“Thanks, Albert,” I say, leaning down to talk through the open window. “Are you sure you don’t want to spend the night here?”

“No thanks, sir,” he says. “The wife expects me home. And it’s not so bad out.”

I laugh and shake my head. Typical native Alaskan, thinks a snowstorm is no big deal. “Be careful,” I say.

“Of course. Someone will be here for you in the morning, and I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”

“Thanks again.”

He nods and rolls up the window before pulling out of the garage. I look over at Kylie and she’s watching me silently. I can’t tell what she’s thinking.

“Shall we go inside?”

She nods. “I feel like I’m just getting warm.”

“I’ll start a fire. How’s that sound?”

“Sounds great,” she says, sounding genuinely grateful.

“Good. Come on.” She follows me through the garage. I have a few cars stashed away in here, the sort of things I don’t bring out during the winter. I head over to the back door and enter a security key code into a pad and the door unlocks. I open it up and we step inside.

This house was one of the first things I purchased back in the day. It cost every dime I had plus a little loan from my father, but it was worth it. The place was designed and built by a famous local architect, and over the years I’ve expanded and improved it here and there.

The property itself is about four acres. Most of that is just wild forest, which is how I like it. The house itself has six bedrooms and four full bathrooms, which is actually modest compared to some of the absurd places my family members live.

We head down a short hallway that spills out into the large kitchen and living room area. The enormous glass wall dominates the north part of the house, and it still takes my breath away every time. I watch Kylie closely as she steps into the room and stops, staring at the glass.

“This is amazing,” she says, walking toward it.

“Thanks.” I take off my jacket and drape it over a chair before removing my tie and unbuttoning my top button. As Kylie looks out the window and over my property, I roll up my sleeves and get to starting a fire.

“I’ve never seen this much wilderness before,” she says.

I raise an eyebrow at her. “Really?”

“I’m from LA,” she says.

“Ah,” I answer. “Does that explain the lack of a jacket?”

She nods. “Yeah, it does. I’ve never felt cold like this before.”

I concentrate on building the fire for a minute, getting the wood started. The fact that she’s never felt cold before suggests that this is her first time outside of the city, which is interesting. I still don’t know why she’s here or what she’s doing, but I sense that she doesn’t want me to press. Once the fire is going nicely, I join her at the window.

“Don’t you feel... exposed?” she asks.

I shake my head. “With the lights on in here at night, it’s hard to see outside,” I say.

“Still. It’s so large.”

“There’s nobody around here for miles.”

“I don’t know. I feel like I’m being watched.”

I laugh softly. “Trust me. The only things out there aren’t interested in us. Besides, you get used to it.”

I head over into the kitchen as Kylie moves over toward the couch. She sits down in front of the fire, sighing audibly, and finally takes off my coat. I pour myself a glass of whisky, watching her closely. She smiles to herself and looks comfortable for the first time since we met.

“Want something to drink?” I ask her.

She shrugs. “Sure.”

I pour her a glass of white wine and a cup of water. I bring them both over to her, which she accepts gratefully, before returning to the kitchen for my own glass. Finally, I end up sitting in the chair across from her, my feet up on the ottoman, sipping my whisky.

I feel content and relaxed finally. It was a stressful day full of infighting and disagreements, which is the hallmark of my familial relations. My brother Elliot believes that he should be getting the CEO position, despite the fact that it was promised to me for a long time.

Elliot has always followed father’s rules perfectly. He married the daughter of another business magnate, closely allying our two companies and strengthening us both. He threw himself into his work, much the same way that I did, but where I partied and slept around as much as I wanted, he kept his nose clean and was a good boy. Now, he thinks it’s time that our father paid him back for years of loyalty.

He’s a delusional, vindictive prick. Just because I fucked what I wanted to and drank as much as I felt like, doesn’t mean I can’t do the job. Our father knows that, though he’s a traditional man, and he sees himself in Elliot.

It’s all such a fucking headache. I sigh and sip my drink again and realize that Kylie is watching me. I cock my head at her and smile. “I’m sorry. I’m being a shit host.”

“It’s okay.” She sips her wine. “Two hours ago, I thought I might die out there. I can sit in silence, if you want.”

“No, I’m being a dick. It’s just been a long day.”

“Can I ask what you do?”

I smile at her. “You don’t know much about Alaska, do you?”

“Not at all,” she admits. “I just got here this morning.”

“Well, my family owns an oil business, which is a big deal up around here.”

“Trouble at work?” she asks.

“Something like that. My father is sick.”

“I’m sorry,” she says. “That’s hard. Are you close?”

I cock my head at her, considering. “Not really,” I say finally. “My family isn’t like that. He’s a fine man, gave me what I needed, but there was never any warmth there.”

“I know that feeling,” she says.

“It wasn’t bad, either,” I quickly add. “There were just always... expectations.” I trail off and shrug. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”

“Feels good to talk about things.”

I laugh. “How old are you, Kylie?”

“Does it matter?”

“Not really. I’m just curious.”

“I’m nineteen.”

I laugh softly, shaking my head. “You’re young.”

“Maybe I am,” she says. “But that doesn’t mean a thing.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

I watch her for a second and notice the strength in her face and the beauty. She’s been through something, I can see it so clearly. I’m betting she ran away from whatever it is and now she’s here, a survivor trying to figure out how to get through a world she’s never been in before. She’s smart and beautiful and capable, but if I hadn’t found her tonight... well, who knows what would have happened.

I did find her, though, and now she’s here. She yawns slightly and covers her mouth. I smile and finish my drink, realizing that she must be exhausted.

“Come on,” I say, standing. “Want to see your room?”

“Okay,” she says, putting her glass of wine down on the table.

I lead her back through the house. I take her back toward my room and lead her into the biggest, nicest guest room in the place. She looks around, clearly impressed, but she tries hard not to show it.

“Towels and such are in the closet,” I say. “There’s a bathroom attached, over there. TV works, WiFi password is on the table, and I think that’s it. Whatever you need, help yourself. I’m a bit down the hall, last door at the very end.”

She turns to me and nods. “Thanks so much, Carson,” she says. “You really saved me.”

“I’m happy to help.”

I stand there for a moment, looking at this beautiful, young girl, and I feel something tighten in my chest. I don’t know what it is, not exactly at least. I know it’s part desire. I want this girl, and I can feel it plainly. Just looking at her excites me more than I thought it could. I want to press her down on that bed and fuck her, make her really thank me for bringing her home.

But it’s not just desire. There’s something else there, another impulse that I haven’t had before. As she watches me, I realize that I’m staring, and I quickly turn away.

“Night,” I say.

“Night.”

I leave the room and softly shut the door.

“What am I doing?” I whisper to myself as I walk down toward my room.

I brought a strange runaway girl into my house without really knowing her. She could be crazy and dangerous for all I know, though I really doubt that’s the case. And to top it all off, I want this strange girl, despite the fact that she’s so much younger than I am.

It’s wrong. I shouldn’t want to fuck her. But I want to taste her young skin, feel her tight little pussy, suck her hard pink nipples and make her beg me for more. I want to fuck her, take care of her, and spoil her rotten.

For now, I’ll have to settle for giving her a warm bed to sleep in. Maybe tomorrow I can give her more.