Chapter 1
“Hello?” a feminine voice called out.
Creek focused all of his attention on finishing up the message to one of his directors.
“Hello?” the voice called out again.
Again, Creek didn’t look up. His powers of concentration were stronger than the allure of a pretty voice.
He heard the sigh and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement, but he didn’t acknowledge the disturbance until he saw an arm reach up for one of the beer pitchers.
That’s when he saw her. Well, he didn’t actually see “her”. His eyes were captured by the most amazing…butt…in a pair of jeans. The best butt he’d ever seen. Somehow, calling that perfect derriere an “ass”, as he normally would, just didn’t do the woman’s round backside justice. It was a piece of art, absolute perfection. E-mail forgotten as he continued to watch, enticed by the round derriere in his line of vision. His hands were itching to feel that perfection, and even explore the slender waist above that pert derriere.
And then it was gone! He looked up, ready to grumble out an order to the woman, demanding that she turn back around. But all the words disappeared from his mouth, from his mind, as the most glorious woman stood in front of him. Those almond shaped, blue eyes surrounded by dark, luxurious lashes simply couldn’t be real. She must be wearing colored lenses and fake lashes because nature just didn’t create beauty like that on its own. And that mouth! Damn, but he’d like to taste that mouth! He wanted to kiss those full lips and taste the nectar of this woman, bury his hands in her amazing, dark hair scattered in waves over her shoulders, teasing his mind just as the ends tantalized her breasts.
His body reacted hard and fast, his mind fizzling as his eyes traveled higher once more. He caught the delicate blush on her lovely cheeks and almost chuckled as anticipation sizzled through him.
“Sorry,” the enticing beauty whispered, holding the still-empty pitcher and a ten dollar bill. “I was going to pay for it. But I didn’t see anyone behind the bar.”
Creek looked at the cash, but his eyes could only see her slender fingers and imagine those fingers running down his chest, wrapping around his….
Coming to his senses slowly, he cleared his throat and tossed his cell phone onto the countertop. The message was only half finished but he didn’t give a damn. Every one of his priorities had shifted in the last ten seconds. No longer was he thinking about the latest business acquisition or the quarterly profit reports from each of his company directors. His entire focus was on this woman, on her incredible figure, and trying to figure out how he could get her alone so that he could find out more about her.
Stepping out of the storage area just off the bar, where he’d been working on his laptop, he walked behind the bar. “I’ll get it for you. Where are you sitting?” he asked, his voice a raspy noise that irritated him. Not so smooth, he thought as he took the pitcher out of her hands.
His goddess pointed to the table where a group of women were sitting, laughing about something with their heads practically touching at the round table near the back corner of The Rotten Apple, the bar he and his three friends owned together.
“Thanks,” she said and backed up so that their bodies wouldn’t touch while he poured the beer into the pitcher.
He nodded to the table, indicating that she should go ahead and sit down. His ulterior motive? He wanted to see that perfect butt one more time as she walked to the back of the bar. “I’ll bring it over to you with some glasses,” he told her.
Her smile hit his stomach like a sucker punch, but he couldn’t look away. “I appreciate it,” she told him, looking down at her shoes and then at the space around the bar. There was no way out from behind the bar except to go behind him. Thankfully, there wasn’t much room behind him. Her eyes looked up into his and he felt that glance. Right down to his groin.
He wasn’t moving either. If she wanted out, she was going to have to slide behind him. He knew he was being a jerk, but hell, he didn’t care. He wanted her. And damn, he was going to have her. The pretty little brunette with the long lashes shouldn’t have stepped behind the bar if she didn’t want to play with the big bad wolf.
She reached up and grabbed the beer mugs as a reason not to slide behind him and he chuckled at her obvious escape. She smiled nervously back at him, but only shrugged one of her dainty shoulders.
