Christmas on the Last Frontier (Last Frontier Lodge #1)

by J. H. Croix

  Marley took a last look and stepped to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Gage had made a pot of coffee earlier before he left for the lodge. She’d been pleased to discover they both liked their coffee rich and dark. She enjoyed a sip as she considered last night. Watching Gage interact with Lacey had been amusing…and disconcerting. He seemed more than ready to make it clear they were a couple. His hands had been all over her during dinner, pushing the edge of what was socially appropriate in the middle of a restaurant. The moment they’d walked through the door into her cabin, he’d proceeded to drive her wild, bringing her to the delicious edge of sanity—as he did on an almost nightly basis now.

  Problem was, she was starting to feel like she was in over her head. Way over her head. Her head had taken a backseat to her heart and body, and she couldn’t seem to think clearly. Watching Lacey quiz Gage last night had been enlightening. She’d learned a bit more about him than she’d known herself. Not because she hadn’t been curious, but because she tended to be reserved herself, so she rarely pumped people for information about themselves. Lacey had no such compunctions and asked Gage question upon question. Marley sensed there were a few details she was missing when it came to his time as a Navy SEAL. His expression shuttered whenever he spoke of it. There was a thread of pain somewhere in there. Given how much he was coming to mean to her, Marley couldn’t help but wonder.

  When she’d come home to pull herself together and regain her footing, it had never crossed her mind she’d meet someone like Gage who would call to her heart, body and soul so deeply. She also never in a million years would have thought a man who looked like him would be interested in her. He was all hard-bodied perfection with a smile to die for, and those silvery-gray eyes could make any woman melt on the spot. And yet, when he looked at her, it was as if she was the only woman in the world and he’d been starving for the sight of her.

  She took another sip of her coffee, savoring the bracing bite to it. She forced her thoughts off of Gage and sat down at her desk to get to work. She dove into her work, adding some new photos to the blog on the lodge website and then focusing on her latest app project, which was close to completion. It was early afternoon when her email pinged again, and unease snaked up her spine. There were two emails from the alleged human resources account, the first reiterating prior requests that she return the flash drive that she didn’t have and the second demanding a call to human resources by a certain date, which happened to be a week before Christmas. Knowing what she knew now, that these emails were being sent by Kent, her unease was joined by anger. She didn’t know what his game was and what he wanted, but she was tired of it.

  She pushed away from her desk. After stepping into her boots and throwing her jacket on, she headed to the lodge. She didn’t plan to sit on this anymore.

  ***

  Gage stood at the top of the most advanced ski trail and slowly turned in a circle. The top of this peak was by no means the tallest peak in the area, however the ranges north of Diamond Creek and across Kachemak Bay were distant enough that the vantage point here offered a three hundred and sixty degree view of the area. He took a deep breath, the chilled air energizing him. The mountains rose tall, their snow-covered peaks stark against the sky. Clusters of evergreens stood out against the snow blanketing the landscape. Winter was here to stay with last night’s snowfall adding more than a foot of snow to what had already fallen.

  The sun was already beginning its slide down the sky even though it was early afternoon. Winter days were short in Diamond Creek. Evenings were a long, slow dance with dusk. Gage had ridden up here with Don on a snowmobile he’d found in the garage a while back. Gage had spent a morning fiddling with the engine and getting it back in running shape. They’d just finished installing the last of the new ski lifts. Don had spent the morning putting Gage through the paces of operating and troubleshooting them. With Don’s help, Gage felt like he was getting a handle on the nuts and bolts of running a ski lodge. Delia had worked wonders with the kitchen, reception and housekeeping staff. Opening day was a mere two weeks away now, and he thought they might be able to pull it off.

  He glanced at his watch and turned to check on Don who’d stepped into the small hut by the ski lift. These existed at every stopping point on the trails and had emergency medical equipment and warming supplies if needed. Each building was equipped with a woodstove, a bench, a small supply closet with tools for potential lift repairs, and a cabinet of medical supplies.

