STORMY STOOD AND made sure the knot of the towel was still tight. “Are you okay?” She wasn’t sure because he stood three feet away, staring.
“Medicine?”
Taking a step, she felt a little faint and wobbled. He was beside her in a flash, lifting her into his arms, carrying her back to the couch. Once she was safely sitting, she looked up at him, seeing the lines of concern around his patient eyes. “Don’t worry, Gray. I don’t have diabetes and need insulin. Or a heart condition. I have low blood pressure that is triggered by stressful situations. I usually don’t have much of a problem, but I guess all the chaos has gotten to me.”
He dropped beside her, looking a little pale for her taste. “Okay. Where is your medicine?”
“In my car.”
“Oh.”
She nodded. “I have a prescription and salt tabs I take when I start feeling a little off. They work right away.”
“But what if you don’t have your medicine?”
“I get dizzy and feel nauseated, sometimes I will pass out.”
“What can I do to help?”
She had a strong urge to smile at his willingness to do what she needed. “Lots of fluids and adding extra salt to my food can help.”
He stood. “You didn’t eat. I’ll make you something.” Before she could say a word of resistance, he was in the kitchen.
Feeling some of the dizziness subside, she got up and went to sit at the counter on a wobbly stool. “Have you heard any updates?”
He nodded as he opened a pasta box. “Just before you came out of the bathroom.”
“Good news or bad news?”
“Good news is, we’re safe here. There’s plenty of food and wood so if the electricity goes out, we’ll be fine. Bad news is, we’re going to get hit again.”
Watching with interest as he moved about the small kitchen, his T-shirt stretched across his broad back and the arms clung to his thick biceps. The backside of his jeans cupped his tight bottom and eased down long legs to bare feet. She’d never paid much attention to a man’s feet before, but he had nice toes. Drawing her attention back up, she leaned her chin on her hand, closing her mouth so she didn’t drool. “It stinks that the snow is coming again.”
“I have an idea.” He leaned against the edge of the counter. “I can walk back to the scene of the accident and get anything you need from your car, especially your medication, before it starts again.”
“That’s too much to ask.”
“You didn’t. I volunteered.”
“But your knee. You said it was injured.”
“It feels a little better and this time I won’t have you to carry.” He went back to stirring the pot.
She plucked at a paper napkin, questions rolling through her head. “This assignment that you’re on. I know you said you can’t tell me the details, but…well, are we in danger here?”
“No.” He set the spoon on the counter and popped the lid to a jar of sauce and poured it into a pot. Immediately the room was filled with the tangy, fragrant smell of Italian spices. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she needed to eat something. “I was on his tail. Not the other way around.”
Dampening her lips, she decided to skip to another important question. “What about a wife? Significant other? With no cell service and no way to reach out, will someone be worried?” In truth, she wasn’t sure her curiosity leaned more toward concern or personal interest. She didn’t see a wedding band, or a tan line on his ring finger, but these days one couldn’t rely on a missing ring as evidence of relationship status. Just as in her own circumstance, she wore an engagement ring, but she was no longer engaged. She touched the prongs of the diamond setting and realized how sharp the points were. Over the last six months she’d snagged the ring on everything, ruined more pieces of clothing than she could remember. The two-carat diamond was beautiful, but it had lost its metaphoric shine.
“No.”
There was that one-word answer again. She couldn’t let it deter her. “Well, at least you didn’t tell me to mind my own business.”
“Oh, that was an option?” His eyes glinted.
She also realized he liked to tease. “Certainly, but you know, just as you worried about a disgruntled groom showing up, I too have concerns. I wouldn’t want someone getting upset that you’re stranded with a woman in a remote cabin.”
“For theory’s sake, a woman would only have reason to be jealous or upset in a situation like this if I was attracted to you.” One corner of his mouth worked a smile.
“Oh…” Her toes tingled. “I wasn’t suggesting…I mean, I don’t think that you’re attracted to me. I-I was only saying…well, this is an awkward situation.” She wondered if her cheeks were as red as they felt.
“Relax.” He had a full-blown smile now. “The only person who might be concerned is my dad, and he knows how unpredictable my routine is, not to mention he might be a little proud that I’m actually with a beautiful woman and not a criminal.”
Did he just say that I’m beautiful?
She’d been told before, but oddly when this near stranger pointed it out her body took on characteristics of a woman who was completely flattered. He was quite ruggedly handsome himself. Clasping her hands in her lap to hide the trembling in her fingers, she cleared her throat. “Does that mean you spend too much time on the job and not enough dating?”