Damn, she was beautiful. And he hadn’t run into a woman who could blush since…well, he couldn’t remember a woman ever blushing around him. His lady-friends were normally a bit more experienced. That was pretty much a requirement for him, but he’d make an exception for this woman. Hell, he’d make a lot of exceptions for her.
Violet stared. Hard. This man was…hard! All over!
And huge! She’d never seen a man so tall or with shoulders that wide. Even his long sleeved shirt was having trouble stretching across those shoulders and expanding enough to accommodate his bulging biceps. She would feel pity for the material but…well, she was too fascinated by all of those muscles.
Her fingers clenched more tightly around the handles of the beer mugs and her brain repeated over and over, “Don’t touch! Don’t touch!” It would be rude to run her fingers over his muscular chest.
Wouldn’t it?
She felt a burning sensation as he poured the beer into the pitcher and realized that she was holding her breath. Unfortunately, there was no way she could breathe in. She’d just have to do without oxygen. Forever. Because this man smelled perfect. The woodsy, spicy scent was making even her fingernails ache to breathe in the scent of him. But she couldn’t. Her sweater was too thin, and her confidence too small. Men like this guy didn’t look at her twice so she needed to just keep it under wraps.
My, oh my! He was every woman’s dream man, she thought. Tall, dark hair and eyes that seemed to notice everything. He was looking down at her with a strange light in his eyes, and all she wanted to do was step closer, breathe in all that woodsy scent, and maybe bury her nose in the warm skin of his neck. And breathe in again!
She was being a pervert, she thought and backed up a step. All those creepy, stalker movies where the woman had a knife and the guy couldn’t convince the woman that he wasn’t interested…yeah, those movie scenes were flashing around in her mind.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to invade your space,” she croaked out. “I just…”
His smile made her stomach muscles clench with excitement. Oh my! This was dangerous! “No problem. I was distracted, and you needed to start…,” he glanced to the back of the bar, then down to her again. “What are you celebrating?” he asked.
“Um…” she looked to the back where her friends were sitting. Unfortunately, with this man looking down at her with those hard, sexy brown eyes, all she could think about was him. His broad shoulders, the muscles flexing in his forearms where he’d rolled up his sleeves, and everything else about this man.
When she glanced back again, she realized what was going on. “Oh! Yeah. Um…my friend is getting married!” She smiled, feeling like a prized idiot, but unable to stop herself.
He’d filled the pitcher with beer and turned to face her, looking down at her with a look that almost seemed…expectant. She’d thought she might be able to escape, but as she looked up at him, he didn’t seem inclined to move.
That sexy smile widened and her stomach flipped again. He really needed to stop doing that! “Ah. Well, then, you’re in luck tonight.”
Violet’s heart skipped a beat. Several beats in fact. Then roared to life, pounding in her chest. She was fairly certain that he could see the pounding. Wasn’t her chest moving back and forth like in the cartoons?
“I am?” she asked softly, unaware of how she was hugging the beer mugs against her chest as she stared up at him. Nor was she aware of the longing in her blue eyes, or the anticipation in her body language. All she knew was that this man was possibly the most handsome man she’d ever seen in her life. And she wanted to move closer.
Violet felt foolish because he probably had women standing in line outside his bedroom door, wanting their turn. Good grief, if she could find the line, she’d wait her turn as well!
And besides, he was a bartender. He charmed the ladies every night in order to get better tips. In an area like Winthrop, Alaska, he couldn’t be making a whole lot of money.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t the kind of woman that this man would genuinely find interesting. She was mousy and more than a little boring. She rarely dated and the men who normally asked her out were the nerdy ones with the big glasses and braces.
Not the he-man, gorgeous, sexy, god-like men, who had rippling muscles and granite hard jawlines that made a woman want to run her fingers over his warm skin.
“Yeah. Tonight only is free drinks for all bachelorette parties,” Creek told her. His reward was her smile brightening, and he couldn’t believe how badly he wanted to toss her over his shoulder and carry her into the storage room. He wanted to have his wicked way with her just as much as he wanted to just stare at her beautiful smile. Everything about this woman was enticing, right down to her boot-covered toes.
