Those adorable butt cheeks of hers clenched again, and he had a moment of light-headedness.
She didn’t make a sound as he stitched the neatest, smallest, damn stitches he could. It hurt him to know that she’d have a scar on her perfect milky skin, and he wanted to minimize the blemish as best as he could. Four little sutures later, his brow sweating, Lynx clipped the thread and stood.
“There. Take a few Tylenol as needed for pain and see me in six to seven days for removal.”
She turned to face him. “Very funny. How would you like your bill paid?”
The answer was on the tip of his tongue as he was lost in those eyes of hers, but luckily he bit it back in time.
“Sorry for being such a bitch earlier.” Was her voice huskier? “As you’ve probably guessed, I haven’t quite assimilated to the area.”
He could help her assimilate.
She stood half naked with the counter behind her and him in front. If he placed his hands on the counter, she’d be caged within his arms.
CHAPTER TWO
Eva dragged in a steadying breath hoping it would slow down the galloping of her heart. Nope. Didn’t even come close to calming her down. How did this backwoods bear of a man raise her blood pressure? Her eyes dipped to his naked chest. Hills and valleys of muscle had her eyes traveling lower and lower until she had to jerk her head up to break contact with all that hard, smooth, sun-baked skin.
She was fascinated by the human body. One of the many reasons she’d gone into medicine, but Lynx’s body far impressed her over any other specimen that she’d yet to see. Maybe it was the Native Alaskan she could clearly see in him. He was bigger, features sharper, darker, more dangerous than other men she’d been around.
Why hadn’t he put on a shirt? Was he messing with her? Did he know how long it had been since she’d had sex?
Hell, she didn’t even know, just knew it had been a really, really long time. And good sex hadn’t happened in an even longer time. Knowing that Davis was gay explained a lot about their failings—his failings—in the bedroom.
She bet Lynx could satisfy her in the bedroom.
She licked her lips.
Did he just groan?
His eyes were focused on her mouth, so she licked her lips again. There was no mistaking the mix of growl and groan this time.
Usually her surly attitude did a good job of keeping the male species at bay. She still hated men for the two who had broken her heart. Maybe she should do something about changing that?
Her eyes connected with his and without thinking it through, she stretched up on her tippy toes and grabbed his face between her hands and kissed him.
For a second, he stood frozen as her lips pressed against his, and then he growled, taking over the kiss and devouring her. His big beefy arms banded around her and lifted her off her toes. Her world tipped.
Oh, baby.
This was a bad idea. One of those really bad ideas that felt so good. Her hands dived into his thick, inky-black hair. Her legs naturally came up around his hips and cradled the impressive—somewhat worrisome—engorged member. Now it was her turn to groan. Her heart thundered in her ears, lights twinkled behind her closed lids. Oh yes! With him between her legs she wasn’t going to need a bedroom romp to satisfy her. She was going to come right here.
“Uncle Lynx?”
Lynx went rigid in her arms.
Eva tightened her hold on him as he tried unlocking her legs from around his waist. “No, not yet.”
“Eva,” he murmured, his voice peppered with pain. “My nephew.”
“What?” Nephew? She didn’t care about anything except the sensations slipping away from her at an alarming rate.
Lynx carefully pried her off him and set her on her bare feet. She stood in the shadow of Lynx’s big body, his breathing ragged.
“Uncle Lynx what are you doing to Ms. Stuart?” Fox Maiski stood off to the side behind Lynx in the doorway of the cabin, a Siberian Husky pup in his arms.
“Uh...examining her?” Lynx clamped his eyes shut and whispered under his breath, “Shit, the kid is never going to fall for that.”
“Why?” Fox asked. “Is she hurt? She doesn’t look hurt.”
Oh, she was hurting all right.
