I reached out and rubbed my thumb over her hip. “Then you’ll need to decide what to do.”
Lex ducked her head to muffle a sob. “I don’t want to live without you, Drake. These last two years have been miserable. I just can’t do it.”
“Then don’t.”
She didn’t say anything else as we lay in silence. Is she having second thoughts? I wanted to ask but wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear the answer. Lex had left me once before. Will she be able to do it again?
At some point, a worried sleep claimed me.
Chapter Fourteen
Drake
“Drake.”
I jolted in bed and reached for Lex. She was already sitting up. “Lex, are you okay?”
It was still dark, and I was nearly blinded when she turned on the light. There were dark circles underneath her eyes, and she looked exhausted. “Can we talk?”
Oh shit. The three words no man wanted to hear. They rarely began a good conversation. I sat up straighter and looked at the clock. It was almost five in the morning. “What’s on your mind?”
“I’ve been thinking…”
And those were three more words I didn’t want to hear.
I knew I had to proceed carefully. “And…”
She lay her hand on my cheek. “I can’t walk away from you again. Even if Dad wrote the letter, I can’t. Dad wanted me happy. I’m happy with you.”
In one swift motion, I pulled Lex into my lap. “I don’t think I could either. Even if you wanted to leave, I would spend every day of the rest of my life convincing you to choose me.”
She placed her hands on my chest. The intensity between us hadn’t changed. “Can you feel it, Drake?”
“Yes, I feel it. It never stopped.”
She shifted on my lap, and her eyes widened. Yeah, baby, I’m hard for you. From the change in her breathing, I knew she wanted more. If I slipped my fingers into her panties, I was sure I’d find her wet. The tips of her nipples hardened against the fabric of her shirt. My thumbs drifted over their peaks and slowly moved back and forth. I watched her eyes to see if this was okay. They were cloudy with lust; there was no hesitation there. She wanted… no, she needed this as much as I did. With each slow stroke, her nipples grew stiffer. Lex squirmed.
“You sure about this?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said on a breathy sigh.
I’d make her feel good for now. Later, when I could make it special, I’d make love to her like she deserved—multiple times. I slid my hand up the inside of her thigh, where her skin was smooth as silk.
“Drake.” The sound of my name on her lips made my dick excruciatingly hard.
She moved against it, and fucking hell if I didn’t almost come in my boxers like a teenager.
Pound. Pound. Pound.
“Let’s go.”
Motherfucker. It was Kane. We weren’t supposed to meet until seven.
Lex and I froze on the bed like two kids caught doing something we weren’t supposed to be doing. I had no idea if the door was locked. I called out, “Just a sec.”
Lex jumped off me and dove under the covers in a flash right before the door opened.
“I don’t have all day. Let’s get going.”
“I said just a sec, asshole.”
“Your door was unlocked. If you’re going to wank off, lock the door.”
Sometimes, I swore Kane had to be adopted. Beside me, Lex stiffened. He paused and looked at the lump of covers next to me. Yeah, bastard, I have Lex in here. He smirked, which made me want to punch him.
“What happened to seven?” I snapped, not bothering to hide the irritation in my voice.
“I have to meet the city fuckers at eleven now. They’re paying top dollar to go earlier for a two-day hunt. I texted you on my way over, but I see you were otherwise occupied.”
Mom called from below, “Language, Kane. And don’t wake Alexa.”
He called back, “Too late, Drake already did.”
“Asshole.”
“Wanker.”
Lex popped her head out from under the covers. “Morning, Kane. You’re chipper this morning.”
“Fucking with my brother has that effect on me.”
Mom called again from downstairs, “Kane Foster! Stop aggravating your brother. And watch your language! Drake, you, too!”
“Sorry, Mom,” we answered in unison.
Kane motioned to me as he walked backward. “Come on, dickhead. I’ll pour you a cup of coffee and drive so we can get the lumber from the shed.”
