"Whiteout" (closed)

Liv ceased her peeking when she saw Ross walking back to the cabin. She backed away to the wood stove and poured a mug of coffee. He told her about their opportunity to either make contact with the outside world or even return to it. Liv had expected something like this. She had contemplated her responses while she watched the two men. And yet she still, after Ross's return. Liv still didn't have a decision.

"I'm in no rush, to leave here or you," Ross told her. "Whatever you need, though..."

Liv glanced to her host and lover with a happy smile. She looked back to her coffee, again contemplating. "I think ... I think I should make a call. Carl. I ... I need him to know that I haven't betrayed him. And ... I need to know if he's safe ... if...""

She couldn't speak the words If he's safe. He was just her partner in crime, not partner in bed as Ross had wondered. But she still cared about him. Liv looked up again. "Can we do that and..."

She hesitated. Liv was afraid Ross would not want her to remain with him. Then she remembered that he'd said he was in no rush to see her go. She looked back to Ross and told him with a sincere tone, "I'd like to call Carl ... then ... come back here ... with you."

Ross nodded.

"Fair enough. Can you be ready in five? Should be about thirty minutes round trip, so we can do breakfast when we get back. Rick's got rounds to make and I don't want to take too much of his time."

He turned to close the cabin door but paused.

"Uh, how should I introduce you? Liv, or...?"

He still wasn't sure if there was a chance someone would be looking for her, or that they might know her name.

"Uh, how should I introduce you? Liv, or...?"

Liv was no stranger to false identities, of course, so Ross's question didn't even phase her. His feeling that he might need to introduce her with one made Liv feel dishonest, though ... dishonest to him! "Rita. Thomason, if he asks. And I'll be ready in three."

After Ross had headed out again, Liv pulled her phone from her bag and stuffed it into the outer pocket of the coat he'd given her. She had no reason to hide it from him anymore. Then she saw the handgun in the bottom of her bag. And Liv wondered. What was waiting out there in the world for her. For all she knew, who Liv was and what she'd done was secret no more. Hell, for all she knew, Rich was a cop, here to bring her in.

Even more terrifying was the thought that, Ross might be helping Rich. Ross had asked Liv how she wanted to be introduced to Rich. But, what if he'd already told the man in the machine her true name; then Rich identified himself as Law Enforcement; then the cop -- or even the Fed -- told Ross he was harboring a wanted criminal, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Would Ross have felt obliged or simply pressured to turn her in?

It sent a shiver up Liv's spine. And it caused Liv to stuffed the little 5 shot .38 into another outer coat pocket. She finished bundling up and met the men at the trail groomer. Liv offered to sit on Ross's lap, but he instead took a position with his hands grasping the door frame and his feet on the rail. That only made Liv more uncertain about his intentions. Was he trying to put distance between the two of them? For Rich's sake? Or for his own? Liv simply couldn't know, and she cursed herself for not having quizzed Ross more before they came out to the snow rig.

Away they went. Rich introduced himself; Liv did the same, even though Ross already had for her. They chatted about this and that as the trail groomer pushed through the snow. Liv was amazed at the vehicle's power and at Rich's skill at staying on the road, even when the tall stakes identifying the unseen road were no longer there.

That skill and other hints began to lessen Liv's concern that Rich was a cop or anything more than just a local with a task. She asked him about local news, to which he covered several events in which Liv had no interest. Then, she brought up Minneapolis, asking if there was anything new from the Twin Cities. With excitement, Rich repeated the story he'd told Ross earlier. Liv had the obvious advantage of personally knowing the naked man, of course. She prodded for a few more details Ross wouldn't have known to seek.

There was no doubt that the man in the YouTube video was Liv's mark. But Rich didn't know much else about him or what had happened to him after the cops had taken him into custody. Liv's situation had gotten both better and worse. It had gotten better because she now knew the cops weren't waiting at the end of this ride. But it had gotten worse because by now the story of the con could possibly be known to the authorities. There might even be photos or video of Liv in the hotel.

They climbed through the forest on what Rich told Liv had been a logging road two decades earlier. It was now a non-motorized recreational road during the summer and a snowmobile trail during the winter. The young trees got thicker around them, making Liv wonder how in the world this could make making a cell phone call any easier. Then, suddenly, they broke out of the woods. Below them between this rise and another was a recently logged section of the National Forest. And on the miles-distant hill to the south -- pointed out by the helpful Rich -- was a truly heavenly object: a cell tower.

