Wild Men of Alaska Collection

by Tiffinie Helmer

  She bared her teeth and growled.

  He blinked.

  Damn if she wasn’t the most adorable woman he’d ever laid eyes on. He couldn’t stop himself from grabbing her upper arms, lifting her up, and kissing the mad right out of her. She sputtered when he set her back on her feet. He gave her a goofy smile. “Be right back.”

  He left her to stew and headed to the canoe for their backpacks. When he returned she’d shed her shirt and wore a wet tank top.

  Oh, he was in trouble here.

  Her nipples beaded like small stones through the tissue-thin, white material. The lace of her bra was defined through the soft fabric. She glared at him as she struggled to get her tennis shoes off. “Stay away from me.”

  Yeah, not going to happen.

  The more time he spent around her the more he wanted to be around her. Who would have thought he’d fall for a pixie of a woman with an Amazonian temper? She went for the button of her jeans next and slowly peeled the wet material down her hips and thighs, until she stomped free of them, wearing only her tank top and lacy pair of electric blue panties.

  He took a step closer.

  “Stay right there!” She pointed at him with her finger, and if it had been loaded he’d be dead right now.

  She really wasn’t happy with him. And why did that please him so much?

  Probably because she wasn’t afraid of him. Most people saw his size and either figured he was as dumb as a musk ox or a man to be feared. Women tended to think the latter and a few men had been educated in the former. Eva was a breath of fresh air he hadn’t known he needed.

  He stayed rooted to his spot and focused on her every move. The woman was perfectly fine with being practically naked in front of him. He was just grateful. She gathered up her wet clothes and laid them over tree branches to help them dry. He took in her creamy skin, so different from the brown of his, and couldn’t wait to join the two of them together. She bent over and fluffed her hair in the breeze. He groaned. She was just messing with him now.

  “How are your stitches?” he asked, eyes rooted to her ass.

  She turned and looked at him over her shoulder, her back arched in a pose worthy of Playboy.

  The minx.

  Did she have any idea what she was doing to him?

  “They seem fine.” She started to wring the water out of her socks.

  “You seem warmer now.”

  She lifted her face to the clear blue sky and closed her eyes. “This sun is just glorious.”

  It wasn’t the only thing. “Would you like your backpack,” he asked, his voice husky. She turned and gave him a full frontal view. With the sun behind her, she resembled a mystical faerie sent to sexually enslave him.

  Where did he sign?

  If he didn’t get her covered up, he was afraid of what he might do. There was only so much temptation he could resist.

  A hungry man was going to eat.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The look in Lynx’s eyes had Eva faltering in her actions. Maybe she’d pushed him enough. She’d gotten drunk on the power. Never had a man devoured her like he was currently doing. It was heady and something she could definitely get used to.

  Served him right for dowsing her in the river. So, it wasn’t really his fault, but he’d laughed, so therefore the man had to pay.

  She figured she’d tortured him enough. Besides, she’d just been bitten by a mosquito. She yanked her backpack from his grip and tore into it, grabbing the hoodie she’d stuffed into it early, believing she wouldn’t need it. He’d said a full change of clothes, “just in case.” She should have listened. All she’d put in here was the hoodie.

  Chalk one up for the mountain man.

  She covered up. The sweatshirt ended just past her hips.

  “Is that all you brought?” Lynx asked. He looked as though he was in pain as he stared at her bare legs.

  She slapped her upper thigh and gave it a scratch. Crap. These damn things were going to suck her dry. “Can I have the bug spray again?”

  Chalk two up for the mountain man.

  He offered her the can of spray. No light coating this time. She bathed in the stuff and did the same thing he’d done with wetting his hands and rubbing the smelly spray on her face and neck. She swore she could hear them buzzing inside her ears.

  “Seriously, you need to put some clothes on,” Lynx said.

  “This is all I brought,” she admitted.

  He opened his pack and pulled out a blanket and tossed it to her. “I’ll be right back.” And then he disappeared into the woods.

