Hot Alaska Nights

by Lucy Monroe

  Another strange expression came over Rock's chiseled features. Like he'd had some kind of epiphany, but she couldn't imagine what it would be.

  She was probably just seeing things.

  The next day, Carey had set up a formal excursion with MacKinnon Brothers Tours for everyone in the production. It had been planned a couple of weeks before, but only for those that weren't supposed to be working today. Now the whole cast and crew had the day off and Deborah decided to go.

  Hanging out in the house alone with Rock would be dangerous to her commitment to staying out of his bed, or off his office desk, or away from being pressed between his sexy body and the wall. Darn it. She needed to focus on something else.

  "You're going on the tour?" Rock asked her at breakfast.

  "I am."

  "Oh, I want to go too," Marilyn said.

  "I'll call Kitty and see if there's room for one more."

  Marilyn grinned. "Great. I hope Egan's running the tour. He's hot."

  "I didn't need to know you thought that," Rock said as Carey gave an exaggerated groan.

  Deborah's heart did a little skip when Rock slid into the driver's side of the SUV she, Marilyn and Carey were taking to the tour. What was he doing here?

  "I can't believe you're coming on this tour," Carey said from the backseat. "I'd think you and Tack get enough trekking into the wild without adding a scheduled tour. Egan was glad we were driving to the trailhead on our own though. He said there wasn't enough room in the van for everyone, now."

  Deborah bit back a protest at the idea of the enforced intimacy of the car. Even if Carey and Marilyn were there, they had taken the backseat. Deborah now realized that had been on purpose, to put her in the front with Rock. If her brain had been firing on all synapses and not exhausted from a sleepless night alone in the guest room, she would have realized he was probably the driver.

  Since his siblings obviously weren't.

  "Tack has been busy this summer," Rock said as he put the SUV into gear.

  Marilyn made a scoffing noise. "He's always busy in the summer. He's a tour guide in a town that caters to cruise ships. That's never stopped you before from spending time hiking the remote wilderness with him."

  "Kitty Grant is back in town."

  "She is?" Carey asked with shock. "I didn't think she'd ever come back to Alaska. She wanted to live in the Lower 48 pretty bad."

  "How would you know?" Marilyn asked with the kind of affectionate sarcasm reserved for close siblings. "She was years ahead of us in school."

  "Everyone knew she wanted out of Cailkirn. She was one of Rock's friends, or don't you remember that?" Carey asked with his own dose of friendly disparagement.

  "I'm not feeble minded, of course I remember."

  "Did either of you know that her ex-husband was the angel investor for Carey's movie?" Rock asked, his tone saying clearly what he thought of that state of events.

  And it wasn't good.

  Something twinged in the region of Deborah's heart at the way Rock referred to the movie. If she'd needed confirmation of the way he saw her, it was right there. She was adjunct to his life. Carey was primary.

  "You're kidding me." Disgust laced Marilyn's voice. "No wonder he pulled funding. He probably did the whole thing on purpose to get back at the town."

  "For what? Being her hometown?" Carey actually did sarcasm better than his sister when he got going. "That doesn't make any sense. Divorce happens all the time, especially among the glitterati of LaLa Land."

  "Her grandmother had to go down to the Lower 48 when she was in the hospital. Ms. Moira thinks her ex put her there," Rock said, his tone hard.

  The sound of pure disgust and anger Marilyn made echoed in Deborah's heart.

  "I bet Tack is beside himself," Marilyn said.

  "Oh, he's probably pissed as hell at Nevin Barston, if he knows about the abuse," Carey agreed.

  "Why wouldn't he know about that?" Marilyn demanded.

  "Did you know?" Carey asked.

  "I've been out of town most of the year since we turned eighteen."

  "You know Rock finds stuff out no one else knows," Carey said, admiration saturating his tone. "Everybody talks to him."

  "Because they know I don't gossip."

  "Yeah, you only tell us," Marilyn said, her own voice filled with approval.

  Rock had revealed plenty in front of Deborah. What did that mean?