“He’s even offered to sign over the family ranch if I settle down.” Gray stirred the pasta. He seemed very deft at working at the stove, but then again, she was more focused on his biceps than the boiling pot.
“Yet, that almost seems impossible that you could have your career and run a ranch.”
“And that’s the point. I know he’s proud of what I do, he also wants me to be happy, which for him means a wife and kids. When my mom died, he swore he’d never love anyone else, so he dates for companionship, but he’ll never fall in love again. I think he wants the same for me. To find the one woman who is my soul mate.”
“Wow. Another romantic declaration.”
“Maybe. Will your parents be disappointed that you didn’t get married?” he asked.
“They might be if they were alive.” She found it easy to talk with him, to share her life history, unlike how she’d felt with Duncan who always seemed to have one ear in and one out. Eventually, she’d stopped talking about her childhood and her parents, and the tragic day she found out they’d been killed in a car accident. Looking back, she couldn’t remember a specific time when he seemed supportive. Fairly, Stormy couldn’t suddenly paint him as a bad person with sinister intentions now that she wasn’t marrying him, but many of her suspicions were the very reasons why she didn’t walk down the aisle.
“I’m sorry.” His expression softened.
“It’s been a long time. My sister, Colette, and I were both young, but being that I’m three years older I took her under my wing. I’ve always looked out for her and I know she was only trying to look out for me.”
He tapped the spoon on the edge of the pot. “Hey, I’m not a relationship expert, but I’d say that your sister’s opinion is pretty accurate. I mean, you did leave the guy at the altar.”
“It’s possible she knows me better than I know myself, but I said something to her out of anger.” She stared down at her hands for a long moment. “I told her that she had no right to pass judgment on my relationship when she treated hers like a rotating door.”
“Here. Drink water.” He placed a bottle in front of her. “It’ll help.”
She uncapped it and drank but kept her eyes on him. “Since dating isn’t a priority for you, does that mean you’re a relationship virgin?”
“Now that’s a new one.” He winked. “Quite the contrary. I’ve been there, done that, and like you I realized it wasn’t for me. Now here I am.”
“Yes, here you are. Stranded with a stranger who has been a thorn in your ass from the very start.” She laughed, realizing it was the first time in days. Weeks really.
“Admittedly, this hasn’t been easy, but it could be worse. I could be alone. Then I’d be missing out on this enlightening conversation.”
Stormy dropped against the back of the stool. “Come on, I bet you like the peace and quiet.”
He gave a small shrug. “Now what gives you that idea?”
“Just a stab in the dark.”
“Looks like the pasta’s done. I want to head back down the mountain to your car before dark.” He must have noticed she was about to argue because he held up a hand. “I’m volunteering. Is there anything else I can grab for you while I’m there?”
“My clothes, that way I don’t have to parade around the cabin in this towel.”
“Yeah, that would be such a shame.”
*
Gray brought his fork to his mouth but kept his gaze steady on the beauty sitting across from him at the small table. The overhead light illuminated her face with a soft glow. Her still damp hair hung in ringlets around her face and neck and the towel was knotted above her breasts. Her nipples stood erect under the fabric. Her slender shoulders were exposed and looked like pale satin, making his fingers ache to glide along the feminine line. It took all his strength to keep his gaze focused on a safe region. “Where do you go from here?”
She frowned. “I don’t know. I moved out of my apartment.”
“Nothing has to be figured out at this very moment. Are you feeling any better?” He touched her arm and a jolt shot up his hand, settling in his chest.
“Oddly, yes.” She poked her fork around the pasta.
“Sorry, it’s not gourmet.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Really.” As if to prove her point, she stabbed a shell and popped it into her mouth. “Mm. Delicious.”
“Maybe you can cook better.” He pulled his hand away and scooped up the last bite on his plate.
“I guess we won’t be going anywhere soon.” She shifted, leaving a scent of soap, coconut shampoo, and pure woman in the air, swirling around him, beckoning him like a slice of pecan pie. He closed his eyes for a second, hoping to gain his bearings and to ease the twinge behind his zipper. There was a huge problem here. He could get used to her scent. Could even get used to her non-stop chatter. Indeed, this was the most he’d talked in a very long time.
“Where does a woman go if she runs away from her wedding?”
“Right here. In this cabin.”
“But we can’t stay here forever.”
He blinked. “No, but why don’t we pretend?’
“I’m not usually impulsive. I have—or had—everything figured out.”