Eva took a long deep breath and held it in until spots started to show and then let it out in a rush. She needed to get dressed. By her estimate, Fox was like nine or ten. She was showing way too much skin for a boy of that age. Hell, any boy. Including the big boy in front of her. What was she thinking? Sure, nudity had never been a problem for her. She was a nurse practitioner and saw nude bodies all the time. But maybe not nude as in sexually aroused nude. Geez. She was going to hell.
“Fox, why don’t you hang back a minute? Ms. Stuart and I need to finish—
Boy, did they ever.
—bandaging her stitches.”
“‘Kay.” There seemed to be a smile in his tone though his face was stoic. “I’ll be outside on the deck.”
After Fox exited, Eva leaned in, catching a whiff of forest and man that curled her toes. “Isn’t it like after ten o’clock? Why is he running around this late?” She dragged a shaky hand through her mussed up hair.
“We’re Alaskans. The sun is up. We’ll sleep come winter.”
“Where’s his mother? It’s not safe for him to be out wandering alone. Look what happened to me.”
Lynx tried to bite back a smile. “Fox is wilderness savvy. It’s almost uncanny. Like the animals watch out for him.”
Right. She needed to get dressed and out of here. She grabbed her pants and hitched them up her legs.
“Wait. Let me put a bandage over your stitches.”
She held her breath as she stood there trying not to rub up against Lynx like the cat he was named for as he reached over her to grab the gauze and tape on the counter. He had her caged between his big body and the counter. And surprise, surprise, she didn’t mind.
What was wrong with her? Seriously, women went without sex for longer than she had. They didn’t go around acting like they were in heat.
He cut tape and handed her the strips. “Here, hold onto this. Now turn around.”
Her heart leaped with a thrill of excitement with the way he looked at her and spoke in that sexy growl. She normally didn’t like to do anyone’s bidding, but found herself turning and bending over, and wishing that his nephew wasn’t just outside, waiting.
Lynx carefully laid the gauze over her stitches. Would he kiss it and make it feel better? The hair rose on the back of her neck. She swallowed, her breathing coming in short little gasps.
“Tape,” Lynx instructed.
She held out the tape for him and closed her eyes as he smoothed the adhesive over the edge of the gauze pad onto her skin. Goose bumps erupted on her over-sensitized flesh.
She needed a cold shower in the worst way.
“Tape.”
How in the world could bandaging someone be such a turn on?
“There.” His heated palm cupped the gauze pad just below her butt cheek. “How does that feel?”
Get real. Like she was going to tell him that if he would just breathe on the back of her neck she’d rocket off into the midnight sun.
“Fine,” she squeaked.
He chuckled, leaned over, and whispered in her ear, “If my nephew hadn’t shown up, you’d be feeling more than fine.”
Oh, God.
“Are you free tomorrow?”
She had a feeling she’d be free any time this man wanted to see her. Oh shit, she wasn’t that easy was she?
“Yes.”
“Want to have dinner?”
Was that have dinner or have him for dinner? Either way she was fine with it. Okay, she needed to create some distance, because she wasn’t thinking clearly. Hell, she wasn’t thinking at all. She didn’t even know who this man was an hour ago. Did she want to get to know him or just have sex with him?
She was so messed-up.
She bent and
grabbed her jeans and hiked them onto her hips, making him wait for her answer. “Where would we have dinner?”
He took a step back when her elbow connected with his abs as she buttoned her jeans. “I’d like to suggest here, but maybe the lodge would be a better idea?”
The Chatanika Lodge was a combination hotel, restaurant, and general store for the little town. Everyone hung out there, including most of his family, since they owned it.
“Or we could drive into Fairbanks?” he suggested when she didn’t say anything.
Fairbanks was thirty miles away, but it took an hour to drive the windy, frost-heaved road. She’d be stuck in a car with him, and what if they didn’t have anything to say to each other? What if this...chemistry was just her over-stimulated hormones or something?
“The lodge will be fine.” She took a couple of more steps away from him toward the door leading out onto the deck.
“Six o’clock?”