They continued another couple of hundred yards. They intersected a logging road down which Rich had already driven. At a former logging landing, their chauffeur ran the trail groomer roundy roundy a couple of times to smash the snow down flat and hard, then killed the engine.

"You should be able to call out here," Rich told them both after the two of them had both dismounted onto the packed snow. Rich got onto the radio, telling them, "I'm going to check in, too. Let me know when you're set, and we'll either head back ... or I can take you down to Harper's Tavern. They highway department cleared the roads in that far, so you can catch a ride out if you want."

Liv thanked Rich, then walked over close to Ross. She pulled out her cell, gave him an apologetic expression, and said softly, "Well, imagine that. My phone."

She stepped away, powered it up, and waited for a signal from the distant tower.

Ross gave Liv a quick smile and eye roll when seeing her phone. He was hardly surprised and decided it wasn't worth changing his impression of her. She'd had no reason to trust him in the early going, so he wasn't going to hold a minor lie like that against her. He was curious to listen in, but knew that would be both rude and potentially lead him to jump to conclusions, so he wandered off a short distance.

Once his phone connected, he called an old hunting buddy who lived nearby. Ted answered in the second ring, though it was hard to make him out over the background noise. Ted had a huge truck with a plow attachment. Did some work for the local municipal districts and clearing private roads and parking lots. Ted was surprised to hear Ross was at his cabin, but agreed to come clear the logging road as soon as he could...so, tomorrow afternoon. Ross thanked him profusely and promised to return the favor this summer, helping Ted with the new shed he was planning to build.

Ross glanced Liv's way and saw her engaged with her phone. He toyed with looking up the story about the naked guy and the diamonds, but decided he really didn't want to know. He'd rather trust his own instincts with Liv than let miscellaneous tidbits of news create a fictional tale in his imagination.

Rich was talking on the radio when Ross returned. The voice on the other side crackled, "Oh, one other thing. The state troopers are asking if anyone's seen a maroon Audi A6, either with a driver eager to get dug out or possibly ditched."

Ross instantly knew it was about Liv, that matching the car he'd find her near. He tried to act like the news meant nothing to him.

"Can't say I have, but I'll watch out," Rich replied.

"Thanks. Not sure what it's all about, but they sounded very eager."

Rich ended the transmission and chuckled at Ross. "Probably some big political donor's kid got lost up here in the weather."

Ross smiled and nodded, casting a glance toward Liv. There was no way anyone would spot her car for a week or more, but it would happen eventually. If they were looking for it, they knew what she'd driven away in and had tracked her heading north. Things wouldn't get easier for her as roads continued to open up.

Within seconds of her phone powering up and making a connection, it exploded with evidence that others wanted her attention. The pop up notification bar said she had 34 missing calls, 8 voice mails, and 12 text messages. She opened the latter first, fearful that her battery would die soon. They were all from Carl, as expected; he was the only person who had this phone number.

Before she began reading them, she quickly sent one of her own:


Liv then opened the most recent text, presuming it would have the most up to date information. Or at least Carl's most recent fit of panic or accusation. Did he think Liv had betrayed him? She half expected it; they'd never taken a score in the 6 digit range, let alone one in the 7 digits.

She expected the most recent message to be Carl's demand that she call and explain herself. But instead:


Liv's stomach turned over with a sharp pain. Tracker? How was that possible. Liv had given it a good squeezing inspection. It just didn't seem possible that she would have missed something like that. She'd very nearly transferred the stones to another bag, but it hadn't seemed necessary at the time. Now, though.

And then there was Tina Tina. That was their code for going underground and communicating through a friend of theirs. Ironically, his name was Terry. Liv backed out of the text and swiped to the very first one. But before she could open it, her phone began powering down.

"Fuck!" she called out in dismay. She apologized to the two men, explaining, "Phone died. No biggie."

She thought about her options for a long moment. She could ask for a ride back to the world right now and try to hide. She was good at that, hiding. But the stones and cash were still at the cabin. As was the tracker, presumably. It probably didn't work unless it was close to a wifi signal or cell tower, so it wasn't like the tracker was going to lead the bad guys to the cabin. But eventually...