“You’re kidding,” she came right back, her eyes showing her disbelief.
“No joke,” he replied immediately. “All drinks, on the house. Bachelorette parties only though.”
Violet laughed, shaking her head. “There’s no such thing.”
He shrugged one of those huge shoulders. “Don’t believe me then. Just try and pay your tab. Won’t be one.”
With that, he carried the pitcher of beer to the back of the room, setting the pitcher down in the center of their table with a soft thunk. “Ladies, which of you is the lucky one?” he asked.
The whole group looked up and twittered with laughter at the sight of the gorgeous hunk standing beside their table. Instantly, Violet felt proprietary and wanted to push him back to the bar where her friends couldn’t get to the man. But she stood next to him, clutching the beer mugs as if her life depended on them remaining in her hands.
Creek was used to this kind of reaction, but ignored it all, preferring the soft, husky laugh of the woman at his side. “I am,” a cute blond woman said. “But I’ll break it off if you promise to take his place!”
Creek refrained from rolling his eyes but he turned back to Blue Eyes. “I think I’m already taken,” he told the women. “Let me know when you need another round,” he said softly to her. “I’ll keep ‘em coming.”
“Thanks,” Violet replied, glad for the dim lighting in the bar that hopefully hid her blush.
“I’m Creek,” he said, sticking out his hand.
Violet set the beer mugs down on the table, ignoring her friends who were still twittering with excitement over the handsome mountain man’s flirtations. “I’m Violet.”
“Pleased to meet you, Violet,” he said, and took her delicate hand in his big one, not letting her hand go for a long moment.
“Same to you Creek,” she said. A more seasoned woman would say something flirtatious, maybe even move closer to him. Someone more confident would show this guy that she was interested.
But instead, Violet’s lashes lowered over her eyes, and she pulled back. “You really should charge us for the drinks, Creek. I don’t want you to get in trouble with your boss.”
Creek laughed softly, and Violet trembled with the crazy feelings that stormed through her body with the sound. Everything inside of her was completely aware of this man. And aware of the fact that she was a woman! For the first time in her life, she knew what it was like to be floored by a man. This man. He was amazing. Charm oozed from him, and there was a deep intelligence in his eyes that made her stomach tingle with anticipation. Heat stole up her arm from the strength of his hand and she couldn’t believe how painfully she was blushing.
“I guarantee that the owner would fully support the free drinks tonight. Enjoy the party, Violet. Just give me a signal when you’re ready for more.”
With that, he walked away and Violet sighed, wondering what she could have done differently. The man was absolutely gorgeous and amazing.
So out of her league, she told herself.
But with a great butt!
Violet didn’t realize that she was staring at Creek as he walked back to the bar. Nor did she realize that her friends were watching her stare at Creek as he walked away.
“Honey, why don’t you go over there and tell him to take you back into the storage room?” Jane whispered with a little nudge.
Violet jerked out of her fantasy at that comment, looking down at her friends. “Storage room?” she asked blankly, walking around the table to the empty chair. “Why would I…?”
The other women around the table burst out laughing, but in a good way. They weren’t spiteful women. The exact opposite in fact. These ladies were wonderful and supportive, all more than ready to cheer on their friends instead of taking them down like some females could be.
“Honey, if you don’t know why you’d go into the storage room with that hunk of gorgeousness, then we need to talk!” Beth said, and the ladies all started laughing again.
Violet rolled her eyes, pretending like the idea was ridiculous. But in reality, it really was. Crazy. The man was too good looking, and way too buff, to be interested in a woman like her.
She glanced over at the bar, then quickly away when she realized he was staring right back at her. For several moments, she held her breath, the muscles in her body tightening with awareness. It was crazy, she thought, as she slowly released her breath. Whew! She had to keep her eyes from…
Oh my! A blond woman with painted on jeans and the tightest shirt, which showed off more than it hid, just walked into the bar. And yawza! That woman had a pair on her! Those beauties were huge! Violet bit her lower lip as the woman leaned over, her blood-red lips smiling up at her…um…THE bartender.
