by J. H. Croix
She felt Quinn shift and angle his body toward her. They were already twined together, but he was flat on his back. He slowly pushed up on his elbow, the hand on her back sliding lower as he did. She managed to open her eyes and found his warm amber gaze on her. His hair was tousled. Before she even realized what she was doing, she reached up and sifted her fingers through the straight locks. His mouth curled at one corner.
“That bad, huh?” His voice was gravelly with sleep, though his eyes were alert and assessing.
She bit her lip and let her hand fall where it landed on his chest. She couldn’t seem to not touch him. She shrugged. “Not really.”
He was quiet for a long moment before he lifted his hand and brushed her hair back away from her face. He dipped his head and kissed her quickly before sliding his arm out from under her and sitting up. He glanced toward the front windows beyond the loft railing. She pushed herself up, tugging the sheet with her and wrapping it over her chest. Even though Quinn was more than familiar with her breasts at this point, she wasn’t used to waking up with someone.
He glanced to her, the corner of his mouth curling in a grin again when he saw her with the sheet tucked under her arms. “It snowed last night,” he said.
She forgot her embarrassment as she leaned up to glance over the railing. She loved the first snow every year. The landscape outside looked as if it had been coated in fairy dust. A thin layer of snow covered the field and spruce trees. It wasn’t fully light yet and slightly overcast. “The first snow is my favorite,” she said softly.
When she glanced away from the windows, Quinn was watching her. She flushed and then flushed even deeper when she felt the heat on her cheeks. He saved her by flipping the covers off and standing. Her mouth went dry. Dear God. He was a dangerously gorgeous specimen of man. Every inch of him was honed, hard muscle. He looked so good, she wanted to spread butter on him for breakfast. Entirely unself-conscious, he walked to the bathroom adjacent to her bedroom and leaned against the doorframe. She swallowed at the sight of his arousal.
“I’m guessing we should maybe talk about whether you’re hoping to keep this private for now. Because if I don’t get back to the lodge soon, everyone there will know I spent the night here,” he said, watching her carefully.
Oh. Right. She hadn’t even thought about that possibility. Her mind started to whirr, and she shook her head sharply. She didn’t really care if anyone wondered about her and Quinn. She had enough going on without adding another worry to her mental list. She wasn’t ready to blare it to the world because she didn’t know what she would blare, but she wasn’t up for cloak and dagger and trying to hide things.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said with a shrug.
His eyes widened and he arched a brow in question. “Are you sure?”
“It’s too much work to try to hide anything around here, so it’ll just stress me out. If anyone asks, we can say you walked me back and crashed here. That’s enough.”
“Okay then. Mind if I shower?”
“Go ahead. Want some pancakes?” She knew Quinn loved pancakes, and she couldn’t help herself from wanting to make something he’d like.
“Absolutely! Wait for me to make the coffee though,” he said over his shoulder as he stepped into the bathroom.
“Fine,” she called out. “I can make decent coffee too, you know.”
“Mine’s better,” he replied over the running water.
Early that afternoon, Quinn turned out of the lodge driveway and drove toward town. Once the sun broke through the clouds, it had melted the snow, leaving a glittering landscape behind with drops of water glistening on the trees. He marveled at the view as he drove down the winding hill to downtown Diamond Creek. Like most coastal towns in this part of Alaska, the town was nestled against the foothills of the mountains surrounding it. He had a clear view of Kachemak Bay and the mountains on its far side for his entire drive into town. He was on his way to his interview with Dr. Daniels, but his mind was filled with thoughts of Lacey.
Last night had been, well, flat out mind-blowing. He’d known ever since he’d laid eyes on her that Lacey was beautiful and so damn sexy with her combination of femininity and tomboyishness. Beautiful and sexy didn’t even come close to capturing what it had been like with her last night. She was bold, reckless and wild, tempered with a refreshing lack of artifice. It had taken more discipline than he thought he had this morning to keep from rolling atop her this morning and sinking inside of her. The only thing that held him back was not wanting to push too far and too fast. He sensed she was taken aback by what had happened, even though she’d been the instigator. Against reason, he couldn’t have turned her away last night no matter what. Now, he had to figure out how to make a path forward with her without scaring her off.
