The Cabin: A Rixon Raider Short Story (Rixon Raiders) Read online

  The Cabin

  A Rixon Raiders Short Story

  L a cotton

  Copyright © 2020 by L A Cotton

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Other Books by L A Cotton

  About the Author

  One

  Felicity

  “Babe, we’re almost there.” Jason’s voice lulled me from my dream.

  “We’re here?” I glanced out of the window but couldn’t see much given the thicket. Huge, sprawling, snow-capped trees surrounded us, but our rental SUV made easy work of navigating the overgrown track.

  “Are you sure this is the place?” I asked around a yawn.

  Jase’s hand slid over my thigh and squeezed, “Don’t you trust me?”

  I covered his hand with mine, loving how my engagement ring glinted in the dark. “You know I do. It just seems a little off the beaten track.”

  “Which is exactly why we’re here. Just you, me, and an open fire.”

  “God, it sounds like heaven.” I let out a contented sigh.

  It had been a crazy couple of weeks. There had been the Heisman Trophy award ceremony weekend in New York. Jason had proposed, after which our families had insisted on throwing us a party, and then Christmas had come and gone. We’d barely had time to blink, so when Gio had mentioned his friend had a few cabins in Rhode Island, Jason asked if we could rent one for the weekend.

  Just us, a cabin in the woods, and—

  “Uh, babe, isn’t that Gio’s car?”

  “Yeah.” He frowned. “He said Nicco was meeting us here.”

  Nicco was Gio’s friend who was gifting us the cabin for this weekend, since Gio said it was an engagement present.

  “There’s another car,” I motioned to the truck.

  “What the fuck is he up to?” Jason grumbled.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing.” At least, I hoped it was because I really wanted to relax with my fiancée.

  The car rolled to a stop, and Jason came around, helping me out. “Careful,” he said, “the snow is pretty compacted.”

  “It’s so beautiful out here.” Even with the sun sinking into the horizon, you could see the cabin, hidden by a canopy of trees. An amber glow flickered in the window and fairy lights hung from the wooden wraparound porch.

  “I’m so excited.”

  “Me too.” Jason kissed me hard, letting his tongue tangle with mine. “This weekend is going to be perfect.” Heat flared in his eyes making my tummy clench.

  Even after all this time, I still couldn’t believe I got to call this man—this strong, loyal, determined man—mine.

  “There you are,” Gio’s deep voice filled the frigid air. “You made it okay then?”

  “We did.” Jason led us over to the cabin and the two of them fist bumped. “Wasn’t expecting to see you here though.” He quirked a brow.

  “I wanted it to be a surprise, although I ended up with some clingers.” He grimaced, something passing over his face. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Actually, we—”

  “Of course we don’t.” I hugged Gio, kissing his cheek. “We’re just excited to be here.” Jason shot me a bemused look, but I waved him off. “We have all weekend,” I mouthed at him.

  He rolled his eyes and went to the trunk to get our bags. Gio helped him and the three of us made our way up the wooden steps to the door.

  “This is amazing.” My eyes grew to saucers as I took in the huge, open-plan living room, the roaring fire, and open beams. There was a small tree glittering in the corner and garlands adorned the fireplace.

  “I’m glad you think so.” One of the most good-looking guys I’d ever seen stepped forward.

  “Oh, hello,” I stuttered, feeling my cheeks grow hot. “I’m Felicity.”

  “Nicco.” He smiled warmly, and I swear my knees went weak.

  So this was Nicco Marchetti, Gio’s friend.

  “This is my family’s cabin.”

  “Well, it’s really something. We appreciate you letting us stay here.”

  “Gio said you just got engaged?”

  “We did.” Jason stepped up to me, wrapping his arm around me in a total display of possessiveness.

  Someone snickered, and my eyes found another Italian Adonis standing over by the kitchen area.

  “Matteo.” He smiled around a nod.

  Oh boy, these guys had good Italian genes.

  “You’re so pretty,” a girl peeked out from behind him. “I’m Alessia, Nicco’s sister.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Congratulations. Can I see your ring?” She moved closer. She was also beautiful. Light to Nicco’s dark, but you could see the resemblance.

  “Sure.” I thrust out my hand, more than happy to show it off.

  “Wow, it’s so beautiful. You guys are still in college?”

  “We’re sophomores, yeah.”

  “Nicco and Arianne just—”

  “Sia.” Nicco shook his head and she gave me an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I can get a little carried away with myself.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “We weren’t expecting the welcome party,” Jason said.

  “We had some business to take care of this way, so thought we’d make sure you were all settled in. The weather is forecasted to get worse, so I wanted to personally check you had everything you needed.”

  My brows furrowed. As far as I knew, Nicco was a sophomore like us. He seemed older somehow though, an air of command about him.

  “Hello,” another girl entered the room. “I’m Arianne.”

  Nicco welcomed her into his arms, gazing down at her with such love I felt it in my bones.

  Wow.

  They made a gorgeous couple.

  She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Jason and Felicity, right?”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I replied.

