Hot Silver Nights: Silver Fox Romance Collection

by Ainsley Booth

  "I know who it is… they can wait," he said. "I much prefer kissing you."

  The phone kept ringing. She laughed and rolled away from him. "I don't think your voicemail is working."

  "I turned it off the other day." He shrugged. "I can see the numbers of the people who call. Why do I need more than that?"

  How could anyone in this day live without voicemail?

  The ringing continued, and finally with a groan Aiden pushed out of bed. As he crossed the room, she admired the way his T-shirt and pajama pants clung to his body. Funny, she'd always thought he would sleep naked. Her fingers itched to peel the cotton from him. It'd been so long since she'd explored his delicious body. He grabbed his phone from where it was docked on his dresser across the room.

  "I'm here," he said as a greeting. "And I know what you are going to say."

  The person on the other end of the call spoke, but she couldn't make out the words. She expected him to leave the room for some privacy. He didn't. Should she? She threw off the covers and found herself in the same clothes she'd worn the day before.

  Right. She didn't have anything to change into.

  He motioned for her to stay where she was, but it felt strange to remain in his bed now that she was awake and the kisses had stopped. She threw the duvet over the bed after she stood. When she straightened, the window caught her attention. Last night everything had been so dark that she hadn't been able to see anything when they arrived. She was curious…

  The view was of a winter wonderland. Pristine white snow clung to the pine trees. The ground looked like it'd been covered in smooth buttercream icing. It was a fairy tale. So pure. So clean. So unlike the city…

  From the window she could see across the lake. It wasn't frozen over yet, so gentle waves lapped along the shore. She'd never seen it without people before. In the summer there were always boaters, and by the time she arrived at Christmas there were ice fishing shacks. But right now, with the vast expanse of empty water stretching in front of her, the peace she'd felt since arriving in Sanctuary Lake seeped deeper inside her and wrapped over her like a warm blanket.

  Aiden talked a little longer, but she tried not to listen. Tried not to speculate whose call he might be expecting first thing in the morning.

  "Right," he said at last. "We'll be there soon."

  She turned to him when she heard the clatter of his phone being tossed back onto his dresser.

  "You have to go." She pushed her hands through her hair. "I'll just…"

  "I thought you'd come with me," he said as he crossed the room to her. His long sure strides carried him to her before she could think of an excuse. "When we go through town," he said, "we can stop at the store and grab you a change of clothes if you want." Then he grinned. "Although if you want to run around naked while you are here, we could do that too…"

  She laughed. "With all that snow outside? It might be different if it was July or August, but…"

  "I would keep you warm," he promised.

  And he could too. She was already flushed and needy with his few flirtatious words.

  "You look beautiful here…" he whispered, "framed by my bedroom window with the morning light slipping over you."

  She patted her hair again and shook her head. "I don't—"

  "Believe me."

  Then he slipped his hand along her neck. His fingers were cold against her skin, but they ignited a trail of heat. Then he kissed her. As his hot mouth moved over hers, his other hand, strong and sure, snaked around her and pulled her tight against his body. Through their clothing she could feel his arousal. She trembled and arched into him.

  "Absolutely beautiful," he said against her lips.

  He ended the kiss and looked into her eyes. Her panting breath shuddered between them.

  "What I wouldn't give to spend the day in bed with you…" His arms tightened around her. "It's been too long since I've held you."

  "But someone is waiting on you… Do you…" Was she really going to ask him this? Yes. She had to know. She cleared her throat. "Listen. If there is someone in your life…"

  Her sentence trailed off when he leaned back to look in her eyes. He kept one arm around her waist, holding her closely, but he lifted his other to her face. His callused thumb grazed her cheek as he shook his head.

  "It was Drew."

  Thank God. It was one of his brothers, not a woman.

  "What about you?" The dark look in his eyes as he asked the question sent a shiver of pleasure through her.

  "No," she said softly. "There is no one…"

  "Good."

