Stranded with a Hero (Entangled Bliss)

by Karen Erickson

  Right?

  But pickings were slim in Lone Pine Lake. Single, available men in her age range were in short supply. The ones that still remained had a passel of women chasing after them, ready to step in and become their girlfriends, no questions asked.

  She found it sort of crazy that Josh was still on the market. He was perfect marriage material. Handsome, smart, with a great job, and he owned his own house. Easy to talk to, easy on the eyes, he had a sexy mouth and had she mentioned he was really good-looking?

  Okay, yeah she needed to get over herself—and Josh—now.

  Carefully she walked to her bedside table, pulling open the top drawer and searched around until her fingers curled around the tiny Mag flashlight her brother Mac had given her a few years ago. Clicking it on, she exited her bedroom and headed down the stairs.

  Toward the living room.

  Toward Josh.

  …

  He was sweating. Not a surprise, considering that’s what Mindy did to him every time he got close to her. Something about the scent of her hair, the way she looked at him, her mouth curved in that secretive smile, her eyes sparkling…

  Josh had always wanted to know the meaning behind that mysterious smile, what exactly had put that sparkle in her gaze. The urge to touch her, whisper in her ear, coax her to reveal all of those delicious little secrets she held so close to her chest nearly drove him crazy with lust.

  Hence the sweating. Because damn, it was hot in here. Stifling. He tugged at the neck of his long-sleeved Henley, wishing he could take it off but he didn’t want to freak Mindy out. Bad enough she was so nervous, having him in her house after all this time.

  Not that she was around. Nope, she was locked up safe in her room, which was probably best. That dream he’d had…holy hell. Talk about making him sweat. Yeah, it had been a while since he’d slept with a woman but he’d been busy at work. This time of year was the worst for his line of business, besides the summer. Candles left burning in unusual—and forgotten—places, dried-out pine trees with the Christmas lights turned on day and night, old strings of lights outside with bad wiring. All of that added up to fire hazards just waiting to ignite.

  And they always did. Big-time.

  So yeah. No sex, no women. All work, work, work led to Josh having sweaty sexy dreams about a sexy, sweaty, and very naked Mindy pinned beneath him in the middle of a giant bed. Her long legs wound around his hips, his mouth fused with hers, her hands smoothing all over his back as she whispered encouraging words in his ear.

  “Josh.”

  Her sweet voice reached him, and he rolled over with a sigh. What was a dream and what was reality? His head was swimming, full of images and memories, thoughts and words and flashes of Mindy’s smile. It had been awkward at first earlier but they’d gotten over it surprisingly quick. Made him think that just maybe he could have a second chance with Mindy if he played his cards right.

  “Josh.” A gentle nudge on his shoulder, making him grunt. “Wake up.”

  What the hell? Why would she want to wake him up? He was in a languid half-asleep, half-awake state that was pretty damn pleasant. No worries, no old hang-ups keeping him wary. And no way did he want to be fully conscious yet. That meant he had to face reality.

  Who wanted to do that?

  “Oh my God, you were always a heavy sleeper. How could I forget this?” This time the nudge wasn’t so gentle. And it wasn’t a nudge either. More like a full-on shove. “Wake up, damn it.”

  His lids snapped open as if they had a mind of his own and he turned his head to find Mindy sitting on the edge of the sofa, nestled up all close and snug to his once prone, now fully awake and stirring self. “Mindy?”

  “Who else would it be?” The sarcasm in her voice was thick. And she sounded irritated.

  “Everything okay?” He sat up slowly, his body dragging beside hers and sending a scattering of tingles all over his skin. The awareness he always felt around her had shifted into hyperdrive and he thought about scooting away from her to break that connection.

  But he decided not to. Besides, the couch was too damn narrow. May as well use it to his advantage.

  “No. The power’s out.” She huffed out an indignant breath. “I can’t believe this happened.”

  He certainly could. This sort of thing happened all the time when a snowstorm blew in, and this one was a doozy. “We’re lucky it held out this long.” There wasn’t anything he could do about it except wait it out like the rest of the residents of Lone Pine Lake. “We’ll be all right, Min.”