  “Gio has told us all about you. Congratulations on the engagement.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Why don’t I show Jason where the emergency generator is—”

  “Emergency generator?” My eyes widened.

  “It’s just a precaution.” Nicco smiled, settling some of my nerves.

  “Down, babe,” Jase whispered against the shell of my ear, and I elbowed his ribs, my cheeks pinking.

  I was only human, and Nicco was gorgeous. But Jason knew who I belonged to. I was wearing his ring for God’s sake.

  “How does hot cocoa by the fire sound?” Arianne asked me.

  “That sounds pretty great actually.”

  Jason

  “So, your family is in the cabin rental business?” I asked Nicco as we followed Matteo and Gio around back. The snow was already banking up, the icy wind like tiny blades across my skin, but I wasn’t worried. If we got snowed in, it’d only give me an excuse to spend more time alone with Felicity.

  Fuck knows we needed it after a busy couple of weeks. Everyone was excited about the engagement, but it had been a constant stream of drinks and dinners and celebrations. I was looking forward to spending some quality time with my girl.

  Just the two of us with no interruptions.

  “Cabin rental business,” Matteo said with a hint of amusement. “Yeah, something like that
.”

  “Matt,” Nicco warned, and I felt like I was missing something.

  “It’s a nice place though, right?” Gio added.

  “Yeah, it’s something else. Thanks for hooking us up.”

  “It’s all good. Nicco owed me a favor, right Nic?” He grinned at Nicco who rolled his eyes.

  “Ignore them,” he said. “This cabin is just one my family owns. We prefer to keep them for family and friends only.”

  “Well, thanks again.” I gave him an appreciative nod, pulling the collar of my jacket tighter to give me some protection from the icy wind.

  “Okay, so this is the generator. If power goes out, and it shouldn’t, you’ll need to come out here and manually start it.” He motioned to the switch.

  “Got it.”

  “We stocked the refrigerator and there’s plenty of firewood, and I’m sure Fee will keep you warm.” Gio smirked. I leveled him with a hard look.

  “Joke,” he murmured. “I’m joking. The snow is only supposed to last until the day after tomorrow, and they’ll clear the main roads. You’ll be good.”

  I really didn’t care. In fact, getting snowed in for a few extra days sounded pretty damn good to me.

  “Got any New Year’s Eve plans?”

  “We’re heading to New York to celebrate with our friends.” Asher and Mya were having a small thing at their place. Nothing crazy. Just the six of us.

  “Nice,” Matteo said. “We should think about making tracks soon.” He and Nicco shared a look, and that strange sensation rippled through me again.

  I didn’t know much about Gio’s friends, just that his sister Nora was best friends with Arianne and Nicco.

  I figured they were good people to let us stay at the cabin for three nights, but I couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to Nicco and Matteo than met the eye.

  “Come on, my balls are freezing.” Gio nudged my shoulder and we made our way back inside to the girls.

  To my fiancée.

  Fuck, saying that would never get old.

  Felicity

  “This is delicious, thank you so much.” I took another sip of the hot cocoa.

  “It’s an old family recipe,” Alessia said. “I left a tub here for you.”

  “Wow, thanks.”

  “We stocked the refrigerator too,” Arianne added, “and the wine rack.” She brushed some stray hairs away from her face and my eyes instantly found the wedding band on her finger.

  “You’re married?” I pressed my lips into a thin line and murmured, “Sorry, that sounded rude.”

  “It’s okay.” She gave me a warm smile. “We get that a lot.”

  “But you’re so young.”

  She and Alessia shared a look, before she settled her warm gaze back on mine. “When you know, you know.”

  “Yeah, I get that.” Things hadn’t always been easy between Jason and I, but after the initial push and pull, I’d fallen hard and fast. I couldn’t wait to be Mrs. Jason Ford. But we weren’t in any hurry, not with two-and-a-half years of college left.

  I was about to ask Arianne about the wedding when male laughter drifted down the hall.

  “Comfortable?” Matteo’s brow lifted as he glanced at Alessia who had curled into a ball in one of the armchairs by the fire.

  “I love it out here,” she sighed.

  “Don’t you get out here a lot?” I asked.

  “Not as much as we’d like,” Nicco replied. “Sia, let’s go.”

  “Can’t we stay just a little longer?” Her eyes flicked to mine and I was about to tell them it was okay, that they could stay, when Arianne stood.

  “Nicco’s right, we should leave Felicity and Jason to enjoy their stay.”

  “Spare keys are on the hook.” Nicco pointed to a small hook by the door. “There are extra blankets in the cupboard in the bedroom. If you need anything else, we’re only a thirty-minute ride away.”

  “I think we’re set.” Jason held out his hand. “Thanks again, we really appreciate it.”

  “Anytime.” The two of them shook hands. Nicco broke away first, reaching for Arianne. It was fascinating to watch them together. He was clearly super protective of her, but not in an overt alpha way. It was subtle; in the way he held her close and slightly behind him, as if readying himself to become her human shield.