Leaving the door open, Kane backed out of the room and plodded down the stairs. I couldn’t understand how, in the woods, he moved without making a sound. Here, he was as delicate as a bull in a china shop.
Lex threw a hand over her face, mumbling, “Is it too much to ask for one orgasm? Just one that isn’t machine generated. The world is against us. Seriously, every time we’re on the cusp of something—bam—we’re interrupted.”
She was honestly irritated, and I chuckled. At least until the thought of Lex using a vibrator had me returning to full mast.
“Don’t laugh! It’s not funny.”
I grabbed her hand and put it on my massive erection. “No, it’s not.”
“Oh my.”
“Yeah. And he’s fucking pissed he’s going to have to wait. I jacked off two times already before you even came in here.”
Sitting up, she bit her lower lip. “Really?”
“Really.”
Those must have been magic words because she leaned over and kissed me. Maybe I could buy us five minutes.
Kane called from below, “I’m leaving! You better hurry unless you want to do it yourself.”
That ass would leave me, too. Hauling lumber was definitely easier with two people. I threw off the covers and grabbed my clothes. In less than two seconds I was halfway dressed. Leaning down, I kissed Lex goodbye. “Will you drive my truck to the clinic? In case I need to get anything else after Kane leaves?”
“Yes, I’ll be there shortly. I think I need a cold shower first, if you get my drift.”
I groaned. “Not helping.”
With one more kiss, I was out the door and heading for my brother’s truck. For shits and giggles, Kane put the truck in reverse and backed up about ten feet before stopping and letting me in. Mariah sat in the backseat, watching us with interest.
When I was halfway in, Kane put his truck into gear. I righted myself and slipped my shirt on. “You’re an ass.”
“Yeah, I am. But at least I’m not a whipped fucker.”
Giving him a Cheshire Cat grin, I nodded. “When that girl walks into your life, I’m going to give you so much shit.”
Mariah barked from the backseat. “She’s warning you. I’m my own man, and I’m not going to let some girl lead me around by my dick.”
I said nothing, and Kane raised his eyebrow. “Fuck you.”
“What?”
“I see your smug smirk. Not happening.”
“Okay.” I held my hands up, knowing it would aggravate him more. “Not happening.”
We approached one of Dad’s lumber sheds. As the family’s main source of income, Dad and Mom ran a lumber mill business. He’d donated all the supplies to fix the clinic, even though Hollis had offered multiple times to pay for it as we worked yesterday. From what I could tell, Hollis had little experience with people just doing something for you with no strings—simply because it was nice. In Alaska, there were times when we needed each other to survive. Off to one side of the shed, one of Dad’s nightstands sat, unfinished. Seeing it brought back a lot of memories. I never would have imagined the little blond-haired, pigtailed girl who used to come with her dad to buy lumber would one day intoxicate me. At that age, she’d followed me around, asking a million questions. When she left, she’d give me a hug and skip off to her dad’s truck. She’d stopped coming about a year before I really saw her for the first time. Man, it was like she had blossomed overnight.
Dad and Lloyd had bonded over making furniture. I believed it was one of my only saving graces that convinced Lloyd to let me date Lex.
“Looks like you and Alexa are figuring things out.” Kane’s voice brought me out of my memories.
“We are.” Rolling my neck, I tried to get my thoughts together. I needed someone other than Dad to talk to. Though Kane was insensitive, he was always there for his family any time we needed him. “Lex broke up with me because she got a letter her dad left with his will telling her he didn’t approve of me. I know someone else wrote it. I’d just asked Lloyd if I could marry Lex, and he gave his blessing.”
Kane put the truck in Park and looked at me. “Come again?”
One summer in high school, Kane had come back from doing some work in Ketchikan a changed man. He’d never told anyone why, as far as I knew. Mom worried about him, but he swore to her nothing horrific had happened. Somehow, I knew he’d talk to me when he was ready. And through all the fighting and arguing, we were always there for each other.
