Hold Me Close, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 7)

by J. H. Croix

  Cool air rushed against her skin when the zipper fell open. Owen’s breath hissed as he pushed her shirt apart. She was typically quite practical when it came to clothes, but she indulged herself when it came to lingerie. She wore a black sheer lace bra. Her nipples were tight and peaked against the silky lace. Owen seemed to be in as much of a trance as she was. He stared for a long moment, his dark blue gaze flicking to hers and back down before he traced a slow circle around a nipple, rolling the other between his thumb and forefinger. A low moan escaped from her, unbidden. As she cast about for something to contain the need galloping through her, he dipped his head and swirled his tongue around her nipple. She cried out and gripped his head in her hands. She was drenched with need and desperate for more. After he spent several heated moments driving her to near madness, teasing her nipples through the lace, he flicked his thumb under the clasp.

  She cried out when he drew a nipple into his mouth. Desire held her fast in its wild grip. She shifted restlessly in his lap, feeling the hard, hot length of him against her hips. With her body moving of its own accord, she spun and straddled him, sighing when she felt the friction of his hard cock against the center of her need. He bit down softly on her nipple and lifted his head, his eyes locking with hers. The air around them was taut, nearly vibrating with the pounding desire between them. She couldn’t look away as he dragged his hand down her abdomen and pushed past the waistband of her fitted ski pants. He shoved her panties out of the way and stroked a finger through her folds, which were slick with need.

  Another moan escaped as he sank his finger into her channel, followed with a low cry when he stretched her further with a second finger. Everything narrowed to him, to this, to now—while his fingers expertly played her, delving into her channel again and again and again. She was chasing after a pleasure so intense, she couldn’t have stopped if she had to.

  She hadn’t realized her eyes had fallen closed until he said her name. She barely managed to open them, so lost was she in the spiral of pleasure he wrought within her. He circled his thumb over her clit, and that was it. Her channel pulsed and clenched around his fingers, pleasure ripping through her—so sharp it bordered on pain. He slowly stilled as her body relaxed.

  Looking into his eyes, she became suddenly aware of what had just happened. She started to wiggle away, but he curled a hand on her hip, holding her in place. “Wait.” The low timbre of his voice sent a shiver over her skin. She forced herself to look up again to find him waiting. He slowly slid his hand out of her. She felt the loss of his touch acutely, instantly missing it. He was quiet for several beats. “I didn’t mean to let that go so far, but I’m not sorry.”

  His words startled her. She couldn’t say what she’d expected, but it wasn’t that. Seeing as she hadn’t ever thought she could be this susceptible to a kiss making her lose her mind with need over a man, it was safe to say she was unprepared. She finally managed to nod.

  He watched her, his eyes searching. It felt as if he could see right through her—into the confusion swirling in her thoughts. Rising out of the confusion one feeling rang like a bell—loud and clear. It didn’t make sense, it confused her, it worried her, and no matter how many times she tried to think of it any other way, letting herself explore the roaring desire between them felt forbidden. So forbidden it made him even more tempting. She became aware of where she was again—straddling his lap, his cock hot and hard against her. He’d just sent her spinning into a whirl of pleasure, still echoing in soft tremors through her body.

  Owen slid his palms down her thighs, his touch warming her. Ivy felt bare and exposed with her shirt hanging open and started to reach to zip it. He beat her to it, carefully pulling her bra back into place and sliding her zipper up. The moment felt so intimate, she didn’t know how to react. Her breath became shallow again, and she tried to collect herself. Not the easiest thing to do when she was sitting on his lap, wondering if she had finally found a way to ditch her stupid virginity—a small problem she found incredibly inconvenient. She’d never set out to stay a virgin until she was almost thirty, but life got in the way, or rather, her unyielding focus on academics, research and relentlessly working to get a toehold in the engineering field.

  She’d hoped she would finally find time to perhaps explore the dating scene after she finished her graduate degree, yet she’d shut down and tried to hide any glimmer of interest in anyone once things got uncomfortable at the university. After all that, here she was on her new boss’s lap wondering if she’d completely lost her mind.

