Seducing Liselle

by Marie E. Blossom

  Chapter Three

  An hour later, she sat in her rapidly cooling rental car, cursing her luck. Of course the stupid engine would stall for no reason she could tell. Of course she’d slide off the side of the road when she lost power to her steering and brakes. And of course, it would be snowing like crazy when all of this happened. She peered out the window, trying to decide how long it was going to take her to walk back to the Steeles' house. Gloomily, she predicted it would be at least an hour, maybe more. It was dark, and she hadn’t worn her boots, because she was a moron. For the first time in her life, she thought of her tiny apartment back in San Diego with fondness. At least it was warm there.

  “This is what you get for living in California for the last decade. You’ve forgotten what it’s like to deal with this crap,” she said out loud, just to hear something besides the soft hissing of the snow hitting her car windows.

  She looked at the pie on the seat, then at her purse where she’d tucked the photos. It was too dark to look at the pictures now. The only reason she could see at all was because there was so much snow the white reflected its own kind of dim light onto everything. She felt like she’d been stuffed into a glass snow globe without the cheerful music box option. She had the creepy, pipe organ, funeral edition. She put her face in her hands, tired and frustrated and cold. She’d just rest her eyes for a moment…

  When she heard the car pull to a stop on the side of the road, she jerked awake, knowing immediately that she was in trouble. Her fingers and toes were so numb she couldn’t feel them anymore and her breath steamed in the cold interior of her car. Shit! When had she fallen asleep?

  “Hello? Anyone in there?” a man called.

  Liselle shivered violently and jammed her hand around the door lever, yanking frantically. It didn’t budge.

  “Yes! I’m in here,” she yelled, shoving at the car door with all her strength. She banged on the window, hoping to dislodge some of the snow. No such luck. She tried the door again. It moved this time, but wouldn’t open more than a couple inches.

  “Liselle? Is that you?”

  John! Of course, he would be the one to find her. She banged her head on the window, trying to wake herself up and punish herself simultaneously. She recognized his voice. Because who else would be on this road except the gorgeous man she’d just met? The one she’d been trying to impress and then run as far away from as she could? She pinched the bridge of her nose, mortified, knowing she was being ridiculous. She was so cold her thoughts felt like molasses. She straightened her shoulders. It didn’t matter how embarrassed she was, she needed help.

  “John, yeah. It’s me, Liselle. Can you get me out of here?” She shoved at the door some more. The snow crunched against the metal and she winced, hoping she hadn’t scratched the paint. The rental company was definitely going to charge her extra for this.

  “Hang on,” he said just on the other side, and she let herself slump down against the seat. The frozen fabric felt like sandpaper.

  When the door creaked, she pushed on it with her hands, trying to help. She was shivering continuously now, unable to stop. Abruptly the door was wrenched open. She almost fell out into the drifts of snow that had piled up around her car.

  “Hey there, come on now. No snow diving.” John reached in and grabbed her hand.

  “Wait, just a sec,” she pulled back to snatch up her purse. She didn’t want to lose the photos. “What about the pie?”

  “Don’t worry about the damn pie,” he said, a faint hint of exasperation threading through his voice.

  She flinched, a sudden stab of apprehension making her heart pound. What was she doing, trusting a man she’d just met?

  “Liselle, you know I won’t hurt you,” John said, touching her hand again. His voice was gentle but insistent.

  How did he know she was frightened? Did it matter? She swallowed and gathered her courage.

  “Yeah, okay,” she whispered, letting him take her arm and pull her out.

  “What happened?” he asked once she was standing up.

  She looked around, still trembling violently. Her head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton. Strangely, her face felt hot. She shoved back her hood. Everything around them was quiet: the trees, the road, the sky. The entire world was white except for John’s truck, which was blue. The headlights were so bright they hurt her eyes.

  “My engine stalled. I have no idea why. And then I had a hard time with the brakes and steering and the car slid into the ditch. And then I fell asleep.”

