"Listen, we both know you don't want to stay at the rooms at Hearts, and everything else is pretty much closed until closer to Christmas…" He paused and waited for her to look back at him. When she did, he was surprised at how quickly his blood was chugging through his veins at what he was about to propose. "Why don't you stay at my place?"
"Your place?"
The skepticism in her question shouldn't have irritated him, but it did. He wasn't that much of a player. He'd never actually invited anyone back to his place. She knew that. Sure, he'd dated a bit over the years. If you added all those women on some weird dating abacus, there were a lot of them. No, he wasn't a rookie anymore, and he had the grey hair to prove it.
But it wasn't like he would insist that she share his bed in exchange for a roof over her head…
"I have a spare bedroom," he clarified in case that was the problem.
The benefits side of their friendship had never been an assumption between them. Each time they saw one another it was like starting over again. In a way. Except they both knew what made the other tremble with want. That part made it simpler, but it had never been assumed that it would happen again. They would dance around one another… a little touch here… a flirtatious innuendo there… like it was the first time all over again, until they ended up naked and sweaty in one another's arms. It'd been a while, though. Well over a year. Maybe two. She could have moved on. She could be in a relationship with someone.
The idea of some other man slipping past her protective walls and defenses made something twist in his gut. But he had no right to feel that way. Neither of them had pretended their arrangement was anything more than it was… a casual thing. No strings.
Their lives were too different to make anything more permanent work.
She frowned and looked around at the darkened house and the black landscape. Then she nodded. "Thank you."
"Good," he said, feeling happier about her decision than the situation warranted. Then something caught his eye. "Is that a mouse on your car?"
She grimaced and wrapped her arms tight over her chest. "It's dead."
"Yeah. I figured that out."
The rodent was in the little gap between the hood of her car and her windshield. She must have seen it when she was driving. It would have been right in front of her. She didn't used to be squeamish, so he wondered why she wouldn't have stopped to remove it herself. Even now, she couldn't seem to look at it. He plucked it up by the tail and hurled it into the woods.
"Thanks," she said with a shaky voice.
"No worries," he said. "I was heading home now. You can follow me."
Chapter 2
Aiden Randall was like cocaine: It'd only taken sleeping with him once for her to develop an addiction.
Every time she came to Sanctuary Lake it was the same thing. She'd wander down to the pub called Hearts and Diamonds and he'd be there… and then before she left for the city again they would end up naked and panting in her bed at the cabin or the back seat of her car or in a rowboat... It'd been like that for years. Twenty, actually. Although, as time went on, they found a bed more often than they used to.
The idea that he'd felt compelled to offer her his spare bedroom was laughable.
Still. Going to his place was something new. In all the years they'd shared this lust-fueled relationship she'd never once been to his place. He'd never invited and she'd never asked. Kayla worried her hands as she waited for Aiden to lock her parents' cabin.
When he turned back to her, the porch light shone around his head like a halo, but Aiden was no angel. In or out of bed. He winked at her, like he knew exactly what she was thinking. The light caught on the gray strands in his hair, which glinted like molten silver. Her fingers twitched to touch… to feel… to hold him close as he kissed her. She swallowed.
This was a bad idea.
Or a really, really good one.
She wasn't sure yet.
"Ready?" He grinned at her.
She nodded, not trusting herself to say anything. She hopped in her car and waited for him to lead the way. Her gaze was drawn to the spot where the mouse had been. Thank God it was gone, but its absence didn't remove the threat it'd delivered.
No. She wasn't going to think about that now. She was in Sanctuary Lake and no one was going to find her here.
She clenched the steering wheel and followed Aiden. When he arrived at the end of the driveway, he didn't turn toward town. Instead, he turned left, leading them deeper into the woods. Small snowflakes were falling now and they streaked through the light cast by her headlights. His truck wound along the gravel road ahead of her. The dense aspen trees crowded close, blotting out a view to anything but his bright red taillights, which glowed in the eerie darkness that surrounded them.
He was leading her away from her problems, away from the rest of the world… and it would only be the two of them at the end. Her stomach fluttered in anticipation and she tried to smother it. She couldn't crash into his world and expect that he'd drop everything and spend the weekend with her.
God. What if he was dating someone now? Was that why he'd clarified about where she would be sleeping?
Splats of snowflakes were smacking against her windshield steadily by the time Aiden's truck turned from the road onto a narrow access lane. The only marker to indicate the turn was a post with two reflectors in the ditch. If she hadn't been following him, she wouldn't have noticed the driveway. The small house was dark. No light came on as their vehicles pulled to a stop in front of it. When they turned off their engines, blackness enveloped them. Unlike the city, no ambient light glowed over them. They were miles from another house. Even farther from the nearest street light. It was quiet here.
Isolated.
Intimate.
Would this alter things between them?
She grabbed her purse and jumped out of the car before she changed her mind. Aiden was walking toward her. His form was barely visible in the darkness.
"Can I grab your bags?"
Kayla shook her head. "I haven't got any."