I explained the situation. When I finished, there was anger burning in his eyes. “One thing you don’t do is fuck with a Foster. You going to figure out who it was?”
“That’s the plan. The most reasonable place to start is with the lawyer. Raquel or Irene are likely suspects.”
He shook his head in disgust. “Why would they do that to Alexa?”
“Jealousy. Irene clearly plays favorites. Lex wasn’t told her mom closed the B&B. She wasn’t even invited to Raquel’s wedding.”
Kane’s eyes widened as his lips thinned. “I had no idea. Alexa is like a sister. They better watch their fucking step around her. Watch her back, okay? Yours, too.”
The words left me uneasy, but I understood what he meant. Someone had sabotaged our relationship two years ago. It was highly unlikely we were going to be left to go our merry way now that we were back together. No one, not even me, thought we’d manage to work things out.
I clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks, man.”
One of the workers waved to us as he left the shed. Kane asked, “What does she think about it all?”
“I think she’s still trying to wrap her head around it all. For the last two years, she conditioned her mind to reject the thought of us. Then she comes back, and… I don’t know… we couldn’t stay away from each other if we tried. But it’s some heavy shit to process. It felt like we had a breakthrough last night, though. Lex told me that even if her dad did write the letter, she was choosing me.”
He blew out a breath. “That’s some fucked-up shit.”
“Yeah, it is.”
With an intensity only Kane could have, he looked me in the eye and vowed, “If you need anything, call me. I don’t care if I’m in West Buttfuck, Alaska. Call me, and I’ll be there.”
“Thanks, Kane. I appreciate it. Dad mentioned that I should contact Butch Cowart, see if he’d look at the letter. Then at least we’d know if it was forged. I’m going to get his number from the Red Onion. I think I have it in my office.” The finality of knowing whether Lloyd had written the letter made me uneasy.
Kane thought for a second. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through. But I’d want to know. I wouldn’t want that shit hanging over me. Something like that would gnaw away at a man. You want me to call Butch? I think he’s planning on heading up to the woods to meet me this evening. He’s helping me with the hunt. Not sure if there’s cell reception out there.” He chuckled. “Butch may kill these bastards, so you might want to get his thoughts before he’s in jail.”
“Why is he going with you?”
“Demand for private hunts is high—even when I raise my prices. I’m charging nearly quadruple what I was last year. I’m going to raise them again for any new ones I book. Butch mentioned looking for some extra income, so he’s going with me on a few hunts over the next two weeks. We’ll see how it works out.”
Kane and Butch were good friends. They’d hunted together from time to time. “If you don’t mind. It would be great if he could look at it before he leaves town. I just need to run it by Lex first.”
“Sounds good. Let’s get loaded up, and I’ll make the call.”
Chapter Fifteen
Drake
It was early evening, and there was a chill in the air. Since the day Lex arrived home, Skagway had returned to normal temperatures. But a cold front had come through today, putting us in the forties, which was colder than normal for late August.
After we finished the repairs at the clinic, I had a meeting with the city council. Then Moochie and I had a quick bite to eat. It had been a hell of a busy day. Now Lex and I were in my office while Crete manned the bar for me. I was going to give him a bonus. Over the last few days, he’d been available at a moment’s notice.
Butch sat at my desk, studying the letter against samples of Lloyd’s handwriting.
When I arrived at the clinic, Lex and I decided we needed to know the truth. Either way. Dad was right—it was better to know the truth and deal with it than let uncertainty linger.
But hell, I was nervous. Lex paced, and then sat, and then paced some more. I was on my second beer but probably needed something stronger. The tension seemed to bounce off Butch. He was laid back, like we were sitting at dinner, talking about the weather. I’d have bet he’d had one hell of a life.
