I fidgeted in the passenger seat of Levi Phillips’ truck. I didn't know what the hell I was thinking when I agreed to crash at his place. The only reason I said yes was because it was late, or rather insanely early in the morning. I didn’t want to bother Amelia at this hour and try to find a way to get out to her and Cade’s place when it was a twenty-minute drive. I hadn’t thought to call Amelia sooner, which annoyed me to no end.

All in all, I was having a shitty week. I’d swallowed my pride—big time—before stopping by the fire station to thank Levi for his help this afternoon. My entire evening was a big mess between spending time at the hospital to get my arm checked, and then going home only to get into an argument with my landlord and summarily being asked to leave because my lease ended today. The events tonight capped off a week already on the skids.

I stayed quiet and tried to calm the restless energy I felt. I hated needing help, but the truth was I had no great plan for a place to stay on short notice unless I really inconvenienced Amelia. I looked out the window as we drove along. The moon was bright, casting a silvery glow on the mountain ridge in the distance. Swan Lake, a massive lake that served as the centerpiece of Willow Brook, was visible to one side of the road. The town’s namesake was a brook that meandered down from the mountains and fed into Swan Lake. The town’s founders had followed the brook to the lake, hence the town’s name.

The lake glimmered under the moon with the lights of various fishing and hunting lodges reflected in its still, dark waters. Levi turned onto the highway leading out of downtown Willow Brook. He seemed content with the quiet, which was a relief.

I was curious to see where Levi lived. I had a vague idea, but I'd never seen it. Willow Brook, Alaska was a small town with a massive summer population. Tourists poured through town all summer long to hunt, fish, hike, bike, and more. With the town’s proximity to Anchorage, roughly thirty minutes away, it was slightly inland with all the benefits of the mountains and an amazing view of Denali in the distance. We were within proximity to the ocean as well, so visitors could get their ocean fix too. Downtown was quite cutesy. It was an old mining town and had spruced up with lots of cute shopping and restaurants to keep the travelers happy. We got the benefits of a small town with the money of a bigger town.

Aside from the tourism, the town was small enough for the locals that everybody had an idea of who was who and who lived where. All I knew was Levi lived on the west side of town. As he drove through the moonlit night, I wondered to myself what the hell I’d been thinking. Just being this close to him made me jumpy, restless, and hot and prickly all over. Levi had been on a kick a few months back to try to get me to go out to dinner with him. He annoyed the hell out of me, but he’d finally dropped it. I suppose the reason he annoyed me was because he was sexy as sin. My body sure thought so. My mind might not be in agreement with my body, but I couldn't seem to curb the sweet heat that rolled through me whenever I was near him. I hated feeling out of control like that.

Danger, danger.

The heat coiling low in my belly was precisely why I tried to keep my distance from Levi. It was no easy feat, seeing as we shared many friends. Romance in general wasn't my thing, but trying to do anything like a relationship in the fishbowl of Willow Brook was annoying beyond reason. Everyone thought they had your best interests at heart, but God help me.

Everybody knew everybody here. Lately my friends were dropping like flies. Amelia had gotten back together with the love of her life, Cade, when he came back after seven years away. Thank God he came back though, otherwise she probably would've married an idiot she didn't even love. I might not have been an expert on romance personally, but I knew what I saw.

Anyway, I digress. Levi was hot, like make-me-stupid hot. He had dark honey blonde hair and deep blue eyes. I didn't want to think he was hot, but there was no sense in arguing with myself over it. Here I was, planning to crash on his couch apparently. This had the makings of a very bad plan. I hoped he was involved with someone else now. I made a conscious effort not to think about him, so I’d missed any gossip, if there was any to be had, on his relationship status.

The minute I thought that, disappointment stabbed at me. Even though he’d annoyed me with his attempts to get me to go out with him, a teeny, tiny part of me had enjoyed the attention. Ugh. This was how ridiculous he made me feel.

As we drove, he started to make small talk, chatting about the weather, the fire outside of town, asking me about a few construction projects and whatnot. Basically just being a polite and decent human being. I couldn’t shake the restlessness and nervousness inside. Time alone with men was something I generally avoided. I wasn’t a prude, but relationships just weren’t my thing. Every so often, I had a one-off one night stand, but that was it.

Levi holding me in his arms when he kept me from falling had felt so good, and I could hardly think about how it felt. It was the modern world now, and I didn't need to care if I was turning into an old spinster, but part of me did. At twenty-eight, I was headed straight for plenty of years of being by myself. I hadn't meant to go this long without dating, or anything even remotely resembling it. Something happened, and I meant to get past it, Yet, I never did. I stuffed it into a box in my heart and in my head and decided it was best left there.

Despite my pulse running along at a wild patter and that inconvenient prickly sensation I felt inside whenever I was near Levi, I managed to make small talk as he drove. He turned down one road and then another before looping into a small circular driveway. It was late summer in Alaska. That meant the sun hardly ever set. At going on one-thirty in the morning, darkness had fallen, yet with the almost full moon high in the sky, it lit up the area around Levi’s home with a silvery glimmer. There was a small pond in a field to one side. His home was rather cute. I felt his gaze on me and then he chuckled.

I swung to him.

“What so funny?” I asked, willing my pulse not to lunge when I met his eyes.

It was hard to keep that from happening. He had obscenely beautiful eyes—a deep, sapphire blue. He had no problem with straight on, direct eye contact either. Sometimes it felt as if he could see right through me.

“You look surprised. I live in a decent place, is that what's surprising?” he asked with a low laugh.

I couldn't help but return his grin. I didn't know what I’d expected, but it wasn't this. He had a small home with a wraparound porch set at an angle on the property. The front of the house had a wall of windows stretching up to the second floor. It was stained a soft shade of gray with purple trim. The moonlight made the purple seem brighter somehow.

