by Croix, J. H.
I caught the back of a chair at the break table and swung it out to sit down. Beck plunked down across from me with a sigh.
I chuckled. “Yeah, she’s not easy. Practically the opposite of her grandmother.”
I glanced behind him to the counter lining the wall, eying the coffee pot. Seeing it was half full, I stood and grabbed a mug. “Want some?” I asked, glancing to Beck as I poured. At Beck’s nod, I passed the first mug to him and filled another for myself before sitting back down.
“I’d bet my dad’s protective of her. You know him. He’s a softie. Carol was one of my mom’s good friends too, so she probably sweet-talked him into hiring Maisie.”
Beck took a gulp of coffee and leaned back in his chair. “Oh, I’m sure of it. Honestly, if we can get her to just be neutral, it’s a win. She does a good job. She’s fast and actually good on the line with the emergency calls. She’s sharp and focused, which keeps her from getting sidetracked by being freaked out. She also doesn’t laugh when people call about the craziest shit. Did you hear about the guy who called because someone was trying to relocate his hunting cabin?”
I almost spit out my coffee. “What?!”
Beck nodded with a gleam in his eyes. “Oh yeah. Only in Alaska. Guy has a cabin out toward the mountains for hunting. Calls up and says someone has the place up on jacks to load onto a trailer. I mean, it was a small place, but still. Fuckin’ hilarious! Anyway, I’d have laughed my ass off if I took that call. Maisie stayed cool the whole way through. Good thing too because the guy was seriously pissed. So your dad headed out there and then called us for help to get the cabin back onto its pilings. A change of pace for us, that’s for sure.”
I shook my head. “Change of pace is one way to put it. What the hell did my dad charge the attempted cabin thief with?
“Attempted theft,” Beck said with a shrug. “He put a dollar figure on it, but the guy who owned the cabin thought it wasn’t enough. You know how that goes. Anyway, rumor has it you’re shacked up with your girl again.”
I couldn’t help it. Just thinking I could actually call Amelia my girl again made me feel so damn good. I flashed a wry grin. “Rumor may be true.”
I’d been staying at her place every night since the first night I’d been there. I sobered. “Seriously, I’m guessing Earl might have some thoughts about that, but… Hell, I don’t know. It’s like we picked up right where we left off.”
“Doesn’t really matter what Earl thinks. Plenty of chatter about it, but who gives a damn? Look, Earl’s not a bad guy, but he’s always been a tad too sure of himself for me. Look at me, I play the field and like it that way. Earl’s always done the same, but tries to act like he doesn’t. Amelia was like a prize for him. You’re damn lucky he didn’t make the other night into more than it was. He’s like that. Kinda petty if you ask me.”
I couldn’t help but wonder what Amelia had ever seen in him. Then, I remembered what she’d said—something to the effect that was the best she’d get. Just like that, I felt as if I’d been kicked in the gut. Though we were floating along in a hazy, lust-driven madness after seven years apart, I knew there were some deep waters getting stirred. I had my own anger I’d clung to after she shut me out, while I knew she had her own pain after seeing Shannon make a play for me. I didn’t want either one of those issues to linger in any way. I hated the rub of worrying about her thinking she didn’t deserve more.
I was about to reply when the intercom crackled and Maisie announced a call for a fire downtown. Within minutes, the rest of the local crew was buzzing through the station and sirens were blaring as they flew down to respond.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Amelia
I stood beside Lucy and scanned the lot in front of us. As promised, Max had arrived last week and taken care of the excavation. It was early evening now, and the foundation crew had left for the day. I took care of the architectural design for projects, while Lucy and I handled the construction together. I contracted out for excavation, foundation work, and plumbing. Conveniently, Lucy was also a certified electrician.
I grinned when I met Lucy’s eyes. “Time to start building.”
Lucy held her hand aloft for a high-five. “You got it,” she said when our hands collided with a whack. “Should we start tonight or wait until tomorrow?”