  Owen’s voice broke into her train of thought. “Just so you know, I don’t do things like this. Ever.” His tone was somber.

  Uncertain how to respond, she said the only thing she could. “Me neither. I don’t want you to think I…”

  He shook his head sharply. “I don’t think anything. Well, except maybe we need to move before I lose control again.” His mouth curled in a slow smile, sending her belly in a somersault.

  She didn’t want to move, she really didn’t want to move. Yet, she knew he was right. They’d already blown past too many boundaries. Her cheeks were hot as she looked back at him, but she managed to nod and shimmy off his lap quickly. She felt unsteady on her feet, her body still reverberating from the force of her climax. He remained where he was, shifting his hips and straightening his jeans. Uncertain what to do, she crossed her arms and sat down in the chair beside him, tucking her feet under her.

  It was oddly comfortable to sit here in the quiet with him. She was definitely unsettled by what had just happened, and her body craved more, but Owen was easy to be around. After a few beats, he spoke again. “I told myself that wouldn’t happen again. I’d like to say it won’t now, but I’m not so sure about that.”

  For the first time ever, she saw a hint of uncertainty flash in the back of his eyes. “I know you haven’t been here long, but you’re a good fit for the team and I want you to stay. I, uh, didn’t expect to have…” He paused and gestured between them. “…this happen.”

  Ivy’s mind spun, not sure what he was saying. He cleared his throat. “Here’s what I think: we just need to let this burn out. It will. If you’re worried I’d let something like this interfere with your work, there’s no need. It won’t.”

  She stared at him, not sure where he was going with this. “I…um…what do you mean?”

  “You set the rules. If you tell me to back the hell off, I will.” His mouth hooked at one corner in a wry smile. “But I’ll be the first to say, we can burn this out faster the other way.”

  A laugh bubbled up, startling her. He was offering her the almost perfect way to ditch her virginity. A tiny voice in the far reaches of her mind called out that she was flat crazy if she thought she could do this, but she trusted Owen. She’d already seen how clearly he separated the personal from his work. If they actually let this play out, she’d probably be less distracted at work. Instead of obsessing over him, she could just get him out of her system once and for all. Her laugh faded, and she bit her lip, wondering how honest to be with him. Still buzzing from their encounter and buoyed by a recklessness she rarely indulged, she threw caution to the wind.

  With her cheeks flushing and a nervous smile, she caught his eyes. “Okay. Good plan. We’ll burn it out and stick to business after that. There’s one thing you should know though.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m a virgin.”

  Chapter 7

  Owen stood in front of the windows in his office, staring through the gap in the trees where a slice of Kachemak Bay was visible. The sky was dappled with clouds with the sun striking sparks on the surface of the water. Usually the view settled him. He loved the peace offered by the spectacular natural beauty here. Aside from skiing, he’d been drawn to Alaska because its wildness and beauty offered him an easy escape mentally. Today, nothing helped. He was restless, unfocused and still stunned at Ivy’s admission last night.

  She was a virgin, and he was damned straigh
t to hell because that huge detail only made him want her so badly he was close to physical pain. The fact that her honesty hadn’t sent him running only flummoxed him further. His preference for keeping relationships entirely casual didn’t include getting involved with a virgin. Before that startling detail, he’d shocked himself with the mental gymnastics he did to come up with the idea that he could find a way to get Ivy out of his system. Nearly drowning in the wave of raw need Ivy elicited, he’d needed something to latch onto. She’d pleasantly surprised him by quickly agreeing. He didn’t sense she was inclined toward anything more than he was. They’d get this rampaging out-of-control lust out of the way and move on.

  Then, Ivy went and told him she was a virgin, and he didn’t know what the hell to do now. It should’ve thrown ice water on his desire. Really, virginity was something he didn’t want to handle—it made things feel way too personal. She dismissed it as if it was an inconvenient problem she hadn’t found time to deal with. He’d barely slept last night, tossing and turning, his mind running on its own private treadmill. He’d yet to come to a conclusion. Part of him screamed out he was crazy to even consider his off the cuff idea to get Ivy out of his system. That part thought he was even more insane now that he knew she was a virgin. So there was that and the fact he wanted her with a ferocity that ran so deep he couldn’t turn away.