  “It was nice to meet you both,” she said. “Maybe we’ll get to see you again before you leave.”

  “That would be nice,” I said.

  Jason caught my eye and frowned, and I could practically hear his thoughts. He didn’t want visitors; he wanted the next three days to be about the two of us. Alone. Together in the middle of nowhere.

  My skin turned hot just thinking about it.

  “Fee, pleasure as always.” Gio leaned in for a hug but I felt Jason move to my side.

  He was such a caveman, but I couldn’t deny it made my heart soar knowing how possessive he was.

  “Thanks, Gio, for everything.” I kissed his cheek. “Enjoy the rest of the holidays.”

  “Yeah.” His expression turned tight but then he was gone, fist bumping Jason before moving to the door.

  We watched as they filed out of the cabin and into the dark, snowy night. The second Jason closed the door, he slid the lock into place, and turned toward me.

  “Thank fuck,” he breathed. “I thought they were never going to leave.”

  “Jason! Don’t be so rude. They wanted to make sure we had everything we needed.”

  “That’s the thing though, babe...” He began prowling toward me with slow, sure strides. “I do.”

  Two

  Jason

  I stared down at Felicity and my heart beat wildly in my chest. Even after all this time, it was her.

  It would always be her.

  I hadn’t proposed on a whim. It was something I’d been thinking about for a while. Then everything got kind of messed up at the beginning of the semester. Felicity was struggling with her classes, and I was feeling the pressure of leading the team. For a while there, we began to lose our way. But my faith in us, my bone deep love for her, never wavered. Even when she doubted our relationship, my belief only grew.

  Felicity Giles was my endgame, and one day, in the not-so-distant future, she would be my wife. It didn’t get much more fucking real than that.

  “Jason?” She gazed up at me with love and devotion shining in her eyes, and it was like a bolt of lightning to the heart.

  Every. Single. Time.

  I sensed Felicity didn’t realize it, but she’d saved me. Saved me from myself and a life of never being able to trust or open my heart up to anyone.

  She did that.

  “Fuck, I love you.” I traced my fingers down her cheek, leaning down to brush my lips over hers.

  She curled her hands into my sweater. “Jason,” she whispered.

  “Yeah, babe?”

  “I love you.”

  “Yeah, I love you too. So fucking much.”

  “I’m glad everyone left.” She peppered tiny kisses over my mouth and jaw.

  “I was one second away from throwing them out.” My quiet laughter filled the pockets of space between us.

  “You’re such a caveman.”

  “Does that mean it’s time to throw you over my shoulder, take you to my cave, and have my wicked way with you?” Her breath caught, and I eased back to meet her hooded eyes. “Caveman fantasy, really?”

  “Jase.” She batted my chest, but I captured her wrist.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Not for food.” Her eyes flared.

  “Thank fuck.” I kissed Felicity hard, plunging my tongue into her mouth as I slid my hands to her thighs and hoisted her against my body.

  “Do you know where the bedroom is?” she rasped between kisses.

  “Who said anything about the bedroom?” I made my way over to the soft, faux-fur rug in front of the fire, carefully lowering myself to the floor. Felicity wrapped her body around mine, gripping my jaw between
her slim fingers and kissed me as if she might never get to kiss me again.

  On my knees, I gently laid her back and leaned over her.

  “Smooth,” she chuckled.

  “I’m about to pull out all my best moves.” I winked.

  “You already put a ring on it, I think your moves were a resounding success.” Felicity was a picture of happiness, her eyes sparkling and her smile infectious.

  “God, I love you.” I splayed my hand around her throat and looked down at her.

  “Show me,” she purred, the needy tone to her voice making my dick twitch.

  I made quick work of stripping Felicity’s clothes from her body, which was no easy feat considering how many layers she had on. But it was worth it, the red and black lacy bra and matching panties accentuated her curves.

  “Look at you.” It came out rough as I imagined all the things I wanted to do with her.

  “Do you like it?” she asked around a coy smile, letting her fingers drop to the small bow between the valley of her breasts. “It’s your post-Christmas present.”

  “Like it? I want to tear it from your body and—”

  “Don’t you dare, it cost me a small fortune.”

  “I’ll resist, I promise.”

  But I couldn’t resist sliding my hand up the inside of her thigh and rubbing her clit over the lace.

  “God,” she breathed.

  “Not God, babe, your fiancé.” I hooked the material aside and pushed two fingers deep inside her. Felicity writhed on the rug, one hand twisted into the thread and one clenched around my forearm.

  “Does it feel good?” I curled my fingers and rubbed just how I knew she liked it.

  “Yes... Jase, yes...” Her body began to tremble, but I needed more. I needed to taste her.

  Yanking my fingers away, I sucked them clean before pulling off my jacket and sweater.

  “Hurry,” she whimpered. Desperate. Needy.

  I unbuttoned my jeans and shuffled back, giving myself enough room to lower myself onto my elbows, running my nose along her panties. Inching them down her legs, I tasted her, groaning as she hit my tongue. “Best fucking meal I’ve ever tasted.”