  “Hey Don, you about ready to head down?”

  Don glanced up from the cabinet open in front of him. “Yup. Finished stocking this one.” He closed the cabinet and zipped a small duffel bag on the bench before slinging it over his shoulder.

  “What time do you need to leave to pick up your sisters?” Don asked as they walked over to the snowmobile.

  “About an hour,” Gage replied.

  At Don’s nod, Gage climbed on the front of the snowmobile with Don seated behind him. They zipped down the slope, arriving at the lodge within minutes. After he parked the snowmobile in the garage and Don headed off, Gage walked onto the back deck of the lodge. The three main trails converged at the bottom. Higher up the mountain, the trails bisected further with the more advanced trails marching further up the mountainside. As Gage looked up the trails, a small form stepped out from the trees. He knew instantly it was Marley. Her cabin was a short hike through the woods. Her auburn hair swirled in the breeze. Her arms swung loosely at her sides as she strode toward the deck.

  His body tightened at the sight of her. He’d given up thinking he could control himself when it came to Marley. All he had to do was think about her, and lust surged through his veins. When she got close enough for him to see her expression, he forgot his pulse of desire. Her eyes held a glimmer of fear and anger, her mouth was in a tight line.

  He stepped across the deck to meet her. “What’s going on?”

  She stopped immediately in front of him, her breath coming out in a rush. “He sent two more emails! Now he wants me to call by next week. Can we call your friend? I’m tired of waiting.” Her words tumbled out rapidly. The wind blew a curl across her eyes, and she impatiently brushed it out of the way.

  He heard her words, but couldn’t think past the anger flashing through him. Whatever this Kent guy was up to, Gage was infuriated with the game he was playing with Marley. He couldn’t stand seeing the fear she tried so hard to hide. He clenched and unclenched his fist.

  Marley reached out and placed her hand on his arm. His muscles were coiled tight under her touch. “Gage?”

  He brought his focus back to the moment. As much as he wanted Kent to be standing in front of him, so he could beat him senseless, Kent was nowhere near and would never be anywhere near Marley if Gage had anything to say about it. Gage took a slow breath and met Marley’s eyes. “Yeah?”

  “Did you hear me?”

  He nodded, reeling his anger further in. “Oh yeah. I heard you. Just thinking for a minute.” He slipped his hand in her elbow. “Let’s go call Aidan now.”

  As soon as the door shut on his private apartment upstairs, Gage tugged his phone out and called Aidan.

  “Aidan, here.”

  “You keep telling me we need to bide our time, but I’m done. Kent sent two more emails today, and we need to put a stop to it.”

  Marley turned from where she’d walked to the windows, her eyes wide. Gage was tired of being patient and didn’t give a damn if it meant Marley sensed his frustration.

  Aidan was silent for a moment. “I planned to call this afternoon anyway because those emails blipped on our radar too. Before you get ahead of yourself, can you trust me to follow up with the police and not fly down here and knock his lights out?”

  Gage had worked with Aidan for most of his time in the military. He’d never lost his cool and could easily shrug off Aidan’s propensity for sarcasm. Not now. The voice of reason was drowned out by his worry for Marley. “Fuck off, dude.
I’m pissed and I want some movement on this. I’ve got enough sense to let you do what you do, but if someone doesn’t put a stop to this bullshit by the end of the week, I will come down there.”

  Aidan chuckled. “Right. Already have a call in to the lead detective. I’m meeting with him later this week.”

  Gage took another breath. “Fine. Look, uh, I don’t mean to sound like an asshole…”

  “No worries. Can’t wait to meet Marley though because I never thought I’d see you like this over a woman.”

  Gage couldn’t hold back the laugh that barked out. “Fair enough. How about you fly up for a week of skiing sometime soon? You can meet Marley then. But only after this thing is dealt with.”

  “I’d love to. Meantime, gotta go. I’ll call you after my meeting.”