“It's the purple that surprised me,” I added, gesturing towards his house.

He flashed another grin, making my belly do a little flip. “Yeah, that was my sister's choice.”

I vaguely knew he had a sister. She didn't live in Willow Brook, otherwise I probably would've known more. He climbed out of the truck and before I realized it, he was opening my door. My spine stiffened, and I glared at him, annoyed he’d done that.

“It's not like I can't get the door, you know.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I had to beat you to it. I'll be honest. I was trying just because I knew it would get under your skin.”

I wanted to be angry, but it was funny. That's how shameless Levi was. He didn't even try to hide his intent. I looked up at him and my breath caught. He was too handsome for his own good. He might as well have been in one of those sexy firefighter calendars. He had a rugged, almost regal look to him paired with a rock, hard body. He had a blade of a nose, sculpted cheekbones and a strong jaw. There was a scar that ran along one of his cheeks, making me wonder how he got it. It gave him an edgy quality.

I gathered myself, tamping down my annoyance because I didn't want him to know how much he got to me. With him holding the door as I climbed out of the truck, I could actually feel the heat of his body. His presence was strong and solid. He was the kind of man who made me want to lean into him. Strength made me nervous though, so the moment I felt that, I got skittish inside. I wanted to dart away like a startled deer. I managed to contain the urge as I stepped past him.

The sound of the truck door closing behind me was loud in the quiet. I heard wings beating through the air and glanced up to see a raven, dark in the silvery moonlight, flying just above us. I took a breath, the scents of Alaska summer washing over me—the cool air with the subtle hint of the ocean not too far away and the earthy richness of all the greenery.

I walked at Levi’s side up the steps to his house. I noticed he didn’t even bother to lock his doors when he opened it, holding it for me. I filed that thought away. I noticed little things like that because I always locked my doors. He flicked on the lights once we were inside. I paused to look around. I was again surprised, but figured perhaps his sister might've also cast her touch in here.

“Nice place,” I commented, taking in the space.

We’d entered into the kitchen. An L-shaped counter separated the kitchen from the living room. It had barely hinted lavender granite counters, stainless steel appliances, and light maple cabinets. Seeing as I spent most of my days building houses, I noticed details like this. I knew he’d spent a pretty penny on those cabinets, and they looked custom. The floor was tiled in a silvery gray tile with a hint of lavender to it. The tile met hardwood flooring in the living room. The living room had a cathedral ceiling and a soapstone woodstove in the corner of the room. A sectional couch was to one side and a TV on the opposite wall. Stars were winking in the sky outside the windows, the moonlight illuminating the field and small pond.

I spun around, looking upward. A railing circled all three sides, except for the one with the windows. There was a single door on each of the three walls. I presumed those were the bedrooms. There was only one door downstairs, which must've led to a bathroom. Levi stepped past me.

“Come on, I'll show you the guest room,” he said.

“Oh, I can sleep on the couch.”

He stopped and glanced at me, his eyes narrowing.

“You’re not sleeping on the couch. I actually have two bedrooms. You’ll have one all to yourself if that's what you're worried about.”

Oddly, I wasn’t worried about that. I opened my mouth to argue. I had no problem admitting I could be contrary, especially when it came to Levi, or any guy for that matter, trying to suggest what I should do. I snapped my mouth shut when I realized the futility and the silliness of it all.

I shrugged, feeling a little sheepish. “Okay.”

His rich blue gaze held mine. I felt like he could see right into me, and I looked away because I didn’t like how exposed I felt.

“I’ll show you upstairs,” he finally said before turning away.

I followed him up the stairs.

“Bathroom,” he commented, pointing to the door in the center back wall. “My bedroom’s over there,” he added, gesturing to the left before leading me to the door on the opposite side.

We stepped into a spacious bedroom. It was furnished simply with a bed and two night stands. The furniture was light maple with clean modern lines. The bed had a cream-colored, fluffy down quilt with pillows piled high. The room was sparsely decorated with a few landscape photos.

I felt his gaze on me and looked over at him. When he didn’t say anything, I felt compelled to speak. “This is nice. Thank you. I’ll be out of your hair first thing tomorrow. I’ll call Amelia for a ride and…”

His gorgeous blue eyes narrowed again. “You’re not calling Amelia for a ride. That’s ridiculous.”

He looked truly affronted I’d even suggested someone else give me a ride. For a flash, I felt a little bad, but my annoyance at his assumption he could tell me what to do was stronger.

“If I want to call Amelia for a ride, I’ll call her for a ride.”

I huffed, I actually huffed, and then spun around.

Levi put his hand on my shoulder, pausing me from stomping away, which was what I wanted to do. His touch was like a brand. That single point of contact was hot and sent sparks of heat through me. I was so rattled at my body’s reaction, I didn’t yank away.

“I’ll give you a ride wherever you need to go in the morning, okay?”

His tone was a tad less authoritative this time. I was too annoyed with myself at my reaction to him to carry on. I was also exhausted, my arm ached, and I desperately wanted to sleep. I needed to burrow into the covers and forget everything. Most particularly, forget how much my body was drawn to Levi. I nodded. “Okay.”

His eyes held mine again. God, I wished he wasn’t so comfortable with direct eye contact. Just now, his gaze felt soft, as if though he could sense how unsettled I was. He let his hand drop and stepped out of the room.

“Good night,” was the last thing I heard as he closed the door.

I stripped out of my clothes and crawled into bed. The sheets were cool, and the quilt light and soft over me. I drifted into sleep, thoughts of Levi tumbling through my mind.