  At the sound of a knock at his door, he spun away from the windows. Joan gave a small wave through the glass. He gestured for her to come in and strode to lean against his worktable. Joan stepped through the door and closed it quietly behind her. She walked to stand in front of him. Her warm brown gaze scanned him, a hint of concern there. She tapped her foot lightly on the floor before finally speaking. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

  If it had been anyone other than Joan, Owen would have ignored the question. It wasn’t likely anyone other than Joan would even ask, except maybe Derek. But Joan was Joan, one of the few people he didn’t keep at arms length. Joan wouldn’t let him even if he tried, but he didn’t. She and Reggie had helped him get through the darkest, most lonely time of his life and he’d never forget it.

  He met Joan’s eyes with a sigh. “I dunno. Just trying to figure some things out.”

  “What things?”

  He shrugged, and Joan’s eyes narrowed. “It’s Ivy, isn’t it?”

  He should’ve been surprised, but he wasn’t. Joan was practically a mind reader. Most of the time, it amused him, but right now, it annoyed him.

  “What makes you think it has anything to do with Ivy?”

  “Well, if I wasn’t sure before, I am now.”

  Owen forced himself to take a slow breath, trying to keep from losing his cool. “Why do you say that?”

  Joan crossed her arms and glared at him. “When you’re avoiding, you answer questions with questions. Fine. Maybe you don’t want to talk about it, but you don’t have to be an asshole to everyone around the office. It’s been two days and you’re like a cactus—if anyone gets too close, they get pricked. You’re not asking what I think, but I’ll tell you. There’s some serious chemistry between you two. You hide it well, but it’s there and you don’t know what the hell to do about it. If you ask me, it’s about damn time someone got through those walls you put up. If there was ever a woman perfect for you, it’s Ivy. She’s brilliant, she’s just as passionate about her work as you are, and she’s a sweetheart.”

  Owen pushed away from his desk and started pacing back and forth. Hearing Joan say Ivy was perfect for him made him want to bolt from the room. At the same time, he couldn’t have argued against Ivy’s brilliance and passion and that soft side he saw every so often. He almost wanted to kick his heart out of his body at how much he longed to stop fighting against the yearning he felt for her. Joan leaned against his worktable and stayed quiet while he paced for a few moments. He finally stopped and rolled his head from side to side in an effort to ease the tension bundled in his neck and shoulders. “Fine. I might be a bit rattled about Ivy. If you don’t mind, I’d rather not talk about it. It’s bad enough you got me to admit it.”

  Joan’s eyes softened as she nodded slowly. “Fair enough. Take it easy on yourself, okay.” After that, Joan quickly moved on. She knew him well enough to know he didn’t like dwelling on anything personal. “Well then, try being a little nicer around here, okay? Derek’s tied up on a conference call, and he asked me to grab some coffee. I came to see if you wanted some.”

  “Of course.”

  She pushed her hips away from the table and stood. “I’ll grab the usual from Misty Mountain Café. Need anything else?”

  “How about you pick up some lunch for everyone?”

  “You got it.” Joan started to turn away and spun back. Stepping to Owen’s side, she gave him a quick hug. Leaning back, she squeezed his shoulders before stepping away. “Nice to know there’s a chink in your armor.” At that, she turned on her heel and walked away, her cowboy boots echoing on the tiled floor.

  The door clicked shut behind her, and Owen leaned his head back with a sigh. He needed to focus on something other than obsessing about Ivy. He shook his head in wonderment. Concentration wasn’t something he struggled with, not when it came to work. He squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. Much as he didn’t want to deal with anyone else right now, the best way to get his mind back on track was to throw himself into a project. He strode out of his office and down the hallway. He was relieved to see Ivy wasn’t in her office, otherwise the pull to walk in there would be overwhelming. As it was, his eyes flicked through the doorway, honing in on the chair where she’d straddled him and he’d felt almost drugged by the slick heat of her. With a sharp shake of his head, he looked away and aimed for the conference room.