  The line went dead before Gage had a chance to reply. He tucked the phone in his pocket and turned to Marley. She stood by the windows, her back to him and her arms wrapped around her waist. He walked toward her, rolling his neck around to ease the tension knotted there. He came to stand behind her, resting his hands on her hunched shoulders. Hot anger simmered inside. The only thing keeping Gage from showing up at Kent’s door was the fact that he happened to be a long plane ride away, and Gage didn’t want to leave Marley alone right now.

  “Well?” she asked.

  Gage marshaled his composure. He didn’t want to contemplate Aidan’s point, but it was accurate that Gage had never had a woman affect him like this. Hell, nothing and no one affected him like this. Even when his best friend died, he’d stayed cool and calm, battening his emotions down behind his well-honed walls of discipline and will. He smoothed his hands along Marley’s shoulders and down her arms, willing her to relax. She smelled like vanilla and honey with a bite of cold winter air clinging to her.

  “Aidan tracked the emails already. He has a meeting with the lead detective later this week. He’ll call me after that.”

  Marley nodded. “Okay.”

  Gage slid his palms around her waist, savoring the soft curve of her belly under his hands, and held her close. The tension in her shoulders eased slightly. He nuzzled her hair out of the way and rested his chin on her shoulder. His heart clenched, almost to the point of pain. This…this intense protectiveness was foreign to him. He’d spent his military career committed to the protection of others and didn’t bat an eye at the weight of that responsibility. He and his team had put their lives on the line time and again. Yet, none of those experiences had prepared him for what it felt like to have someone matter as much as Marley mattered to him. At this moment, her life wasn’t in danger, not that he knew. She was dealing with annoying emails on the heels of an assault and robbery. Nothing came close to some of the situations he’d faced before—and nothing came close to the way he felt about her.

  Marley turned in his arms. When her forest green eyes met his, he almost lost his breath. The coil of anger inside morphed into an intense want. He lifted a hand to tuck a loose lock of hair behind her ear, and a tremor ran through it. Her cheeks were still red from the cold outside, the scattering of freckles on her skin stood out. He leaned to kiss her when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

  “Ignore it.”

  “Don’t you have to pick up your sisters?”

  “Dammit, yes.” He tugged his phone out and saw Jessa’s name blinking on the screen.

  “Hey,” he answered, more sharply than he intended.

  “Hey Gage!”

  “Hey Jessa, what time are you due at the airport?”

  “We’re changing planes in Anchorage. We’re supposed to make it to Homer in an hour. Just checking to make sure you’ll be there to pick us up.”

  “Of course. See you in a bit.” He ended the call quickly. Jessa was prone to chatter about anything and everything if given the time.

  Gage met Marley’s eyes again. “That was Jessa.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ll need to leave in a bit here. Want to go with me?”

  He hadn’t planned to take Marley with him, but it suddenly seemed like the best plan. He wouldn’t have to leave her side, and it might be the ideal way for his sisters to meet her. He’d be able to blow through the whole introduction thing.

  Marley’s expression was puzzled. “You want me to go with you?”

  He nodded firmly. “Yes. You can meet Becca and Jessa. They’ll be thrilled.”

  “I don’t want to interrupt your time with them…”

  “You won’t be interrupting.”

  Gage couldn’t say that he suddenly couldn’t bear to leave her alone. He didn’t know how to manage the depth of feelings for her. Man, you are in too deep. You’re freaking out over a few emails. Gage gritted his teeth, annoyed with his own mind. It’s not just a few emails. She got robbed and assaulted. Months ago, man. That was months ago. You know better than to assume these emails have something to do with that. He shook his head, shutting down the internal debate. Problem was, he did know better than to instantly draw connections, but he also trusted his gut. His gut told him these emails had something to do with that robbery.

  “Gage?”

  He glanced down into those green, green eyes of Marley’s that seemed to have the power to cast a spell over him. He’d been quiet longer than he’d been aware. “Sorry. Just thinking. How about we pick them up and grab dinner together on the way back?”

