Characters: reader, Kurt (Steve).

Summary: The moment he walked into your Wintery, small town, you knew there was something different about him. Little did you know that the man you began to fall for wasn't who he appeared to be. On an unexpected, snowy night, the truth comes out and everything changes. Can one night alter the course of your entire life? [Canon, events take place shortly before CATWS]

Warnings: Mentions of drinking and sex. ;)

Word Count: 2.2k

Song Inspiration: Save Tonight by Eagle Eye Cherry, The Night We Met by Lord Huron

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Previously:

He huffed out a sigh and walked toward the fireplace. "I just...I can't. Not like this."

"What do you mean, 'not like this'? Not here? Not with me? I mean, I definitely want this but it's okay if you don't feel..." you began, trying to ease the sting of rejection once again. Your heart couldn't take much more.

"No!" he whirled your way. "I do! I do want this...you. You have no idea how much, but I just don't feel good about...deceiving you," he confessed, a flicker of guilt glancing over his handsome features.

"I....what?" you uttered, now more confused than ever.

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"Y/N...I'm not the man you think I am," he said in a low voice as he paced the floor. "I, um...I came here as an undercover agent to learn about the inner workings of Snow Peaks Lumber and get close to the boss, you know, get him to trust me. I just...I don't want to lie anymore," he confessed with a sigh.

You processed his words and then finally scoffed in disbelief. "Undercover? Seriously? Come on. So what, you're lying about being in the CIA or something so you can get into my pants?" you accused bitterly.

His cheeks flushed at your venomous response, but he replied calmly. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but...weren't we headed that direction anyway? I mean, why would I stop what was happening and lie to you if I was already getting what I wanted, supposedly?" he asked you.

Slumping back against the couch, you had to admit, he had a point. "So...you're confessing to me and breaking your cover just because you didn't want to be dishonest and sleep with me? What kind of boy scout are you?"

It was his turn to scoff then, rubbing a hand over his bearded face with hair tousled from your previously intimate moment. He kept silent, however, making the curiosity burn even more within you.

"Why are you telling me this, Kurt?" you asked. He flinched at the last word and it dawned on you. "Wait...that's not even your real name, is it?" you demanded with a sharp tone.

"No, it's not. It's...Steve," he finally answered after a short internal debate.

"And that's your actual name?" you asked, suspicious, and he nodded. Sitting in silence a moment, you played with the edge of the blanket and thought it over. Could you really fault him for telling the truth? Unbelievable as it sounded, it was better than some scumbag telling you after he got you into bed. So you made a decision and stood. "Hi, Steve. I'm Y/N," you said with a smile while extending your hand.

Kurt...no, Steve. Steve eyed you and waited a beat before wrapping his hand around yours in a shake. "Hi," he replied hesitantly.

"It's nice to meet you."

He withdrew his hand slowly and you crossed your arms over your chest, taking a breath. "So...you're not upset?" he asked timidly.

You just shrugged. "Not really. Disappointed, maybe, but if what you're saying is true, then I can't blame you for doing your job. So, let's just sit down and have another glass of wine. We're not going anywhere for a while, so might as well enjoy ourselves," you offered, taking a seat on the couch once again.

The blond hesitated, but did as you suggested and sat down with glass in hand.

You both took a drink in silence, and then you let out a small giggle. "I knew the name Kurt didn't fit you," you bragged, catching his eye.

Steve chuckled then, "I know. The alias was chosen for me, so...I thought I was caught right then and there in your trailer. Almost blew my cover because you'd seen right through me. So much for covert infiltration..." he trailed off.

"Isn't that something you're used to? The lying, I mean?" you inquired, curiosity piqued.

"No," said with a shake of his head. "I don't do this sort of thing often, but I was the best man for the job, so here I am," he spoke, throwing his arms out and putting his god-like physique on display.