In the shadows, she couldn't see his face, but she expected his left eyebrow had just lifted like a silent question mark. She braced herself for a barrage of questions. She hadn't had time to go home and pack. After finding that dead mouse on her windshield with its tiny pink feet curled in the last throes of death, all she could think about was leaving… getting as far away as she could…
Somewhere no one would think to look for her.
So she'd come right from work. She hadn't wasted time by going home.
"Okay," he said.
That was it. No questions. Then he put his hand on her elbow. His touch, even buffered by layers of jackets and clothes, sent a shot of awareness through her.
"I didn't think I'd have company tonight, so I didn't leave the light on," he said as he guided her toward the house. "I don't want you to trip on your way to the door."
He led her up a set of stairs. Movement and a creak from the corner made her jump. He tightened his hold on her arm.
"What?"
"Something or someone is over there," she said in a hushed voice.
"It's a rocking chair. The wind is pushing it." He leaned closer. She wished she could see his face in these shadows. "It's okay. Nothing's going to hurt you here."
He squeezed her arm softly. Based on his response to her, she figured she was acting like a nut job. She owed him an explanation, but that was the last thing she wanted to talk about. What she wanted instead was to step closer to him, soak up the comfort of his reassuring touch. He opened the door and reached inside to turn on the light. The brightness made her squint as she entered. He followed. They were greeted by two cats, who circled around their legs and meowed.
"Don't you lock your door?"
"To the house? No. To the tool shed? Absolutely."
The way he said that made her think that his tool shed would more closely resemble a hardware store than a shed.
"Go on inside,"
Aiden said to the cats. "Let us get in the door."
The white cat twitched its tail and marched down the hallway. The other one sat and stared at her. Aiden shook his head.
"I got these two when my brother Grady and his fiancée Rachel had a bit of trouble, and then they never left." His tone suggested it hadn't been his choice to keep the cats, but the way he was scratching the one under the chin and murmuring to it said he liked them more than he might be willing to admit. "This is Neptune and the other was Saturn."
"That's very… celestial…"
"Not my idea," he said, but he didn't explain further.
As they kicked off their shoes and Aiden took her coat to hang it on a hook by the door, Kayla's gaze skipped from one thing to the next. She couldn't deny her curiosity. The entry was lined with oak panels, which were darkly stained and boasted subtle carvings. It looked more apt for a den in an old English manor than a cabin in the woods. The floor in this area was covered in tiles that looked worn and chipped. It was a style that many of the tile suppliers she worked with carried in their product lines, but she doubted this was a design choice. She suspected that these had been aged naturally over time. The effect was one of warmth and welcome.
"I'll give you a tour," he said as he beckoned her to follow him deeper into his home. He flicked on more lights as he progressed down the small hallway. At the edge of the foyer, the tile was replaced with a rich dark hardwood that enticed her inside. Before she moved, though, she turned the lock. She'd never be able to relax enough for sleep if she knew the door was unlocked. The moment the sure click resonated against her fingertips, she breathed a little easier.
He was already out of view, so she trailed down the corridor he'd taken. The hallway opened into one of the coziest rooms she'd ever been in. The walls here were whitewashed plaster. Thick wooden beams crossed the ceiling, leading the eye to a wall of windows that Kayla guessed would look over the lake. At the moment, the view was obscured by the reflections of the interior on the window. Along the wall on the right was a beautifully crafted staircase created from branches and thick pieces of wood. In the far left corner, a fireplace made of river stone took pride of place. There wasn't a TV in sight. A sectional sofa, covered in brown corduroy, faced the hearth. A large low coffee table that appeared to be made from reclaimed wood sat in front of the sofa on a fluffy white throw rug. Oh, the things she could imagine doing on that rug by the fireplace…
"The kitchen is over there," he said, directing her attention behind them. "And the bedrooms are up the stairs."
The bedrooms… his bedroom… Her gaze slipped back toward the staircase, following the steps up to the landing on the second floor. When she looked back at him, she found him watching her. He didn't look away.
"I'll show you your room," he said as he slipped his hand in hers.
She nodded and he steered her toward the stairs. The cats followed. As they climbed, Kayla let her free hand slide along the smooth railing. It was solid, but the organic twists and bumps on the branches had been retained.
"You made this, didn't you?"
He shrugged, as if to suggest it was no big deal. But he was obviously a fine craftsman. Someone with his skills could charge a fortune in the city doing custom work. Her parents would never have hired him if he charged what she suspected he should.
"It's beautiful. All of it…" she said as they reached the landing. "You have a stunning home, Aiden."
He didn't stop to acknowledge her praise. Instead he opened the first door.
"Bathroom," he said, although she could have figured that out on her own. He continued to the next door. "Your room."
Then he nodded toward the rest of the hall.
"My room is at the end on the left."
He didn't say anything about the other door, but she didn't press him. It could be a linen closet for all she knew.
"I'm going to get cleaned up. If you're hungry, help yourself to anything you see in the kitchen."