"I'm done," Liv told Ross. She turned back for the trail groomer, telling them, "The world out there doesn't miss me, so ... maybe a couple more days in Mother Nature's beauty?

Ross cocked an eyebrow at Liv's outburst. Bad news or was her phone really dead? He'd happily settle for her presence at the cabin for a couple more days, though. Maybe time to sort his feelings and the situation out.

But...the state troopers.

"My truck should be plowed out tomorrow afternoon," he said as he started to walk toward her. Or, rather, away from Rich.
"Need to use my phone?"

As he got close to her, he said softly, "Troopers are looking for your car. They won't find it under that snow, but they know you came this way."

Would that change her plan? She'd left her stuff behind, but they could still arrange to get out with Rich if necessary.

"We have to get back to the cabin," she whispered as soon as Ross finished his warning about the cops. She looked Rich's way, then back to Ross. "Troopers might be the least of my problems."

She moved even closer and told him, "Carl says the diamond pouch has a tracker in it. If it's the kind we used on the San Antonio Switcheroo, it needs a wifi or cell signal. So, no harm here."

Ross couldn't know the details of the San Antonio job, of course. If he asked about it later, Liv would explain it to him. But right now she had another concern. "If it's like the one we used for the Manhattan Marlboro Man Mystery ... yeah, I know, funny names, I'll explain later ... well, that one ... I don't know how to explain it. It's some fucking high tech shit--"

"So, are we heading to the cabin?" Rich called out from the trail groomer. "Or are we heading down to the tavern. Ross, you said something about needing a drink."

Liv pulled Ross to her, telling him with a serious tone, "The helicopter, when they were hovering. If the tracker is the NSA type we used in New York City ... and one of those helo guys had his cell phone's Bluetooth on for any reason ... communications headset, ear bud, anything ... or even your friend Rich there ... the tracker could have automatically stored a text onto their phone. And as soon as they were back in cell range, it would send the coordinates to the guys I conned. Don't ask me how it works, 'cause I have no fucking idea. I only know that it does."

She glanced to Rich, who was again calling for an answer, then back to Ross. "They'll know exactly where your cabin is, down to ten yards."

Liv's concerns brought back a lot of memories, most of them of the professional and not-so-pleasant variety. His mind already started working through the problem, though there were many unknowns remaining.

"I doubt the chopper got close enough to the cabin, but Rich might have. If you're right about this higher tech tracker, the signal probably just went out. That gives us at least a few hour head start."

He looked back at Rich, who was vaguely watching on and probably figuring they were debating whether to go back to the cabin or take him up on his offer to head for town.

"The cabin," Ross said. "We'll figure something out."

He let Liv ride shotgun again while he rode on the sidebar. He scarcely noticed the ride back, so busy with his thoughts, but his training did kick in as they got closer. His eyes scanned for signs of snowmobiles or footsteps not his or Liv's. So far, nothing.

As they unloaded, Ross whispered in Liv's ear. "Empty the diamond pouch, quick. I have an idea. Be in in a minute."

With Liv headed toward the cabin, Ross turned to Rich to thank him again for the lift to cell phone range.

"Not a problem, Ross," he said. "And I'm sure I'll more than get it back out of you later this spring."

Ross smiled. "Well, I still feel I owe you something first. Can you wait here a sec?"

"Oh, you don't owe me anything. I'm getting paid for this."

Wrong answer. "Then you'll have to share it with the rest of the guys digging us out. Seriously, we appreciate all you're doing."

Rich shrugged. "If you insist."

"Be right back."

Ross hurried inside and dug into the bags of provisions he'd brought to the cabin. There, a double-sealed ziplock bag stuffed inside a lunch-sized brown paper bag. Liv gave him a curious look as he took the empty diamond bag.

"Smoked walleye," he said, taking it out of the brown bag and shoving it in the diamond bag. "If you're right about the tracker, they'll get another location ping once Rich is back in cell range. He'll take it into town and drop it off at the police or fire station. Wherever they're running ops out of.

"Might still be able to work back to here, but it should make a nice false trail for a while."

He took the unusual looking package back to Rich, explained what it was, and extracted another promise that he share it with the others. Ross figured that would keep him from becoming a potential target. Best he could manage.