  His lips curled in a slight, perhaps relieved, smile. His arm tightened around her again, with an unexpected possessiveness that thrilled her. He leaned forward slowly. His mouth grazed hers again and his whiskers scraped across her skin, triggering a wicked want to roll through her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and forced him closer. He groaned against her mouth, then broke the kiss.

  "Come with me," he urged.

  And before she realized what she was doing, she said yes.

  Panic started in the next breath.

  She'd met a few people in his family, but not enough to do more than nod at them on the street. She could only imagine what they thought of her, the woman who liked to hook up with their brother. Over and over again…

  Chapter 6

  Kayla waited at the door and watched Aiden. His footsteps crunched through the snow as he trudged across his property to a big garage. His breath hung in the cold air around his head. There was something weirdly domestic about watching him go about his regular business… at his home… A strange feeling she didn't want to think about too much curled through her chest.

  Maybe it was just the winter air.

  Right. She rolled her eyes. That was a lie. The truth was that this man… Aiden… he'd always been her weak spot. And this glimpse into his life was only reinforcing her affection for him.

  She took a deep breath, drawing the frigid air into her lungs, hoping it'd cool the heat in her blood. Unfortunately all it did was fill her senses with his scent.

  He'd lent her a parka, because she'd come so woefully unprepared for a trip, let alone a bitter winter's day. Although, even if she had stopped at her condo long enough to throw together some clothing and winter gear, she still wouldn't have had a jacket like this. In the city, she was never outside long enough to justify a goose-down parka.

  It was so warm, she didn't feel the coldness. But best of all, it smelled of him. Aiden. It was like getting a comforting hug from her favorite lover.

  Ha. Her favorite lover? How about her only lover?

  It was such a cliché but he really had ruined her for anyone else. She knew that for certain. She'd tried other relationships.

  The big door to his garage squealed open and Aiden disappeared inside. Then a deep rumble purred through the quiet and a large machine emerged. It was like a pickup truck on steroids. With a shuddering jerk, the plow attached to the front lurched down to the ground. As the big machine moved forward, the snow curled up the blade and was pushed to one side.

  Aiden stopped at the house for her.

  "This thing is huge," she said as she climbed inside. And climb was absolutely the right word. She felt like she was a two-year-old trying to get on the monkey bars. There was no graceful way to get into this thing.

  "One of my brothers calls it The Beast." He grinned at her.

  "I can see why." She pulled the heavy and cumbersome door shut.

  He waited until she had secured her seatbelt before setting the machine in motion again. He guided the thing past her car and his other truck. They were encased in a deep snowdrift. It looked like they had been abandoned for the season instead of just one night.

  The plow carved through the snow. Then he moved, wrapping his large hand over the shift as he changed gears. Was it weird to feel a little turned on by watching him maneuver this big machine? There was a country song about finding tractors sexy… she'd never under
stood that idea until now.

  "What are you thinking about?"

  Her gaze snapped to his. Curiosity lit his eyes.

  "Nothing."

  He shrugged and turned his attention back to the road. "This is the safest truck on the road today," he said. "Nothing to worry about."

  She shook her head, but he wasn't looking at her. "I'm not scared."

  His gaze darted back to her. "You don't look entirely at ease."

  That was probably true. But she wasn't about to tell him that watching him drive a truck was hot and she was turned on. That sounded perfectly daft. So she elected not to say anything at all. A few minutes later, she pointed to a movement ahead.

  "What's that?"

  "Looks like Vern is in the ditch." He frowned. "He drives on damn-near bald tires."

  Aiden stopped when they arrived at the vehicle in question. An older man was digging around his bumper with a small shovel. Aiden hopped out.

  She saw them talking, but couldn't make out the words over the noisy engine. She watched them pointing and then nodding. Then Aiden returned to the truck and climbed in.

  "You're not leaving him there, are you?"

  "Do you think I would?" He looked a little offended at her question.