He couldn’t quite believe what had happened, nor could he quite believe his train of thought. Between college, medical school, and his many travel excursions, he hadn’t had much time to consider the idea of romantic attachments. He’d never been opposed to the idea, per se, but it hadn’t been a priority. When he’d made plans to return home to Alaska, it had been in the back of his mind that he might finally be in a place where he could think about something other than casual when it came to women. Yet, he hadn’t expected Lacey. The moment he’d laid eyes on her when she met him at the airport, which she’d done many times over the years when they ran trips together, the desire that flickered to life in her eyes was like a match to flame for him.
It felt as if events between them were spinning beyond his control. Because the last thing he’d expected was for her to be the aggressor. Yet, he should’ve known better. Lacey didn’t do anything in half-measures. His mind flashed to the feel of her channel clenching around him, every inch of her plastered against him, and he had to take a deep breath and talk his body down. He shook his head sharply. He needed to get his mind off of Lacey and onto his upcoming interview.
Not much later, Quinn stood up from his chair and held a hand out to Dr. Daniels. “Thank you. It’s been great to talk with you. Please call if…”
Dr. Daniels, a thin, spry older man with pure white hair and a lanky frame, gave him a firm shake and shook his head, cutting into what Quinn was saying. “No need to call. I’ve already decided. If you’d like to be the doctor who takes over this practice, just say when,” he said firmly.
Quinn’s surprise must have shown on his face because Dr. Daniels chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling in his weathered face. “I knew before you showed up here, I’d be willing to hire you when it came to your background and knowledge. I just needed to meet you to make sure you’d be a good fit for the community. Harvard looks great on paper, but not so much if you can’t shake the arrogant suit and tie act. You’re about as down to earth as it gets. Plus, Donna likes you,” he said with another laugh, referring to the office manager who been his main employee for over two decades.
“Well, that’s a mark in my favor,” Quinn replied. He took a breath and nodded. “I wouldn’t have applied if I didn’t want this opportunity, so I’ll go ahead and say yes. I’ll need a few weeks to take care of some logistical details, but after that, I can start whenever you’re ready.”
Dr. Daniels smiled widely and clapped him on the shoulder. “Just tell me when you’ll be here. As you know, I’ve scaled back on my appointments, but we have a backlog of people waiting for you to get here. I can hold them off for a few weeks though.”
Moments later, Quinn climbed into his truck, almost stunned at how easily that went. He meant what he said—he wanted the position and he wanted to be in Diamond Creek. Yet now that it was imminent, his mind was spinning with the implications of what it would mean to be in proximity to Lacey all the time. Before the idea had been unrealized, so it was a ‘what if’ scenario. Now, it was something else altogether. He wanted her with a ferocity he’d never experienced. When he pulled out onto the highway, he went in the direction of the harbor. He could use a chilly walk on the beach.
Chapter 8<
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After Quinn left, Lacey threw on her running clothes, jumped in her car and drove to her favorite beach for a long run. Though she loved summers in Alaska, she loved it even more when the weather turned chilly and left miles and miles of empty beaches. After walking down a short path through drooping tall grasses, faded and well past their time, she stepped onto the beach. This particular stretch of coastline wasn’t formally named, but she’d called it Raven’s Beach since she was a little girl. She and Marley had come down here for a walk with their mother once and found a group of ravens frolicking in the air by a nearby bluff. She’d never seen as many ravens as they saw that day, but she always saw a few here. They nested in the cluster of spruce trees atop the bluff.