  He looked at her, face tight with worry. “Come on, we’ve got to get you warm.” He took her arm and guided her to his truck.

  “Where are we going?” She fumbled with her purse, stumbling and almost going down as the heavy snow dragged at her feet.

  “I’m taking you to my place. It’s not far from here.” He opened the passenger side door and boosted her up.

  She tried not to think about his hand shoving against her butt, but then she was inside and he was gone before she could freak out. A blast of hot air wafted across her face. He had the heater on high. It smelled faintly of coolant, but she wasn’t going to complain. At least it was warm. The seat was hard and springy and the vinyl was cracked. It caught on her wool coat and snagged against her leggings, but she didn’t care. She held out her frozen hands to the vents blasting hot air at her and let herself relax slightly. When John hopped in the driver’s side, she glanced at him. His cheeks were rosy. He smiled at her, eyes crinkling attractively. She smiled back, feeling a little tentative. The tips of his ears were red.

  “You should have worn a hat,” she said vaguely, clutching at her bag.

  He shrugged, buckling himself in with easy competence. “I wasn’t planning on spending time outside.”

  She huffed. “Yeah, well, neither was I. And look what happened.”

  He grinned at her and shifted into first gear, shoving at the stick until it popped into place. “You’ve got a point.”

  The truck lurched and she grabbed onto the door. “What’s that noise?” The entire vehicle was vibrating and there was a low grating sound coming from the engine.

  He grimaced. “I think a bearing is going. Or gone. I have to look at that soon.”

  She had no idea what a bearing going missing could do to an engine but it sounded bad. “Are you sure this is safe?” Her brain was starting to work again as she got warmer. She wiggled her toes in her boots. They were damp, yuck, and had started to tingle painfully.

  “It’s safer than your car,” he said, muscling the vehicle onto the road. Snow went flying past her window as the wheels spun. He shifted again and the grinding sound eased a bit.

  Liselle couldn’t think of anything to say, so she closed her eyes and tried really hard to not think about the fact that they were headed for his place. Where was she going to sleep? She drifted off to the sound of the engine rumbling. A few minutes later a jolt woke her.

  “What happened?” she asked, rubbing at her eyes. She couldn’t believe she’d fallen asleep again.

  “I’m not sure,” he said, shifting. His thigh flexed. She tried not to stare, but his tight jeans didn’t leave much to the imagination.

  She grabbed onto the dash as she jerked her head away, hoping he knew what he was doing. The air coming from the vents abruptly cut off.

  “Shit,” he muttered. “It better not be the alternator.” The truck lurched again and he shoved hard at the steering wheel, turning onto another road that led deeper into the woods.

  “Is this the way to your house?” she asked, trying to see through the falling snow and failing. There was nothing outside but trees and white.

  “Yeah, but something’s not right with the damn truck.” He cursed again, shifting hard.

  Once again, her eyes dropped to where his leg worked the clutch, denim pulling taut against his muscled thigh. She blushed, raising her cold hands to her cheeks. The wet wool of her gloves scratched her skin. She looked away just in time to get a steady
ing hand back on the dashboard as the truck suddenly slid to a stop. The engine let loose a hard thump and died.

  “Ah, hell,” John said, rubbing a hand over his hair. “I think something happened to the transmission. Again.” He sighed and looked at her sheepishly. “We’re going to have to walk. I’m sorry.”

  “How far is it from here?” Liselle asked, already unbuckling her belt.

  “Not far, thank God. Maybe ten minutes in the snow?”

  She nodded. “Well, let’s get going before my feet get cold again.”

  He winced. “I’m really sorry about this.”

  She laughed and pushed open the door. The ancient metal squeaked. “This is a lot better than freezing to death in my car, John.”

  He hopped out and hurried around to her side, helping her down. “Yeah, but still. I didn’t want you to have to walk in this.”

  She shrugged, fatalistic. “Worse things have happened to me.”

  He gave her a sharp look, then shoved the truck door shut. “I promise my house is warm. I even have hot chocolate.”

