THE CABIN

The masquerade’s glow lingered like a fever, Eduardo’s cheeky grin at my door the night before and his words “So, you thought he was me?” dancing in my head as I slipped into bed, my silk robe whispering against my skin... And my bold reply, “An attractive one!” and that daring wink had left my heart racing, his playful gasp and “Good night, Eduardo…” echoing as I shut the door.

Sleep had been a tease, tangled with his hazel eyes, gold flecked, and the dream I couldn’t bury: sand, his lips, my cries... He had saved me from a stranger’s kiss and a business trap at the ball, his warning about Sol Foods’ dried fruit deal a lifeline that sharpened my resolve. Now, dawn exploded over my island, a riot of orange and pink, urging me to shake off the haze and charge into the day.

I stood at the barn’s edge, my mare Luna pawing the ground, her chestnut coat blazing under first light. Riding was my pulse, my freedom, a wild hymn before the day’s demands: calls to my team to shred Elena Marquez’s contract, answers for that gunshot’s mystery, still a ghost despite Eduardo’s sweeps. My boots crunched gravel as I saddled Luna, her warmth steadying my buzzing nerves. The air crackled with salt and jasmine. Bold, sweet and promising a morning to seize.

Clad in navy breeches, a fitted white shirt, and a braid swinging like a pendulum, I swung onto Luna, shoving down thoughts of Eduardo. That night, I’d called him attractive, my voice a spark, his laughter a match. He’d teased about the stranger ‘’Was that why you were going to let him kiss you?” and I dodged, giggling, but his vibe, all playful heat, had lit something reckless. He was my bodyguard, I told myself, not the man from my fevered dream, the one who’d carried me through delirium, teasing… “You were screaming my name.” Yet his words in the car, “You’re a hell of a dancer…” and that door side spark stirred an ache I could not ignore.

“Come on, girl!” I urged, kicking Luna into a gallop along the shore. Hooves pounded like war drums, spray burst where waves slammed sand, and the island roared to life: cliffs knifing the sky, palms thrashing in the breeze, my villa a white jewel in the distance. Luna’s stride synced with my heart, fierce, untamed, the wind ripping my braid loose, hair flying like a flag. I whooped, laughter tearing free, the sea swallowing it as Arquette Ventures’ weight dissolved. This was mine, land, sea, soul, wrestled from fate, not just inherited.

“Slow it down, beauty!” I murmured an hour later, easing Luna to a trot, sweat slicking my neck, her flanks heaving, steam rising off her coat. 

The trail curled inland, past the stables, where I saw him: Eduardo, sprawled against a fence, arms crossed, watching me ride in like he’d been waiting forever. His navy shirt clung to his chest, curling wild, catching sun like dark fire. My stomach somersaulted as I reined in Luna, her snort shattering the quiet, my pulse a traitor.

“Well, well, Ms. Arquette!” he called, voice bright, laced with that door side tease. “Are you and Luna planning to conquer the world today?”

I slid off, grinning wide, and patted Luna’s neck, her heat grounding me. “World’s already ours, Garcia! What’s your deal? Scouting for stray seagulls now?”

He laughed, a rich, rolling sound, striding closer, boots kicking up dust clouds. “Just keeping the island safe, but damn, you’re a distraction. That gallop was pure lightning. Have you ever raced for real?”

“Only her…” I said, looping Luna’s reins around a post, my hands steady despite his nearness.

“She’d burn any challenger. You a rider, Eduardo?”

“Once upon a time…” he said, leaning beside me, his shoulder brushing mine, warm, sending a jolt. “Scrappy ponies back home, all knees and chaos. I was more dirt than saddle most days.”

I burst out laughing, picturing a young Eduardo tumbling into dust. “You, a mess? No way, Mr. Smooth Moves!”

His eyes, hazel with gold sparks, danced. “Oh, I was a disaster! No tales as epic as you owning the beach, though. You looked like you could outrun the wind.”

“Felt like it.” I said, wiping sweat from my brow, his gaze snagging mine, warm, pulling. “Riding’s my reset. Too much noise up here lately.” I tapped my temple, meaning the ball’s chaos, the deal’s shadow, him, always him…

He nodded, face softening, but his grin stayed playful. “I hear you. Are you holding up after last night’s circus?” He was talking about the stranger that tricked me as he was Eduardo and the business trap…

The “Emily” he’d slipped in the car, not “Ms. Arquette,” echoed, and my heart skipped, recalling my wink, his gasp. “Doing fine, thanks to you…” I said, bold, cheeks flushing. “You’re stacking up saves: fever, creepy masked guys, shady deals. What’s your secret, hero?”

