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

by J. H. Croix

  She knew Dr. Parkhurst couldn’t physically cause her harm anymore. Yet, her instinctive fear wasn’t entirely unfounded. Before she’d filed her formal sexual harassment complaint against him, he’d genuinely frightened her a few times by showing up in her office at odd hours and getting far too pushy. He was a large, imposing man. Cornering her once between her office door and a file cabinet had been the last straw. He’d tried to kiss her and refused to move even after she’d asked several times. She’d been pinned by the file cabinet with her face turned away, her back against the wall and him mere inches from her with his meaty hand cupping her cheek. Only an interruption from the janitor knocking on her door had helped her get out of that.

  She gave herself a mental shake, her eyes scanning the water. A seal lifted its round head from the water, only a few feet from shore, and eyed her curiously. She’d come to enjoy the antics of the seals and otters she sighted almost daily. Seals tended to follow her when she walked, peeking out of the bay occasionally as if to check where she was. This one held still, its dark brown eyes round and curious as it watched her. “Hey you, I bet you’re having a better day than me,” she said conversationally, as if the seal could understand her.

  The seal kept watching and slowly sank down into the water, its tail flicking as if in goodbye when it swam away. Ivy felt suddenly alone and silly for thinking the seal was keeping her company. She had an abrupt urge to find Owen, to lean into his strength, to lose herself in the heartbeat of passion and intimacy between them. Yet, she couldn’t do that, or she’d set herself up for even more hurt.

  She spun away from the water and jogged up the trail to the house, her mind spinning over what the hell to do about Dr. Parkhurst. She couldn’t help but wonder what Dr. Parkhurst meant when he said he’d been in touch with Owen. She didn’t think Owen would’ve communicated with him in any way, but doubts were crowding her mind right now. When she stepped into the house from the back door off the deck, Cam was coming in through the front door, and Ginger was busy in the kitchen. Cam toed his boots off and looked across the room at Ivy.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Ivy had been unguarded when she came in, so she figured the jumble of emotions Dr. Parkhurst’s call had elicited were showing on her face, chief among them gnawing worry and tension. She looked over at Cam and started to shrug and feign a smile, but it wobbled. He hung his jacket and crossed the room to where she stood. “You look upset. What is it? Did Owen…?

  Ivy stalked past him to kick off her boots and hang up her jacket. “It’s not Owen! Good grief, since when do you police my love life?”

  “Since I know anything about it,” Cam replied swiftly.

  “Well, you might as well know there’s nothing to worry about with Owen. I broke things off, so don’t go blaming him,” she retorted, fighting the urge to burst into tears.

  Cam’s eyes widened. Ginger had stopped what she was doing and stood in the archway into the kitchen with a spatula in hand. Cam’s far too assessing eyes coasted over Ivy’s face. “Okay, more on that later. What’s got you so upset?”

  Ivy crossed her arms and willed herself to stay calm, although anxiety knotted her chest. “Dr. Parkhurst threatened to sue me for defamation if I don’t drop my complaint against him.”

  Cam’s gaze went from puzzled to furious. “What?” His voice was low and cold.

  “Just what I said.” Ivy dropped her arms and brushed past Cam to the kitchen. “I need a drink. What do we have?”

  “Wine, beer or hard cider?” Ginger asked quickly as Ivy stomped past her.

  “Wine.”

  Ivy plunked down at the table, while Ginger quickly poured two glasses of wine and handed Cam a beer.

  “Okay, so Dr. Parkhurst is a total asshole, but you already knew that. Don’t you dare drop your complaint. You can fight this and win,” Ginger said firmly, her blue eyes flashing as she sat down across from Ivy.

  Ivy shook her head, emotional weariness taking over. “How? I get decent pay now, but I don’t have the resources to fight something like this. Plus, where would I get a lawyer to help? Diamond Creek’s amazing, but I’m guessing there aren’t tons of attorneys here.”

  “Maybe not tons, but Garrett Hamilton’s about as good as it gets anywhere. He didn’t get famous in Seattle when he was doing corporate law for nothing. Guy’s a shark, although he’s nice as hell. I’m calling him right now,” Cam said firmly as he pulled his phone out.