And just that quickly, all the excitement of the night vanished. The gorgeous man laughed at whatever the bodacious blond said and winked.
Violet’s shoulders sagged with defeat and disappointment. Not that she’d thought she had a chance with the bartender. Not in any way or in any world in which she inhabited. She was mousy and boring. The blond was way more the bartender’s type.
Her friends were laughing about something, she had no idea what. But she forced a smile to her face, and pretended to be laughing as well. Unfortunately, the night had lost its luster the moment Blondie had walked in. She hated women with boobs. And she hated women with blond hair.
For a moment, she stared down at her own jeans. They weren’t tight, but were comfortable and well worn, nothing to make a man’s eyes pop out of his head like that woman’s boobs.
Ugh! She was obsessing about another woman’s boobs! This was ridiculous.
“Hellooooo!” Beth was calling out.
Violet blinked, and suddenly realized that everyone was staring at her. “Sorry, what?”
The four others laughed, although Violet had no idea what could be so funny. Then the empty pitcher was plunked down in front of her. “We’re out of beer. We’ve all nominated you to get another pitcher, since you get them free.”
Violet instantly started shaking her head. “No, I can’t…”
She didn’t have to. A full pitcher of beer was set down in the center of the table. While the ladies around her cheered and clapped, Violet gasped with the heat that seared her shoulder. The tall, gorgeous bartender’s hand was resting on her shoulder, and she knew, absolutely knew, that the skin underneath her sweater would blister because of the heat coming from his hand.
Her eyes snapped up to his, and the noise of the bar faded away. His dark eyes had the same effect as his hand, searing through her body, right down to her stomach. Clenching her fingers in her lap, she refused to let her hand reach up and touch that hard jaw. And no way was she going to run her fingers over the tanned skin of his forearm. It wasn’t any business of hers to know if the dark hairs on that forearm were soft or rough. No way! Her fingers curled into fists in her lap, trying to resist the urge to reach out and touch him.
“I’ll take care of you,” his deep voice said. Had his lips actually brushed her ear? Impossible! She was imagining things.
When she looked up again, he was gone. And damn him! He needed to un-tuck that shirt from his soft jeans so that she wasn’t scoping out his….
The silence finally hit her, and she swung her head back to her friends. All of them were once again staring at her, but this time, their mouths were hanging open. Just like hers, probably.
Jerking upright, she blinked, trying to get her head back in the game. “What?” she asked as she reached for the new pitcher and started to pour the beer. But she had to stop because her hand was shaking too badly.
“You have it bad,” Beth commented, with a kind but excited smile.
Debbie agreed. “I think he does as well,” and she nodded her head over at the bar.
Sure enough, the bartender was looking right at Violet.
Violet ignored everyone’s teasing laughter when her cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink. “We’re not here to set me up. We’re here to celebrate Jane’s wedding!”
Sherry, the fifth in the group and newly married herself, laughed once again. “Honey, we are experts at multi-tasking. Right ladies?”
All of them lifted their beer mugs into the air, but Violet only sipped her beer. She wouldn’t look at the man again. He had Boobie Barbie to look at. Violet’s little C cup boobs were hidden away underneath a sweater, barely even recognizable as breasts. Especially compared to Ms. Quadruple D Cup Boobie Barbie at the Bar!
Good grief, Violet admonished herself, alliteration was getting out of control. She focused on the conversation at the table, which mostly consisted of advice to Jane about how to handle the first year of marriage and how to get through the weeklong honeymoon. “Men will want it all the time,” Debbie was saying, while rolling her eyes.
“And once you’re married, guys think it is their right!” Beth added.