Ross then went back inside, ready for breakfast and some better idea from Liv as to what they needed to do next to ensure her safety.

Liv understood right away what Ross had planned with the pouch. On the snow shoes, which she'd left hanging from a tree at the end of the driveway, she hurried toward the cabin as fast as she could without looking like she was hurrying.

Inside, she untied the pouch and dumped its contents into a clean cereal bowl. One of the diamond didn't come out, so Liv gave it a little shake. When it still wouldn't come out, she turned the back inside out ... and made a terrifying discovery. She hadn't fully emptied the bag the first time, and now that she did, Liv discovered that one of the supposed diamond was actually a small, transparent device attached to the inner lining of the bag. Holding it up, Liv could see tiny electronics hidden inside. She'd never actually seen the 4M tracker, as Carl had called the device when he'd installed it during their Manhattan job. But she had little doubt that this was one.

And suddenly, another horrific thought struck her. Had Carl planted this? What were the odds that they had used one such device just last Autumn and now there was one on the bag of diamonds she'd ended up with during the con. But, Carl had told her to destroy the tracker. Fuck! Liv didn't know what to believe or who to trust.

Enter Ross Stevens. Liv stared at the man for a moment as he put together his gift for the man on the machine. She could trust him. Couldn't she? He hadn't turned her in. Yet! Everyone seemed to want the diamonds and, to a lesser extent, the cash. Did Ross? Liv didn't want to believe that her new lover was in this just for the money. She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it.

He hurried back out into the snow again to pass off the tracker bag. And as Liv watched, that annoying voice of self preservation nagged at her from the back of her brain. She pulled the revolver out of her pocket and stared at it a moment. She saw Ross heading back this way again. And she hid the handgun on a shelf near the middle of the room, hoping that -- if the worst came true -- she would be able to get to it from where ever she was when Ross turned on her.

Once he was back inside, Liv put to Ross the first question that came to her mind. "What the fuck is a walleye?"

He explained, and Liv laughed. She was already feeling a little more at ease with the sound of the trail machine disappearing into the distance. Her stomach growled, empty and stressed by the acid rolling nervously within it.

"Can we ... can we just eat?" she asked moving forward to throw her arms around Ross's torso for a badly needed hug. "I need to not think about all this for a moment."

Liv kissed him sweetly before pulling away. "I'm cooking. I saw sausage and bacon and eggs in the cooler."

They decided on what else to put to the table, and then a thought came to Liv. "You were going to tell me something last night and I stopped you."

Ross could tell Liv was still on edge when he returned. Understandable. But she seemed to relax after his explanation about the tastiest fish in the north woods and a hug. She offered to cook and he sensed it was as much for sustenance as to get her mind off the tracker and her problems.

While getting the pan heated, Liv said, "You were going to tell me something last night and I stopped you."

Last night seemed like forever ago. Ross thought back and recalled his intention to tell the truth about himself after she'd gone confessing to him about her life as a thief. He still felt like he owed her that, if there was ever to be anything between them.

"Oh, that. I don't know. You, we, have so much on our plate right now, I'm not sure I need to burden you with that."

She gave him a "you don't think I can handle it" look and insisted.

He sighed and slumped in one of the chairs. "Well, maybe it is better you hear it now. Might change your mind about me."

How to put it...delicately.

"You know about my background with the SEALs? I spent a lot of time in bad places doing bad things to some pretty awful people. It's a hard thing to do, but it can be done when you believe the ends justify the means. Some days it's difficult to see the big picture, but I think most of the time we were doing the right thing.

"When Ally got sick and I got my discharge to care for her, I thought I was done with all that. My skill set is extensive and there are opportunities in private security. That's were a lot of my fellows ended up."

Ross paused to fetch and crack one of the last of their beers. Didn't much matter that it was before breakfast.

"With the debt load the medical bills had piled up and my...well, my psych profile and skill set...I may or may not have been approached by someone who most certainly doesn't work for any part of the government. I absolutely wasn't offered work suited to my abilities in dealing with the worst of the worst, the sort who could never be extradited, because that would be illegal and unethical in the civilized world."

He took another long pull. Waiting for a reaction.

"Any idea what you get if you cross an unlicensed James Bond with an IMF agent? Disavowed if ever caught. No support. Nothing official.