  "Still, I bet Tack's thrilled to have the love of his life back in town," Carey surmised.

  "I think he's taking things a day at a time." But Rock had told Deborah he knew Tack and Kitty were dating.

  She looked at the handsome man, trying to read something in his chiseled features and firm jaw. Were there things he didn't tell his siblings?

  Rock frowned, his focus on the road ahead of them. "I don't know if she's shared her past with him."

  "But Tack always thought Kitty was the one," Marilyn said. "She adored him. Everyone knew. It was so romantic. They were like the perfect couple."

  "That broke up when they went to college in the Lower 48," Rock said.

  "It seems like you blame where they went to university for their breakup," Deborah said.

  "I do."

  "Don't you think that's a little irrational?" Deborah chided.

  "Don't bother arguing with him, Deborah. Rock thinks leaving Cailkirn is close to a mortal sin."

  "Bullshit. If I did, I would have fought you and Carey leaving."

  "You didn't argue with them?" Deborah couldn't imagine it.

  "No. He was like the rock he's named after, all solid and we could come home if we needed to, but he knew we needed to pursue our own dreams." The admiration in Marilyn's voice was nearly in the stratosphere.

  "Yeah, Rock is the best," Carey added.

  Marilyn gave Deborah and earnest look from the backseat. "It's like him and Sloan."

  "The gossiping mayor that knows everything that happens in Cailkirn?" Deborah asked with a smidge of humor.

  "Sloan's not a gossip," Marilyn assured Deborah. "He doesn't tell anyone anything."

  Carey offered, "Except Rock. They brainstorm ways to fix stuff."

  "Did you fix Kitty's life?" Deborah asked, hoping he had.

  "If I'd known what was going on earlier, I would have flown to LA and brought her home where she'd be safe. But by the time Ms. Moira confided in me, Kitty was in the process of getting a divorce."

  "Does Kitty know that?" Deborah asked. "That you would have helped her?"

  "No, I don't imagine she does."

  "Maybe you should tell her. Believing you're alone dealing with the worst life has to throw at you is scary stuff." Really kind of terrifying, if Deborah were honest with herself.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Rock cast her a probing sidelong glance before focusing back on the road. "She has her grandmother and great aunts."

  "Did her grandmother bring her home?" It didn't sound like it to Deborah.

  "No, she didn't."

  "So, Kitty was alone dealing with a psychopath husband."

  Rock gave her a look. "Have you been alone dealing with psychopaths?"

  "There are still plenty of directors and producers who believe offering a beautiful woman a part in a movie includes fringe benefits." And not just power players in the film industry.

  She'd dealt with her share of predators in her jobs on waitstaff.

  "Hell," Rock cursed.

  "I was on my own, but I knew what I was willing to do and what I wasn't. It came close a couple of times, but I never gave into pressure."

  "It came close?" Marilyn asked, her tone timid in a way Deborah hadn't heard before.

  Maybe she was worried about offending Deborah, but the younger woman didn't need to. "They didn't always ask nicely."

  "Someone tried to rape you?" Carey demanded, fury making his voice deeper than usual.

  "He wouldn't have seen it that way, I'm pretty sure."

  "But you said ‘no’ and he kept push
ing." Marilyn paused and then offered tentatively, "Physically?"

  "Yes. You learn early on to research the principles in suits on a project and just to be on the safe side, you're never alone with them if you can help it."

  "That's insane. You should be safe." Marilyn sounded like her cherished beliefs were shaking apart.

  Deborah was sorry to break the rose-colored glasses the younger women had been wearing, but the world wasn't always a kind place. Being beautiful could paint a target on a woman that was neither fair, nor okay, but it landed there all the same.

  She turned so she could look more squarely at Marilyn. "And with most execs, you are, but do you want to risk letting your guard down for the few that aren't?"

  Marilyn shook her head. Carey was looking at his sister like he wanted to wrap her in cotton-wool. Rock, on the other hand looked neither shocked nor worried. He knew the world was a scary place and he'd protected his brother and sister to the best of his ability.