He chuckled, leaning closer, his scent, clean, cedar tinged, dizzying. “No secret, just you keeping me on my toes. What’s next, Ma’am? Chasing storms?”

I grinned, stepping into his space, the stable’s shade cool against my sun warmed skin. “Maybe. You’d run into one for me, wouldn’t you?”

“Like a damn fool!” he said, voice dropping, eyes locking mine, the air buzzing, alive, like last night’s spark had caught fire. “You’re a force, but I’m not letting you face trouble alone.”

My breath hitched, his words a warm weight. “What’s your kind of thrill, Eduardo?” I asked, daring, voice low. “When you’re not playing knight?”

He paused, grin softening, eyes searching mine. “Simple stuff: strumming a guitar, cold beer, stars out. Making someone’s day better, when I can. You?”

“Riding till I can’t think.” I said, as my hand brushing the fence near his, close, tempting. “Building something real with my work. And lately, this, you and me, talking like nobody’s watching.”

I was going too far. Further than I was allowed to.

“Like at your door last night?” he teased, eyebrows lifting, gold flecks glinting. “Calling me attractive… That's encouraging, boss.”

I laughed, heat rushing my face, but I held his gaze. “You gave as good as you got, Garcia. ‘What kind of bodyguard?’ huh? Felt pretty real.”

“Real as it gets,” he murmured, his fingers grazing the fence, inches from mine, the space between us electric. “You’re not what I signed up for, Ms. Arquette. More than a CEO, more than a job.”

My heart leaped, his words mirroring my own at the ball: 

“You’re more than that.” I leaned closer, bold as last night’s wink. “And you’re not just muscle. What were you back then? The med school dreamer?”

His grin faded, eyes drifting, like he saw another life. “Cocky kid, thought I’d heal the world. Loved the rush of it, saving lives, till money ran dry and dreams crashed. Hard lesson.”

“I’m sorry.” I said, gentle, wanting to reach out but holding back…

“You’re still saving people. Me, every damn time.”

He laughed, soft, eyes warming, locking on mine. “You are not a patient, Ma’am. You’re a whirlwind, the good kind.”

“Good kind?” I teased, nudging his arm, my pulse a drumbeat. “That is a high praise, Garcia.”

“Earned it!” he said, voice low, his hand shifting, brushing mine, a spark that stole my breath. The air thickened, charged, like the world held its breath. I wanted to ask what he meant, what we were, but a rumble tore through the sky, heavy, sudden, shaking the moment.

We jerked our heads up. The dawn’s bright canvas had turned slate gray, clouds piling like angry fists. “What the hell’s that?” Eduardo muttered, squinting, tension in his frame. “Came out of nowhere.”

“Moving fast!” I said, untying Luna, my braid swinging, already damp from the air’s shift. “Let’s get her safe.”

We hustled her into the barn, raindrops pelting, warm, thick, like coins on wood. Eduardo slammed the gate as lightning slashed the sky, Luna whinnying, my shirt sticking to my skin. “No way we’re hitting the villa!” I shouted, rain roaring, a curtain of water swallowing the world.

“My cabin’s our shot!” he yelled, snatching my hand, his grip a lifeline. “Let’s go!”

We sprinted, his hold tight, dragging me through mud and blinding sheets of rain. My hair spilled free, plastering my face, boots skidding, the world a gray blur. Thunder boomed, rattling my bones, but Eduardo’s voice broke through. “Keep up, Ma’am!” he shouted, half laughing, wild. “Are you falling on me?”

“In this mess?” I gasped, laughing despite the chaos, his hand my anchor. “You wish, Garcia!”

“Dream big!” he called, pulling me faster, his silhouette sharp in the storm’s haze. His cabin, a sturdy wood hut near the island’s rim, flickered into view, its porch a beacon. We stumbled up the steps, soaked, breathless, and he kicked the door open, yanking me inside with a grin.

The cabin was raw, alive: weathered wood floors, a stone hearth begging for flame, a couch piled with a faded blanket, all lit by storm gray light through small windows. Rain battered the roof, a relentless drum, but we were safe, the chaos outside. I shivered, my shirt a second skin, breeches sodden, water dripping to the floor. Eduardo was no better, his shirt molded to every muscle, curls plastered, eyes sweeping me, bright with concern and something hotter.

“Damn, you’re a drowned queen!” he said, voice rough but warm, shaking water from his curls. “You okay, Ma’am?”

“Frozen solid…” I said, teeth chattering, managing a grin. “You’re not exactly a sunbeam yourself, Garcia.”

He barked a laugh, grabbing towels from a shelf, his movements quick, sure. “Point taken. Here, start drying...”