“Sure. I’ll meet you there.” Now that she wasn’t standing so close to him, the reality of what could have happened between them flushed through her system in a fiery blush. “Thanks for, uhmm, everything.”
“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow night.”
Her heart flipped in her chest at his sexy half smile.
“Right. Tomorrow.” One last look at all that muscled skin on display and she let herself out of his cabin and into the bright sunlight, softly shutting the screen door behind her. She squinted, trying to focus. Fox sat in a lounge chair, the black bandit-painted puppy asleep on his lap. What did you say to a kid who had caught you in a compromising position? “Hey.”
“Hey, Ms. Stuart.”
“Call me Eva.” He’d seen her in her underwear with her tongue in his uncle’s mouth. He could call her Eva.
He smiled, his dark eyes all-a-twinkle. “Okay, Eva.”
“What’s your dog’s name?” There, that was a good safe subject.
“Kiski. She’s the runt of the litter and finally strong enough for her vaccinations.” At her frown, Fox continued. “Uncle Lynx is going to give them to her.”
Uncle Lynx opened the screen door, and stepped out, having put on a snug-fitting t-shirt in dusty blue. “Okay, I’m ready for my next patient.” He bent down and rubbed Kiski’s ears. She perked up and licked his hand.
“Eva? Why’d you need stitches?” Fox asked with the tilt of his head, looking a lot like the adorable puppy in his lap.
“She’s been moosed-up,” Lynx said before she could offer anything.
Fox nodded as though he actually understood the term and that it was a common occurrence.
Lynx took pity on her. “Moosed-up is when you’ve been messed-up by a moose. It’s just faster and easier to say moosed-up.”
“Oh. Well. I’ll let you tend to your patient then.” She followed the steps down from the deck and went to turn left, the way she’d come.
“Eva.” Lynx leaned over the railing, his elbows taking his weight, making his shoulders seem even wider than they were. “Head right about three hundred yards and you’ll come to a road. You’ll find your way home safe enough in that direction.” He gave her a knowing smile and then disappeared inside the cabin with Fox.
She traipsed off in the direction he indicated, exiting the forest onto the road that led to the clinic and her small apartment attached to it.
Well, shit. Lynx Maiski was her next door neighbor.
CHAPTER THREE
She shouldn’t be here.
Eva traced the lines of filigree on her silverware. Why had she agreed to have dinner with Lynx? And here, where his family and friends could all keep tabs on their date? Pike, Lynx’s uncle, kept looking at her through the cutout behind the bar where the kitchen must be. He was another good looking man for his age. Tall, thick salt-and-peppered hair, with dark eyes that didn’t miss much. They sure did grow them big and muscled up here in the Arctic. Lynx would probably look a lot like his uncle when he got older.
Not something she needed to be thinking about. Davis was a handsome man, but more metro-sexual than mountain man. He’d dressed impeccably in suits and designer menswear, which should have given her a clue. He could color-coordinate better than any woman she knew.
She picked up her water glass and sipped. It was now half empty. She glanced at her watch again.
Lynx was late.
How long should she wait for him? Why was she even waiting for him? Because they’d shared spit, and she didn’t want to be one of those easy women. Meeting him tonight did not guarantee that they would be returning to his place or hers to have sex. No matter what last night’s impression had given him.
Tonight was about getting to know each other and then hopefully moving onto sex. Soon. She wanted him bad. Had thought of nothing else but being in those arms again and having him between her legs.
“Would you like to order an appetizer while you wait?” the young waitress asked.
Eva hadn’t caught her name. She looked for a tag, but there wasn’t one. She wore a simple white t-shirt and comfortable jeans, with a short apron tied around her waist.
She needed more liquid courage than food right now. “How about a drink. What can you suggest?”
The waitress cocked her head, pointed with her pencil to the empty seat next to Eva.” You waitin’ on Lynx?”
“Yes. How’d you know?”
“Word gets around.”
Had word spread about her legs clamped around Lynx too? She felt a blush start at the base of her neck. “Well, then, how about something with a kick?”