He laid his fork down. “We’re not supposed to plan everything. Some things are meant to surprise us.”
“Neither one of us planned yesterday very well and now look at us. Look at where we are.”
“In shelter and with great companionship.” He smiled and their gazes met, lingering. “If I’m going to make that hike, I better head out. Will you be okay until I get back?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine. And thank you, Gray. For everything. Most men wouldn’t have done even a third of what you have for me.”
“If a man is only willing to do a third, then he’s not worth giving your one hundred percent to.” He stood and pushed his chair back in and as he started to reach for his empty plate, she laid her warm fingers on his wrist. He snapped his gaze to her, battling a sudden rush of emotion in his body. For the last half hour he’d struggled with keeping his hands to himself and his head on straight, but when she looked at him with such longing he had a hard time being a gentleman. He’d never been one to pluck a flower too early, and Stormy wasn’t nearly ready for what Gray had to offer.
“Let me get the dishes. It’s the least I can do.” There was a softness in her face that swept in and affected all his senses.
He nodded. “There’s plenty of fire wood. Plenty of water. Don’t overexert yourself.”
One corner of her lips played with a smile. “Thank you for your concern, but I’ll be okay. You just take care of yourself.”
Gray took in her delicate, smooth skin and how wisps of her hair curled around her cheeks. He wondered how old she was. Although she looked young, she had the eyes of a woman who’d matured far faster than most women her age. As if she had a gaze magnet hooked to her body, he couldn’t control his eyes as they dipped lower, moving along the slender line of her neck and her sweet chest and the tops of her breasts exposed by the towel. The rising and falling of her chest quickened and he wondered if he was the cause of her heavy breathing? He ached to touch her, remembering how soft her skin was and how good she smelled. He wanted to find out how responsive she would be to his affection. He breathed in deep, taking in her scent, wanting it to warm him while he made his way down the mountain. If only he could hold her, absorb her warmth all the way into his bones.
Stormy’s irises dilated. Did the change come from inside? Maybe from a fast beating heart or a tingling in her limbs? He concentrated on his own breaths, in and out, in and out. His skin became sensitive and his heart pounded. A telltale flush crawled from her cheeks, down into her neck and chest. Her nipples were beaded outlines under the towel. Did she sense his wild desire?
His thoughts were almost pushed to the edge, but he didn’t know the true battle within him until her gaze drifted to his mouth and her eyes begged for…what? His kiss? His touch? More? He shifted in his boots, easing some of the tension behind his zipper, but his desire was growing by the second. Becoming harder.
The tip of her tongue flicked out to moisten her lips and he felt the chains snap.
What could it hurt if he sampled her sweet lips?
Just one kiss. He wouldn’t be too greedy. Wouldn’t expect too much.
It’s a bad idea! Things could get messy. She was an engaged woman. Wasn’t she? He had no clue how things worked when a woman left her groom at the altar. Did it automatically mean they were broken up? She had removed her ring. That he did notice. Yet, this wasn’t your average situation. He’d found her on the road, possibly saved her life, and they were stranded here, together, for who knows how long. A lot could happen between two warm bodies during a snow storm.
Logic kicked in as painful as getting punched in the gut by an elephant. He couldn’t do this…
Could he?
And then she stepped forward, so close he got a strong whiff of her engaging scent. Her hands pressed against his chest and she looked up at him, lips full and quivering, eyes reflecting his own insane longing. No words were exchanged and weren’t needed. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. A simple kiss, but it was the match that ignited a raging fire. He snaked an arm around her slender waist and pulled her closer, sweeping his tongue along the plump line of her lips. A moan escaped her mouth and he took it in, loving sweet whimpers from a beautiful woman. He moved his tongue into her mouth, sampling her intoxicating flavor and she pressed her body against him, her hips rubbing his length that was painfully large and sensitive. Another cry sounded from her, this time he knew it was a sound of excitement of what was to come. Pure pleasure.
He loved her hair, how soft the strands were, and as he tangled his fingers into the silken mass, he enjoyed how they delighted his palms. Her own hands were moving upward onto his shoulders and one found its way over his scalp, her nails scraping and quickening his blood flow. Every sensation he was feeling couldn’t be described with just one word. He could write a dictionary just on the sensations he was experiencing.
Pulling back, he rested his forehead on hers, gathering his control. Where it came from he had no clue. “I-I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“Maybe you should stay,” she whispered.
