by Addison Fox
Loud, muffled giggles echoed off his chest and he twisted his head to look at her as he still struggled to work the skirt down her legs. “Are you laughing at me?”
“I…I…am,” she said, hiccupping through her laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
“Didn’t we get tangled up in our clothes the last time we did this?”
“We’ll work on it,” he muttered as her skirt came free of her legs while he pulled the bra down her arms.
“Practice makes perfect,” she whispered as she took the bra from him and tossed it over the side of the bed.
“My thoughts exactly.”
Grier wiggled up until she was straddling him, the thin silk of her panties the only thing that separated a full view of her body from his gaze. Her dark gray eyes bore into his as she ground her hips over the fly of his slacks. “You’re still wearing pants.”
Pleasure hit him so hard, Mick saw a wave of stars, and he groped for her hips to hold her still, even as his hips pressed mindlessly up toward her.
“I think we need to fix that.” With slippery ease, she slid from his hands and crawled down his body, reaching for the fly of his slacks. He was so hard he ached, but he still had the presence of mind to stop her hands before she could lower the zipper.
“Allow me.”
A knowing smile crossed her lips—full of feminine promise—as she moved off him. He shucked his pants and underwear as she made quick work of her silky panties. The sight of her—her heavy, full breasts, the triangle of hair at the apex of her thighs and her long slender legs—was nearly his undoing. His body, free of the binds of his clothing, grew even harder, painfully ready for her.
She lay back on the bed and he followed her down, settling himself over her as her hand closed over his cock. A hoarse shout rose up in his throat and she only smiled and applied more pressure, moving her hands with increasing speed.
“This is torture.”
“I know.” She reached up and bit his ear. “Which is why I can’t understand why you won’t put me out of my misery.”
“Now? But I had all these grand plans.” Although he wanted to drag this out, he was already reaching for a condom in his end table.
Her husky voice floated toward him. “Save those ideas for later, darling. I’m not going anywhere and I can’t wait.”
He stilled momentarily as her words registered.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Rationally, he knew she meant this evening, but the words were the equivalent of a sucker punch to the gut. Because the truth of it was, he didn’t want her to go anywhere.
Ever.
“Mick?”
Pulled from the moment, he smiled down at her. “I’m just trying to decide.”
“Decide what?” She filched the foil packet from his hands and made quick work of the wrapper.
“If I want you on top or bottom.”
Grier reached between their bodies, fitting the condom over his long length. Once again, he nearly came off the bed at her touch.
And then the decision was made as she pushed on his shoulders before rising above him, straddling her legs at his waist and taking him deeply into her body. He leaned up and took one nipple in his mouth, gratified when she let out a long, sensual moan as her thighs tightened around his hips.
Reaching for her waist, he helped her set a rhythm that worked for both of them, then laid one hand behind her neck to pull her down for a kiss. Her small hands splayed across his chest as their tongues mimicked the give-and-take of their lovemaking.
And then he released her, allowing her to take over the rhythm as she rode him into a mindless oblivion with her head thrown back as she took her pleasure. The sensation of finally having her again—of watching her in such an intimate moment—was even better than the sheer bliss of their joined bodies.
He gazed up at her through heavy-lidded eyes, as pleasure swam through his system.
It was Grier.
And she was here.
And for tonight, at least, she was his.
Chapter Fifteen
The smell of coffee hit her first, followed by the low rumble of Mick’s voice. “Wake up.”
With her eyes still closed, she burrowed into the covers, seeking more warmth. “What time is it?”
“Five.”
“We went to bed at three,” she mumbled, even as the tantalizing aroma of caffeine had her eyelids drifting open.
“Why don’t we stay here all day and we can go to Fairbanks tomorrow?”
Her lids fully snapped open at that. “We have to go today to stay on schedule.”
Mick’s dark hair was still wet from his shower and his piercing blue gaze crinkled at the corners. “Thought that might get you up.”
“You don’t fight fair,” she grumbled. “And you’re clean already.”
“Let’s just call it an act of self-preservation.”
Grier sat up and took the mug he offered, taking a quick sip. “How so?”
“If I waited for you, there’d be no way I could keep my hands off your wet body in the shower.”
Warmth suffused her at his words and she couldn’t hold back the happy smile. “I’m glad I stayed the night.”
He leaned in and pressed a coffee-flavored kiss against her lips. “I’m glad you’re here.”
A million thoughts floated through her head, but only one mattered. “I’m glad I’m here, too.”
Grier buckled herself in, getting comfortable as she watched Mick start the plane’s engine and begin a check of his instruments. Fascinated, she could practically see the way he ticked off each task in his mind, his gaze roving over the extensive panel of gauges and readouts.
As he buckled his own seat belt, she couldn’t resist asking, “You do this every time you take off?”
“Every time.”
“But didn’t you fly yesterday?”