  “We’ll get cold after a while. Don’t you think?” She watched him quietly. Making him feel all nervous and itchy.

  “Probably.” He ran a hand through his hair, making a mess of it and not really giving a crap. “Maybe we’ll have to snuggle up together and share each other’s body heat.”

  Now that sounded like a fine idea. One he hoped Mindy could get on board with.

  “You think it’ll get that cold?” Her voice went up a notch. She still hadn’t left her perch from the couch and he was half tempted to pull her in even closer and start sharing his body heat with her now.

  “It might. Though you look pretty warm already.” He dropped his hand from the back of his neck, studying her. She looked adorable in a thick, old sweatshirt that reminded him of his earlier comparison to one, her hair piled on top of her head in a blond mess. She also looked nervous. Maybe he made her uneasy. And that was the last thing he wanted to do. “You should probably go back to bed, Mindy. There’s not much we can do tonight but bundle up and wait it out. We’ll reassess in the morning.”

  “I don’t want to go back to bed. My room is freezing.” When he sent her a questioning look she explained, “This house is old and drafty. The windows upstairs are the worst. Lets in all the cold air and the hot, making it the coldest room in the winter and the hottest one in the summer.”

  “Sounds miserable,” he muttered, his mind racing. What exactly did she want to do? Stay down here in the living room with him? He didn’t mind that. Not like they could share the couch comfortably though. His six-foot-one frame took up the entire thing but maybe she could sleep on top of him.

  Ha. In his dreams. He bet if he pulled her to him, he could still feel every one of her curves, even through the thick layers she wore. The heat of her body, the scent of her skin…

  “It is,” she agreed. “That’s why I came down here with you. I figured we could…hang out.” Her explanation sounded perfectly logical but…

  “Define hang out,” he said, since he didn’t know how else to reply. And he was curious to see what exactly she was thinking.

  “Um…” She pressed her lips together, looking a little uncomfortable. “I don’t know. Snuggle close, like you said?”

  Surprise filled him. Did she just really say that? Did she want more from him, too? Or was this wishful thinking on his part?

  And wouldn’t that bum him out? Maybe. Okay, yeah it would.

  “So you’re suggesting we…snuggle to stay warm,” he said carefully, his gaze never leaving her. He needed to gauge her reaction.

  She nodded furiously.

  “You all right, Min? You look a little amped up.” Like she just downed ten cups of coffee amped up. Her eyes were wide and she seemed agitated, her entire body quaking.

  “Can I ask you a question?” she blurted, pressing her lips together the minute the words left her.

  “Sure.” He frowned, waiting for her. This could either be a really good question or a really bad one.

  “If I asked you right now to kiss me, would you?”

  Chapter Five

  If he thought the house was quiet earlier before they’d gone to bed, it was extra- quiet now. Like a death tomb. However he was feeling anything but dead-and-gone-like.

  Though Mindy had certainly dropped a bomb on him with a few simple words, it wasn’t the bad sort of bomb. More like the blow-his-mind, wow-that-came-out-of-nowhere, sure-I’m-up-to-it kind.

&nb
sp; “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I mean, uh—Oh God, I don’t know what I mean.” She tipped her head back, staring up at the ceiling for a moment as if she needed to gather her thoughts. The glow from the fire cast her face in shadow, but he saw the despair. The worry.

  He was feeling just surly enough to make her twist in the wind for a little bit.

  “Spit it out, Min. Say what you gotta say.” He scooted closer to her, a subtle movement she didn’t seem to notice, she was so traumatized over her request. A request he would undoubtedly bestow, since the more he thought about it, the better it sounded.

  A moment he’d wanted for years was being handed to him on a silver platter. No way was he going to pass this up.

  But she was an overthinker so he needed to make his move and soon. He could see those cogs turning in her brain at this very moment. Having her worry for too long would ruin it. There was a fine line when dealing with Mindy.