She tucked her pencil into her amber ponytail. “I got just the thing. Be right back.”
Eva watched her hips tick back and forth like the second hand of a clock. She took in the group of diners enjoying their evening meal. She’d purposely showed early and taken a seat in the back corner so that she could watch Lynx arrive. The big windows gave her a view of the parking lot. Now she felt trapped as all eyes routinely flicked her direction. Everyone in this damn village knew she was Lynx’s date.
Were they the Saturday night entertainment for the little town?
The waitress returned and set a drink in front of her. “We call it the Ugly Moose. Basically, it’s a bold and spicy Bloody Mary made Alaskan style. The celery stalks, bleu cheese stuffed olives, and slices of venison sausage are supposed to look like an ugly moose. It will also give you something to snack on until Lynx gets his butt here.”
Eva took a sip around the stalks of celery. “Wow, does that have a kick.” It tasted yummy too. She took another sip. “So what’s your name, and is Lynx often late to dates?” Now why did she go and ask that?
“Name’s, Bree. One thing you need to know about Lynx is that he’s easily distracted. Not that he has ADD or somethin’, well maybe just a touch.” Bree shrugged her shoulders. “He’ll have a good reason for being late, or at least an interesting one.” Bree smiled and patted Eva’s shoulder. “Let me know when you’re ready for somethin’ else.”
Eva fished out one of the olives that represented an eye of the Ugly Moose and ate it. Interesting name for a drink. She systemically ate all the pieces of the moose and then drained the glass. Yeah, she was a fan. She glanced at her watch again. Lynx was now forty-five minutes late. She’d never been stood-up before, but forty-five minutes had to be in the stood-up range.
To hell with Lynx. And sex.
She ordered another drink and then ordered dinner. She’d have Ugly Mooses—Meeses?—and good food. Both were great replacements for sex.
Sort of.
She ordered a triple berry pie for dessert.
Damn poachers.
Lynx had been called out on a report of poachers. He’d been after this bunch for a couple of weeks with no leads. A Dall sheep had been shot and its head taken, leaving the rest of the meat to waste. Burned him up something awful. He’d been able to snap some pictures of the crime right before a mama bear and her two cubs cornered him.
Now he was stuck up here on
the bluff overlooking the scene, waiting out mama and her babies as they feasted on the meat. Well, mama bear feasted, while the rambunctious cubs had their fill and were now tearing apart his four-wheeler.
Not the tires.
Damn little heathens. They were cute as heck as they mauled his four-wheeler, shredding the leather seat, pulling and chewing on wires, and puncturing his tires with their wicked sharp claws and teeth. Lynx snapped some pictures of the destructive tykes for his insurance company.
Well, he wasn’t getting back to town with that thing, and he wasn’t about to take on the hungry mother. Some things weren’t worth fighting nature for.
Hiking out looked like his only option. He checked his GPS. Roughly eleven miles. Great. His cell phone was no use. He had only his GPS spot locater to push that he was OK or not. If he indicated he wasn’t OK, the troopers in Fairbanks would be notified. He’d have Search and Rescue out looking for his sorry ass. As a law enforcement officer for the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge he’d never live it down that bear cubs got the best of him. It was his own fault, his mind occupied with thoughts of Eva and what tonight might bring, rather than his surroundings. He knew better.
Now he’d be late for their dinner date. He looked at the time again. Hell, he’d be more than late. He’d be a no-show.
He wondered how understanding Eva Stuart was.
CHAPTER FOUR
Not very understanding at all.
Lynx stood there on Eva’s doorstep, staring at the door she’d just slammed in his face. Not the type to give up easily, he knocked again.
“Go away,” her muffled reply carried through the plank of wood.
“I have a really good excuse.”
“You aren’t bleeding.”
“My four-wheeler is. Let me in so I can explain. Please. I brought breakfast.”
There was a long pause. “What did you bring for breakfast?”
Wild Men of Alaska Collection Page 7