He shrugged as he flipped a few switches, the engine roaring to life in a heavy hum. “Doesn’t matter. Something could have changed on landing. Or I could have missed something on my last check. Or the plane could have finally picked this moment to act up. I don’t mess with my equipment.”
Mick leaned down beside his seat to grab a small binder and jotted down a few notes. She watched the swift, efficient movements as he printed neatly in the log.
The moment was an incredibly enticing peek into a side of him she never would have expected. The casual flyboy with the two days of scruff on his cheeks was a thorough, careful pilot.
He’s a thorough lover, too, her conscience picked that moment to remind her as images of the night before flooded her thoughts.
Incredibly thorough.
Mick handed her a headset, then pulled on one of his own as they taxied down the runway. The cold metal in her hands pulled her back to the present moment, even if the low hum that had settled in her stomach had nothing to do with the rumbling engine warming up beneath them.
She pulled the headphones on and could hear the sharp, tinny voice clearing Mick for takeoff. And then they were off, the small plane barreling down the runway before making a smooth rise into the dawn.
The dull hum of voices in the headset faded as Grier focused on the sky. “It’s gorgeous.”
“The sky is extra special up here. No matter how many times I make this trip, I never tire of it.”
“I can see why.”
A long, slow roll of need filled her belly as Grier turned to look at him. Arms outstretched, Mick’s large, capable hands gripped the steering mechanism as he held the plane steady with an ease that belied the fact he maneuvered them twenty thousand feet above the earth.
Tamping down on the increasing distraction of desire, she focused instead on the voices in her headset. He’d set her headset to the same frequency as his and she could hear a steady stream of instructions that continued to come through to him. The voices from the tower fascinated her and the fact that he understood anything they were saying was an intriguing peek into hi
s daily life.
An irresistibly intriguing peek, she thought as she glanced over at him; he was completely enmeshed in his task. His jaw was set in hard lines and the edge of his tongue poked out past his lips.
“You’re quiet this morning.” Mick’s voice stole through her headphones, pulling her from her thoughts.
“I didn’t want to interrupt.” Or miss the opportunity to observe you doing something you love.
“We’re well on our way. I thought I’d fly past Denali before heading up. Does that work?”
“I’d love to see the mountain.”
The mention of the mountain refocused her and a question hovered on her tongue. She’d nearly put it to words before pulling back. Mick had brought some researchers off the mountain the night they’d been together in December. They hadn’t spoken of it since that night and she’d wondered more than once how he was handling it.
She didn’t have to wait long.
The mountain loomed before them, its broad peaks an awesome testament to what nature could create.
“It’s absolutely beautiful.”
“She is, isn’t she?” Grier heard the pride in his voice—the sheer love for his home—and she smiled.
Whatever had happened with the researchers, he could clearly still see the beauty in something he loved so much.
“I want you to see the peak from the other side.” They worked their way around the mountain, the plane moving in and out of cloud cover, and Grier had the sudden realization that she was in an airplane and he was flying it.
Which was about as absurd as suddenly realizing she had two legs, but it was her reaction all the same.
“What’s that look for?” She heard the smile in his voice and turned toward it.
“You’re really and truly flying this plane.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You thought I had a pack of elves in the back?”
“I mean, this is all you. We’re up here because of you.”
A light blush crept up his neck and Grier only smiled more broadly. “It’s awfully sexy. You know that, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “That’s the generally accepted wisdom.”
“Oooh, and you’re so modest, too.” She couldn’t resist poking him a bit.
“I’m a tough bush pilot. It’s in my nature. The stoic and silent type.” He extended a hand toward her and she reached out and took it, their fingers entwining together.
“You’re the first woman I’ve brought up in a plane since I was nineteen.”
“Is that a come-on?”
He shrugged. “It’s a fact.”
“And that gal at nineteen?”
“I was young, horny and misguided,” he said on a wry grin. “What can I say?”
“I’m quite sure she was bowled over by your bush pilot prowess.”
His grin grew even broader. “How’d you guess?”
“I was young, horny and misguided once, myself. And if I had known you then, I’d have been all those things over you.”
“Don’t break my heart and tell me you aren’t all those things now.”
As they soared over the peaks of Denali, Grier simply smiled.
Once they were on the ground in Fairbanks, Mick waited for the deliveries to finish up. He had several sights lined up for the day and was itching to get out and show Grier around.
To her credit, she seemed to be enjoying herself in the meantime. She chatted with the locals over coffee, making fast friends with the woman who managed the delivery area. In his trips back and forth to gather up paperwork, he’d overheard coos over baby photos, discussion of the merits of white rice versus brown rice in managing weight loss and the relative value of buying a treadmill.
When he finally collected her an hour later, he didn’t miss the disappointed expression on Dana’s face.
“We’ll be at the Rooster later on for dinner. Bring your family and come join us.”
Dana brightened immediately and Mick knew he’d made the right choice.