The glum advice about married life continued, and Violet wasn’t sure what to think. She wanted to be married, desperately wanted a man to share her life with. But the way Debbie, Beth and Jane were talking, maybe remaining single was the best option. She didn’t want to have to clean up after a man all the time, or deal with him coming home drunk after being out with his buddies until all hours of the night. And she definitely didn’t want to have to fight off her husband when he made a pass every night, demanding sex.
Was this really what married life was like?
She had no idea. Her mother raised her after her father had left them. And after her mother had married George, the man who was ostensibly her stepfather, it hadn’t been a good relationship.
Her mother was gone now, having passed away from cancer a few years ago and the loneliness that haunted her most nights could sometimes be painful. Was that why she let George hang out at the store so often even though he wasn’t pulling his weight?
Taking a deep breath, she wondered why anyone got married. She glanced over to the bar again, her body jerking to life once more when she noticed that the bartender was still watching her. His eyes looked…was that concern in his eyes now?
She didn’t want pity! No way! Pity was for people without choices. She had choices and a good life.
She pushed the man from her mind, not wanting to think about men or marriage or her lonely nights when she craved a warm man to cuddle up to instead of piling on another blanket. Alaska nights could be cold, but that didn’t mean she wanted…she could deal with…
She was strong and had a good life. With a sigh, she dismissed the man. Or tried to. He’d probably be going home with Boobie Barbie tonight anyway.
Tucker, Knox and Saeger walked into the bar at that moment and Creek almost groaned with irritation. The four of them owned The Rotten Apple together, each owned their own mountain and had basically adopted the small town of Winthrop, Alaska. No one in the town really knew the full extent of each man’s wealth, but just one of them alone could make stock markets in different countries fluctuate with a single statement. So saying each man was a powerhouse in the world of business was understating their influence. They lived in Alaska, but when one of them left the state, the rest of the world quaked with fear of what would come next. Creek’s business empire was built on oil. Not so much retrieving oil from the ground, although he had a company that did exactly that. But the bulk of his wealth came from making oil work better. He had a team of chemists that figured out how to refine the oil more effectively or create additives that made the oil more efficient.
And he invested in other companies that applied the same technology to improving gas and oil usage. At one point, he’d been offered an obscene amount of money to stop his work. Problem was, at that time, his net worth was higher than the amount offered.
Besides, he enjoyed his work, he enjoyed the mental challenges.
And yes, he enjoyed working at The Rotten Apple. The four of them worked long hours in their mountain homes managing their various empires. They needed the mental downtime that tending bar or stocking the bar, even cleaning the tables and waiting on the customers provided. Not to mention, these were good people. They were down-to-earth, hardworking men and women who risked their lives most days in order to make enough money to put food on the table for their families. Working at The Rotten Apple grounded Creek, made him remember what was important. It also helped him to know what was going on in the world and gave him ideas. Hearing these men and women talk about their work, their days and their challenges gave him ideas on how to make life better. Sometimes the ideas were specific to this community but most of the time, he could send his ideas out to one of his companies and tell them to make something work.
He suspected that Knox, Saeger and Tucker did the same thing, and used The Rotten Apple in the same way. All of them were big guys, loved the challenge of the business world, and all four of them would jump on any daredevil idea thrown their way. Surfing bore tides was their latest adventure. And when the surf was up, all four of them would be down on the channel, surfing for as long as their skills could take them. Creek’s record was riding the spring bore tide for twenty miles. That had been a great run and he was hoping to top that this next year.
Right at the moment, his challenge was getting that shy beauty to look his way again. On a normal night, he would have simply sat down and talked to her, learned more about her. But she was in a group celebrating tonight which put him at a disadvantage.
He had to resist the urge to pull her out of that chair, drag her into the dance area and simply wrap his arms around her. She looked like she could use a shoulder to cry on right at the moment and he had some big ones.