  She was suddenly alone.

  Really alone.

  She glanced around. A raven sat on a spruce tree branch. Its beady eye met hers and it cawed, the sharp sound making her jerk. Then it flew off in a blur of black and blue feathers. The clearing was roughly the size of her apartment. Trees crowded in from all sides. She couldn’t even tell what direction Lynx had vanished off to.

  She sat on a rock and took in her surroundings. No longer was she finding the beauty and tranquility of earlier on the river. Now there seemed to be eyes watching her from the shadows. A rustling to her left had her jumping back to her feet. Her heart in her throat, she waited to see what would appear.

  What did she do if it was a bear? She didn’t have a gun to protect herself with. She could get back into the canoe, but no way could she out paddle a bear, and didn’t bears swim? Nothing ventured from the darkness beyond what she could see. She shouldn’t have pissed off Lynx. Why would he just leave her like that?

  What was she going to do if he didn’t return?

  She rotated in a slow circle, scanning the thick trees. She didn’t even know which way was home.

  Who was she kidding? This wasn’t home. It was another planet and all the people here, aliens.

  She’d chosen to move here. She could leave.

  Not for another two years. She’d signed a contract in exchange for an impressive bonus and the cost of being moved up here. She really needed her head examined.

  Another rustling and this time her eyes went wide with fright.

  There was something out there!

  She hadn’t imagined those eyes. It was a dog...or a wolf. Oh God. Was she going to be eaten?

  “Hey.” Lynx appeared from behind her.

  She screamed. He jumped a few steps back.

  “What was that for?”

  “T-there’s a w-wolf out there.” She pointed to the trees.

  He followed her finger.

  “Well, he isn’t there now. I doubt there’s any wildlife within a hundred miles after that scream.”

  He stuck a finger in his ear as though to help with the ringing.

  She tossed him the blanket and grabbed her jeans off the branch. “Get me out of here.” She struggled into the damp denim, but by God she got them on. Her socks and shoes were next.

  “What about lunch?”

  “No way. I’m not taking the chance of being lunch.”

  “Eva, calm down. There is nothing out there.”

  “Where the hell did you go, anyway?”

  “I needed a...minute to cool down.”

  “Are you freaking kidding me? You left me here alone in the wilds because you needed a minute.”

  “Yeah.” He tightened his lips. One hard look and he gathered up her lifejacket, tossing it at her and grabbing the backpacks. “Fine, I’ll take you home.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “The woman is nuts,” Lynx said, slumping on the barstool in his sister Raven’s kitchen. It had been a few days since the failed canoe trip, and he needed to figure out a way to get Eva talking to him again.

  Much like his house, Raven’s was built of logs, with a loft above the kitchen area, leaving the living room open with a cathedral ceiling. But her place overlooked the Chatanika River with floor to ceiling windows. She had a stunning view. While his cabin was more nestled in the trees. Cozy and hidden.

  “Really?” Raven raised a brow over
the mug of tea she held to her lips, her long black hair pulled up into a clip. She was dressed in jean overalls with smears of clay all over the fabric. She supported herself and son Fox with her pottery and spent a good portion of her day in the studio connected to the cabin. “Is she nuts or driving you nuts?”

  “Both.”

  “Hmm.”

  He hated it when she did that. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you worked up like this over a woman. Heck, over anything.”

  She had a point. He was normally a very patient kind of man, but he could have wrung Eva’s neck the other day.

  “You know, you shouldn’t have laughed,” Fox piped up from the couch.

  Lynx had thought the kid was playing a video game or something. He knew better than to underestimate that Fox could keep track of a conversation while he fought some virtual war in a far off galaxy.

  “You should have seen her.” Lynx chuckled at the memory, all his anger evaporating into nothing. “Damn, she was cute.”

  Fox set down his game controller, shut off the TV, and turned to face Lynx. “You need to apologize.”

  “Me?” He glanced from Fox to Raven.

