," Maddie said.

Edwin put the car in park.  “I’ll to come with you."

"Well can you at least leave the music on?" Maddie said,
not suspecting anything.

Edwin indulged her and then walked around the front of the
car, where I waited for him.  We both directed our attention to the two storey
log house.  "I take it that's where we have to go," Edwin guessed,
pointing at the doorway marked
Registration
.  Edwin put his hand on the
small of my back, gentle yet possessive, leading me to the wooden stairs.  Two
steps up and Edwin still hadn’t removed his hand from me, his fingers slipping
beneath my shirt and skimming across my skin.

I turned back to flash a warning smile.  “I have a feeling
Maddie’s watching us right now.”

Edwin was one step behind, but when I turned back we stood
eye to eye.  He didn’t leave me any room to breathe.  His warm breath touched
my lips and I nearly expired.  “We’re here now.  Let her watch.”  He brushed a
kiss across my lips and my dark lashes fluttered shut, with one single
devastatingly sexy kiss.

I waited for another kiss, but after a second of silence I
opened my eyes to find Edwin smiling.  He raised an eyebrow.  “Registration?”

“Tease,” I said, then shuffled up the rest of the stairs
ahead of him.

He reached past me, to get the door, and I gladly let him
open it for me.  I stepped inside the registration room.  It was as rustic as
bark on a tree, raw wood touching every surface in the place.  A beautiful
young girl sat behind a heavy wooden desk.  She looked innocent enough, wearing
her ruffled white blouse and honest smile, until she turned that innocent smile
on my man.

Jealousy raged deep in my chest, my teeth clenched, and my
emerald eyes darkened, as I narrowed them at her.  She didn’t seem to notice, her
fascination with Edwin obvious, as she turned all her attention on him.  Lips
parted, lashes fluttering, could she be any more obvious?  Edwin certainly
noticed the fact that she was ignoring me entirely.  He cleared his throat and
linked our fingers together, then drew my hand to his mouth.  His eyes reached
mine when his lips touched the back of my hand, relieving enough of my tension
for me to wipe the scowl from my face.  A soft smile took its place.

Sharing a warm smile, I was confident my claim had been
staked.  The young lady drew her eyes away from my prize and was intent on
keeping her attention on me now.  "Welcome to the Southwind Inn," she
said.  
So annoying.  And fake.

"Thank you," I chimed, equally as cheerful.  Also
fake.

"Do you have reservations?"

I do, but Edwin doesn’t seem to have any.
  "We do.  Jenkins.  Abigail Jenkins. 
I have two rooms for the weekend."

Edwin looked at me and smiled, but remained silent.  The girl
typed quickly on her keyboard in an attempt to find some information about our
stay.

"Oh, yes!  Here you are.  You have the studio cabin and
the 2-bedroom reserved.  Can I see some photo ID please?"

I pulled out my wallet and handed her my Driver’s License. 
She looked at the card and up at me to compare, then scribbled down my number.

"Thank you," she announced, as she handed it back
to me.

I stood there, boredom consuming me, as she fumbled around
behind her desk.  She finally reached out four keys, dangling them before me. 
I extended out my hand and she dropped them dramatically, as if I might burn
her if she got too close.

"I seem to have your MasterCard on file already, so
you're all set."  She passed me a couple of pamphlets and started into a
speech about the resort.  "This is where you’ll find everything you need
to know about our grounds.  A map to help you find the cabins.  You’ll find the
hours of operation for the restaurant on the back there.  There are fresh
towels at the poolside.  Oh, and if you need anything else, there is always
someone in the office."

"Thank you so much," I said, scooping up the
brochures.  I smiled at her, but I was not happy.

She had a wide smile for me and a wink for Edwin.  I wanted
to wrap my hands around her skinny little throat and strangle her.

"Yes, thank you," Edwin added, kindly nodding his
head at her and smiling back at me.  He pulled me toward the door, before I
could give her a piece of my mind.

The girl stood from her chair, the legs scraping across the
floor.  "I must say.  You two make an awfully cute couple," she
gushed.  Then after a harsh sigh, "I wish I were so lucky to have what you
two share."

"Uh, thanks?" I said, gazing into Edwin's eyes in
search of his reaction.

He winked at me and put his arm around my back as we turned
to go.

"Enjoy your stay!" she called after us.

"What was that all about?" I asked, after the door
banged shut.

"We must be giving off vibes.  You certainly were,”
Edwin said with a chuckle.

“Puh-lease.  She was totally ogling you.  It was disgusting.”