Alaskan summers created an odd dynamic. On the one hand, when it came to anything one might want to do outdoors, summer felt so short. Yet, on the other hand, the days were so long, the hours added up to about the same as a longer summer. My construction business felt like a race every year. Long days, short nights, and every project I felt I could handle crammed in.
I considered Lucy’s question. Since it was after seven in the evening, we could knock out a few hours of work right now if we wanted before darkness rolled in. If it weren’t for Cade, I probably would’ve said yes. I caught Lucy’s eyes and shook my head. “Nah. Let’s start tomorrow. Meet at seven?”
Lucy’s eyes crinkled at the corner with her sly grin. “You seem to have changed your work habits lately.”
I fought to keep from flushing, but my cheeks heated against my will. “Maybe. You got a problem with that?”
Lucy shook her head. “Nope. You’re the boss. You haven’t said much, but I’m guessing things are pretty darn okay with Cade.”
My cheeks got even hotter. “Things are…” I paused when I realized I was about to say ‘great.’ Because that’s how it felt. Actually, great didn’t even capture how good it felt to have Cade home with me again. I felt as if I’d been alone in the desert for years. He’d been a mirage in my memory for so long, and now he was real—everything I remembered and more. Just as I imagined, he’d grown and settled into himself. He was all man and he was mine again. Yet, there was a tiny corner of my mind that worried I was diving in too fast after walking out on Earl. It had only been a month ago that I’d been an hour before my not-wedding.
I thanked my stars time and again that I’d had enough sense to make my choice about Earl before I saw Cade, before I had any clue he was moving home. Otherwise, I’d be even more of a mess over it all. As it was, I was so far gone over Cade, if he proposed we get married tonight, I wouldn’t even hesitate. And that scared the hell out of me. I’d pretty much fallen apart inside over him before. I didn’t know if I was up for being this vulnerable again. But that was the problem when it came to me with Cade—I was always vulnerable. He meant too much. We meant too much.
I glanced back to Lucy. “Things are pretty darn okay with Cade.”
Lucy flashed a grin and started to walk toward the work truck parked at the edge of the lot. I walked alongside her. When we reached the truck, Lucy hooked her arm on the back and eyed me. “As relaxed as you’ve been, I’d bet you two have almost burned your cabin down a few times.”
I burst out laughing. When I caught my breath, I shrugged. “Maybe so. He’s a firefighter though, so we’ll be fine.”
Lucy’s grin faded, her gaze becoming somber. “Just checking in, but you were, well, a little stressed about him before. I’m sure the sex is great, and trust me, I see how he looks at you, but have you sorted out all the mess from before?”
I eyed her for a long moment and nodded. “I think so. I mean, it was a giant misunderstanding. Made worse by me being stubborn as hell and him being gone the whole time.”
Lucy laughed softly. “You’re definitely stubborn as hell. Just making sure you’re okay.”
I sensed something was up. Lucy wasn’t one to over-worry. “What’s up?”
“Just checking because I heard from Janet that Shannon’s back. Because she heard Cade was back in town,” Lucy said flatly.
My gut started churning. The pain of walking in on Shannon climbing in bed naked with Cade was scabbed over, but still there. I tried to remind myself Cade had told me the truth, but my emotions on the matter weren’t exactly sensible. “What the fuck is she doing here? Doesn’t she live in Anchorage now?”
Lucy nodde
d. “Far as I know, but it’s not like she can’t come up with some excuse to visit. Her sister’s still around. Look, I just want you to be okay. You and Cade are pretty fresh. I wasn’t sure if I should give you a heads up, but, well, now I did. Her showing up like this doesn’t mean anything. You and Cade are together, and good God that man practically drools when he’s around you. Just be prepared if you run into her.”
I kicked my boot against one of the tires, beating back that old feeling of betrayal and all the insecurity that came with it. “This is bullshit. Why would she do this? I mean, he chased her off last time. He’s been gone for seven years. Does she hate me that much? I mean, we’re back together…”
Lucy cut in. “I don’t think she knows that. I realize it might seem like forever ago, but you were supposed to get married to Earl only a month ago. Janet said she didn’t think Shannon knew what was up. You have to realize she pissed a lot of people off over what she pulled. I wasn’t close to you then, but it was impossible not to hear how angry people were with her. No matter what anyone thought of you and Cade, she pulled a hardcore bitch move. Now you know. Watch your back. You might want to give lover boy a heads up too.”