  Raven smiled and patted his shoulder. “Fox is right.”

  “B-but—”

  “You laughed, making her feel like an idiot, and then you left her alone,” Fox pointed out. “She’s not from around here. She’s probably never been alone like that in her life.”

  Damn, the kid made sense. Lynx wasn’t going to get into Eva’s bed with her mad at him like this. Not that he needed to tell his nephew that.

  How did he apologize? She wasn’t talking to him. He’d tried when he’d dropped her back at her place, but all he’d gotten was the door slammed in his face again.

  “Take her some chocolate,” Fox suggested, and then went into the kitchen and lost himself in the contents of the refrigerator.

  Raven shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt.”

  “What kind of woman doesn’t like chocolate?” Lynx shouted through the slammed door.

  “The kind of woman who likes caramel,” was the muffled—though impressively loud—reply from Eva.

  Lynx stood there on the doorstep, one hand clutching the box of chocolates he’d bought in Fairbanks. Did she have any idea how much time he’d given to this venture? Shouldn’t he get points for that?

  If he could just get her to open the door long enough to get close to her, kiss her, shut up that mouth of hers, he might be able to apologize.

  Instead, he turned and stomped off her porch, tore open the box of chocolate and ate all of them on the short walk to his place. He liked chocolate just fine. And he’d done a great job picking them out. They tasted rich and dark with all manner of nuts. No creams for the lady he was lusting after.

  Hell, he’d failed on the chocolate and didn’t even know enough about her to know if she liked nuts. And he wanted to know.

  It wasn’t just lust he was feeling or he wouldn’t care. She fascinated him, and not just sexually, though that did occupy a large part of his day. He wanted to know little things too. Like why she moved to Alaska. Did she have family? Did she want a family?

  Whoa. This was getting serious if he was thinking kids.

  Yeah, he loved kids. Loved his nephew Fox and wanted a bunch of rug rats running around. He’d always thought that would be for someday. Could someday be here?

  Could Eva be his someone?

  His stomach churned. He shouldn’t have eaten so many chocolates. The sugar overload wouldn’t help him with all he needed to think about.

  He’d cut through the trees and came out of the woods into his backyard. He could see that a path would be worn between her house and his before whatever was between them was resolved. He climbed up on the back deck and found Fox with the ever present puppy, Kiski.

  He rubbed Kiski’s ear and let her gnaw on his hand for a bit before taking a seat next to Fox.

  Fox indicated the empty box of chocolates. “I take it they weren’t a hit?”

  “Turns out she doesn’t like chocolate.” He tossed the empty box aside. Kiski scrambled out of Fox’s arms to attack it.

  “Hmm, well that’s a new one.”

  Lynx harrumphed in agreement.

  They sat quietly watching the puppy destroy the box. At least one female enjoyed the box of chocolates. And this one a real bitch.

  “What’s your next step?” Fox asked.

  Next step? He was at a loss on how to deal with Eva. Alaskan women loved him. A few international ones had too. But this spitfire from the Midwest left him stumped.

  “I don’t have a clue what to do with Eva.” And he shouldn’t be confiding in his ten-year-old nephew. But it was either that or the woodland creatures.

  “Have you told her how pretty her hair is?”

  “Uh...no.”

  Fox made a tsking sound. “Women like to be complimented, to know they are thought of.”

  “So then what do you suggest I do? I can’t get her to keep her door open long enough to tell her how pretty she is.”

  “Take her some flowers. How hard is this?”

  Hell, no. “I’d have to drive back to Fairbanks to buy her flowers.” With his luck she’d hate roses. Would she prefer daisies? Lilies? Ugh, too many choices. Flowers were way more difficult than chocolate. He’d never survive it.

  Fox pointed to the field of wildflowers that made up Lynx’s backyard. “Pick her some flowers.”

  “Huh, would you look at that.” He reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair. “How’d you get so smart anyway?”

