Love All The Way

14| Winter Wonderland

Panic sets in as soon as I'm inside. I raid my drawers, searching for something sexy to wear, but I ended up throwing out most of the good stuff when Luke left; I'm starting to regret my decision.

I pull out several pairs of lacy black underwear and stuff them in my case, not exactly an imaginative choice, but it'll have to make do. Mulan watches me from her spot on the bed, clearly perplexed. She has no idea that in less than an hour, we'll be on our way to a weekend away with none other than Milo Woods.

"We'll probably just end up watching movies," I say as I grab my toiletries, but she gives me this look before licking her paw, clearly unconvinced.

Heart pounding, I pack up the last of my things. I don't know why I'm so nervous, it's not like Milo and I have never  kissed before. We're both adults here – more or less – so why does the thought of us maybe having sex leave me petrified?

Maybe it's the fact that up until now, sex has never been promised. Alluded to maybe, desired even more, but never written in stone. Now here we are, heading to a secluded cabin  in the middle of nowhere– what else would we possibly do?

I manage a quick shower after packing, where I scrub and shave and preen my skin until it's soft and silky smooth. I finish with a fruity lotion and spend the last of my time on hair and makeup. The final step in my plan to seduce Milo is deciding what to wear. Do I go with sexy? Comfortable? Warm? What exactly does Milo have planned at this cabin? What if I arrive unprepared?

Mulan lets out a soft meow, and I know what it means. Get a grip, Kennedy.

She's right.

I settle on an oversized black jumper, leggings, and boots for my travel outfit. It's comfy enough that I don't have to keep adjusting things every two seconds and easy to take off if the situation occurs.

When I'm finally ready, I send Milo a text, sit on the sofa, suitcase by my feet, and watch the clock. The wait is giving me too much time to think. To stress. To back out. Mulan is in her carrier beside me, gnawing on her favorite toy, completely oblivious to the internal war being waged inside of me.

It's not long before my phone is buzzing. It's a text from Milo asking me to let him up. I take a deep breath, willing myself to get a grip before I buzz him up.  He's at my door in less than five minutes, and he strides into the room like the vampire that he is, his lips curled upward. He's changed out of his work clothes and is wearing a plain black jumper and jeans paired with another long vampire coat and trainers. He can even make casual look sexy.

"Hey," he says, nodding at Mulan. "I bought a litter tray and cat food. It's in the car."

Surprised, I say, "Thank you."

He nods and takes my case in one hand and the carrier in the other. I do one last sweep of the room like I've forgotten something before leading us into the hallway.  The elevator ride is quiet, mostly because I'm such a nervous wreck that I don't know what to say. He talks about how it might be cold in the cabin and did I bring warm clothes? I manage a yes before we cross the parking lot to his car, where I slide into the passenger seat while he puts my things in the back.

"The cabin isn't far," he says as he slips into the driver's seat.

I nod and fasten my seatbelt. Logic would tell me to be nervous about the fact I'm being taken to the middle of nowhere, but instead, I'm nervous about him. For the whole drive, I'm hyper-aware of his every move, from the slight lift of his eyebrow when we come across traffic to his extended arm when he switches on the radio. I can smell him from here, a clean, pinewood scent that makes me lean closer just to breathe it all in.