"So, like I was saying...I'm kinda between jobs. Officially."

And this would be the point when it all fell apart.

"Well, maybe it is better you hear it now" Ross told Liv. "Might change your mind about me."

"Any more than you changed your mind about me?" Liv said with only a slight amount of humor, adding, "Finding out that I am a master jewel thief con woman, on the run, likely being chased by at least 4 Law Enforcement Agencies and the people I conned and my partner."

Liv couldn't be certain that any of those mentioned were actually on her tail or -- if they were -- which ones might be. Carl? Well, she still wasn't sure about him.

Ross explained about his post-military extracurricular activities. Liv wasn't unfamiliar with the type. You saw news about them all the time: military contractors shooting up villages and convoys overseas; PTSD-strapped loners going nuts with AR-15s at music festivals; or marines-turned-thieves hitting armored cars or banks. Liv wasn't an idiot, though: she knew that for every 1 of those type, there were another 99 who were living regular ol' lives ... or, at least, the closest thing to it that they could considering their circumstances.

And what about Ross's circumstances? Liv could empathize with where he was in life. She wasn't about to look down upon his situation with a critical eye. Hell, all she had to do was look at her own existence to understand that shit happens and you deal with it the best you can. Toss in a terminally ill wife and ... well, shit happens.

Liv could tell that Ross was looking for a reaction from her at one point went he went quiet and simply stared her way. She flipped the eggs, set the spatula aside, and moved slowly to where he sat. She parted her knees and crawled into Ross's lap, pressing her lips to his in a soft but passionate kiss. She said to him with a playful tone, "I may know someone who is moving a butt load of diamonds and might need a security detail."

Behind her, a sausage popped, sending droplets of grease out onto the surface of the stove. Liv gave him a quick kiss, hopped up, and went to deal with the too-hot food.

"Any idea what you get if you cross an unlicensed James Bond with an IMF agent? Disavowed if ever caught. No support. Nothing official. When Liv gave him a sympathetic smile, Ross added, "So, like I was saying...I'm kinda between jobs. Officially."


The hash browns could have used another minute or so, but Liv wanted to sit with Ross. She filled two plates, set them on the little table, pour more coffee (after taking his beer and swigging long on it before giving it back), then sat next to him. She simply stared into his eyes for a long moment as the heat of the stove continued to rise up from the breakfast items.

Finally, Liv took a cautious sip of the steaming coffee, bit into a sausage, and said without shame, "Later, after breakfast ... I'm going to give you the fuck of your life, Ross Stevens. I mean ... if you aren't repelled by me and all."

Her lips spread in a playful smile before she plopped the rest of the black, crispy meat into her mouth.

It felt good to get it out, even if there were none of the unpleasant details involved. And her response was to crawl into his lap and give him a meaningful kiss. That felt good.

She set the food before them and, digging in, casually said, "Later, after breakfast ... I'm going to give you the fuck of your life, Ross Stevens. I mean ... if you aren't repelled by me and all."

Ross smiled. "I thought that was yesterday. Do you mean to say you were holding out on me, Liv Green?"

They ate. They fucked. They came.

After, Ross held Liv in his arms, desperate to hold this moment and knowing it couldn't possibly last. They would have to deal with Liv's situation and he had to decide if he was willing to get involved. She'd suggested she could use some protection. Of that, he had no doubt, though perhaps less than she led on.

"Well, you were holding out on me. But I forgive you."

After they'd laid in one another's arms for some time, Liv asked in a soft voice, "So, is this morning sex? Or, is this a nooner? I mean, it's only ten. So, it's not a nooner. But then, we got up, took a ride, made some calls ... told each other about our fucked up lives ... so ... it's not really morning sex either."

Liv laughed and kissed Ross's bare chest. She felt so at home here, naked, in his arms, in a warm, comfortable bed. Well, warm anyway. "You really need to get a new mattress, Ross. I know it's just a weekend getaway, but, c'mon."

They talked and joked about the cabin, roughing it, and more. Liv reached down to grasp and stroke his sticky cock back to life. She slid atop him, put him inside once again, and told him just to lay there without moving. She didn't really know how long they lay there; exhausted, Liv was in and out of consciousness.

