by Evie Nichole
He refused to relinquish his weight to her, and her role became more steering him in the right direction. They lumbered towards the back deck of the small house, eyes fixed on the light that seeped through the windows and all it promised.
“Piper!” Harbour called out as they neared. “Piper!”
Two more screams and the back porch lights flicked on. Piper was still adjusting her bathrobe as she opened the sliding door and stepped out.
“Harbour? What on . . . were you in the river?”
“I’ll explain later. Right now, we need hot chocolate and towels.”
“Right, of course.” She turned to go back in, but hesitated. “Is that Derek?”
“Piper,” Harbour snapped.
Piper gave the belt of her robe a sharp tug and hurried down the short flight of steps.
“You’re not getting him up there by yourself,” she said as she took Derek’s free arm and slung it over her shoulders.
It took all three of them to get him up the stairs and through the back door. They tried to set him on the couch but missed by a few inches and ended up dumping him onto the ground.
“I’ll put on the kettle,” Piper said once they had finished wincing in sympathy. “You know where the towels are.”
Harbour crouched down to cup Derek’s jaw and tilted his head up to look at her. He offered no resistance but his eyes were hooded and his skin was pale. A blue tinge seeped into his soft lips.
“I bet you wish you had some fat now, huh?” she teased. “Vanity muscles doesn’t offer any insulation from the cold.”
“Could you try not to enjoy this?”
“No.”
It was impressive that he could make his glare so sharp, given the state he was in.
“I’m going to get some towels and get us dry. Can you take off your clothes?”
“If I can’t, would you do it for me?” She didn’t notice the hint of mischief in his eyes until she had already answered that she would. He smiled, weak but still obnoxious. “I can’t.”
“Well, I’ll get the towels and Piper can help you.”
She stripped off her shirt as she hurried from the room. Under normal circumstances there was no way she would run around in such a state, but the cold was rather convincing. Harbour grabbed all the towels in Piper’s linen closet and raked one over her skin. Her limbs wobbled and she bounced off of the walls as she made her way back to the living room.
Derek had managed to get his shoes and shirt off, but his waterlogged jeans still clung to his legs like sheets of ice. He sat hunched in on himself, elbows on his knees and hands layered on the back of his hanging head. The position offered her a glimpse of his tattoo, the ink now stark against his drained skin.
Harbour took the opportunity to wrap one of the towels around her chest and shimmied out of her soggy pyjama pants. Making sure the towel would hold in place, she crouched down next to him and placed a towel over his shoulders.
“Don’t rub. It can make it worse, by dry off.” She grabbed up his shirt and added it to her wet pile of clothes. “Why aren’t you out of your jeans yet? Do you need help? Buttons and numb fingers aren’t a good match.”
He smirked as his head flopped back. Without looking, his hands fumbled over the top button of his jeans.
“I needed a towel.”
“Huh?”
He closed his eyes, his face hovering between pain and amusement as his fingers slipped over the button.
“Today was not a good day to go without.”
“You’re going commando?” Piper asked as she entered the room and placed two steaming mugs of hot chocolate onto the coffee table. “I can help if you want. You know, because you have numb fingers.”
Derek narrowed his eyes and his hands stilled.
“Piper, can you please call the fire department? His house is on fire.” Harbour draped a towel across Derek’s lap and continued. “Derek, you need to warm up before this gets worse. Take off your jeans so I can put them in the dryer.”
He didn’t move until Piper had once again disappeared into the kitchen. The steel left his gaze and he fumbled with the button again.
“I can’t get the damn thing open.”
“That’s okay.” Harbour’s voice was a lot calmer than she was. She was ready for this whole night to be over. But he didn’t need to hear her griping about how much she did not want to do this. “I’ll do the button; you do the rest. Okay?”
He slid his eyes closed and nodded in defeat. His lashes were thick arches against his pale skin and his cheekbones drew sharp as he bit the insides of his cheeks. It struck Harbour how, in his mind, this moment might parallel that day so long ago. He had been rendered weak, vulnerable, and she was once again here to witness it all.
As gently as she could, she rolled down the towel to expose the top button of his jeans. Her fingers grazed against his skin and his whole body jerked.
“I wanted to thank you,” she said.
He slightly opened his eyes but she couldn’t tell what he was looking at. Still, she took it as a step in the right direction and continued on.
“You saved my life back there.”
“You would have broken the glass.” His whispered words were smoky rough and deep.
“Probably.” She smiled. “But you also pulled me from the river. So, thank you.”
“You too.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Her fingers were still numb and the wet fabric didn’t want to move. It made it difficult to pop it open and her attempts pressed her knuckles against the tender skin of his lower stomach. He didn’t flinch but couldn’t stop his breathe from hitching. Each time he did she paused, only going back to her attempts when he released an exaggerated sigh. Just before her thinning patience snapped altogether, the button finally gave way.
Harbour pushed herself to her feet and hurried off in search of a blanket. Despite her shivering, a new warmth now lingered against her knuckles and her cheeks felt uncomfortably hot. That guy had way too much vanity muscle. He had to be freezing.