I was too angry to laugh. My misery must’ve shown on my face. Lucy stepped to me and pulled me into a fierce hug. For a small person, Lucy’s hugs were powerful. She threw her arms around my shoulders and gave me a hard squeeze before bouncing away. “I’ll kick her ass if she tries anything. And remember, you and Cade are solid. Now go home and screw his brains out.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cade
I stood under the hot water, my hands resting against the tiles and my head bowed. The fire this afternoon had gone from bad to worse, necessitating back up support from my crew for the local crew after the hotel beside the house on fire was threatened. The fire had started after the homeowner left the coffee pot on when they left the house. The house was a total loss, but we’d managed to keep the fire from spreading to the hotel. With the hotel adjacent to a swath of spruce forest, it was a damn good thing.
It was high summer in Alaska with not enough rain and acres and acres of spruce forest filled with spruce trees dead or dying from spruce bark beetle. As such, the already problematic fire conditions that were getting worse with every dry summer out West were made much worse with so much dead, dry fuel. Blue spruce trees were hardier and more able to resist the beetles, but flying overhead, sometimes my heart cracked. We’d fly for miles and see nothing but brown, dead swaths of spruce trees. Keeping that section of forest from catching fire was a lucky break.
I’d had a long afternoon and was tired as hell. I’d come to know Amelia tended to work late in the evenings. No surprise, so when I arrived at her cabin to find her gone, I headed straight for a shower. I stood there and let the hot water pound down on me. I heard a soft click and glanced over my shoulder to find Amelia stepping into the shower with me. I let my hands fall and turned to face her. The second my body knew she was near, my cock swelled. By the time I was facing her, I was rock hard and ready. She was untangling her hair from a messy ponytail. She had a streak of dirt on her cheek and one on her arm. My eyes traveled over her—savoring the contrast of her strong legs and lush breasts.
“Dammit,” she muttered as she glanced over at me.
She couldn’t miss the fact I was fully erect, her eyes widening slowly with a naughty grin curling the corner of her mouth.
I stepped to her, satisfaction rolling through me when her breath drew in sharply as I came flush against her. “Dammit, what?” I murmured, my lips feathering against her neck.
“I can’t get this thing out of my hair,” she said between gasps.
I lifted my head, reaching up to help her. She dropped her hands. It took a minute, but I managed to get the elastic out and let it fall to the floor. “There,” I said, my voice coming out rough when I met her eyes and saw them darkening.
“How was your day?” she whispered.
“Busy. Yours?” I returned as I slid my hands down to cup her bottom.
Another gasp from her when I pulled her tight against me. I bit back a groan at the feel of her heated core against my cock.
When she didn’t answer me, I repeated my question in between licks and nips along her neck. “Your day? How was it?” I murmured.
“Oh God, it was fine,” she muttered as she curled her hand around my cock and stroked.
Steam cocooned us as the water fell around us. She felt so fucking good, slick and wet all over. I reached between her thighs and found her hot, wet and ready. I wasn’t in the mood to wait. I hooked my hands under her thighs and lifted her, pressing her back against the tiled wall.
She curled her legs around my hips as her head thumped against the wall. I had my cock in my fist about to sink inside of her when I looked at her. My heart gave a resounding kick. Her hair was a damp, tangled mess, her eyes like molten honey, her nipples pink and taut, and her breasts so full and round. I loved the sight of her, loved everything about her. So much it almost hurt.
She rolled her hips as she bit her lip. I adjusted her where I held her with one arm hooked firmly under her hips and nudged into the cradle of her hips, lifting my hand and brushing the damp strands of hair away from her face. I traced her lips with my thumb. Her eyes darkened, and she caught my thumb in her teeth, drawing it in to suck on it lightly.
“I love you,” I said, the words burning fiercely inside and coming out rough.