  Marley finally nodded, and his breath released. She stepped back. “We should go then. We have just enough time to get there.”

  Chapter 17

  Marley watched the landscape roll by as Gage drove south to Homer. The mountains were bright—alpenglow reflecting in soft rose and lavender against the snow as the sun dropped down the sky. They’d passed a few moose on the drive, along with a porcupine who’d carefully made its way through the snow to deftly climb up a spruce tree as it watched them drive by. Marley was hyper aware of Gage’s presence. She kept waiting for the charge that buzzed between them to start to fade, and yet it kept sizzling higher. She was flushed inside and out simply sitting beside him in the car.

  He’d startled her when he’d asked her to go with him to pick up his sisters. The idea of meeting his family seemed so…official. He didn’t speak of them often, but when he did, he spoke with warmth. His tendency toward reserve only offered flashes of his feelings. He’d now met both of her parents and Lacey at different times when they’d gone to the lodge restaurant for dinners, but somehow that seemed less meaningful. Her family was such a part of her daily life in Diamond Creek, it would have been strange if Gage hadn’t met them yet.

  She glanced sideways. She could look at the angled planes of his face all day. His face bore the strength of the rest of him. His sensuous lips sent her pulse skittering. He slanted his eyes to her—a flash of gray lightning landed on her before his lips quirked and he looked back at the road. His palm rested on her thigh, warm through the denim of her jeans. He gave a subtle squeeze, tightening the coil of desire inside. Her belly fluttered, and she shifted restlessly. He began to stroke up and down her leg, dipping into the soft curve behind her knee, his thumb stroking between her thighs. Her breath ran away from her—short, soft gasps that she tried to quiet.

  Gage kept driving, one hand on the wheel, his eyes firmly on the road, and his free hand driving her to distraction. Hot, liquid need swirled through her. His thumb kept teasing her, right at the center of her desire. Rough touches through the denim and then moving away, almost bringing her to madness. Heat twisted inside.

  “Gage…” she whispered fiercely. “You’re driving, you can’t…” Her voice broke on a gasp when he cupped her mound. She was so wet, it wouldn’t have surprised her if he could feel it through her jeans. He suddenly slowed the car as they approached an unmarked gravel road. He swung abruptly onto the road, gunning his truck briefly and turning into an empty clearing that appeared to be a trailhead of sorts though snow blanketed the small parking area.

  The truck stopped with a jerk. Gage turne
d to her, his smoky gaze tracking over her, burning her with its intensity. The space yawned between them though he was so close, no more than a foot separating them. His motions deliberate, he adjusted the truck’s bench seat, sliding it all the way back, his eyes glued to her. Marley could barely breathe. Her heart was beating so hard, she could hear it. With a squeeze that pushed her to the delicious edge of pleasure, he dragged his hand up. Her jacket hung open. He shoved it out of the way and roughly tore at her blouse, swearing when a button caught. His hand curled around the back of her neck as he leaned to meet her. He fit his mouth, open and hot, to hers and seared her with a kiss.

  If she hadn’t been seated, she’d have collapsed. A wild flame licked inside as she scrambled to get closer. She couldn’t get enough…ever. Gage’s hands finally managed to open her blouse, the rough skin of his palms coasting up her sides, his thumbs caressing her tight peaked nipples through the silk of her bra. Hampered by the tight space in his truck, Marley became frenzied. Turning toward him, she ran her hands up his abdomen and chest, frantic to feel his skin. He chuckled when she swore, and then swiftly undid the clasp of her bra, curling his hands around her breasts. He rolled her nipples, tight and achy, between his fingers. She tumbled into the cloud of desire that swirled around them. He caught her lower lip between his teeth as he pulled away from her lips. He leaned back for a moment.

  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered, his eyes fierce as they coasted across her face and down to her breasts, heavy and full in his hands.