by J. H. Croix
Later that evening, he leaned back against the couch and rolled his head to the side to look at Lacey. Her auburn hair fell forward as she leaned over to snag the remote off the coffee table. His heart gave a hard thump and lust coiled inside. It didn’t seem to matter that just over an hour ago, he’d taken her roughly when she’d tugged him between her knees from where she’d been sitting on the kitchen counter. One kiss had set the low flames inside into a roaring burn, and they’d all but torn each other’s clothes off. All she had to do was exist and he wanted her with a force he couldn’t deny.
After pulling her car out of the ditch with his SUV and a handy towrope, he’d followed her back to her cabin earlier this evening. She’d insisted they have dinner at the lodge, so they’d tromped through the snowy trees for dinner with family and friends before returning.
A fire flickered behind the glass door of the woodstove. Lacey flicked through the channels and settled on the latest Alaskan reality show. She glanced over and grinned. “Let’s see how realistic this one is. I swear, reality in reality shows is a bizarre thing.”
He chuckled. “No worse for the Alaskan shows than the others.”
She pushed a pillow out of the way between them and curled up against his side. He rested his arm across her shoulders and relaxed into the couch. They fell asleep like that. He woke during the night and looked around. Another snowstorm was blowing outside. Embers glowed in the woodstove. He carefully untangled himself from Lacey and slipped an arm under her hips to lift her as he stood. She mumbled something and lifted her head when he was about halfway up the stairs.
“What...? I can walk up the stairs, you know.”
“I know, but I like to carry you.”
She was quiet as he crested the landing at the top of the stairs and made his way to the bed. When he set her down, immediately laying down beside her and tucking the covers over them, she rolled over to face him and leaned up on an elbow. She lightly traced his brows.
“I didn’t like it at first, but now I like it when you carry me,” she said, her voice raspy in the darkness.
He stroked a hand through her hair and down her back as she relaxed against him.
Epilogue
Lacey picked her way carefully along the trail, stepping around a boulder and jumping over a narrow stream winding its way through the backcountry. She and Quinn were leading another trip in Katmai National Park. It was almost a full year since they’d led the fated trip last year. Looking back now, she considered that trip a turning point in her life in more ways than one. She’d come a long way since she’d tried to dismiss the then-mysterious weakness and falls as random flukes. She’d been following Dr. Marshall’s preventative treatment regimen down to the second and took precautions to have injections on hand when she traveled in the backcountry if she experienced any symptoms. She’d been in remission for her MS symptoms for over six months now and was mostly living life the way she had before, albeit with a heightened awareness of her health.
Beyond that, last year’s trip to Katmai rung like a bell in her mind whenever she thought of it because it was then the spark was lit between her and Quinn. It may have taken a bit for her to get her head and heart on the same page, but once they were, there was no going back. Her life was one hundred percent with Quinn. They were still staying at the charming cabin on her parents’ property, but they’d recently purchased some land on the other side of Last Frontier Lodge and were in the midst of overseeing the construction of their own home. For much of the summer, Quinn worked in his constantly busy practice, however he’d joined her on several of her longer backcountry trips and insisted he was coming on this one.
She glanced behind her to see him walking alongside one of their clients, Randy Martin, an elderly gentleman who’d become one of her regulars. Every summer, he signed up for a different trip with her company. Quinn was gesturing at the ground, so Lacey figured he was likely pointing out something to do with flora or fauna. She grinned and turned to face forward again.
Hours later, she stood at Quinn’s side and looked out over a field of fireweed undulating under a chilly breeze. Fireweed was technically a weed, but it was the most spectacular weed Lacey had ever seen. Each year as summer wound down, massive fields of fireweed bloomed across Alaska. Bright, fuchsia flowers waved in the wind. They stood on a small viewing platform, which crossed a river adjacent to the field. Mountains rose in the distance on the far side of the fireweed. She leaned against the railing and glanced up at Quinn.
