Chapter 1: Double Booked
Riley never thought heartbreak could drive her off the grid, but here she was, dragging her suitcase through pine needles toward a remote lakeside cabin she found online.
Cabin 9. Peace. Solitude.
She opened the door… and screamed.
A man stood inside. Shirtless. Tanned. Towel draped around his neck, water dripping down his chest like a sensual invitation.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” she snapped.
“Funny,” he said, voice smooth and smoky, “I was about to say the same thing.”
Chapter 2: A Deal with Tension
The booking service had double-confirmed them both.
Riley wanted to leave, but no other cabins were available, and her phone had no service. He introduced himself as Jake. Tall. Quiet. Eyes like storms.
They agreed to share — reluctantly. Separate rooms. Separate lives.
But tension built with every glance. Every accidental touch. Every night they spent just a wall apart.
Riley caught herself listening for his footsteps. Jake watched her when she thought he wasn’t.
And when the thunderstorm hit, so did something else.
Chapter 3: Thunder and Need
The storm cut the power.
Wind howled. Rain crashed against the windows.
And Jake was shirtless again, staring at her across the living room, the firelight flickering between them.
“You cold?” he asked.
“No.”
“You’re shaking.”
She was. From want.
When lightning lit the room, she saw the hunger in his eyes. Raw. Dangerous. Consuming.
He walked toward her slowly, carefully, like a predator giving her one last chance to run.
She didn’t move.
Chapter 4: Let Go
“I shouldn’t,” she whispered as he pressed closer.
“But you want to,” he murmured, mouth brushing her neck.
She kissed him like she’d explode if she didn’t. He grabbed her waist, lifted her onto the counter, devoured her like he’d been starving.
Their clothes came off piece by piece, until she was trembling under his touch, gasping his name, her fingers clutching his back.
Lightning cracked. The storm outside matched the one inside her body.
And he didn’t stop until she screamed his name into the dark.
Chapter 5: Morning Heat
Sunlight filtered in. Jake was already making coffee, wearing only boxers.
“Regret it?” he asked.
“Only that it didn’t happen sooner,” she replied, cheeks pink but smiling.
The awkwardness she feared never came.
They cooked breakfast shirtless and barefoot. They teased, touched, tangled on the couch again before noon.
It wasn’t just lust now. It was something magnetic.
Chapter 6: His Truth
But secrets crept in.
Riley found a badge in Jake’s bag. U.S. Marshal.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, heart pounding.
Jake sighed. “There’s a fugitive in this area. I was laying low, trying to draw him out.”
“Using me?”
“No. I didn’t expect you. But I won’t lie — I’d use this cabin to catch him again.”
“And me?” she asked.
“I’m not using you,” he said. “I want you. That’s the only truth I can offer.”
Chapter 7: The Fight, The Fire
The fugitive showed up that night.
Gunfire.
Riley hid. Jake moved like a shadow. He brought the man down — and nearly got shot himself.
When it was over, she held him as he bled.
“You’re staying with me,” she whispered. “No more hiding.”
Chapter 8: Cabin 9 Forever
Jake recovered. The case closed. But he never left.
He built her a new porch swing. She painted the bedroom.
And every night, they lit a fire and made love like they might not have tomorrow.
Cabin 9 wasn’t a mistake.
It was the beginning.
The End.