Within minutes, they were in the SUV he’d rented, the heater going full blast. “That was nice of you to invite Dana and her family to dinner.”
“I hope you don’t mind,” he said.
“Of course not. She’s lovely.”
“I hear a ‘but’ in there.”
“But—” Grier paused. “It’s not what I expected.”
“What did you expect?” He turned to look at her when they came to a stop at the next light.
“Most men don’t invite families with small children on their dates.”
“Yeah, well, most women have no interest in having a date in the nether-reaches of Alaska. We’ll chalk it up to the two of us making a unique pair.”
She gifted him with a smile that lifted him up and scared him shitless, all at the same time. “I’ll give you that.”
He’d spent half the day thinking about the night before and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the idea that something very significant had changed last night. And it wasn’t just the sex, although that had been singularly spectacular.
It was the fact she’d come to him.
First for his help to take this trip and then to his bed.
The two were intertwined and both said a lot about her increasing trust of him and what they had between them.
This trip was as much about Jonas as it was about the two of them. Mick might not be able to keep her in Alaska, but he’d make damn sure she’d remember it—and him—when she left.
And if the thought of her leaving burned like acid in his gut, he’d just have to keep ignoring it.
Her voice broke into his musings. “I’ve thought a lot about what you said the other day. About Jason.”
His veins ran cold at the man’s name, but he was intrigued all the same. “And?”
“And I think you’re right. I think he would have struggled with my friendship with Sloan after a while. I’d like to think I’d never have let it get to the point where I’d choose him and shut her out, but I’m also not naive enough not to think that it wouldn’t have been hard.”
“Now you won’t have to make that choice.”
“Thank God.”
The light turned and Mick refocused on the road. He’d had several thoughts about Wall Street over the past week and not a single one of them had been favorable. Before he knew it, the question that had pounded with the most insistence spilled forth. “Are you sorry you’re not still with him?”
“No.”
“That’s awfully definitive.”
“I feel awfully definitive.” She let out a small laugh. “No matter how screwed up my life has been the last several months, the one thing I’ve never regretted—not even once—was walking away.”
“That’s a bold statement.”
“Or a very sad statement on the man I thought I was going to spend my life with.”
“Life’s detours are sometimes the most interesting part of the trip.”
Her light laughter filled the car and Mick found himself caught up—in the moment and in her.
“You’re quite the philosopher.”
“Occupational hazard. I spend a lot of time in my head.”
“I never thought about that, but I can see it’s true. Yet another similarity between us.” Grier must have seen the question in his face, because she continued to explain.
“Spending hours with spreadsheets requires a lot of tuning out the world around you. I’m always amazed at the problems I work through in the back of my mind as I’m adding columns of numbers.”
“A sexy number cruncher,” he crooned. “Tell me more.”
“What do you know about if-then statements?”
Kate worked her way through a column of numbers and wanted to scream in frustration.
She’d been fighting with the insurance companies since her father’s death and another round of bills had come in over the last week. She’d tried diligently to keep a spreadsheet of all the activity, but the sheer volume of statemen
ts had made it hard to keep up.
And every time she thought she had a handle on all the expenses, another bill came in to mess up her orderly figures.
She reached for her coffee, calming slightly as the warm brew hit her stomach. At least she was out. She’d been crawling the walls at home and couldn’t get settled, so she’d walked over to the Indigo Café for a hot breakfast and some quiet time in different surroundings.
But even in new surroundings, she couldn’t quite shake her restlessness.
Every time she had a spare moment—and of late she had quite a few—her thoughts reverted to Jason Shriver.
Their conversation the previous evening at the coffee shop had shaken her up and as she’d lain there in bed, restlessly tossing and turning, she couldn’t rid herself of the disappointment that the guy was an asshole.
She might have blocked Grier at every turn since her sister had arrived in Indigo, but she wasn’t a fool and she didn’t think Grier was one, either. A woman didn’t walk away from the guy she was going to marry unless something pretty awful had happened.
And if she had to guess, that something awful had everything to do with sex.
Which was why she had to stop these foolish thoughts about a man she had no business being interested in.
On a sigh, Kate turned back to her computer screen.
Who’d have thought it would come to this? Too much time on her hands and nothing to do. As her father had gone downhill, she’d taken a leave of absence from teaching. She’d gone from never having a free moment to having so much free time, she was swimming in it.
She’d even gone over to the school and asked to revoke her leave of absence, but they’d hired someone on for the year to fill the vacancy. Although the position was hers when her LOA was finished, she couldn’t go back now.
“You’re never happy.” Her mother’s words floated through her mind. It had been Laurie Winston’s favorite accusation to fling at Jonas and as she’d gotten older, Kate had heard her fair share of it as well.
As if reaching for something more were a bad thing.
She’d known her parents didn’t have the world’s most ideal marriage, but her father had assured her in his last years that he had loved her mother.