Contrary to what his words suggested, he didn't leave immediately. His gaze locked on hers. He didn't move any closer, but she couldn't resist the temptation to lean toward him, drawn to him despite his obvious intention to keep a little distance between them. Silver dotted the scruff along his jaw—it was well past being a five o'clock shadow—and glinted in the soft light. The scents of sawdust and male hard work mingled and enticed her nearer. He was, and always had been, the sexiest man she knew.
"Thank you," she whispered.
His quiet strength, carefully controlled, rolled over her. A sense of safety hadn't been her companion in a long time, but with Aiden her ever-present tension started to uncoil. She'd missed this. Missed him. But she had stayed away, not wanting to get anyone involved in her problems.
He shifted and his work-hewn muscles rippled beneath his T-shirt. He slipped a hand along her neck, sending a delicious shudder dancing over her skin. His palm, coarse and rough with calluses, pressed against the back of her head as his long fingers thrust up to tangle in her hair.
His gaze waltzed lower, until it landed on her mouth. The heat between them was palpable. It always had been. He leaned closer. The warmth of his breath slipped across her face just before his lips touched hers. So soft. So light.
She wanted so much more.
He drew back.
"I won't be long," he said as his gaze hooked on hers again. He brushed his thumb across her jaw. "And then you are going to tell me what is going on."
Chapter 3
A short while later, Aiden paused at the top of the stairs. His bare toes curled over the edge of the step. Kayla was talking on the phone. He shouldn't listen, but he couldn't help it. Something was wrong and she hadn't felt the need to confide in him yet. Something had scared her. She had bolted from the city in the middle of the night without a spare bit of clothing or even a toothbrush. Unfortunately, her voice was too soft to make out the words. So much for that idea.
As he descended the stairs, a smile flitted across her face when she saw him.
Until tonight the only women who had entered his house had been accompanied by someone else... either one of his brothers or his son. No woman over the age of four had ever been there because of him. And he figured his granddaughter Cassy didn't count in this situation.
He and women, well… he liked them. Enjoyed them. Loved their soft curves and their beautiful ways. But after his son's mother, Fran, ran out on them, Aiden had made it a point not to get involved in a serious relationship again. He couldn't let Chris go through the hurt of being left again. And now there was Cassy to think about too. Her mother hadn't left by choice, but death was just as cruel to a young girl missing her mother. It was his job to protect his family and give them stability. Which meant no relationships. No one would get hurt that way.
Not that Kayla would be interested in a more traditional type of relationship with him. She had a life in the city. That's what made their arrangement so perfect.
So it was strange to see her here. Strange, but in a good way.
But that was Kayla. She got under his skin. It'd been that way since the first time he'd seen her. When her parents had purchased that place along the east shore, she was about to start her freshman year in university. He'd been seven years older than her and at that age he should have seemed ancient. Hell, he was already a single dad at that time and she was starting her life. He was way too old for her. Then and now. But she hadn't cared. When she'd tracked him down that night on the beach and moonlight had danced over them…
He swallowed, cursing the sudden tightness in his jeans.
Then she turned her attention back to her phone and frowned.
"No," she said. "Like I said, it wasn't like that when I left."
She rolled her head to the side and rubbed the back of her neck. He listened to her side of the conversation, but it didn't reveal anything significant.
When the conversation ended, she took a deep breath and walked to the window. There wasn't much to see tonight.
His usual lake view was lost behind the falling snow and dark night, but he doubted she cared. A chill had settled in the room, but she didn't seem to notice that either.
"I'm going to start a fire," he said. "Why don't you select a wine? There is a rack in the kitchen."
She nodded absently at him, but didn't move.
The stack of firewood by the hearth was dry and large enough to last the night, but he'd have to grab more from the shed in the morning. He had central heating, which he kept only high enough to keep his pipes from freezing, but he preferred having a fire to warm the place beyond that base temperature. He could sit for hours and listen to burning wood crackle in the hearth, with only a book for company. But he wouldn't need a novel tonight.
When flames licked along the logs, he straightened. The cats immediately curled up in their favorite spots by the fire and started cleaning themselves. Kayla was still at the window. He crossed to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back tight to his chest. They'd enjoyed one another's bodies too many times not to act with such simple intimacy. Her head dropped back to his shoulder and a deep sigh shuddered out of her.
She was so small against him, but she had proven time and again that she was strong despite her petite size. But her strange behavior tonight had him worried. And it only took holding her close to notice she was smaller than normal.
What was going on? Was she sick?
He brushed his lips across her temple. His gaze locked on hers in the reflection in the window. It would be so simple to slip into the familiar… and begin stirring the embers of their mutual attraction. Desire had always come so easily to them.
But not tonight.
"I'm going to open a bottle of red," he said.
Her mouth—those sweet sensuous red lips—twisted in a frown as he withdrew, like she didn't want him to leave her.
"Do you want some?"
"Yes," she said quickly, turning to look at him. "Thank you."
She followed him to the wine rack and peered over his shoulder as he selected a Chianti, a bold one with a bit of a peppery taste that reminded him of her. Her eyes seemed fixed on his hands as he inserted the corkscrew and pulled the cork free.
Hot Silver Nights: Silver Fox Romance Collection Page 62