She loved this beach because at the right time of year, one could feel as if they were all alone in the world. The beach itself wasn’t too far from downtown Diamond Creek, yet the curve of the coastline hid the town from view here. The beach overlooked Kachemak Bay with Mount Augustine, one of several nearby volcanoes, standing sentry in the distance in Cook Inlet. The pristine waters and breathtaking views were what made Diamond Creek one of Alaska’s coastal jewels. This beach exemplified the beauty with the ocean sparkling under the sun, a glacier glowing bright in the distance and the mountains rising high in jagged peaks on the far side of the bay. She took in a gulp of the salty air and shivered when a gust of wind blasted off the water.
She began running, starting slow for a few minutes before picking up her pace. She loved the freedom she experienced when she ran. She thrived on pushing herself to her limit until her body was up against its own endurance. A sense of transcendence flooded her whenever she ran so hard that she finally stopped, her breath heaving and pure exhaustion washing through her. That’s how far and fast she pushed herself today until she reached the curve of the coastline where a stream cascaded down the bluff to the beach, the clear water rolling over the rocks and slipping into the ocean. Her breath misted in the cool air. Though the snow had melted after this morning, the sun had merely taken the nip off the cold. Autumn was being chased away by the authority of winter.
As her breath slowed, she rested her hands on her hips and stared out over the ocean. Quinn strolled into her thoughts. Well, stroll didn’t quite cut it. He strode in the way he walked, with confidence and ease. All day long, she’d shied away from thinking about him. Somehow, she’d managed to behave normally with him this morning. She’d made pancakes and he’d made his amazing coffee. She’d loved every minute of last night and savored every minute of this morning because it felt so…good. Just good. There was a reason they’d stayed friends over the years, though time and distance could have allowed their friendship to fade. Quinn was easy to be around—funny with a sly touch, warm and kind. Oh, and sexy as all hell. How she ever missed that glaringly obvious detail, she would never know. It wasn’t that she didn’t notice he was objectively handsome, she’d just never felt that zing with him. It was most definitely a zing now.
She was all a muddle in her head and had no clue how to handle her feelings. There was their friendship and then there was last night, a blazing conflagration of passion and intense connection. Oh, and the most amazing orgasm she’d ever had. There was that. With a shake of her head, she turned away and started to jog back. The tide was coming in, inching closer along the damp sand. Her eyes tracked the waves rolling into the shore, the rhythmic sound soothing her. She was within sight of the short path leading to her car when she felt a wave of weakness. She tried to push through it because that’s how she always pushed through, but she couldn’t. One of her knees gave out, and she stumbled, falling to her knees on the sand.
She tried to push up with her hands, but she didn’t have it. A flash of panic rose within. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to ease the feeling. Her strength and her energy, two qualities she’d always had in spades, failed her completely. She eased onto her hips and sat in the sand. With this now being the fourth time she’d felt like this, she was becoming somewhat familiar with the experience and she hated it. She was clinging to the idea that nothing was really wrong, but in the middle of another moment like this, it was hard to hold onto that idea. She was relieved to find her vision wasn’t blurry, although her eyes felt tired and droopy. She stared out over the water and kept breathing. The wind gusted off the bay, blowing a loose lock of her hair across her eyes. Even lifting her hand to brush it out of the way took an enormous amount of energy.
After several minutes, she thought she had it in her to stand, so she carefully knelt and rose on one foot. When she was standing, she started to walk, but she was so tired. So, so tired. She reached a piece of driftwood, an old, faded tree lying on its side in the sand, and carefully sat again. The path to her car was maybe a quarter of a mile away, but the distance yawned in front of her. The wind was picking up, coming in steady from across the bay and sending shivers through her. She’d worn a lightweight windbreaker over her fitted running jersey, but it wasn’t much if she wasn’t moving and building up her internal heat. Resigned, she fumbled in her pocket for her smartphone and pulled it out. She sat there for several moments, torn between calling Marley or Quinn. If she called Marley, there’d be a lot more explaining to do. She knew she needed to talk to Marley and her parents, but she wasn’t quite up for it just now. She tapped the screen and pulled up Quinn’s number.
