A couple days had passed with Corie and Alek settling into somewhat of a routine. She worked in her office between breakfast and lunch writing. The book she was currently in the middle of was pushed to the backburner as the story that Alek inspired flowed from her imagination to the keyboard faster than she had ever written before.

Meanwhile, Alek had been in contact with everyone that had been worried about him including his mother. Everyone knew he was alive and well. His tour manager and bandmate, Tony were surprised to hear a lightness in his voice that had been absent for many months. He apologized for taking off like he did but explained he desperately needed time away from it all. It was easy to see that Alek, or Laz as they knew him, was turning back to being his old self.

His mornings were spent surfing the internet, reading, and occasionally he would pick up his guitar to play. He jotted down song ideas in an old notebook he carried that he would eventually work on.

Each afternoon, the two of them would go outside to try to get some work done, but it wasn't easy with the melting snow quickly turned the yard into a quagmire of mud and slush. Alek wore the boots that Corie had gotten him. He found out how much he needed them as he trudged through the messy wet yard multiple times each day.

Corie was fixing a piece of the loose wire fencing that surrounded the chicken coop when she heard Alek talking to the birds as he went inside to collect their eggs. She knew she could have easily done it, but she was having too much fun watching him try. Her handsome British guest was very much afraid of the chickens, but he faithfully gathered their eggs for her.

"How are you beautiful birds doing today?" she heard him ask her hens. A smile appeared in the corner of her mouth as she worked to staple the wire in place. "Do you know that a bird where I come from is slang for a beautiful woman? Just take it as I think you are all beautiful even though you are staring at me with those little beady eyes. Just let me slip my hand in here to get those eggs and then I'll leave you to enjoy the rest of your day doing whatever chickens do. You know I am a city boy, right? Grew up on the streets of Tottenham and the only chickens I knew were in the market."

She started to giggle as the bird’s squawking increased. "No, I don’t mean you lovely ladies will end up there so stop flapping those wings. I was just explaining that you are first real chickens I ever saw. So please take it easy on me. I'm trying to impress Corie, even though you do scare me a little bit. So can we get this done nice and easy, ladies?" 

"Do you like music? How about I sing a little? I'm not as good as Ethan, but I can hold my own. Here give me a chance." Corie leaned in to try to hear him sing to her hens. It was adorable how he talked to them, and now he was doing his best to calm them by singing. She couldn't make out the words, but she could hear a soft melody coming from the coop. From what she could hear, his voice was pretty good, and surprisingly, he was calming the chickens down.

"Thank you girls, for letting me gather those eggs. It is much appreciated. Now, I just have Matilda here that I need to reach under, but you are not looking as friendly as your friends here, are you?" Corie knew exactly which bird he was talking about. Apparently, he had named her largest and most aggressive hen Matilda. She still carried a few scars on her hand from the chicken from being pecked at early on. They had found an uneasy truce, but could Alek?

"Did you know Matilda is a good name?" Alek said continuing his conversation with the bird. Corie didn’t know if he realized she could hear him, but he was simply adorable the way he was talking to her chickens. "My secondary school teacher was Mrs. Matilda Soarpus. She was a big strong woman, just like you are a big chicken. She didn’t take any crap from us kids, but I know you'll be gentle with me, Right, Matilda?"

It was quiet for a few moments as Corie held her breath. Could he sweet talk her crotchety hen? Suddenly, the air was filled with loud curses that caused Corie to burst out laughing. Apparently, Matilda was having none of his attempt to charm her.

She stepped back slightly out of his view as he quickly jumped out of the hen house. "You are just as mean as she was, you ugly fucking bird. That's why we called her Mrs. Sourpuss behind her back. I look forward to having you for dinner one night, you evil chicken! I bet your eggs taste like shit anyway!"

The second Alek closed the coop's door, Corie couldn't hold her laughter in any longer. Alek stood there glaring at her as tears ran down her face. "Fucking brilliant. I have to take abuse from you too? That damn bird almost took off my hand, and you're laughing at me?"