  He flicked a glance at Deborah. "There's a reason both Carey and Marilyn were in Judo from the time they were six."

  "Judo? Since you were six?" Rock had only been sixteen then. How had he managed it for them?

  "I did janitorial for the dojo and whatever else the sensei wanted me to in order to pay for their classes."

  "Are you still practicing?" Deborah asked the other two.

  "Rock would have a hissy fit if I let my training lapse," Deborah said with more seriousness than her usual sarcastic demeanor held.

  Carey snorted a laugh. "Are you kidding? It's worth more than what I'd have to deal with from big brother if I didn't."

  "He takes good care of you both."

  "We're lucky," Carey agreed.

  "And you, did you learn Judo?" Deborah asked Rock.

  That kind of training would help explain his muscles on top of muscles. The fact he worked the horses and cared for them did too.

  "He's a rokudan. That's sixth level black belt," Marilyn said proudly. "He's been the one training us at the dojo since we hit our teens."

  "You teach Judo?" When did the multi-millionaire businessman have the time?

  Rock shrugged. "I did, when the twins lived here. Now, the only training I do is when I spar with lower level black belts."

  "So, you've kept up your training?" She had an overwhelming desire to see him inaction at the dojo.

  "He still competes," Carey said enthusiastically. "He's going to get his shichidan soon."

  "From competing in Judo tournaments?" she asked, finding that way too much of a turn on.

  The image of Rock in hand-to-hand combat with another man trained in Judo sent heat right through her body.

  "That's one way, yes," Marilyn said.

  "Rock's favorite," Carey teased. "Big brother is really competitive. He's the challenger to beat in the summer Highland Games."

  That didn't bother Deborah one little bit. "I don't imagine he would have been nearly as successful financially if he didn't."

  Rock cast a quick look, his expression surprised. "You're right."

  That competitive nature showed itself when they started their hike. Egan did turn out to be their guide and while that thrilled Marilyn, and Carey actually didn't seem to mind either, Rock insisted on being in the front of the group and keeping Deborah with him.

  "Come on, hot stuff. This is an easy trail. You can keep up."

  "It's not a race," she huffed as they rounded a curve in the trail, putting the others out of sight. "Besides I'm missing Egan's description of the flora and fauna."

  It was a legitimate complaint. Egan MacKinnon had a way with words that brought out the beauty of their surroundings. He explained how some plants were native, some were imports, just like the people. He sprinkled Alaskan history in with his narrative, along with the history of the peninsula.

  "I can tell you everything he is telling the others."

  "So, start talking," she challenged.

  He grinned down at her and spoke quietly, "How about we just stop and watch the bear foraging?"

  "A bear? No, that's…they don't really come out on the trails." She looked around them, turning her head side to side, disbelief warring with the hope he wasn't teasing.

  Sure enough, a small black bear was indeed foraging for food amongst the bushes near the trail. Deborah had stopped beside Rock, her heart beating so hard now, she thought she might give right in and faint for the first time in her life.

  Rock stepped closer, continuing to speak quietly. "He'll move on as soon as he hears the others approaching. Enjoy the moment."

  "I'm going to hyperventilate."

  "No. You're fine." Rock rubbed her back.

  Deborah found herself relaxing under the comforting touch. "He's beautiful," she whispered.

  "Alaskan wildlife is." Rock nodded toward a clearing in the trees in the opposite direction. "Look over there."

  It was a group of deer, unconcernedly eating leaves from the many bushes.

  "Why aren't they running?"

  "The bear isn't a threat to them. He's far enough away, they'd outrun him if he gave chase."

  "They can't know that."

  "Their instincts tell them a lot."

  "But we're here."

  "People on the trails have become commonplace. It actually makes it too easy for the hunters in season."

  "Because the deer don't know to run."

  "Or they smell the gun oil too late."

  "Hunting is a big thing in Alaska."

  "It is. Being self-sufficient is part of the Alaskan way."