"I gotta pee again," she finally said when her full bladder called for her attention. She slipped on just her coat and Ross's boots and went outside to her little spot around the corner. When she came back in, stripped, and crawled in atop Ross, she was trembling, her skin freezing. "Fuck, you're warm."

Liv hadn't felt so at home with a man in so long. But as they lay there naked against one another, just cuddling and sometimes caressing, she couldn't help but wonder whether it was all about sex. They would have to test their relationship by not fucking like rabbits for a while. But ... not right now. She scooched Ross over to the wall, rolled to her belly, and told him, "Do that again."

One of the biggest of her orgasms with Ross had been on her belly, legs together, with him atop her, his knees flanking her own. There had been something about feeling his full weight atop her as just a bit of his cock entered and exited her. She felt a bit bad for Ross, of course; only a few of his inches of shaft could get inside her pussy from that angle. But the way his cock's head pressed against the forward wall of her love canal simply drove Liv crazy. She had cum in rapid succession perhaps six or seven times over a minute or two. Such amazing ecstasy had been a new experience to Liv, one she hoped to experience with Ross for a very long time to come.

He did it again to her. And when she was done and had him roll her over to finish himself off at an angle that allowed him full penetration, they laid down and fell asleep in one another's arms once again. Liv awoke to the sound and smell of lunch cooking. She lay there for the longest time, just watching the semi-dressed Ross working in the over-heated cabin. She hadn't seem him wandering about in long john bottoms until now. And though she'd obviously seem him naked, this was somehow very erotic to her. The tight fitting, presumably-manmade material clunk to him like a woman's yoga pants would, except for the different look of the material, of course. Liv could make out the powerful leg muscles and -- depending on his orientation to her -- his cute ass or major frontal bulge.

When Ross finally realized that she'd been watching him, Liv laughed and blushed. She told him, "Well, Mister Stevens, I have to tell you. You look good enough to eat. Bring that bod' of yours over here."

She sat up in the bed, naked, shivering a bit to the sudden drop in temperature, despite the extra large fire burning in the stove. She kissed him passionately, then pulled the long johns down in front to allow his hardening cock to get some air. After he was once again hard, Liv pushed him away a bit and leaned forward to take much of his length into her mouth. She was careful, and soon she was feeling his head entering her throat. But she stopped after a bit, knowing that she couldn't sustain this posture, nor could he likely cum again after all the explosions she'd already caused him over the last couple of hours.

"Finish your lunch, Ross," Liv told him, standing to get dressed. She pulled his underwear back up over his erection and slapped his ass. "I want to talk to you after I bathe."

By the time she'd taken a quick bath in the big metal tub full of hot water, Ross had lunch on the table. She dressed comfortably, sat, ate with him, and then contemplated their future together.

"I don't think we should see each other for a while," she said bluntly. "I mean, after we get out of here."

"How about brunch sex?" he offered to her question about what they'd just had. "And if you have problem with the mattress, you'll have to help pick out a new one...and break it in."

They dozed and held one another. Liv popped outside and then they cuddled some more before she asked for a repeat performance in a position she seemed to rather enjoy...judging by the unrelenting chain of orgasms it produced. He'd never been with a woman with such a high sex drive nor so orgasmic. It was very fun, to say the least.

Liv dozed off again in his arms and he laid there, contemplating the future and what he might or might not be willing to do for this woman. He most definitely was falling for her and had already compromised himself a little bit in concealing her criminal activities. But he was also leery of projecting too much of the last couple days on how things might be between them once they were back in civilization. Cooped up in a tiny cabin with nothing else to do probably wasn't a fair gauge of a new relationship.

His stomach grumbled and his watch said it was well past noon. No one had come for them and Liv seemed content to wait it out in the cabin, at least for the moment. Leaving her to sleep, he climbed out of bed and slipped into some long johns and get to work on lunch.

He caught her staring, having missed her wake, and she complimented his body and beckoned him over. That led to a nice little blowjob that he was too spent to climax from, and then he was back to finishing lunch while she taunted him with another bucket bath. Damn, she had an amazing figure.

They ate lunch over small talk for a bit before Liv dropped something of a big one on him. "I don't think we should see each other for a while. I mean, after we get out of here."

Ross's first reaction was hurt. This was it, her way out, and she was just being honest. But he considered it, on top of everything else, and thought it might be something else entirely.