"Oh stop. I'm laughing at how you thought you could charm a chicken. Matilda, as you call her, is simply a bitch and hates for us to take her eggs. Chase her off the nest next time, that way you don’t get pecked."

"You could have bloody well told me this before I went in there. Look what she did to me?" he whined showing her his bleeding hand. Corie looked at the injury and saw she had gotten him good at least three times.

Now she felt bad for him. "I'm sorry, Alek. Come on inside, and I'll clean the wounds before bandaging them."

Corie had Alek stand at the kitchen sink while she washed the blood off his hand. Then she applied some antibiotic ointment before wrapping a bandage around it. "I'm sorry she did that to you," Corie apologized. "Look at this," she said showing him her right hand. "She's gotten me too, but not in a while."

Alek looked at her hand, with the scars on it and took it in his. He pulled it up to his lips and placed a long, gentle kiss on it. Corie just stood there transfixed watching his lips on her hand. When he lifted his eyes to meet hers, they both felt the attraction they had for each other ignite. Instinctively, they both took a step toward the other as Alek leaned down to now press a kiss onto her eager lips.

How could something as amazing as this kiss be so damn perfect, yet scare her to death at the same time? How could she stay "just friends" when everything about him made her want so much more? His lips started out soft and gentle on hers before he pressed harder and encouraged her to open her mouth to him. His tongue instantly met hers, and they danced together. Corie's arms went around Alek's neck as he pulled her against him.

Their bodies were tightly pressed together, and even though Alek kept his hands entangled in her long hair, she could tell how much he wanted her from the hard bulge that was pressing into her. She wanted him too, and her willpower to resist him was quickly dwindling. With her desire for him skyrocketing and overruling her tentative heart, Corie barely heard the phone ring. Once she registered that it was ringing, she pulled back from Alek out of breath.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she stepped back from the kiss. Corie tried to get her breathing under control as she walked away from him to pick up her landline. Her cell phone was rarely used at home.

Alek growled under his breath and walked out of the room. She didn’t know if he was mad or frustrated, most likely both.

"Hello," she said answering the call.

"Hey you sound out of breath, did I catch you at a bad time?"

Kelsey. Her best friend had both the worst and best timing. Corie was ready to let the kissing take her wherever it went, but she knew her heart may live to regret it. "Hi, Kels. No, I'm fine. How are you doing? Survive the blizzard?"

Their conversation went on for a little while until Kelsey reminded Corie of their monthly dinner. “Tonight? Damn, I forgot all about it. What about next week?” she suggested. She wasn’t ready to leave Alek. She just enjoyed his company too much, but then again he was also way too tempting. Maybe she should go.

"Please Corie, what else are you doing?  Plus, I need that camera of yours. We haven’t talked in days," Kelsey reminded her.

"I don't know." What would she tell Alek? Maybe she should just bring him along. Getting out of the house would be good.

"Please!"

"Okay, but I am going to bring a friend with me. I just have to ask him first," Corie told her.

"Him? You have a 'him' there? Who is he? Why don't I know about him? Is he a just a friend or is it more? Spill! Now!" Kelsey's surprise easily came over the phone.

Corie laughed before explaining to Kelsey the story of how Alek came into her life. She just left the parts out about how he made her feel. And his kisses. How she loved his kisses.

"So you saved his life in the middle of the blizzard? How cool is that! Is he cute? Why is he still there?" Kelsey asked, peppering her with more questions. “Is this the guy that George was talking about? In his thirties with a British accent? Just the accent makes him hot!”

 “Yes, that’s Alek. George cut his hair the other day. He’s just staying for a while so we can hang out together. So far he isn’t in any hurry to leave.” Nor was Corie ready for him to go either. Alek was becoming a bigger part of her life every day.

“Oh my God, you are sleeping with him, aren’t you? I bet he is so hot! You have to bring him. But, Corie…” Kelsey said but hesitated. “Are you sure he’s okay? Could he be after your money or something like that?