  Cam stood up to make the call. For a moment, Ivy wanted to yank the phone from his hand, but the anger faded as quickly as it came. She knew Cam was only trying to help despite her mixed feelings about it. Ivy looked to Ginger. “I can’t afford an attorney. I can’t do this. I just want this stupid mess with Dr. Parkhurst to end.” She took a long swallow of wine and set her wineglass down with a sigh.

  Ginger was quiet for a moment and took another sip of wine. “You can do this. You already did the hard part. You filed the complaint against him and left the university. My guess is he’s just bluffing. Call him on it, and he’ll back down.”

  Cam stepped back into the kitchen. “Garrett said to stop by tomorrow morning. I’ll go with you.”

  “Cam, I can’t afford an attorney. I used all my savings to move and I’m not about to…”

  “Ivy.” Cam leaned against the counter and crossed his arms, his eyes determined and his tone firm. “Garrett won’t charge you. You’re a friend and he’ll take care of it. Don’t argue with me about this. I’m not going to stand by and let that asshole bully you. I’m guessing Ginger’s right. We’ll call his bluff and he’ll back down. A call from Garrett will probably be all we need to do.”

  Ivy stared back at her brother. Cam was pretty low key most of the time, but he had a stubborn side. She sensed if she tried to argue the point, he’d barrel ahead without including her. As tense and emotionally weary as she was, it was such a comfort to have family and friends rallying so quickly to help her. The entire time she’d been fighting off Dr. Parkhurst’s advances, she’d kept it to herself all the way to the last few months. She’d been mortified and afraid she was somehow responsible. As such, she’d gone through it mostly alone and constantly worried about her career and how to get him to leave her alone. It was such a relief to have Cam and Ginger’s unyielding support. She only knew Garrett in passing, but obviously his friendship with Cam and Ginger was enough for him to offer to help her.

  She took another swallow of wine and leaned back in her chair, a tiny bit of tension easing inside. “Okay, okay. I’ll go with you to meet Garrett.”

  Cam let his arms fall, relief evident on his face. “Good.” He stepped to Ginger’s side and dropped a kiss on the back of her neck. “I need a quick shower. Be back in a few.”

  After he jogged upstairs, Ginger stood and checked on whatever she’d been cooking on the stove.

  “What’s for dinner?” Ivy asked.

  “Sautéed veggies with a balsamic vinegar glaze, and there’s a pork roast in the oven,” Ginger replied as she checked the oven and set the timer again. As soon as she sat back down, she pinned her eyes on Ivy. “Okay, what the hell is going on? You told me you really liked Owen. Why the hell did you break things off?”

  Ivy took a gulp of wine and fiddled with the salt shaker on the table. “I had to. He made it really clear he just wanted to get me out of his system. He doesn’t talk about it much, but it’s totally obvious he doesn’t do relationships. I don’t know what I was thinking to begin with. I was in over my head right out of the gate. It’s not even like I broke things off because there wasn’t anything to break off.”

  Ginger drummed her fingers on the table. “Okay, maybe I get why you might think that way, but the vibe I get from Owen is that it’s more than sex. That man is seriously into you.”

  Ivy’s heart skipped a beat at Ginger’s comment, but the moment of joy was fleeting. Owen’s response, or complete lack thereof, to her suggestion they try to cool down had communicated much more than he
could’ve said. His eyes had shuttered, and he’d simply nodded and left her office. Since then, he’d been scrupulously polite and kept his distance. Ivy met Ginger’s gaze with a shrug. “It doesn’t really matter if he doesn’t want to do anything about it.”

  The oven timer went off, and Ginger stood to check the oven. As she carefully slid the pork roast out of the oven, she looked back at Ivy. “Well, it definitely won’t matter if you won’t do anything about it either.”

  Chapter 16

  Owen was buried so deep in data he didn’t even hear his phone ring. A few minutes later, he got up to start another pot of coffee and saw his screen blinking with a message banner from an unfamiliar number. Mildly curious, he tapped play and heard Cam Nash’s voice asking him to call when he had a chance. Owen started the coffee and grabbed his phone to hit redial.