She stripped off Piper’s bed, making a mental note to apologize for it later, and ran back to the room. Derek had tossed his jeans onto the pile and was currently working the water out of his hair. He still shivered violently but his skin was taking on a better color.
Once again crouching down next to him, Harbour worked the blankets apart and wrapped one around his shoulders. He didn’t look at her but continued to rub his hair. She pulled the remaining sheets around herself and took a moment to enjoy the slight warmth it offered. The hot chocolate caught her attention and she reached for the mug. A few mouthfuls and then she would go put the clothes in the wash.
She didn’t know that Derek had moved until an arm looped around her waist. Swiftly he pulled her back against his chest and settled her into his lap. More preoccupied with not sloshing the hot chocolate over both of them, she didn’t protest as he flopped the ends of the blanket over her and pressed his forehead to her shoulder.
“I’m cold.”
“I know you’re cold,” she said as she shook the stray droplets off of her fingers. “Here, drink this.”
His free arm snaked under the blanket and joined the first in keeping her firmly in place against his chest. Each breath pushed the muscles of his chest against her back and as they deepened and slowed, she was worried he was about to fall asleep.
“Derek?”
He hummed and curled himself further around her.
“You should drink this. It will warm you up.”
The next sound he emitted was undeniably a growl and he shifted again. But instead of moving his arms, he looped his legs over her own. Only when she was effectively locked into place did he sneak a hand out to take the mug.
“I need to put the clothes in the dryer.”
“Stay.” The hot chocolate had heated his breath. When he spoke, the words washed over Harbour’s cold skin and made her shiver. “Just for a bit.”
Derek gave h
er the mug back, looped his arm across her shoulders, and pulled her back until the limited space that had once existed between them was lost. She didn’t protest, too preoccupied with trying to place when he had said those words before. The scrape of his stubble made it click.
That day, in the parking lot, as the rain had chilled them to the bone. The day someone had tried to kill him. Her stomach dropped as she curled her fingers around his forearm. Had someone just tried to burn them alive?
Chapter Six
Derek relaxed as he felt warmth settled into Harbour’s skin. He still wasn’t sure what had just happened, but he knew that Harbour was the last person he wanted to be caught up in any of it. Still, he couldn’t deny the part of him that was relieved she had been with him. After the attempt on his life, the list of people he could trust had been pitifully short. He had hoped that whatever else might change coming back to Nowhere, his perception of Harbour would remain untouched.
Piper had come back at some point. He had been vaguely aware of her rambling on, but he distinctly remembered her suggesting that Harbour get up to put the clothes into the dryer. His arms had involuntarily tightened at the stupid remark. Harbour needed to rest. She could have died. And Piper was standing right there. Harbour remained where she was and Derek had quickly lost interest in what was happening around him. There was too much to think about.
Ten years was a long time to hold onto the kind of obsession that would drive someone to do this. Rumors spread fast in Nowhere, so he doubted that the person who had lit the blaze didn’t know that he was there. What bothered him was Harbour’s truck. It was parked right out front. They would have to have known she was there, but started the fire anyway. He could wrap his mind around the idea that someone wanted him dead, but Harbour?
The doorbell rang and he lifted his head to see two police officers emerge from the hallway, caught in conversation with Piper. He didn’t know the man, but the younger woman looked vaguely familiar.
“Is that Chloe?”
His voice startled Harbour and he wondered how long he had been sitting silently, lost in his own thoughts.
“Yeah.”
He considered the tall brunette. “Didn’t she used to streak during the football games?”
“She hasn’t done since she had her baby.”
“She has a kid?”
He might have said that too loud since it drew the attention of everyone in the room. The man was introduced as Jacob, an older officer who had decided to try life in a rural area.
Derek wasn’t quite sure what he should do. His first instinct was to stand and shake their hands, but he was finally warm and now acutely aware that he was naked under the blankets. The officers pulled up a few footstools and sat down, so the matter was settled.
“So, you have a kid now?”
“Yeah, little Ariel. She just turned two.” She pulled out her pen and notepad and smiled at him. “Have you got any?”
“No.” The officers exchanged a quick glance at his abrupt response. Derek released a sigh and tried to keep his defenses from kicking in. “Do you know if my house will survive?”
“They’re still working on it.”
“Did they find accelerant?”
Chloe leaned in. “It’s too early to tell. Is there any reason to think this is arson?”
Harbour twisted to watch him as he answered. “I didn’t lock the back door.”
“I’m sorry?” Chloe said.
“I was out on the balcony when Harbour came over. I didn’t lock it when I came back in, but it was locked after the fire had started.”
“And you’re sure you didn’t lock it?” Jacob asked.
“Positive.”
“And it’s not one of those self-locking ones?” Chloe asked with a smile.
His eyes narrowed. “Who would put that on a balcony door?”
“We just have to exhaust every possibility,” Chloe pacified.
It was hard to keep the edge out of his words. “I’ve had some experience with police procedure.”