Corie knew that her best friend was only looking after her welfare and she appreciated it. “No, he has plenty of his own money that I can tell, and no, I am not sleeping with him.”

“Why do I want to add the word…'yet' to what you just said? Is he ugly or what? I bet he has the hots for you. How can he not? You're gorgeous. So, why aren’t you sleeping with him?”

“He is very good looking, but he’s temporary, Kelsey. He’ll be leaving someday soon to go back to England, and my life is here. That’s why.” Corie tried to keep the sadness out of her voice, but she wasn’t sure she was too successful at it. She didn’t want Alek to leave. Not now, not ever.

“Well, bring him tonight. I want to meet him. I’m not going to take no for an answer either. We can just go to Black Squirrel. It can be a beer and burger type of night. How does that sound?” It actually sounded perfect to Corie, so she decided to go and bring Alek along with her.

They agreed to meet at their favorite bar around seven. Corie went in search of Alek who was nowhere to be found, so she went upstairs and heard his strumming his guitar in his room. The door was slightly open, so she knocked lightly. “Alek?”

“Come in,” he replied.

Corie walked into the room and found Alek sitting on the side of the bed absently playing his guitar. “I’m sorry. That was my friend Kelsey. She was checking up on me, as she hadn’t heard from me since the storm. She wanted to make sure I was okay.” He looked at her briefly before turning back to look at his fingers as they moved across the strings. She could see he was clearly frustrated.

“Alek, I’m sure you are losing patience with me,” she said as she sat next to him on the bed. “You make me forget everything so easily when I’m with you.”

“Is that so bad?” he asked softly.

“Not if you lived around here, but what’s going to happen when you leave and go back home to London? I’ll be left here alone…with a broken heart. That’s what I’m afraid of,” she admitted to him. Even as she explained where her head was at right then, Corie was having a hard time convincing herself that she needed to keep a distance between herself and Alek. Maybe the time she would have with him, no matter how short or long, would have to be enough?

Alek laid the guitar behind him on the bed before turning his body to face Corie. “If we don’t give whatever we are feeling a chance, how are we going to know whether it will work or not? I don’t meet sweet, beautiful women like you, I meet vipers, and I know that’s not you. I want to get to know you, Corie. No one else, just you.”

She knew it was a chance she had to take. Alek was right in that if they didn’t see where it could go, how would they know? Maybe he could stay, or they could figure something out. “You’re right. I had my heart badly broken before, and I was afraid to take another chance.” She looked from where she had been staring at his strong hands up to his gorgeous blue eyes. He was an extremely good-looking man, and she was tired of saying no. Corie felt her heart speed up as she realized she was done saying "no" to him. It was time to say yes. “I've had enough of being afraid to love again. I don’t know what will happen between us, but for now, I want your kisses, and I want you.”

A big smile came across Alek’s face. “And I want you, too. I promise you that I am not in it for just the sex. I spent too many years doing one night stands and moving on. I want you and not for just a night or two. Let’s see how far we can take this. That’s all I can promise right now.”

Corie saw that he was leaning in to kiss her, so she met him halfway. Their lips were a breath apart as they stared into each other’s eyes. "You're beautiful, and you’re mine," he whispered to her a second before their lips finally touched.

They started out gentle and loving, but very soon their chemistry took over, and the kiss changed. Soft became hard as lips pressed firmer into the others. Mouths opened as tongues sought to explore. Corie's arms wrapped around him again as Alek held her tight to his muscular chest. After a few minutes, they stopped to catch their breath, resting their foreheads against each other.

Their relationship was about to move to the next level. One that did not include clothes with a whole lot of increased intimacy. "You sure?" Alek asked her. "I want you to be sure this is what you want and not regret it."

"I'm very sure, but there was another reason I came to find you." God, she hoped he wouldn't be mad. "I'm going to town to have dinner with Kelsey, and I would like you to come. She wants to meet you. I hope you don't mind that I said we’d go." When he didn’t immediately agree, Corie got worried.