  “Cam here.”

  “It’s Owen. What’s up?” he asked. He couldn’t say why, but Cam calling had him worried about Ivy. He tried to recollect if Cam had ever called him and didn’t think he had.

  “Thanks for getting back so quickly. Look, I’m calling about Ivy. Just to give you a heads up, she’s probably going to be pissed I called, but I’ll deal with it,” Cam said.

  Owen’s gut clenched. “Is she okay?”

  “She’s fine. She had a call yesterday from the asshole who chased after her at her last job. He’s threatening to sue her for defamation if she doesn’t drop her complaint against him. I called Garrett Hamilton about it, and we met with him this morning. Garrett thinks she’s got a solid case, and he’s willing to take the case at no cost, but Ivy’s being stubborn about it. I think she’s just tired of the whole mess. Anyway, I’m calling you because she’s worried he might try to get to her through you somehow, so I figured I’d better give you a heads up.”

  Hot anger coiled inside Owen. Gripping the phone tightly with one hand and curling the other in a fist, he paced back and forth in front of the windows. “This is bullshit,” he finally said.

  “I’m with you there. Just do me a favor and keep tabs on calls that come through for her there,” Cam said.

  “Anything else I can do to help?”

  “Persuade her to let Garrett help out.”

  “I’ll do my best. Mind if I call him myself?”

  “Go ahead. I’ll warn you though, Ivy’s really not too thrilled with this kind of help.”

  Owen shrugged. He was too angry to care much how Ivy might feel about his interference. He’d be damned if he’d stand by while she let Parkhurst bully her into dropping the complaint. “I’ll deal with it. Do me a favor and keep me posted, okay?”

  “You got it. You do the same if you hear anything, okay?”

  “Of course. Thanks for calling.”

  As soon as he hung up the phone, Owen strode quickly from his office to Ivy’s, his anger barely leashed. Her coat was draped on the armrest of one of the chairs, but she wasn’t in there. A quick check on the shared office calendar showed him she was in a scheduled meeting. His anger barely below boiling, he stalked back into his office and poured a cup of coffee. Pacing back and forth in front of his windows, he fought the urge to call Parkhurst and raise hell. The single factor holding him back was the knowledge that Parkhurst would thrive off the attention of a call like that. It would feed the thrill he was getting from threatening Ivy.

  In between flashes of anger, Owen wrestled with the unfamiliar desire to protect Ivy. He didn’t feel this way about women. He kept his distance and didn’t have to worry like this as a result. Yet, Ivy had slipped right through his well-planned defenses. Hell, he’d planned so well to keep this type of emotion out of his life, he hadn’t even seen it coming when he met Ivy. He missed her like crazy. Every night, he wished she were there with him. Every day he didn’t get a chance to kiss her, even just once, was like walking through a desert with no water in sight. Everything seemed dry, parched and endlessly the same. The bright spots were when he saw her. Those moments were painful too. The desire to touch her, to reinforce their connection, was so acute, he nearly ached inside at holding back. He knew he was coming across as distant and irritable, but he didn’t know how else to be and keep a handle on his feelings.

  He paused in his pacing to stare out the windows at the view that he relied on to soothe him. Ivy, or rather his unmanageable feelings for her, had unsettled him in ways he’d never expected. Every time he considered whether he could persuade her to knock down the boundary she’d erected between them, he batted the idea back. He couldn’t be the man she wanted and most certainly not the man she deserved. He was fixed in the way he was—intimacy wasn’t something he could let into his life. The small taste he was experiencing now, the tremors rippling through him at having to keep his distance from her, was nothing like it would be if he let the reins loose on his feelings for her. If anything ever happened to her after he did that, he knew he couldn’t take it. It would crush him and that wasn’t something he could tolerate again. It had taken many small miracles to drag himself beyond the earth-shattering loss of his parents. The very idea of allowing himself to care that deeply for anyone ever again struck terror in his heart.