  Fox shrugged. “Mom watches a lot of chick flicks.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Eva felt a ping of guilt for not letting Lynx in earlier. She could have been nicer. Not yelled at him as much. Maybe not slam the door as hard as she had. But damn it, she was still mad. A part of her realized the mad came from being scared, and he was to blame for that too. She liked control, and he’d left her in a situation where she’d had none. Granted, she might have driven him to leave her.

  Seemed she was good at that too.

  Hadn’t she driven Davis into Jeremy’s arms? Or was it the other way around? Not that she’d wanted to keep Davis, but she sure missed Jeremy. He’d know what to do about Lynx. He’d want to know what the hell held her back from partaking of such a beautiful man.

  A bittersweet smile played at the corners of her mouth. Maybe she should pick up the phone and check in with Jeremy?

  She reached for her cell and then set it down. No, that part of her life was over. She was on to new and better things.

  New, yes. Better? That still remained to be seen.

  Though she had to admit, she’d been happier in the short time since arriving here in Alaska than she’d been in Cincinnati. She might be considered a cheechako, but she was learning, making new friends, discovering new things daily. But the one thing she really wanted to experience was sex with Lynx.

  It wasn’t healthy to go this long without sex. Her mouth watered with the thought of being with Lynx. He made her feel desirable.

  Lynx was so big and manly, she felt like a woman, all fragile and feminine around him. Not something she’d had a lot of experience with around Davis. With Davis, she’d been the man in their relationship. Funny, she hadn’t figured that out before she’d found him and Jeremy in her bed.

  Lynx made her feel desired.

  That’s it. She needed to apologize to Lynx, and the best way to show her sincerity was to have her way with him.

  Plan decided, Eva quickly went and changed her clothes, slipping into sexy under things that would make Lynx stutter. She followed the lingerie with a low, snug-fitting violet top that let the lavender lace of her bra peek over the edges of the material. That would drive him crazy. She added a blue and purple glass pendant on a long silver chain around her neck to help draw his eye to her pushed up cleavage. Just in case he missed it.

  Slipping into a flor
al skirt in pinks, blues, and purples that ended just above her knees, she hoped she wasn’t going too far. She hadn’t noticed a lot of skirts being worn here in Chatanika. This was Carhartt and Timberland country. But the day was nice, with the sun hot and high in the sky. Besides the skirt would allow her freedom of movement and quick access to Lynx when she got him horizontal. That thought had her inner muscles clenching with excitement.

  She stepped into red-hot strappy sandals, knowing they would to be murder to walk in on the gravel driveway, but they completed the look and did great things for her legs. She wouldn’t be walking long in them anyway. She planned to drive over to his house. No more trekking through the forest until she got her bearings or bought a handheld GPS.

  She stood in front of the full-length mirror and shared a satisfied smile with her reflection. The man would have to be dense as wood not to understand her intent.

  Eva picked up her purse, opened her front door, and skidded to a stop. A surprised squeal escaped her before she could cover her mouth. A bull moose chomped the grass that needed to be mowed in her front yard. It was so close to the house there was no way she’d be going anywhere. The moose glanced up.

  Hey, she recognized that look in his eye.

  It was the same damn moose who’d chased her up a tree last week. Was he the town mascot? Welcoming committee? That would explain one reason for the small population. A rogue moose chasing people off.

  “Shoo!” she hollered and received a bored blink for her efforts.

  “Get!” she tried again. This time the moose took a big step toward her. She squealed again, and jumped back into the house, slamming the door. Her heart pounded, and her breath came out in loud gasps. What did she do now? She ran to the window and looked out.

  The intimidating animal was still there. She’d slammed the door hard enough to sway the trees and yet he still stood there. He turned back to his lunch and continued grazing as though he had no intentions of leaving.

  Was this a common occurrence in Alaska? Could you be held hostage in your own house by a moose? She did not want the headline of The Daily News Miner to read: Woman expired as a bull moose held her prisoner in her house.