"We can continue this tonight when we get back. I'm not playing games, Alek. I want this. I want us, but we just need to meet up with Kelsey for dinner, okay? She's my best friend."

"Sure, that's okay," he told her. "When do we have to leave?"

"In about an hour."

"Then we have an hour to keep kissing, and I will do my best to keep my hands to myself," he said with a smile. A smile that was so sexy, it almost had Corie calling Kelsey to cancel.

"Then I suggest we remove the temptation this bed has and head downstairs." Corie stood up and extended her hand to Alek.

He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Luv, I can kiss you anywhere and believe me, you will be tempted."

"I totally believe that," she laughed. "C'mon, let's go."

Hand in hand they headed downstairs to the living room. The large bulge in Alek's jeans held a promise of what was to come tonight. She couldn't wait.

 

 

"Alek, are you okay?" Corie asked as she drove them to town. The SUV rumbled down the long country road while the conversation inside the car ride had been relatively quiet.

He had been looking out the window, lost his thoughts. Here he was again, putting himself out in public and chancing that someone would recognize him. He should have told her days ago, but didn’t. The longer he waited, the harder it was getting. Alek knew he was playing with fire and when this blew up on him, it would be no one’s fault except his own. "What?" he absently asked.

"You've been awfully quiet since we got into the car. Is everything alright?"

How could he tell her that everything he told her about him was basically a lie? When this all started, he expected to head out as soon as the roads opened up, but instead, his time with her changed his mind about everything. He no longer wanted to leave. He knew he had started to have feelings for her and they were as confusing as they were strong. His vow to never get involved in another relationship again was melting as quickly as the snow that had brought him to her.

Would she hate him for lying to her or could he get her to understand? They couldn’t start whatever it was they were beginning on a lie. He had to find a way to tell her he was a world-famous rock musician. But the question was how? And when? But not now. This wasn’t the right time.

He forced a smile on his face before turning to her. When he saw her worried look, he knew he was the cause. He relaxed, and his smile became more genuine. "I'm all right, Corie. It's going to be good getting out for the night and meeting your friend."

"Are you sure? I can tell her that tonight's not okay."

That's what he wanted her to do more than anything, but that wasn't being fair to Corie. If he wanted to be part of her life, he had to meet her friends. He just prayed this friend didn’t recognize him. The haircut he had gotten the other day helped. A lot.  He had never had his hair this short in years. Probably before the band, so while he knew he looked good, he also didn’t look like Laz. He had thought about wearing sunglasses, but it was night time, and that would bring more attention to him, than hiding who he was.

Alek reached over and put a hand on her thigh. It wasn't meant to be intimate, but it was. "I'm looking forward to this, I am.  Do you think she will like me?"

"Of course she will," Corie laughed. "What's there not to like?"

He shifted slightly in his seat so he could face her more.  "Like what?" The corner of his mouth lifted up into a sexy smirk.

"Like you're drop dead gorgeous, even with the black eye. You’re helping around the farm without me having to ask. You're a really nice guy and…"

"And what?" he smirked.

"And that accent is to die for," she told him with a wink. "Oh look, town is just ahead."

Alek didn’t miss that she thought he was "drop dead gorgeous," but he choose to tease her instead about his accent. "What is it with you American women and British accents?"

It took Corie a few minutes to answer him as they drove down the main street in Ashland. The street lights were on as night had settled into the small town hours ago. Most of the shops had closed up already, leaving the town somewhat empty. She headed for the faded brown structure at the end of the road. It was surrounded by cars and pickup trucks of every make and model. This was the only bar in town, and they were lucky it served up ice cold beer and the best bar food in the county.

Corie pulled into the dirt lot alongside the building and parked the SUV. “Well?” Alek asked. “What is it?”