Unfortunately, even while he wanted to comfort her, his body also wanted to make love to her in the most desperate way. He stood behind the bar, cleaning glasses, serving up beer and whiskey, mixing the occasional cocktail, and all the while, his body throbbed with the desire to strip her naked and make love to her for the next twenty-four hours. Maybe even longer!
When she got up to use the restroom, his eyes couldn’t stop absorbing every detail of the woman’s petite figure. Normally, he went for the tall women. But there was something about this little lady that set his body on fire. Never had he felt this instant and furious desire for another woman.
“Okay, time for bed!” Jane called out, lifting her hands into the air and laughing at whatever had just popped into her mind.
Debbie, Sherry and Beth all agreed, but still groaned when they pushed their chairs back and stood up. The bar was still full of patrons, but it wasn’t rowdy or brutally crowded although Violet didn’t understand why. The beer was superior and there wasn’t that disgusting stale beer smell that normally permeated bars. Everything was clean and comfortable.
She pulled her keys out of her purse and started herding the other ladies towards the door.
She was hiding. Oh yes, she was definitely hiding! As she managed to get her group going in the right direction, she made sure to stay behind at least one of them, not wanting Creek to see her again. She was painfully self-conscious of her small boobs and her well-worn jeans. Her hair wasn’t streaked with interesting highlights and she’d barely bothered to put on makeup. She was so completely different from Boobie Barbie and she didn’t want to be compared because Violet knew she’d come up lacking. In every department!
“Going so soon?” Creek asked, stepping behind her and putting a gentle hand on her elbow.
Violet swung around, startled because she’d thought he was still behind the bar. Darn it! She should have looked! She should have figured out his position before she’d tried to sneak out.
“Yes,” she replied, glancing down at her boot covered toes.
“Do you need a ride home? I can just…”
Violet quickly shook her head. “I’m actually the designated driver,” she said, ignoring the warm sensation that snuck up her body with his offer. It was sweet, but he probably offered that to anyone. “Thank you.”
Violet realized that her friends were already out the door. “I have to go,” she told him, feeling self-conscious.
He stopped her. “Come on back another night,” he encouraged. “You never know what specials are happening.”
Violet smiled, looking up at him once again. She didn’t understand the look he was giving her and she felt too inept to simply speak out and ask him why he was stopping her. So instead of setting herself up to look foolish, she bowed her head again and said a simple, “Thanks.”
Hurrying out the door, she berated herself for being so shy and insecure. Darn it, why could she negotiate with the toughest vendors and artists, but when it came to men, especially handsome, gorgeous, tall, and fascinating men like Creek – she became a silly schoolgirl, hiding and cringing away from any sort of connection?
As her friends piled into her Jeep, she looked back at the bar. Violet had to clench her hands to the steering wheel to keep herself from rushing back inside.
“Oh! Wait! I forgot something!” Beth exclaimed, as she jumped out of the vehicle and hurried back inside.
Violet watched, the warm lights of The Rotten Apple beckoning her to go back inside and give Creek her phone number. Wasn’t that how things were done? She could just write her number down on a piece of paper and hurry out. If he didn’t call, she’d be no worse off. If he did call…!
But Beth hurried back out the door and the moment was gone. “Okay, let’s go!” Beth said and slammed the door shut.
Violet was looking back at the bar one last time, so she missed the look that the four other women gave to each other. Beth and Jane even high-fived in the back seat.
Creek stared at the cute woman as she rushed back outside into the darkness, then down at the piece of paper. With a surge of satisfaction, he almost laughed out loud. The piece of paper had Violet’s name, phone number and an address on it. Bingo!
“Looks like you struck out on the cute one,” Knox commented as he moved behind the bar to fill three beers.
Saeger and Tucker were leaning against the other side of the bar and chuckled. “Went down in flames, if you ask me,” Saeger teased.
Creek ignored all of them as he stuffed the paper into his pocket. “Go to hell,” was his only response.
Tucker took a long sip of his beer. “Looks like you might already be there,” he commented, looking pointedly at the painted blond woman who was obviously trying hard to gain Creek’s attention.