He was at a tug of war with the need to help her and the desire to stay and see what might happen next. This was the bigger problem. He was here on an assignment and he was slowly losing focus. His team would be pissed because they were all affected by his negligence. Letting others down wasn’t something he made a habit of. He’d never lost his direction, but just like the snowstorm outside, he was a lost man. “Stormy…”
“I don’t understand this either,” she said as if she knew exactly what he was thinking which was pretty damn close. “I’m scared and yet…well, I’m feeling something so amazing and I don’t want it to end.”
“I know it must be scary, but there’s nothing to be afraid of. You’re safe here.”
Their gazes met and he was pulled into the blue oceans of her pupils. What was happening to him? It wasn’t right, not the control that she had over him in such a short amount of time. “What if you leave and…”
“What?” He brushed his knuckles gently across her smooth cheek.
“If you don’t come back,” she whispered and lowered her eyes.
Something so powerful reached in and squeezed his heart. He touched her chin and lifted her face so that she’d look at him again. “Are you afraid I’ll leave you here?”
There was a long hesitation. “I know I shouldn’t feel this way. I’m an adult and capable of taking care of myself, but you might decide you don’t want to come back, or worse…the snow can be dangerous. You could fall and who would know? Who could help you?”
She did have a good point, but she was more worried than he was. “I’m a man of honor, Stormy. If I say I’ll come back, you can go to the bank with that.” He needed to stay, but he also needed to go. How did he decide? He could see the worried lines and dark circles under her eyes and guilt plagued him. To think of something happening to him and she would be here alone did worry him too. “You have plenty of firewood. Food. Water. You’ll be safe here for at least a week.”
“So then there is a possibility you won’t come back.” The worried lines deepened.
“No, I’m only resting your doubts.”
She took a step back and he dropped his hand to his side. “I’m not just worried about my own safety, but I’m also worried about yours.”
“Three hours. That’s how long I estimate I’ll be gone. You’ll see. That’s not long at all.”
She didn’t look relieved and his plans became even more unreachable. Her jerky nod told him she was trying to understand.
If she was as confused on the inside as much as he was, then there was a shitload of mess between the two of them. He moved to the fire and threw on another log, making sure it was enough so she didn’t have to worry about it for a while.
On a positive note, he needed a brisk hike. Now, before he forgot everything, dragged her into his arms, and kissed her until she squirmed in need. That would definitely breach the line of sanity and, once that happened, there was no going back. Yet, he was starting to think he’d already overstepped a few invisible boundaries.
Even as he pulled on his jacket and a pair of gloves and hat he found in a drawer, he wasn’t quite sure he could make the hike back down the mountain without snow shoes. He didn’t have a choice. He’d promised Stormy he would manage to get her medicine. When he made a promise, he kept it.
So, as he stepped out into the cold, he immediately regretted the fact that he’d made that promise. It was bitterly cold outside, but at least the second round of snow hadn’t started yet. Although he needed to do this for Stormy, he also needed to at least try and connect with the Hawks. Jamison and Cowboy were probably going apeshit waiting for contact.
He stopped and looked back at the lit window of the cabin, feeling a bamboozle of guilt. There was a raging storm inside too.
He was part of an elite force that never failed. This was his job. Finding and stopping Phantom was important. He could be missing out on the one and only chance to catch the bastard. He had a plan to walk a further distance and hopefully find service on his phone. There had to be a spot somewhere on this freaking mountain where he could have at least one bar. Even as he turned and headed toward the covered road he was plagued with frustration. Life was much easier when he didn’t have someone to worry about.
There was a huge possibility Phantom wasn’t even on this mountain. The informant could have led Gray on a wild goose chase, or maybe Phantom didn’t even make it up to Whispering Mountain. Really, Gray had no clue because out here in the middle of nowhere he was outside of the loop. No phone. No tools for tracking.
Although the cars were less than a mile away, it could easily be the other side of the mountain because in this weather, without the necessary equipment, he was a slave to mother nature.
The cold had instantly penetrated his jacket and his shoulders ached. His knee throbbed. He reached up high, stretching his rotor cuffs, and then took off at a slow jog, making sure he kept his breathing even and not drawing in too much of the ice crystals. Once he reached the edge of the drive his adrenaline was kicking in and he was warming up. He could do this. He’d done this and far worse.
He wasn’t a doctor, but he’d deduced by now that he’d pulled a ligament in his knee and, although it resisted his movement, getting the blood flowing would help. He kept his focus on returning to the beautiful woman waiting for him in the cabin, and the need to catch Phantom.
And as always, he had his gun tucked close, although who in the hell would he see out here in the middle of nowhere in a blizzard?