Jacob cast a questioning look to his partner.
“You think this is connected to your attempting kidnapping?” Chloe asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Have you received any threats?”
“No.”
“But you did get that phone call,” Harbour cut in. “Just before the fire started, you got a phone call.”
Chloe clicked her pen. “Who was it?”
“The number was withheld,” Derek said. “They didn’t say anything.”
Harbour didn’t seem to know if she should look at him or the officers. “And on the day he was almost kidnapped, I remember him getting a phone call before he left the office.”
“So you believe they were checking if he was in the house?” Jacob asked.
Her certainty faltered. “Maybe. I don’t know, it just seemed weird that both times he got a call.”
“We’ll look into it,” Jacob assured. “Is there anything else you remember?”
They both shook their heads.
“Nothing out of the ordinary?” he probed.
“I haven’t been here long enough for there to be an ordinary.”
Harbour pinched his arm under the cover of the blankets and he reluctantly tried to school his features into something other than a scowl.
“I didn’t notice anything either time I pulled up.”
“Either time?” Piper asked.
“I dropped him home and then my parents sent me back up with food,” she said. “And the first time we had Jareth with us. He didn’t act weird, did he?”
Derek shook his head when she gave him a questioning look. From what he remembered, the dog had only followed at his feet.
“Didn’t bark or growl? Show interest at anything?” Chloe said.
Again they both just shook their heads. The front door slammed open and Derek tightened his grip on Harbour. He wasn’t prepared for the couple who entered with the energy of a storm.
Harbour leapt to her feet, her foot colliding painfully with Derek’s stomach as she moved. She pulled the sheet around her tightly as she moved to the pair.
“I’m fine. It’s okay. We’re both okay.”
Her soft tone made it click. They were her parents. Once again he was hit with the fact that he was the only naked one in the room. At least Harbour still had her underwear.
“Although Derek owes you a new casserole dish.”
“You’re the one who dropped it,” Derek snapped as he stood. Nervously he glanced to her parents and hoped that he had covered himself properly. “Mr. and Mrs. Bates.”
Kimmy flung her arms around his neck and squeezed. “You poor thing. Are you okay?”
He fumbled for what he was supposed to do and settled on keeping his arms in place around himself. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Ma’am? My, you always were a gentleman.”
“I disagree,” Harbour said with an edge of annoyance. “If anyone cares.”
“We don’t,” her father assured as he came forward to shake Derek’s hand.
“What happened?” Kimmy asked, “Piper said you came out of the river.”
“We had to jump off the balcony,” Harbour said.
Chloe smiled. “It’s a miracle you didn’t hit the rocks.”
“I made sure we jumped after Wilson’s Pass.”
“That’s my girl.” Her father grinned and flung his arm around her shoulders.
“You must have been so scared.” Kimmy looked between the two. “Not to mention frozen. Have they heated you up? Did you get to eat anything?”
A small smile pulled at Derek’s lips. “Harbour and Piper have taken good care of me, but I didn’t get a chance to eat anything.”
“Well, you get your things together and come to our house.”
“What?” Harbour asked.
“Well, he can’t exactly go home,” her father said before turning his attention to Derek. “We’ve closed up the bed and breakfast for
the season so you can pick whatever room you want.”
“He owns a hotel,” Harbour reminded.
“And stay there all alone? No, come stay with us,” Kimmy insisted.
“We’re heading off on a trip tomorrow, if Harbour is still feeling well, of course. So feel free to stay as long as you like.”
“What was that last bit?” Harbour asked.
Derek had to smile. “Thank you.”
Chapter Seven
Harbour rubbed the droplets of water out of her hair as she exited the bedroom. Jareth almost tripped her twice in his haste to get down the stairs before her, his tail thudding against the wall. She bounced off each step, a barely concealed smile stuck on her face. For the whole time she had been in the shower, her parents had been alone with Derek. He might be able to hide his natural jerk-like nature for short bursts of time, but by now he must have slipped up and let his true personality shine through.
She jumped the last few steps into the small alcove that had been converted into a reading area no one really used. All she had to do was swing around the banister and she was in the kitchen. Jareth skirted past her, nails clattering across the tile floor, and flung himself at Derek.
Caught off-guard, Derek staggered back under the sudden weight. The mug he had been holding clattered against the floor as he instinctively caught the dog. Jareth squirmed and struggled up Derek’s impressive bulk until he was able to tip his paws over Derek’s shoulder and give a slobbery lick at his face.
Harbour stopped in her tracks. “What did you do to my dog?”
Derek grabbed Jareth by the scruff of his neck and tried to keep the dog from gnawing on the tips of his hair.
“I take it he doesn’t do this often.”
“Do you give him treats when I’m not looking? Bacon in your pockets?”
“No.” He was more concerned with avoiding Jareth’s slobbery jaws.
“Liar. I know you’re packing some serious meat in your pants.”
It didn’t hit her what she had said until George snorted, Kimmy’s face went bright red with smothered laughter, and Derek gave her an incredulous look.