Chewing on your lip a moment, you asked the question that was gnawing at you. "So...get close to the boss. I guess it makes sense you might use the boss's daughter to get to him, huh? Is that why you're with me?"

"Wha—no!" he uttered quickly. "No, Y/N...I, um...it's quite the opposite, in fact. I liked you before I knew who you were. The intel we had didn't mention a daughter, so when you told me at the bar, I was shocked. I had to check in and share any contacts I had made, so I mentioned you and they—my bosses, I mean—they wanted to use you to get inside information, but I just...I couldn't. I tried to tell them that you were estranged and there wasn't a reason to pull you into this. I didn't want to involve you," he said with a sigh, playing with his empty glass. "That's why I tried to keep my distance and said no to your invitation. Any other time, I would have asked you out in a heartbeat. We have a lot of shared interests and you're gorgeous and funny, but...I tried to stay away."

Your heart both swelled and sank at the thought of him feeling the same way and yet stopping himself. So you weren't entirely undesirable, at least. "What changed your mind? Why agree to go out today if you intended to avoid me?" you threw it all out there, needing answers.

Steve rubbed a hand on the back of his neck with a sigh. "Because I'm selfish. I wanted to spend time with you and I only had one day left here, so..."

"Wait, what? You're leaving?" you broke in, nearly leaving your seat in surprise.

He nodded in regret. "Yes. They gave me a few days to wrap everything up and I'm scheduled for extraction tomorrow morning."

"Wow. That sucks," you blurted.

"I know, trust me," he set his lips in a straight line, meeting your eye. "I kind of wish I could stay a little longer," he confessed.

Feeling a squeeze of your heart, you swallowed the lump in your throat. "Me, too."

There was a lull in conversation as your limited time together hovered over both your heads. He finally broke the ice and attempted to change the subject.

"So, um...I know you said that you weren't really happy being back here. What do you hope to do in the future?" he asked, throwing his arm over the back of the couch.

You considered the question carefully. "Hm. I have a hard time making set plans right now because it feels too big to move forward just yet. But eventually, I want to save some money, find a job in a new city, and start fresh," you told him with a flourish of your hand.

He nodded. "I get that. Needing a change. I've been working in the city for a while now and it's been refreshing to be out here in the wild."

"Which city?" you asked, deciding to push your luck.

Steve smirked at you then. "Nice try, but I can't really tell you much about myself. For your own safety, of course," he assured you.

"Right," you pursed your lips. "Can you tell me anything at all? Big or small family...general region where you came from...relationship status...favorite color....hobbies?" you listed in hopes of getting at least something out of him.

He took a deep breath, eyeing you carefully. "Okay. I'll give you some vague details. I, um...I grew up on the East coast. Small family, most of whom are gone now. I enjoy drawing in my spare time, which I don't have much of these days, and my favorite color is blue," he finished with a smile. "And...unattached," Steve leaned forward pointedly to finally answer your last unanswered question.

Taking in that information, you thought back to the first moment you laid eyes on the stranger on the street and how you had arrived here. Snowed in at a cabin with that stranger who despite weeks of conversation, you still knew almost nothing about. You knew the bare basics now, but still.

A random thought crossed your mind from that night, so you asked with nothing to lose, really. "Do you usually have a beard? I mean, I saw you that first night you arrived and you looked almost clean-shaven. Did you grow it for your 'role' " you inquired, putting the last word in air quotes.

Steve grinned at that, stroking the magnificent and well-trimmed beard on his handsome face. "You're very observant. I will say, the beard is a new experience, but I kinda like it," he said with a shrug.

"I like it, too," you agreed, holding his gaze. There was still that fire in his eyes, but now caged, longing to break free. You could feel the electricity flowing between you and in one split second, you decided to stop fighting it, no matter the consequences.

Setting down your glass of wine, you rose to your knees on the couch cushions and slowly eased your way over to Steve until you were beside him. Taking his glass from his hand to join yours on the coffee table, he watched your movement as you placed a hand on the armrest at his side and the other on the back of the couch. Caging him with your arms, you were almost hovering over him.