“Can you blame her?”

I rolled my eyes and dropped Edwin’s hand, then pulled open
the passenger door and slid onto the soft leather seat.

"Where to?” Edwin asked, eyes on me.

I opened up one of the pamphlets to find our cabins.  After
leaving me squinting at it in confusion for a minute, Edwin yanked it from my
hands with one swift tug.  "Give me that.  I can figure it out way faster
than you ever will."

"Whatever," I sniped.

He ran his finger over the map.  "Got it.  What did I
say, huh?  I'm the man," he insisted.  "Say it."

"You're so full of yourself," I retorted, unwilling
to give him any props.

"Say it!" he repeated.

"I'm not saying it!"  I also couldn’t stop smiling.

"Please stop!  You two sound like an old married
couple," Maddie shouted.

I snickered to myself and flashed Edwin a knowing smile.  He
subtly acknowledged my glance.  Maddie obviously hadn’t been paying us any
attention.  We were hardly sneaking around, but it had become a bit of a game.

Edwin drove down the dirt path slowly but had no trouble
locating the cabins.  He parked the car in the oversized dusty gravel parking
space next to the rustic wooden cabins.  "Huh," he said, as he
glanced over the resort's map.  "That place we just passed seems to be the
studio.  It looks like we have shared parking."

"Perf!  We're so close to the guys.  Hunter won't be
able to hide from me," Maddie said smiling.

"Great," Edwin moaned.

Maddie hit Edwin on the shoulder, before I could.  “Give me
the key,” she insisted.

I reached my arm into the backseat and dangled it out to
her.  "There are two.  You can keep that one,” I said.

"Sweet!"  Maddie yanked the lonely key out of my grip.

I dropped the other key into my purse and handed Edwin the
others before getting out of the car.  While Edwin stopped to take a good
stretch, Maddie hurled herself past me to get to the cabin first.

"Take 'er easy," Edwin hollered.

"This is so great!  Our cabins are right next to each
other.  Hunter won't know what to do with himself," she chimed.

And she was right.  Hunter was stuck with her whether he
liked it or not.  Aside from the parking area, the only thing separating our
cabins was a couple of overgrown hedges and a few large, bushy trees in the
surrounding yard.  I, being a little less excited about the accommodations and
a little more excited about the handsome man unlocking the trunk, stepped
around the car to see him.  Maddie began to squeal with excitement inside the
cabin.  I doubted it was that intriguing.

"I guess it's as good as we hoped," I said
smirking.

Edwin hooked an arm around my waist and pulled me toward him
possessively, our bodies colliding.  Standing there, behind the open trunk,
Maddie couldn’t see a thing.  "I'm here with you.  That's enough for
me," he said, in a low sexy growl, then covered my mouth with his.

When I came up for breath, I fluttered my dainty eyelashes
hoping it would help my situation.  "I just wish that we could share a
cabin."

"We'll be together.  Don't you worry about that."

When I pulled out of his arms he gave my rear a swat, then
grabbed my bags from the trunk.  He flashed me a dangerous smile as he carried
my bags behind me, leaving all the others at the car.

"I think I'm starting to have fun with this secret lover
thing,” Edwin said.  “It's so…"

"Stimulating?" I finished.

"I was going to say arousing, but I could definitely do
stimulating."  His lips curled into a devious smile.

I liked it.  Unable to stop myself, I spun around and linked
my arms around his waist for another lingering kiss.

"I'm definitely going along with the secret scheming, if
it turns you on that much,” Edwin said against my lips.  His fingers skimmed
over my nipples, straining against my shirt.  "You have no idea how hard I
am right now," he breathed in my ear.

I squeezed my eyes shut, imagining him in all his naked glory. 
Then on a sharp breath, I turned on my heel and continued up the sandy
flagstone path.  When I walked in the cabin, any chance at intimate
conversation vanished in an instant.

"You snooze you lose!  I get this room," Maddie
boasted.  She jumped into the doorway of the corner room, blocking my entry
like a child.

I approached her casually and shoved her aside to peek inside
the room.  It was smallish, but tidy, with a queen-sized bed and an amazing,
picturesque lake-view.  Brushing quickly past Maddie, I headed for the other
room.  "I'll deal." I didn't plan to spend a whole lot of time
indoors anyway.  My room was a bit smaller than the first, but otherwise it was
the same.  One queen bed was pushed up against the front wall of the cabin, and
covered in clean blankets of soft blues and white.  The room smelled
surprisingly fresh and felt like an airy ocean-like oasis.