He answered on the first ring. “Hey Lace, calling to check on my interview?” he asked. She could hear the grin in his question, and it made her smile.
“Maybe. How’d it go?” she countered, relieved for a moment to ignore the reason she was calling.
“I’ll be the new doctor at Coastal Medical Clinic within the month.”
“That’s awesome! I knew it!” For a moment, she completely forgot why she’d called. Joy rose within. She was genuinely happy for him and elated to know he’d be here—close to her. On the heels of her temporary insanity, she reminded herself she didn’t know what the hell she was doing with Quinn and she could barely walk right now.
Quinn chuckled. “Maybe you were confident, but I was just hopeful. Anyway, I was heading back to the lodge. You up for a hike this afternoon?”
A perfectly expected question from him. When they weren’t guiding trips in the backcountry together and happened to be in the same area, they often took off on short hikes together and with other friends. Anxiety knotted in her chest. She didn’t like feeling the way she did. At all. Even worse, she didn’t like feeling this vulnerable. She didn’t want to have him see her weak like this again. She felt tossed asunder in the confusion of her attraction and the intimacy she’d experienced with him last night.
She could and would push through this. She tried again to stand and managed it, but just barely. Hot tears pressed against the back of her eyes and her throat tightened. Shit, shit, shit. A flash of anger rose inside. She was infuriated to realize the weakness wasn’t fading like she hoped. She wanted to fight back against it, but she couldn’t. There was no way around this. She was going to have to ask for help.
“Lace, you there?” Quinn asked into the too long pause.
She eased back down onto the driftwood and swallowed against the tears welling. “Yeah, I’m here. Um, I…uh…might need your help, and a hike’s probably not gonna happen today.”
She could practically see him shift into serious. She’d seen him spring into action when emergencies happened in the backcountry. Just like she was, he’d been a certified Wilderness First Responder for years. When something went awry, his teasing manner disappeared and he acted quickly and with confidence. “What happened?”
She took another breath, letting it out on a sigh. “I went for a run on that beach I took you to a few years back. I felt great at first, but that weird weakness thing happened. It’s not going away, and I’m not so sure I can make it all the way back to my car.”
“Remind me how to get there,” he said, his words clipped.
Lacey quickly gave him directions. Q
uinn insisted on keeping her on the phone while he drove to meet her, which annoyed her to no end, but she didn’t hang up. He ran through a series of questions while she simply kept repeating that her legs felt weak and one of them was tingling. Minutes later, she saw him running through the fallen down grass and onto the beach. She marveled at how swiftly he reached her when it seemed like it would take her forever to walk from where she sat to the path to her car. He stopped in front of her and knelt down, his eyes coasting over her. She’d managed to get a handle on the tears threatening, which was a relief.
“Hey,” she said, trying to smile but barely pulling it off. She slipped her phone in her pocket and looked up at him.
“How’re you feeling now?”
“Just the way I said I was a minute or so ago,” she replied, annoyed at his repetitive questions. “I’m sure it will pass, but it’s chilly and the tide’s coming in, and I didn’t know how long it would take me to try to walk to the damn car myself.”
Quinn nodded slowly and sat down on the log beside her. He stared out over the water. “Let’s get going, but we’re going to see your doctor, and it’s not up for debate. You can’t keep ignoring this.”
Too tired to argue with him and so relieved he was here, she nodded. “Okay.”
A strong gust of wind blasted across the water, and she shivered. He glanced to her. “Let’s go.”
He stood and held a hand out as he positioned himself to her side. With him gripping one hand tightly and pulling her up while he eased his arm around her waist, standing was much easier. He glanced to her, as if gauging how she was doing, before starting to walk slowly. With his strength to lean on, walking was far less exhausting. It wasn’t too long before they were standing beside his SUV. He was quiet as he helped her into the passenger seat.
“Need anything from your car?” he asked.
“Oh yes! My purse is in there.”