  "No, but…" She motioned to the vehicle in the ditch as they rolled forward. "It looks like we are leaving."

  "I'm pulling ahead so we can hook the chains to his frame."

  Right. That made sense. She should have known that. This time when he jumped out, so did she.

  "You can stay in the cab where it's warm," he said as he opened the tailgate and grabbed a thick chain. The heavy links clunked over the bed of the truck as he dragged it out.

  "I can help," she said. She wasn't sure what she could do, but she thought she should offer at the very least.

  "Hello, little lady," the other man said. His wrinkled face scrunched in a smile.

  "You remember the Bells? This is Kayla, Hugh and Marg's daughter," Aiden said as he bent down to hook one end of the chain to the back of his truck.

  "Right, right," the man said. His head bobbed up and down. "The architect, right? I'm Vern. I live up the road."

  "Nice to meet you." Kayla nodded, then she turned to Aiden. "What can I do to help?"

  "Vern, can you go and make sure you're in Park? Then when we're ready, you'll need to switch to Neutral." He dragged the chain down the ditch. "Kayla, pass me the shovel. It's in the back."

  She grabbed the shovel, then she followed his footsteps through the snow, fitting her feet into the holes he'd created when he'd walked into the ditch. Her foot slipped and her arms wheeled as she sought to keep her balance. The wooden handle swung out in a wide arc. Crap. She was falling. She pitched forward.

  "Careful there," Aiden said. His arms wrapped around her—strong and sure—as she crashed into him.

  The heat of embarrassment scorched her cheeks. "Sorry about that."

  "You don't have to work so hard to get me to hold you," he said.

  His lips grazed her ear as he spoke. His teasing words sent a hot shiver over her. Maybe it was the combination of hard and hold you… She swallowed. If Vern hadn't been watching them, she would have tossed him in the snowbank to see how much they could melt with the heat zinging between them.

  Instead, she said, "I brought the shovel."

  He loosened his hold on her. His eyes twinkled as he looked down at her. "Steady?"

  She nodded.

  He took the tool from her and started clearing away snow until the bumper was exposed. Then he kept digging under the truck. She felt rather useless watching him work.

  "Want the chain now?" she asked, when he knelt and peered under the bumper.

  He nodded. She found the end of the chain and placed it in his extended hand. After a clunk, a scrape and a click, things seemed to be secured. He stood and brushed the snow off his jeans.

  "Ready?" he called to Vern. The guy responded with a thumbs-up.

  They returned to Aiden's truck. The cab was warm, almost too warm. The heat washed over her and she shivered. She hadn't noticed how cold her hands were until now.

  Aiden eyed her as she blew on her fingers, then he reached behind the seat and pulled out a woolen plaid blanket. He spread it over her without saying a word. Always the gentleman. Always watching out for her.

  Then he set the truck in gear and The Beast inched ahead. She could feel the moment the chain was stretched tight between the vehicles. She twisted in her seat and watched the other vehicle lurch forward. The snow was no match for the power in Aiden's truck.

  A moment later, Vern was free. They unhooked the chains and then continued down the road with Vern following behind them. Along the road, they came across two more stuck vehicles, which they stopped to help. By the time they reached the outskirts of Sanctuary Lake, they were like the pied pipers of winter travelers with their convoy of rescued drivers.

  And, oddly enough, she'd had fun through it all. By the last one, she and Aiden had a process. She wasn't surprised by that, but it did strike her how comfortably they'd worked together. And it felt good to help people. She'd been so reclusive since the incident that she'd forgotten what it felt like to be normal and not wonder if someone was watching her or following her… or if something might be a trap or a threat.

  And Aiden had given her that today.

  Chapter 7

  Aiden parked his truck in the grocery store lot about a block away from Hearts. With the plow on the front, the truck was too large to park on the street in the regular stalls. As they made their way over the freshly shoveled sidewalks to his son's bar, Kayla tucked her hand in his.

  He wasn't the type to hold hands. But with Kayla it felt nice. Right, somehow.