  "Do you hunt?" Deborah asked, not sure how she'd feel about it if he said yes.

  "I tried a couple of times, but I'd rather shoot the animals with my camera. I'm no vegetarian though."

  "I think I would have noticed if you were."

  "Smart Alec."

  "That's smart Deborah to you, bub."

  "Bub?"

  "You prefer buddy?" she asked archly.

  "I prefer being your lover."

  She gasped, her mind going totally blank for a second. She didn't know why, but she'd sort of assumed he wouldn't bring that up now. Not while they were out on an excursion with his younger siblings.

  She'd tried to convince herself that he would just let their physical relationship go, considering the fact it wasn't an actual relationship. Just sex.

  Even if her aching heart hoped for something different.

  "That cannot be a surprise to you."

  "You'd think."

  The bear's head came up and then he turned his furry body around and disappeared in the brush, the sound of clumping hooves telling her that the deer were also taking off.

  The rest of their group must have caught up, but Rock didn't look like he was interested in anyone else. His sherry gaze holding her own.

  "We aren't done, hot stuff," he vowed.

  "I thought we were."

  "Not by a long shot."

  "But what difference does it make? I'll be leaving in a matter of weeks and you've made it clear you don't want me back."

  He pulled her into his arms. "I never said that."

  "Didn't you?" Not all communication was verbal. "And anyway, you all but said you don't expect to see me again."

  "I don't."

  She tried to step back. "Exactly."

  Steel bands around her stopped Deborah from gaining any distance.

  Rock looked down at her like she was the only person on the peninsula, despite the sounds of the others coming closer. "That doesn't mean I don't want to."

  She pressed on his chest. "You're not making any sense."

  He let his forehead fall against hers like he had yesterday and created a haven of intimacy that should have been impossible under the circumstances. "You really think that once you get back to tinsel town, you're not going to forget all about your Alaskan interlude?"

  "You really think I could forget you that easily?" They were both speaking even more quietly than when the bear had been close by.
r />   "My parents did."

  Unable to help herself, she nuzzled her head against his. "I thought we agreed I'm not like them."

  He made a soft, primal sound of approval, pulling her closer. "It's not just them. Do you know how many people leave Cailkirn to visit the Lower 48, or go to school down there and never come back?"

  "But Kitty came back," Carey said from behind Deborah.

  Suddenly she understood the benefit to being so far ahead of the group. She looked at Carey over her shoulder, speaking from within the circle of Rock's arms. "We saw a bear."

  She should be moving away, embarrassed to be caught in such an intimate moment with Rock, but she just wanted this moment to last a little longer.

  "No way! Rock has all the luck," Carey said with disgust and no small dose of envy. "Him and Tack get the best pictures of wildlife."

  Rock shifted Deborah to his side but kept one arm around her. "It's not luck."

  "It's skill, hasn't he told you, Deborah?" Marilyn asked with a smile.

  "How did he skillfully arrange for a black bear to be foraging on the trail?" Deborah asked, her heart lighter than it had been since their fight the day before.

  "He was quiet and didn't spook the bear," Rock said with his own dose of sarcasm.

  "Darn it, Rock, you saw a bear?" Egan demanded, clearly chagrined. "You and Tack have all the luck."

  "Maybe Tack doesn't talk the whole hike, you think?" Rock mocked.

  "The bear is going to hear us coming if I'm talking, or not."

  "But the animals around here are used to humans. He wouldn't spook right away, maybe." Rock's raised brow clearly mocked the other man.

  Deborah added her two cents, "We saw some deer too."

  "Of course, you did." Egan's mouth twisted in a grimace. "Tack is not going to let me live this down. He maintains he trained you for the outdoors, Rock."

  Rock shrugged. "I won't deny it."

  Egan shook his head. "Aw, hell. I'm really never going to hear the end of it."

  "Does it really matter?" Marilyn asked, her tone confused. "You're doing a great job and I'd rather hear what you have to say than see a bear, or some deer."