The sound of shuffling paper filled the otherwise silent room. Thankfully, Mom had found some lumber orders with Lloyd’s writing. Mom kept everything. For the last twenty minutes, Butch had methodically studied the letter and the lumber orders. Each time he shifted his focus, the anticipation in the room grew. It felt like a fucking elephant on my chest.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
I swore I could hear the second hand on the wall clock ticking the time away. Lex chewed on her nails, paced some more, and then sat next to me and fidgeted.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
It felt like my life was hanging in the balance. Yeah, we’d find our way. But if Lloyd had truly wanted me away from his daughter, it was going to hurt like a son of a bitch.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
I was about to explode when Butch finally looked up and leaned back in the chair, his face an unreadable mask. The chair made some awful squeak. I sat straight up, my mouth suddenly going dry. The pressure increased as Lex stepped beside me and grabbed my hand. I wanted to stand, but I knew it would only add to the stress.
Deep breath in, slow exhale.
Butch scratched his graying beard and nodded to himself. “The handwriting on the letter does not match Lloyd’s handwriting on the orders. It’s damn close, but it’s not a match. I would guess someone paid a lot of money to have this done.”
The air left me as I contemplated his words. Lloyd had not written the letter. His blessing stood. He’d wanted me to take care of Lex. He’d wanted her to be mine.
Without thinking, I stood and picked up Lex. The black cloud lingering over us disappeared. The weight lifted. We were free to love without any emotional consequences.
Lex let out a sob and clung to me as if her life depended on it. “It wasn’t my dad.”
“No, baby. It wasn’t.”
I held her tightly. We’d officially been set up. Anger at whoever did this surged from within. I would find out who. And once I did, it wasn’t going to be pretty.
Lex held me tighter. After a couple of minutes, I set her down. She hugged me, tucking her face into my side.
Turning to Butch, I asked, “Can you tell anything from the letter?”
“The person is primarily dominant with their left hand. When they signed Dad, there’s a slight lean to the left instead of the right, and the pressure of the pen changed minutely. It’s nearly insignificant. This forgery would likely go undetected by many novice and intermediate forensic handwriting experts. It’s most likely male due to the uneven, bold strokes. They appear to be natural
versus forced. But I’m only about seventy-five percent sure of the gender.”
Butch looked at the letter again. “Other than a left-handed male, I’m not sure what else I can tell you.”
That wasn’t much to go on at all. And the likelihood of the forger living in Skagway was slim.
“Thank you, Butch. What do I owe you?”
“Nothing. Glad I could help.” Standing, he put on his camo hat, which had been discarded on the desk while he’d studied the letters. It was something he wore every time I saw him.
It wasn’t much, but I offered, “Beer’s on me.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it. That I will take.”
I nodded. “Good.”
“I best be headed out.”
“Give Kane hell for me.”
“Oh, I will.”
We shook hands and Butch left. Lex sat on the couch, looking at her hands. When the door closed, I waited to see where her head was. And when she looked up, what I saw broke my heart.
Chapter Sixteen
Drake
Her eyes were brimming with more tears. If only I could take away the pain. I stepped toward her, and she bolted upright and ran to me. Jumping into my arms, she cried, “It wasn’t him.” Her frame shook as she cried harder. “It wasn’t my dad.”
“No, it wasn’t, baby. He wanted you happy. He wanted us together.”
I brought her to the couch along the far wall of my office and held her until my arms grew numb. We would find our way through this. And whoever tried to interfere with our lives wouldn’t be so lucky this next time around if I had anything to do with it. They would not succeed in coming between us.
Every so often, Lex squeezed me tighter. If this had fucked with my head, it was nothing compared to what it had done to hers. Life had been a whirlwind since she got back.
After a few more minutes, she pulled back, and I wiggled my arms. Those damn tingles rushed down them.
“All that time I stayed away. All the time we lost. We’d be…” Lex trailed off.
Yeah, we’d most likely be married by now. Engaged, for sure. I rubbed my thumb on her chin. “It’ll make us treasure our time together that much more now that we know what it’s like to be apart.”
Intoxicated By You_An Exposed Hearts Novel Page 8