  He found Derek rolling his eyes at the phone in the center of the table. Owen arched a brow, and Derek leaned forward to tap the mute button, affording them the opportunity to talk while the call droned on. “What’s up?” Derek asked as he tossed a ball back and forth between his hands.

  Owen sat down beside him and powered up the large screen mounted on the wall at the head of the table. He slid out the keyboard tray under the table and tapped a few keys. Derek unmuted the phone and quickly replied to a comment on the call before muting the speakers again. He glanced up at the screen. “Aha. You wanna work on those now?” he asked with a grin.

  The ‘those’ Derek was referring to were Owen’s latest plans for a new wind collection system. He and Derek had been tinkering with these for the last few months with the goal to design a form of wind turbine that was small enough to hang on a tree, almost like an ornament. In moments, he and Derek were deep into a discussion, interspersed in between Derek’s contributions to the conference call. Owen finally managed to knock his mind off the loop of Ivy.

  Joan poked her head in to drop off their coffees and slide a pizza box on the table. Hours later, Owen leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms overhead. Derek had left a few minutes prior, and he was relieved to have finally had a few hours where his mind behaved like it should. He decided not to tempt fate and leave before he found himself pacing in his office again.

  Ivy carried two glasses of wine to the couch in Ginger and Cam’s house, handing one to Ginger and the other to Marley Hamilton. Marley was Ginger’s best friend and married to Gage who ran the ski lodge where Cam worked. It was a snowy evening, and Marley had stopped by for visit. As Ivy turned to go back to the kitchen, a small pair of arms encircled her legs, almost sending her to the floor. “Well, hey Holly,” she said as she glanced down to find Marley’s daughter grinning up at her.

  Holly grinned and gurgled something. Holly bore a strong resemblance to her mother with the same auburn hair and lively green eyes. Ivy leaned over and lifted Holly into her arms. “Oh my, you are getting big!”

  Holly gurgled again and promptly latched onto a chunk of Ivy’s hair as if it was there solely for her to hang onto. Ivy heard Marley’s laugh as she returned to the kitchen. Ivy snagged her own g
lass of wine and made her way back into the living room, sitting down in the corner of the sectional with Holly in her lap. Holly promptly crawled off and made a beeline for her mother who was sitting between Ivy and Ginger.

  Marley handed Holly a stuffed frog, which Holly promptly grabbed onto. Marley glanced over at Ivy. “She’s getting pretty heavy, huh?”

  Ivy grinned. “Sure is.”

  Marley shook her head softly. “I can’t believe she’s over a year now.”

  Ginger eyed Marley and Holly. “Even though I see her a few times a week, she’s bigger every time.” She paused for a sip of wine and switched topics. “Did you say Gage was going to Anchorage soon?”

  “He plans a run up there for a few days next week. Need anything?” Marley asked in return.

  Ginger leaned over and pulled a notepad and pen off the coffee table. “Sure do! Let me get you a list right now.”

  Ivy glanced between them. “What’s the big deal with shopping in Anchorage?”

  Ginger grinned. “Have you paid attention to the prices around here? It’s obscene. Anchorage is the closest place to get halfway normal prices on stuff. Our pantry’s getting bare, so we need to stock up.”

  “Oh, is that why you have such a big pantry?” Ivy asked. She’d thought it wonderful, but the walk-in pantry in Ginger’s kitchen was definitely larger than normal, not to mention there were two chest freezers in the garage.

  “Exactly,” Ginger replied as she quickly jotted down a long list.

  Marley glanced to Ivy. “Do you need anything? Gage’ll be happy to make a few extra stops.”

  Ivy laughed and shook her head. “Nope. Seeing as I’m mooching off Ginger and Cam, I’m all set. Maybe before next winter when I try to find my own place, but until then I’m good.”