"Y/N, what—" he began to ask, but you pressed a kiss against his lips to silence him before pulling away an inch. "Are you sure about this?" he asked you, now catching up to your line of thinking.

"Yes," you answered with absolute certainty. "It may be only one night, but I don't want to have any regrets in my life and right now, I want you," you replied, raising a hand to rest against his whiskered cheek.

A wide smile spreading across his lips, he let go of all restraint, wrapping his strong arms around you and pulling you tight against his chest. Your hands found his silky strands once again as you moved to straddle him, but in that moment he instead lifted you and pressed your back into the cushions. He settled between your legs and you felt his hands explore, fingers working on the buttons of your flannel shirt.

It was then that you yelped, but not in a pleasurable way.

"What? What happened? Are you okay?" he pulled back in concern.

"Yeah, just a broken spring digging into my back. Bedroom, maybe?" you offered and within seconds he was lifting you in his arms and walking to the other room.

He held you easily with one arm while he yanked the white sheet covering the bed with the other. You bounced lightly on the mattress where he had dropped you, then watched as he peeled the too-tight shirt from his sculpted upper body. You almost forgot to breathe upon seeing his beautiful form. Catching up, you finished unbuttoning your own shirt and slipped it down your arms. It was his turn to marvel this time, his gaze raking over your half-undressed figure.

Steve crawled onto the bed and hovered over you before capturing your lips in his. "You're so beautiful," he muttered against your lips as your hands mapped every inch of his bare torso.

Each article of clothing then fell to the floor in succession and soon there was nothing but his skin against yours. Steve nipped and sucked against the whole expanse of your bare flesh, leaving you writhing under him before his lips returned to your mouth and you were joined as one.

That entire night was spent learning each other in the most intimate ways, his beard brushing against your most sensitive skin and drawing uninhibited groans of pleasure from you. Some time in the early hours, you finally collapsed from exhaustion and fell asleep in his arms.

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Opening one eye, you became aware of the early morning light in the room along with the memorable soreness that spread throughout your body. Wide smile stretching across your face, you reached a hand over to the other side of the bed only to discover cold sheets and a crinkling sound emanating from where your fingertips had landed. Lifting your upper body onto one elbow, you grasped what turned out to be a piece of paper and read what was written with a sinking heart.

Please forgive me.

How I wish I could stay...

— S.

Dropping the paper, you fell back against the pillows and let the tears fall silently. You knew it was going to happen, but in the cold reality of morning, the truth was much harder to swallow.

Once you had dressed and made sure to douse the fire, you walked outside to find the storm gone and several new inches of fresh, powdery snow that had fallen during the night. The snowmobile was somehow parked a few feet from the door and after checking the gauge, you saw it was now full of gas. How Steve had managed to do that or in what sort of vehicle he had left was a mystery to you, but taking a deep breath, you straddled the sled and brought the machine to life with a press of a button

Heading back to town, you let your mind wander to the night before, knowing that even if it wasn't your happy ending, you had no regrets. Your time with Steve would never be forgotten, but it was necessary to let him go and move forward without him. You most likely would never see him again, and you had to come to terms with that. It was one night. One amazing, spectacular, unforgettable night, and that was all it was. Nothing more.

But soon you would discover that fate had other plans...

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Part 5>>> Coming soon...

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Eeeeee!!!! I've been holding on to that info for so long and I can finally share it!! This part was inspired by the song "Save Tonight" by Eagle Eye Cherry, which I mentioned from the beginning but now it makes sense. ;) This is what I envisioned when i heard it. So what did you think of Steve's confession? I love that she called him a boy scout! haha. I sure wouldn't pass over a chance to spend the night with Lumberjack!Steve. I'd love to know your thoughts on this part! Thank you so much for reading. <3