  They had flirted openly countless times over the years, but public displays of affection, as his son called them, hadn't been included. All of that had been kept away from curious eyes. He'd always figured that what was between them didn't need to become fuel for the town gossips.

  But today, he rather liked having her hand tucked into his. He'd liked a lot of things today. He appreciated how she'd automatically volunteered to help him pull all those vehicles out of the ditches with him. And he had especially enjoyed looking up to find her watching him with a rapt, admiring gleam in her eyes.

  He wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve any of that, but he wasn't about to turn away from it either.

  Maybe part of him had always anticipated that it could be like this between them. If the situations were different…

  But the situation wasn't different…

  Whatever was happening between them now was just another step in the complicated dance of their friendship. When she'd kissed him in bed that morning, he'd been torn. His need to protect her was overwhelming. Questions had flown at him like debris in a tornado. Was she too vulnerable right now? Shouldn't he try to be her friend and nothing more? But the other side of him… Well, it'd wanted to help her forget everything beyond his bed. He could give her joy, even if it was temporary. An orgasm might fade and subside, but he could make sure it was the best damned climax she'd ever experienced.

  Hearts and Diamonds was located on a street facing the water. In the summer, they had an outdoor patio where all the vacation folk liked to hang out, drink exotic beer and watch boats coming and going from the dock. In the winter, like now, the wind whistled off the icy water and beat against the frosted windows. No one was hanging about to look at the water now. The frigid weather made your eyes water and your nostrils freeze shut. Kayla shuddered beside him.

  "I hope you don't mind us stopping here first," he said. "I have to talk to Drew and I thought we could grab a bite to eat too."

  He couldn't believe it was already lunch time, but he'd been particularly reluctant to get out of bed that morning.

  She squeezed his hand. "Sounds great."

  He held the door for her and she stepped inside. Hearts wasn't open for lunch on weekdays, but things changed on the weekend. O
n a typical Saturday and Sunday at this time, Hearts would be packed, but it didn't look like too many people were going out and about today. There were only two other tables with people.

  Liana, one of the servers, came over to them after Aiden led Kayla to his favorite table. The server's eyes were alight with curiosity as she greeted them. He helped Kayla out of the jacket he'd given her to wear and hung it on the hook beside the table.

  "Is Drew here yet?"

  Liana nodded. "Cassy dragged him out back to look at the snow angel she'd made."

  Across the back lane from Hearts was the house where his son and granddaughter lived. The local laws allowed minors into Hearts until nine at night, but Chris typically limited how much Cassy came into the place. Due to his strange work hours, Chris had an army of babysitters, one of which was Aiden. But today was Cassy's other grandparents’ day.

  "Why is Cassy here? Where is Penny?"

  "They are still trying to dig out their car. I guess the wind blew the snow like crazy on their side of the lake. She sent pictures. The drift was up to the top of their front door."

  Shit.

  "It's okay," Liana said. "It's slow today. I told Chris I'm happy to work solo, but he had a bit of paperwork to finish first."

  Just then, Drew emerged from the kitchen. He was covered in snow and his glasses were fogged over. Cassy was leading him around by the hand. Her high-pitched chatter filled the room. Aiden grinned. Every time he saw her, his heart lifted.

  He waited and watched. Then her gaze fell on him. With a squeal, she dropped Drew's hand and ran to him.

  "Papa!" She threw herself into his arms.

  He hugged her close for a minute. Then he leaned back enough to look in her eyes before they met in the middle and rubbed their noses. Cassy giggled. Ever since he'd shown her that, that had been her greeting for him. By this time, Drew had arrived at their table too. He'd taken off his glasses and was cleaning them on the sleeve of his shirt.

  Cassy's laughter faded when she realized Aiden wasn't alone. She pressed against him and eyed Kayla. He dropped a kiss to the top of her blonde curly hair, then she went up on her tippy toes and put her mouth to his ear.