"For a while," he repeated. "Which means you haven't had enough of me, yet."

Ross smiled, took a drink, and pushed back his empty plate, considering her for a bit.

"These last couple days have been among the best I've ever had," he said. "And I'd say that even if it wasn't for the amazing sex. But for a guy whose life has been a whole lot of hurt and disappointment, I tend to take gifts with a bit of...trepidation.

"So, what I'm trying to say is...okay. I'm sure you have a good reason, and that's good enough for me. I'm content to wait, if it means there's a chance we don't simply part ways for good."

"For a while," he repeated. "Which means you haven't had enough of me, yet."

Liv smiled, diverted her gaze, and -- to her surprise -- blushed. She could have Ross every day, ten times a day, and still never have enough of him. As if reading and mirroring her own thoughts, he spoke of how amazing the sex had been. They he talked of other things; again, they were some of the same thoughts bouncing about in Liv's own skull.

He finished, "...if it means there's a chance we don't simply part ways for good."

"No," Liv said quickly without even having to think. She looked into Ross's eyes. "No. We're-- I ... I don't want us to part ways. For good. For bad. For anything. I just--"

Liv was afraid she was going to start crying. She stood and turned her back to Ross, refilling her coffee mug and asking him if wanted more as well. After she was sure she had control over her tear ducts, Liv turned to face her lover as she sipped carefully from the steaming cup.

"I have to know that there's more to us than fucking," she said bluntly. "Ross ... I love fucking you. And ... that would be enough for me ... just to spend time in your bed. But..."

Liv searched for words to explain what she was feeling. She'd fallen in love quickly with men in the past, far back in her past, before she'd learned that such love was usually nothing more than lust. She didn't want to have that kind of a relationship with Ross. She sipped at the mug again to buy some time.

"There are people out there looking for me," she continued, shifting to another important topic. "I need to know exactly who is ... and exactly what they want from me ... and ... exactly how I am going to get out of the shit hole I've fallen into."

The con obviously hadn't gone the way it was supposed to have. A naked man ranting as he ran about a hotel and the curb beyond before being arrested, all of it caught on camera and posted to YouTube? Really? Something hadn't gone the way it was supposed to.

"I just--" Liv's words ceased as a sob nearly escaped. She paused, choked it back down, and finished, "I just need to deal with my situation with Carl ... before ... before I figure out my situation with you."

Ross reassured Liv he understood. It was a relief, honestly, to hear that she was invested enough in him to be worried about how everything else going on in her life might impact a possible future between them. Or she could be conning him. He didn't believe she was, yet it was impossible to completely shake it.

The afternoon passed amicably. Since they would be getting plowed out tomorrow, Ross set to shoveling out his truck as best he could. The plow couldn't get too close and more than three feet of snow took time to remove. Liv eagerly helped and they made pretty good time clearing it out. Just seeing his truck again, not the massive white mound it had become, felt like the surest sign yet of things coming to an end here at the cabin.

From there, they played more cards and chatted about life. Liv shared a few more stories of her cons, enough to impress Ross with her skills while concerning him that this was indeed a career for her rather than a thrilling opportunist. He had no belief that she had any malice behind her actions and, indeed, most seemed targeted against some sketchy people to begin with. Still, how would he deal with her criminal behavior if their relationship evolved?

While Liv cooked dinner, Ross set up some noise-maker traps around the cabin - empty cans filled with nails, washers, and other bits of metal tied to strings and concealed. He didn't expect trouble, but since he couldn't rule it out he took the simple precaution of an early alert system. He also dug a pistol out of his gun safe and made sure it was close to the bed.

Liv had gotten quieter, perhaps more introspective, and Ross didn't push her. They went to bed together, but only held one another and feel into a comforting sleep. The sound traps remained as undisturbed as their slumber.

Ross woke with the first rays of sunlight streaking in the window, still glad to have Liv by his side. He considered what their next move would be, where she would get off to, and what he had to pack and otherwise tidy up around the cabin before they left.

When Liv stirred and smiled up at him, he said, "Good morning, Liv."

After giving her enough time to fully come to her senses, he asked, "So, you mentioned perhaps needing a security detail. Are you still thinking that? And would that be before or after you deal with...your other issues?"