  She smiled at him, for the first time in her life thankful for a man’s help. “I’ll hold you to that. I love chocolate.”

  He grinned at her and offered an arm. She took it, struck once again by how strangely gentle he seemed. In her experience, men weren’t often gallant, and especially not men as large as John. If they were, they usually wanted something from her that she wasn’t willing to give.

  “So, you’ve lived her awhile?” she asked, struggling through the snow. Her feet were already freezing again and if he hadn’t been holding her up, she would’ve fallen at least twice already.

  “I grew up here, but then I joined the Air Force. I was gone for twenty years, pretty much. Went all over the world. I just moved back here a few years ago.”

  “Oh, did you retire?” she asked, knowing a lot of soldiers threw in the towel after twenty years.

  He grunted. “No. Medical discharge.”

  She frowned, hoping she hadn’t made him angry. “Oh. Sorry.” She tried to look him over through his winter coat, but he seemed just as physically able and imposing as he did in her niece’s house. He certainly didn’t look injured or disabled in any way. A cold shot of fear raced through her: maybe he had PTSD? Was it safe for her to be here with him? Shit.

  He must have caught her looking at him worriedly because he visibly relaxed his shoulders from their tense posture. “My shoulder got messed up. I had to have a fake joint put in and with the lingering vertigo from a bad concussion, well. I was grounded. I don’t talk about it much.”

  She stared, trying to imagine what kind of accident could mess up a shoulder that bad. “What happened?”

  He ducked her gaze. His cheeks were pink again, she noted.

  “I crashed my chopper trying to get some of my team out of a bad spot. The guys in charge don’t really like it when you do that.”

  She nodded slowly. “Did you get your men?”

  “Yup,” he said, grabbing her just as she slipped. “I never left anyone behind.” He smiled crookedly. “The brass doesn’t like that much either, especially when you have to ignore orders to do it.”

  Her eyebrows lifted. “Why do I get the feeling you didn’t do so well with the whole authority thing?”

  John grinned. “Yeah, well. I’m kind of a take charge guy. I can’t help myself.”

  She slipped again and he slung an arm around her waist, keeping her from going headfirst into the snow.

  “Okay, this is ridiculous. Your feet are obviously too cold to work right.”

  Before Liselle realized what he was going to do, he picked her up, swinging her into his arms. She squeaked, grabbing onto his shoulders.

  “What are you doing? What about your shoulder? I’m too heavy.” She clung to him, scared to death he was going to drop her.

  “Relax, I’ve got you. Also, you’re tiny. My shoulder can handle it. You can’t weigh over a hundred pounds,” he said, striding through the snow at least twice as fast as before.

  I wish I weighed that little, she thought, fingers clenching in his coat. He sped up and she gripped tighter. Whoa. He’s almost running in this insane snow, and he’s carrying me!

  “Relax,” he said again, more firmly this time. He hitched her up in his arms more securely. “Look, there’s my place.” He jerked a chin down the trail.

  She followed his gaze and saw a small cabin nestled in a tiny clearing. The front porch light illuminated the rough cut wood of the exterior.

  “Looks cozy,” she said, imagining a fire and warm blankets and hot chocolate. She might have given a small sigh because John cocked his head questioningly at her.

  “I’m pretending you were serious and there’s really hot chocolate waiting inside,” she said as he loped up the steps.

  “Of course there is, do you doubt me?” he asked, setting her on her feet.

  “I’m used to disappointment,” she said. “I try not to get too excited about things.”

  He frowned at her again, and looked on the verge of asking her about her pessimism, but then her legs buckled. She was dizzy, and for some reason even the dark wood of his house looked white all of a sudden. Luckily, he grabbed her before she fell, slinging her up close against his side.

  “Okay now, no falling,” he murmured in her ear.

  She shivered, whether from the sexy, low buzz of his voice or the cold, she didn’t know. She burrowed in closer to him, trying unsuccessfully to stand up on her own. She couldn’t feel her feet.

  “I can’t feel my toes,” she said, looking down. Her boots were encased in ice and snow. “Or my hands,” she added.