  He spun away from the windows and took a gulp of coffee. He slipped his phone out of his pocket and looked up Garrett Hamilton’s number.

  Ivy was distracted as she returned to her office. Blessedly, it wasn’t because she was thinking about Dr. Parkhurst’s threat to sue her. Rather, she’d just received the latest data from the various test designs out and about, and the results from the one up in Barrow, the design she’d modified, continued to send back the best data. It wasn’t where she hoped to eventually get in terms of output recycling back to input, but it was moving in the right direction. She was perusing the rows of numbers as she walked into her office and absentmindedly sat down in one of the chairs by the windows without even bothering to look up. At the sound of someone clearing their throat, she whipped her head up to find Owen seated in the chair across from her. Her cheeks heated immediately and her belly did a slow flip. Beyond the fact he’d startled her, she’d been scrupulously trying to keep from being alone with him. Her body had its own ideas and revved at the mere sight of him. She swallowed and tried to quell her racing pulse.

  Her hungry gaze nearly devoured him. His eyes were dark, tension evident in the lines of his face. Even still, he was so damn handsome he took her breath away—literally. His chiseled features, his piercing gaze, his muscled shoulders, well, basically every inch of him—her physical response to him ran so deep, she was wet instantly.

  He angled his head to the side, his eyes coasting over her. He didn’t say a word, and even though she had no idea what was passing through his mind, it felt like he was eating her up with his eyes. His shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath before he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He gestured to the papers she’d dropped to the floor in the midst of staring at him like a fool. “Must be interesting.”

  “Oh right.” Flustered, she leaned over, gathered the papers together and set them on the table to the side of her chair. “It’s the latest report from the test designs.”

  “How’s the data look?”

  Her heart gave her ribs a hard kick. Aside from the fact that he had the ability to melt her on sight, it was just too much that she knew he was genuinely interested in what she might have to say about the data. He’d bat ideas back and forth for hours and listen intently to her feedback. With her heart pounding, she met his gaze and managed to speak. “Good. The modified test design in Barrow is showing the most promising results, and they’re fairly consistent even with weather variations. I plan to take some time this weekend to think about ways to tweak the design more to improve the return input.”

  He nodded firmly. “Good. You’re on the right track with that one. I’m confident we’ll get it to where we want.”

  Uncertain what else to say, she nodded and fiddled with her bracelets. His eyes held hers for a long moment before he spoke again. “I
, uh, stopped by to let you know I called HR at the university about Parkhurst.”

  Annoyance flared inside, and she opened her mouth to protest. With Cam barging his way into helping her, it was another level of frustration to have Owen doing the same. He held a hand up. “Hear me out, okay?” She managed to nod and leaned back in her chair, her pulse pounding for more than one reason now. When she was quiet, he continued. “Cam called because he wanted me to screen any calls if Parkhurst tried to reach you here. I’m sure you’ll be plenty pissed he called, but it’s a damn good thing he did. Parkhurst has already tried to call into your office through the main line today. I alerted Joan, so she made sure office staff don’t put any calls direct to your office. He also emailed me again.” Owen paused and ran a hand through his hair.

  Though part of Ivy was annoyed as hell that Owen had already interfered, another part of her was relieved and comforted to know he cared enough. She couldn’t help but feel a sprout of hope unfurl inside, which she promptly stomped down. She couldn’t go there with him. Owen was a good man who took care of the people in his life. He would do the same for anyone working at Off the Grid. “What did he email about?” she finally asked, trying to stay focused on the actual conversation, rather than letting her mind wander to all kinds of inappropriate fantasies.

  “Said he wanted to discuss coming up to tour Off the Grid, again offered to consult with us on projects and specifically asked about what you’re working on. Don’t worry, I’m not replying. Trust me, I want to give him hell, but he’s not worth the bother and he loves attention. Makes him think he’s important. I decided I’d just call HR to share my concerns. Maybe you don’t want to, but I’m not going to stand back and let him bully you. Cam mentioned he threatened to sue and he’d set up a meeting with Garrett Hamilton. How’d that go?”