  Should he make a move, though? Things were cozy and almost perfect right now between the two of them but it could all change the minute they escaped the house. Everything could go back to normal. She might forget all about him, and he’d be left with a broken heart.

  Again.

  It was that easy for him, gaining back those feelings for Mindy. Stupid, he knew, but he couldn’t help it. He’d always had a thing for her. Always. It’d just been lying dormant all these years.

  “I just…I’ve been thinking about it. What happened between us. All the what-ifs and the whys and the how did I let our friendship die like it never mattered to me.” Her gaze met his, full of sadness and regret and so much more than he could ever know or probably even understand. “Because it did matter to me. You were such a big part of my life for so long and then I let you go because I thought Marty was what I wanted. I focused on nothing else but him and our relationship. He didn’t…want me hanging out with you. He wanted me to all to himself and I believed I wanted that too, at the time. He never gave me time to consider what I really wanted.”

  Jealousy brewed within him but he tamped it down. Marty Fenton was a total asshole. “You thought you wanted it,” Josh pointed out, hating yet again how she always seemed to blame herself for her relationship and subsequent failed marriage. “You were young, Min. We all make mistakes when we’re young. Look at what a jackass I was. After you rejected me, I didn’t talk to you again for months. I had you in three classes that year. Yet I somehow avoided you like the plague.”

  “I hardly noticed,” she admitted, her voice soft and full of regret. “I was too wrapped up in Marty.”

  Yeah, she had been. Even though their school had frowned upon obvious public displays of affection, Marty had been the king and master of PDA back in the day. He’d had his hands and lips all over Mindy in the hallways between classes, at lunch, after school.

  It had burned Josh, seeing them together. How much he hated Marty for stealing his best friend. The girl he’d always wanted but had never been brave enough to make his own. Marty had made him feel like a loser and that’s what had burned the most.

  “But that’s dead and gone,” Mindy continued, shaking herself as if shaking all those old memories with Marty out of her. “Clearly, whatever you might’ve felt for me all those years ago is dead and gone, too, so I’ll just go ahead and do as you suggested. Grab a couple of extra blankets and head back upstairs so I can sleep it off. Good night, Josh. Hope the couch is comfortable enough for you.”

  She tried to make her quick escape but he was faster, grabbing hold of her wrist and not letting her go. “So that’s it? You make your request, don’t wait for my answer, and then leave me here, all within five minutes?”

  “I thought your non-answer was your answer.” She sounded—and looked—completely perplexed. And completely adorable.

  “I definitely didn’t answer.” He slowly shook his head, his thumb sweeping along the sensitive skin inside her wrist. Her fingers curled, the tips brushing against the edge of his hand and triumph surged through him. He knew he got a reaction out of her with that one simple touch. What if he really went for it?

  His brain was fully engaged now and out of sleep mode. Time to kick it up a notch.

  “What are you saying, Josh?” Her voice had dropped to a breathy whisper, full of all sorts of promise and potential and his brain kicked straight into overdrive.

  “This is by far the most confusing conversation I’ve ever had, all for a rather simple request, don’t you think?” He sat up straighter, pulling himself closer to her, and he braced his free hand on the couch, close to Mindy’s hip. “I mean, all you asked for was a kiss.”

  A trembling breath left her, with a hint of mint from her toothpaste and he wondered if she tasted minty, too. “It was stupid.”

  He raised his brows. “What? Asking for a kiss?”

  “Yes. I shouldn’t have done it. Here we are, trying to become tentative friends again and instead I’m blowing it. Asking for more than you could ever want to give.”

  “Who said I didn’t want to give you what you asked for?” He was mean, making her scramble but it was sort of fun. Reminded him of how he used to tease her when they were kids. “Like I said, it’s only a kiss.”

  “If it’s only a kiss, then why are we talking so much about it?” A little whimper escaped her when he reached out and tucked a stray tendril of hair behind her ear, then smoothed the side of her face with his index finger. Damn, her skin was soft.

  “I don’t know. Maybe you’re nervous. You always did like to chatter when you’re nervous, Min.”