  “Hang on,” he said and did something with the lock. The door swung open, warm air blowing over them.

  “Oh my God, warmth,” she said, clumsily surging forward, desperate to get inside.

  He chuckled and half-carried her in, flipping a switch as he kicked the door shut behind him. The interior was small, with a kitchen to the left and a sofa in front of a large fireplace directly in front of them. Steps let up to a loft on the right side. Underneath the loft he’d set up an office area complete with computer, bookshelves, and a cat bed.

  “You have a cat?” she asked, watching as a black and grey creature stretched and yawned on the top of the sofa’s back, then jumped down and sauntered over to investigate their entrance.

  “I have a cat that thinks he’s a pit bull,” John replied.

  While Liselle tried to unbutton her coat, he stared down at the cat in a sort of complicated dominance greeting. The cat sniffed disdainfully and let loose with a meow that sounded more like a howl. Then it head-butted her leg.

  “Uh, what does he want?” she asked, trying not to fall over as pins and needles surged through her warming limbs.

  John snorted. “He probably wants to eat you. Or me. I’m not sure which.”

  She glared at him, edging away from the cat. “Seriously.” She pulled off her mittens, tucking the sodden fabric into a coat pocket.

  He laughed and shoved the creature away with his foot. “I’ll feed you in a minute, Pitbull.”

  The cat meowed again, raising the hair on Liselle’s neck, then stalked off.

  “You named him Pitbull?”

  John shrugged. “He’s kind of a handful.”

  She rolled her eyes and fumbled at her coat again, still dizzy. “What is wrong with me?” she muttered, frustrated when she couldn’t get her fingers around the buttons.

  “Here, let me.” John batted her hands away.

  “This is ridiculous,” she said, face burning. “I’ve been dressing and undressing myself since I was three.”

  “Hey, you almost had hypothermia. Just let me take care of you, okay?” John said gently.

  She stared at his long, golden lashes while he worked at her coat, brushing off the snow that had frozen into the wool. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

  He stopped, licked his lips, and worked the last button free. She
stared at his mouth. His upper lip curved mischievously. She wanted to kiss him, right there, on the uptilt. Right now. God.

  “It’s not your fault you got stuck in the snow,” he said kindly, helping her out of her coat. He hung it on a hook right by the door, then shrugged off his coat and hung it next to hers.

  He clearly had no idea what she was thinking about. She wrenched her eyes away from his mouth.

  “Yeah, but you didn’t want me in your sisters’ house. You weren’t happy I came,” she said, biting the inside of her cheek. She remembered how nervous she’d been. His face had seemed so forbidding a few short hours ago, but now he looked … sweet. She rubbed her eyes. Clearly she was losing her mind. He crouched down and untied her boots for her, then slipped them off. His hand on her ankle was hot.

  “I was worried you’d be an asshole, like your brother,” he admitted as he stood up, startling a laugh out of her. He looked amused and apologetic at the same time. He placed her boots by the door, tucking her laces inside the tops.

  “Well, I’m not.” She wiggled her toes in her wet socks.

  “I know,” he said, voice low and serious all of a sudden.

  She frowned at him, but he was already crouching down again to unlace his work boots. When he got them open, he stood again, toeing them off and kicking them next to hers on the mat near the door.

  “Um,” she said, shifting from foot to foot, suddenly nervous. She hoped he wasn’t angry.

  “Here, sit on the sofa and I’ll get a fire going.” He tugged her into the living room.

  Her feet made little wet footprints on the hardwood floor. “Sorry about the mess,” she said.

  “It’s fine. You think I’m always careful of my floor? Yeah, not so much.” He pushed her onto the leather sofa.

  She shivered as she sunk into the soft cushions, watching as he opened the flue and piled kindling onto the metal grate. He stuck some medium sized logs on top, then shoved crumpled up newspaper underneath. Liselle wrapped her arms around herself, trying to get warm. The damp clothes were not helping. He warmed up the flue and lit the fire.