He tossed me a towel, then crouched by the hearth, sparking a fire, flames leaping like they were as eager as us. “Fire’s up. Get over here, warm your bones.”

I scrubbed my arms, towel useless against the chill, my shirt clinging like ice. “This ain’t cutting it!” I said, shivering harder, half laughing. “I’m a walking glacier.”

He stood, closing the gap, eyes searching mine, hesitation flickering. “We gotta do better than that towel. Get you dry, warm, no half measures. You trust me?”

“With my life!” I said, pulse hammering, his closeness a spark in the dim. “As you are my bodyguard. So what’s the play?”

“Clothes off, dry ones on, fire’s our friend!” he said, grinning, but his voice was soft, careful. He knelt, easing off my boots, his hands warm against my icy feet, steady, like he could hold the storm at bay. “Arms up, shirt’s history, alright?”

I nodded, as my breath was catching, and lifted my arms, letting him peel the wet shirt away, leaving my sports bra. His eyes stayed locked on mine, respectful, but a flush climbed his neck, betraying him. “You’ll catch your death!” he murmured, draping a towel over my shoulders, rubbing gently, his touch a quiet fire. “Feeling better?”

“Almost…” I said, tremors easing, his hands grounding me, warm and sure. He grabbed a flannel shirt from a closet, soft, cedar scented, holding it out like a prize. 

“This is you?”

“All me…” he said, turning to stoke the fire, giving me space. “Would you get it on, if you please?” I slipped into the flannel, oversized, cozy, wrapping me in his scent, then ditched my breeches for his sweatpants, baggy but dry, rolling the cuffs with a laugh.

“Your turn, hotshot!” I teased, tossing him a towel, my voice lighter, the fire’s glow chasing the cold. “Don’t drown the floor.”

He grinned, stripping his shirt, muscles flexing under damp skin. 

“Eyes elsewhere, boss!” he quipped, toweling off, tugging on a dry tee with a flourish, like he knew I was sneaking a glance.

“Hard when you’re strutting.” I fired back, dropping onto the couch, towel over my knees, the hearth’s warmth sinking deep. He joined me close… The fire painted his face in gold, raining a wild song outside.

“Thanks for the save…” I said, tucking damp hair back, my smile was really bright. “You’re racking up points, Garcia.”

“You’re worth the score.” he said, eyes dancing, leaning in, his knee brushing mine, a jolt of heat. “Tell me about riding out there. Looked like you and Luna were rewriting the rules of gravity.”

“Feels like flying.” I said, as the grin widening, caught in his gaze.

 “World fades! Just me, her and the rush. You gotta try it. I’d bet you’d hang on tight now.”

“With you as my coach?” he asked, voice soft, playful, inching closer. “I’d probably eat dirt, but I’d give it a shot for you.”

“I’d pick you up.” I murmured, boldly as our knees pressed now, the flannel soft, his warmth louder than the fire. “You get me, Eduardo. Not many do.”

He paused, hand hovering near mine, eyes locked, fierce, warm. “I see you, Ma’am. All of you, more than you let most see.”

My heart cartwheeled, the cabin’s heat alive, not just flames. “What’s ‘all of you’?” I asked, voice low, daring, a grin tugging my lips.

“You’re a storm yourself.” he said, as he smiled with his gold flecks blazing. “Strong, sharp, but you laugh like it’s nothing, fight like it’s everything. Trouble, but the kind I’d chase.”

He made me laugh vividly as I was leaning closer, my hand brushing his and the sparks flying. “Trouble’s my game. What’s yours, off the clock? Who’s Eduardo when no one’s looking?”

“Guy who likes quiet.” he said as his  fingers laced with mine. The feeling was warm and rough. 

“Strumming old songs, helping where I can, dreaming big with the right spark. You?”

“Riding by all means and building my empire.” I said, when I was squeezing his hand, boldly. “And this… Us right now. Feels like something… Doesn’t it?”

“Something big.” he murmured, thumb stroking my knuckles, his eyes searching for something, playfully yet deep. “Like last night, at your door. You felt it, calling me attractive, throwing winks.”

I giggled, heat flooding my face, but I held his gaze, fearless... “You pushed first, ‘What kind of bodyguard,’ all cheeky. Felt like fire, Eduardo.”

“Still burning.” he said, voice low, his free hand grazing my cheek, slow, testing. “You’re making it hard to stay cool, for me.”

“Don’t!” I whispered, as I was leaning into his touch, giving him time to pull back… My  heart was pounding. “I like you warm.”

“Are you sure about this? Us, here?”

“Sure as I’ve ever been!” I said, clearly. My hand on his chest, feeling his heart gallop. “You and me; no masks!”

The last words before our lips have met…