  A huff of laughter left her and her eyes sparkled in the dim glow of the firelight. “Even after all these years you don’t forget, do you?”

  “I can’t forget anything if it has to do with you. It’s all locked up in my brain. Every little fact about you, every tiny thing. You consumed me for years yet you had no idea. When it was…over between us, I was devastated. Sick. Mad. Jealous as hell.” He shook his head, banishing his thoughts. “But that’s all in the past and I’m over feeling that way. I’m all for letting it go.”

  “Me, too.” She closed her eyes when he traced the delicate line of her jaw with his index finger. “I—oh, wow, I never thought it could be like this between us.”

  “Like what?” He had no idea where she was going with this but he didn’t care. He knew exactly where he was going in about thirty seconds.

  Straight for her lips.

  “So easy. Sexy.” She swallowed hard, and he caught the movement of her throat. “I really wish you would kiss me now, if you’re going to do it.”

  “What if I want you to wait? Anticipation is half the fun,” he teased, feeling like a jackass yet he was also enjoying himself. Hopefully she’d understand, she’d get him.

  And hopefully he’d make this kiss worth the wait.

  “The anticipation is slowly starting to kill me,” she admitted.

  “Hmm, well we wouldn’t want that to happen because that means you’d miss out. And we can’t have that.” He cupped her cheek, stroked her baby-soft skin with the tips of his fingers as he drew her in. Close. Closer, their lips perfectly aligned, their heads to the side, their body language speaking to each other big-time and liking what the other had to say.

  “Josh.” His name was an achy little whisper, her voice sending an arrow of lust straight through him to settle between his thighs. Damn, the woman was good. Too good. And they hadn’t really even done anything yet.

  “Yeah?” He kissed her cheek, the petal-soft skin, the scent of her fragrance driving him wild. If he didn’t watch it, he’d push her down on this couch, strip off her clothing, and have his wicked way with her for the rest of the night.

  “P-please.” Ah, she was stuttering. Time to put her out of her misery and close the deal.

  He brushed her mouth with his in a featherlight kiss. Once. Twice. Slid his hand from her cheek into her hair and pulled her close to him, his fingers curling into the silky strands, tightening his hold. She opened
for him and he swept his tongue inside her mouth, sliding it against hers, the kiss deepening, heating. A soft murmur of pleasure left her and he swallowed it, devouring her, taking the kiss even deeper, hotter in a matter of seconds.

  His blood rushed through his veins, settling in his groin. Just like that he wanted her. More than ever before.

  And for once, he was glad of it. Wanted to prove to her this was more than a simple kiss to make up for old times. That maybe what they had here could be something real and good and full of so much promise…

  He broke the kiss first before it got too out of hand and stared at her, loving how flushed and tousled she looked. Pride surged through him. He put that look on her face and her hair was a total mess because of his fingers. “Now that—”

  “Was amazing,” she finished for him, offering a shaky little laugh that really wasn’t any sort of answer.

  “You think?” He trailed his thumb across her cheek, her lip, exhaling harshly when she caught the edge of his thumb with her teeth, nibbling slightly before she released him.

  She nodded. “Definitely.”

  “Then maybe we should do it one more time? To make sure we’re compatible?” And before she could reply, he was kissing her again.

  And he enjoyed every single blessed minute of it.

  The man had a skilled, lush mouth that knew just how to kiss her straight into oblivion, that much was for sure. The rush of pleasure that pulsed through her body made her literally crave his touch, his mouth, his tongue.

  Oh God, his tongue.

  Mindy slid her hands up his solid wall of a chest, marveling at all the restrained strength she felt there. He’d been narrower when they were younger, no surprise. Josh had definitely filled out in all the right places. His skin was hot through the fabric of his shirt, his muscles hard. She curved her hands around his shoulders, giving them a squeeze before she wound her arms around his neck and buried her hands in his hair.

  A little groan escaped him when she pulled him in closer and a thrill moved through her. She felt powerful, exhilarated. Did she affect him as much as he affected her? God, she really hoped so.