“Cause they are sexy as hell, that’s why, ” she answered him with a slow smile. Before Alek could say anything back to her, Corie got out of the car and closed the door. He quickly popped out, ran around the car grabbing her hand as she headed towards the door. She spun around into his arms.

“Sexy, huh?” he said in a soft low growl as he lowered his mouth towards hers.

“Very,” she whispered back just before his lips crashed down onto hers.

 They stood in the middle of the muddy parking lot making out like teenagers until Alek broke the kiss first. “Come on, we can’t keep your friend waiting,” he regrettably admitted before pulling a slightly dazed Corie along with him.

“Yeah, sure,” she mumbled. “This better be a quick dinner.”

That’s exactly what he was hoping too. Alek held the door open as Corie walked in ahead of him. The bar actually was better than he expected from the outside. It was somewhat crowded for a midweek night, but he liked the dim lighting. That would help him not to stand out and be recognized. It was the type of dive bar he always felt comfortable in. It reminded him of the pubs from back home before they became famous. Back when he could walk around freely without fans asking for autographs or photos nonstop.

 “I see her,” Corie said as she dragged him past the brightly lit jukebox and over to a table near the far wall. There was a cute brunette waving at them. Corie’s natural beauty overshadowed her friend…easily.  She was pretty, but not enough to ever have sparked any interest for him.

When they got to the table, the brunette stood up and hugged Corie. Alek stood back letting them greet each other. He was absently tapping his left hand against his thigh while he waited. He was praying that she wouldn’t recognize him before he could tell Corie the truth.

“Alek, this is Kelsey, my best friend,” Corie said introducing them. “And Kels, this Alek.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Luv,” he said smiling at Kelsey as he extended his hand to her. 

When Kelsey’s eyes met his, he saw instantly what made her unique. Her eyes. She had the most beautiful golden eyes that he had ever seen. “Nice to meet you, too,” she told him. “C’mon let’s sit down, and I want to hear the story again about how you found and rescued Alek.”

Alek sat back and let Corie tell her friend about how she found him during the blizzard. Kelsey hadn’t recognized him, so he breathed a sigh of relief.  Now he had to just get through the rest of the night. A slightly harried waitress had come over, and they ordered a pitcher of beer for the three of them. By the time the story was done, as Kelsey had been asking questions the entire time, their dinners were delivered to the table. There were two bacon cheeseburgers for the girls and Alek got one with everything on it.

He was pouring them each another glass of beer, when Kelsey exclaimed, “I always have loved this song!” Alek recognized his guitar immediately. It was “Next Time Around” from their third album that was playing over the loudspeakers. He needed Kelsey to not say anything about the song or Midnight Steel.

“So, Kelsey. Corie tells me that you run the town’s library, how did you get into that?” he asked before taking another bite of his burger. He was surprised how good it was.

“Reading. I love to read. I volunteered there when I was a teenager, and since I love books, it was a natural fit for me. I got a degree in Library Science, and all roads led back to Ashland. I love this little town,” she told him. “Books and a minor collision in the drugstore is what brought Corie and me together as friends.”

“Collision?” he asked raising his eyebrows in surprise.

“Oh my, God,” Corie laughed remembering that day. “We both weren’t paying attention and literally walked into each other. Kelsey started to fall, so I grabbed her. The display of Antacids next to us wasn’t as lucky. There were boxes all over the place. And we’ve been friends ever since.”

 

The three of them laughed over the story, but Alek noticed that Kelsey was looking at him a bit intensely. “You look so familiar to me, Alek. Are you sure we haven’t met before?” Kelsey asked him as she took a sip of her beer.

 

Damn it.

 

“Well, I have traveled a lot, but this is my first time in this part of America,” he told her. Butterflies were starting flutter wildly in his stomach. He knew she liked Midnight Steel, so had to know what Laz looked like. What he used to look like with the longer hair.

 

“Huh,” she said staring at him. “I swear either I have seen you before or we’ve met. I’ll figure it out.”

 

That’s exactly what he was afraid of.