. 02

(all characters are 18+)

Whatever it was that had come between them melted away and Soleil watched as her father's eyes brightened with an obvious enthusiasm.

"Oh," he exclaimed, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "Your room!"

With the warmth of his touch still radiating against the skin of her bare shoulder, he motioned down the hall and toward the back of the cabin.

"You're going to love it!" he continued.

He may have said something else - something that may or may not have been important. Soleil's thoughts, however, were scrambled into nothing more than static.

To be fair, the act was completely innocent on his part, but it was the first time that he'd initiated any sort of skin-on-skin contact between them. Well, that was if she didn't count their initial, awkward handshake two weeks earlier. Bleh!

Soleil did not deny the slight shiver that trembled down the entirety of her body and the inappropriate laugh that followed.

The moment lasted only milliseconds, but within this time, two things happened - a cacophony of alarms bells went off inside of her, and then they were defiantly snuffed out.

As she snapped back to reality, Deveraux removed his hand and started off in the direction he'd pointed.

She mouthed an obscenity to herself and started after him, just barely recalling his earlier sentiment. "That great, huh?"

He only looked back and nodded at her, wiggling his eyebrows up and down as he led her past the kitchen.

"So...I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that that means there's a bearskin rug on the floor and antlers decorating every wall."

He slowed his pace and spun around at the end of the hallway, drawing out a noncommittal shrug.

"Maybe. You'll just have to wait and see!"

Soleil laughed again and did a facepalm at the cheesy grin he was sporting. "Good fucking god. I hate you already."

"Yes," he responded easily, attempting a Darth Vader impression. "Let the hate flow through you."

"Nooooo," she protested with a pained expression, then simply stared at him. "Have I mentioned that you are literally the worst?"

Deveraux held a straight face. "I can't recall."

"Ugh. And that was Palpatine, by the way," she corrected him. "Get it right."

Their banter was halted only after the two of them emerged from the hallway and into a breathtakingly spacious living area.

Soleil let out a quiet gasp. The entire back of the cabin was made of tall panes of glass that revealed a stunning, rain-streaked view of the lake.

As she stared out in awe, the reflection of lightning rippled across the surface of the sprawling body of water, and the rumble of distant thunder gave a not-so-subtle reminder that the storm had only just begun.

Soleil marveled at the view for only a moment longer before a quizzical expression replaced her wonderment. She scanned the open area, looking for any sign of a foldaway couch or something similar. All she saw was a fireplace, a small table, and a couple of chairs.

"Ummm...I mean, while all of this is great," she said, gesturing generally about the room and then back toward the epic view, "it doesn't really answer the whole, where-do-I-sleep thing..."

Deveraux maintained his bemused expression as he moved up alongside her, chuckling. He pointed behind them.

"Up there," he replied, his gesture aimed toward a large, open loft that overlooked the main area. A queen-sized bed with a patchwork quilt and a pile of pillows was just barely visible from below. A straight up, vertical ladder allowed access to the space.

Soleil pivoted to look up and felt a surge of vertigo. She instantly scowled.

"Uh-uh. No way. I'm gonna wake up in the middle of the night, have to pee and walk right off of the edge and...splat." She clapped her hands together to emphasize her point. "No thank you."

"Are you kidding? The view is beautiful from up there!" Deveraux came back. "You can see the stars through the skylight, and the sunrise over the lake in the morning. It's like sleeping in a fairy tale."

She crossed her arms. "Nah-uh. If you like it so much, you sleep up there. I'll take the floor. Or the truck. Or the outhouse. Anything but that death trap."

"Wait a minute. Are you afraid of heights?" Deveraux asked, looking both surprised and amused.

"No," she tried to lie, then rolled her eyes. "Okay, yes. Maybe. A little. A lot. Okay, fine, I'm terrified of heights. Happy now?"

"But you told me you like to hike!"

"Yeah," she responded animatedly. "On flat ground. Where I can see where I'm going and not fall off a cliff. You know, normal hiking."

Deveraux's brow shot up. "You know....most people refer to that as walking, Soleil," he teased her.

"Ugh!" she groaned, throwing her head back emphatically. "Please just tell me there is some sort of alternative sleeping arrangements," Soleil interrupted, feeling herself flush slightly.

"Hmm," Deveraux droned thoughtfully, then shrugged. "I mean, I guess you could sleep in the main bedroom. It's not like I've unpacked all my stuff in there. Would that be okay?"

Soleil nodded and gave a pained smile. "Yes. Sorry. And thank you."

"Hey," Deveraux said, touching her shoulder again, "we're still discovering each other. No reason to apologize. I love it."

Soleil felt a surge of something she couldn't name, and she smiled warmly at him. He was everything she wanted - witty, attractive, and sincere when it mattered.

She cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure. "Thank you...daddy."

It was the first time she'd uttered that word to him, and she shivered with a forbidden delight. She thought of the many times in her past that she'd used such a term...and the naughty context in which she'd used it.

Yup. She was going to hell, for sure.