In the pulse of the moment, I felt her tense. Her eyes took on a sheen and a tear slipped out one corner. It wasn’t that I hadn’t known I loved her, forever it felt like. But I hadn’t spoken the words aloud in seven years. I waited, wondering if I’d said too much, too soon. I drew my thumb out of her mouth and trailed my fingers down her neck, across the wild flutter of her pulse.
“I love you too,” she finally said, waiting just long enough I thought I might die from it.
“Okay then,” I managed.
Words were a poor substitute for everything I felt, so I used my body. I eased my hips back slightly, adjusted my angle and slid home in one swift surge. She cried out and tightened her legs around my hips. With my eyes locked to hers, I held her with the water pounding down around us and poured everything I felt into the beat of the desire that lived and breathed between us as its own force.
Every stroke brought me deeper, every raw groan from me and rough cry from her, every slap of our wet skin, all of it was more than words could ever say. In the heat of this frantic, wet coupling, we were rough and wild, but underneath was the fierce tenderness that bound us together—that which we’d lost sight of before. I felt her tightening, shudders rippling through her. I sank again and again and again into her creamy clench until I felt her throbbing around me. Her nails scored my back when she cried out. I followed her over, my own release thundering through me with such force, my knees almost gave out.
But she was there, her hands sliding up to cup my cheeks, murmuring my name and feathering kisses over my face. We stayed like that, my cock buried deep inside of her, my lips against hers and hot water streaming over us, for so long the water started to cool.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Amelia
I pushed through the door into the Firehouse Café and gave my raincoat a shake once I was inside. The morning had dawned gray and rainy, and the rain hadn’t let up all day. Lucy and I had finally decided to call it quits early after pushing through some work in the chilly rain for a few hours. I pushed my hood back and glanced around. The café was crowded with tourists, which figured. Any planned fishing trips on the lake or to nearby rivers had likely been cancelled, along with any other outdoor activities. The hardcore eco-tourists wouldn’t blink at rain like this, but those were the ones who took off on weeklong backcountry hikes, the kind my brother used to lead with his wife. The tourists who crowded the streets of Willow Brook and the highways of Alaska with their campers usually preferred the wilderness when it was comfortable. Even during t
he warmest time of year in Alaska, rain meant chilly days.
I wove through the tables and joined the line to the counter, leaning against one of the old fire poles decorated with painted fireweed. My mind spun to last night when Cade had brought me to tears in the shower before making love to me so fiercely. In spite of my memories of what we had before, I hadn’t recalled the intensity, the fierce tenderness and a feeling of intimacy so deep it shook me to my core. Maybe it was because we’d lost each other. Maybe it was because the loss and regret coloring the present made it that much more precious. Whatever it is, it felt so good, it was overwhelming.
The line inched forward. Lost in my thoughts, I jumped when I heard my name. I glanced over my shoulder to find Earl standing behind me. When I’d seen him the other night, I’d expected to feel something. But then I should’ve known better. All I felt was a gentle sense of sadness. I felt genuinely bad things had played out the way they did, but nothing other than that. He stood there with his blondish-brown hair and brown eyes. Objectively speaking, he was a handsome man. At the moment, I couldn’t even believe I’d ever tried to date him, much less agreed to marry him. My body’s response to him was, at best, lukewarm.
I aimed for casual and friendly, well aware that the last time I’d seen Earl, Cade had ended up punching him. Whatever bruising there had been had faded in the weeks since. “Hey Earl, how’s it going?”
His gaze was considering. After a beat, he shrugged. “Fine as I can be after everything.”
The line inched forward. I felt a flash of guilt, but I didn’t know what to do with it. I wondered if now was the time to say anything, but no one was paying attention, and the hum of conversation in the café drowned out individual conversations.
“Earl, I meant what I said the other night. I’m sorry about all of it. I don’t expect you to admit it, but I know you weren’t crushed by what happened. Your ego is bruised maybe, but I know what love is and we didn’t have it. I’m more sorry than you know it took me as long as it did to think about what that meant for us. I wish you the best and I hope you find what you want.”