The sun had bronzed his chiseled features. His eyes canted to hers and his dangerously sexy grin curled his lips. Her heart skipped a beat and sent her pulse skittering wild. She wondered if that feeling would ever fade with him. Without thinking, she closed the distance between them and slipped her hand around his neck, tugging him down to meet her for a kiss. When she ran out of breath, she pulled back just as a gust of wind blew across the field and sent a shiver straight through her. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms. She could feel the heat of his touch through her thin jacket.
“Let’s get inside. This jacket’s fine when you’re hiking, but you’ll be freezing in no time if we keep standing here,” he commented, curling one of his hands around hers and turning to walk toward the small cabin where they were staying.
This year, they’d rented a few cabins near the main park’s buildings and viewing platforms at the famed Katmai River Falls. As they walked toward the cabin, they could see a few massive brown bears visible in the distance by the falls, patiently waiting to catch the salmon swimming through.
The following morning, Lacey enjoyed an actual shower. It was completely utilitarian, but a pure luxury in the backcountry. As she brushed her hair, the light caught on her ring. Months ago, Quinn had asked her to marry him, the moment both mundane and heart clenching. She’d just returned from a run on the beach with her hair a wild mess. He’d met her at the base of the path leading from the beach through the trees to her car. The second she saw the ring, a platinum band dotted with emeralds, she hadn’t let him get a word out when she flung her arms around him.
She laughed to herself now and shook her head. They’d yet to plan a ceremony with their busy lives interfering. She finished getting dressed and stepped out of the cabin to find Quinn. Though it was summer, mornings in Katmai were cool. A refreshing breeze blew with the air so crisp and clean, it invigorated her with one breath. She strode towards the area where they’d set up camp for cooking and gathering when they weren’t hiking and exploring. They’d only be here another day before they continued further on their trek and looped back to meet the plane and fly out.
When she reached the small clearing, she was startled to find Marley and Gage there, along with her parents. Marley spun around, her face spreading in a grin.
“Hey! We actually surprised you,” she said with glee.
Lacey walked to Marley who pulled her into a quick hug. Their mother joined them with their father holding back until Lacey broke away.
“Hey there,” Stan said. “Bet you weren’t expecting to see us here.” He pulled her close for a quick hug and released her just as Quinn stepped into the clearing.
He grinned and came to her side. “So, by the look on your face, I actually pulled this off.”
She looked up at him, her mind whirring with possibilities about his surprise. “You definitely surprised me, but I’m not sure what for.”
“You said you’d marry me, but every time I tried to ask about planning it, you kept saying we had too much going on. So…I planned it myself. I figured you wouldn’t want anything fancy, but you just might like getting married out where you love to be. I persuaded your family to fly out here. My mom and Amelia will be here in another hour or so. In case you didn’t know it, Randy is an ordained minister. He’s agreed to marry us.”
Lacey’s mouth fell open. She finally managed to shut it, while a wild sense of joy flooded her. When she didn’t say anything for a few moments too long, Quinn spoke again.
>
“Is this okay?” he asked, his amber eyes warm and concerned.
She nodded and swiped at the tears welling. Her family, seeming to get a clue, dispersed, leaving her and Quinn alone in the small clearing. He stepped to her and reached for her hands. “Are you sure? If you’re having second thoughts…”
She shook her head sharply and flung herself against him, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders and tucking her head into his neck. “No second thoughts. None at all,” she finally said, lifting her head and leaning back to look at him.
He grinned. “I love you, you know.”
“I know, I know.” She placed her hand over his heart, feeling the strong, steady beat. “I love you too. I can’t believe you pulled this off.”
Quinn looked across at Lacey as Randy finished pronouncing them officially bound for life and his breath caught. Their marriage ceremony had been as simple as it gets with the wilderness they both loved providing a grand and spectacular setting. He gave her hands a small tug as he stepped to her and caught her lips in a kiss. As usual, he completely forgot everything the moment her lips touched his and broke away with a laugh when Marley cheered.