Creek glanced over at the woman, then back down at his friends. “Not my type,” he replied, completely uninterested after seeing Violet’s adorable bottom and the way her sweater hid what he suspected were very fine curves. Damn, he thought, shifting uncomfortably as his body hardened just at the memory of the woman reaching up to grab the beer mugs, revealing a small slice of white flesh. Her waist had been so tiny, he suspected he might be able to wrap his hands around it. A smooth, flat stomach and those hips! If he could get her naked, he knew he’d be in heaven.
“Earth to Creek!” Tucker called out.
Knox only chuckled, more of a strong, silent type. But he was a genius at playing the stock market. People begged him to invest their money. He’d more than doubled the money that Creek, Tucker and Saeger had given him over the past few years. What’s more, the man didn’t play the market to make more money. That was only a side benefit. It was like a game to him and he always won. He had a sort of sixth sense about companies and stocks, knowing when to get in and when to get out. Of course, the man played his game with a ferocity that some might call lethal. Others had used the term brutal. But Knox didn’t give a damn. He paid no attention to any of it. Just moved on to the next challenge.
“If you’re so hot for the woman, why are you standing here?” Tucker asked.
Tucker was into environmental technology and the security surrounding his companies was on par with Fort Knox. Everyone wanted to know what he was going to invent next, wanted in on the designs or just to find out when to invest. When he released a product to the world, the world changed.
Creek sighed and picked up another glass to polish. “Because she’s not like the normal bar flies that hang out here. She’s sweet and shy.”
“In other words, she ignored you,” Saeger teased, taking a gulp of his beer.
Saeger was the computer guy among the four. He had gaming companies that others vied to keep up with, and other divisions that sold software technology to appliance manufacturers, car companies, robot tech researchers…you name it, Saeger’s computer geeks could build it. And they’d build it first and build it better.
Creek scowled at the men he had previously considered his friends. Tonight, however, they were the enemy. “Don’t you guys have something better to do?” he grumbled.
“Better than watch you crash and burn?” Tucker asked. “Not a thing.” Saeger and Knox both nodded their heads in agreement.
The four men were so similar that Creek wanted them gone. All four of them were tall with dark hair; although Knox’s was black while the others had just dark hair. In fact, everything about Knox was dark, including his mood most of the time. He shaved perhaps once a week, the rest of the time, he growled and grumbled like an angry bear. Tucker, Saeger and Creek all knew that he wasn’t a man to mess with, although they poked the bear anytime they could.
“It’s a slow night in town. Not much to do but come here and watch you fail.”
Creek rolled his eyes but looked down the bar, making sure everyone’s drink was full.
“Maybe she might just like a different kind of man,” Saeger commented. “She was cute. Maybe…”
Creek’s whole body tensed with a fury unlike anything he’d ever felt before. “Stay away from her,” he growled, his hands fisted at his sides.
Saeger held his hands up in the air, his eyes still teasing. “Message received, loud and clear.”
Tucker laughed. “Not necessarily accepted though,” and he swallowed another gulp of beer.
Knox only chuckled again.
Creek knew that these men wouldn’t step into his territory. They respected each other’s turf and never intervened. But that didn’t ease the fury he felt even though, rationally, he knew that his friends were only teasing. “Stay away from Violet,” he warned again.
The men backed off after that, moving on to other topics while Creek worked the bar. The blond eventually gave up, recognizing that Creek wasn’t interested and the night continued until last call.
And the whole night, Creek looked at the door, willing the beautiful brunette to stop back in after dropping off her friends. But she never showed up.
After shutting down the bar and ensuring that the other wait staff got home safely, he drove up the steep road to his private mountain retreat. He and the three others had come to Alaska to get away from the world. They’d built up their empires, working round the clock at times. And eventually, each of them had retreated, coming to Alaska and finding their private mountains. Each for different reasons.