Their ‘reception’ consisted of a remarkably good meal organized by their respective families with quite a bit of help from the rangers and other visitors in the remote park. Hours later, Quinn walked hand in hand with Lacey through the falling darkness toward their tiny cabin. They walked across the viewing platform where she gave his hand a pull and turned to lean against the railing. The moon sat low above the mountains in the dusky light, illuminating the jagged peaks against the darkening sky. He slipped his arms around her waist from behind and rested his head in the curve of her neck. He took a deep breath, luxuriating in the scent and feel of her in his arms. She angled her head back against his shoulder.
“Today was amazing,” she whispered, her words clear in the crisp night air.
“You amaze me every day. Let’s keep it that way.” His words came out rough, his heart so full, he could barely breathe.
He dipped his head and dropped a kiss on her neck. She spun in his arms and cupped his face in her hands. “With you, amazing is easy.”
~The End~
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Please enjoy the following excerpt from Hold Me Close, the next book in the Last Frontier Lodge Series!
Excerpt: Hold Me Close by J.H. Croix; all rights reserved
Ivy Nash waited in the sleek waiting room at Off the Grid Engineering. This place was nearly the opposite of the stuffy academic environment she’d left behind. Its owner, Owen Manning, was renowned in the engineering field. He’d been a shooting star in academia before he abruptly resigned his position on the faculty at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and started his own company. Ivy didn’t know the details, but she presumed he came from money. He was dedicated to engineering eco-friendly homes and communities and was constantly in the news pushing his latest innovation. He didn’t seem to do anything by the book and had recently relocated his entire firm to Alaska a year ago. He claimed it didn’t matter where they were with the online access, and he wanted to develop technology that could withstand harsh weather. Ivy couldn’t believe Off the Grid happened to be in Diamond Creek, Alaska where her brother lived, but it was. Rumor had it, Owen loved to ski, so he’d specifically sought out an area where he had easy access.
Diamond Creek was home to Last Frontier Lodge, a renovated world-class ski lodge where her brother Cam Nash worked. At the moment, it was hard to believe she was in Diamond Creek, a charming tourist town. Off the Grid was situated on the far side of town as high into the mountains as Last Frontier Lodge was. It was a state of the art facility with a sleek, modern feel and massive walls of windows. The spectacular beauty of the area was on vivid display here with views of the mountains, Kachemak Bay and glaciers every which way she turned. The waiting room was painted in cool shades of violet and blue with black leather chairs for seating.
Ivy adjusted her glasses and nervously fiddled with her cluster of silver bracelets while she waited. She’d gotten the email inviting her for an interview a full two weeks after her application. Whoever wrote it didn’t get points for warm and friendly because it had been short and to the point, simply asking if she could attend an interview at a single time. It was now another week later, and she was waiting anxiously to get this over with. She tried to recall the last time she’d actually attended an interview and thought it must’ve been when she waited tables at a local pizza place in college. After that, she’d done one work-study program after another to pay for her education and had been offered the faculty position in the same university where she completed her doctorate. As such, she felt out of her element here. She wasn’t one to try to sell herself. She preferred to show what she could do, but she didn’t think that was how interviews worked.
Her sister-in-law, Ginger, had tried to give her some pointers last night, but Ivy was too nervous to even deal with that. Ginger had backed off and gently suggested Ivy simply try to be herself. Ivy took another shaky breath, trying to quell the tension inside. She knew she was qualified for this job. She’d never doubted her intelligence and ability to work hard, but she also didn’t care to run around bugling it aloud. She only wanted a job where she could dig into the projects she loved and helped design better technology for the world. On the heels of another deep breath, a door to one side of the waiting room opened and Owen Manning stepped through. She’d seen him in enough media interviews to know exactly who he was. She’d known he was handsome, but she’d been entirely unprepared to meet him in person. He had jet black hair that curled at the edge of his collar and dark blue eyes. His features were strong and chiseled, and he was tall, his presence taking over the room the moment he stepped into it.
“Ivy Nash?” Owen asked.
She nodded quickly. A long moment passed while she tried to beat back her body’s powerful reaction to Owen. Her belly was somersaulting and heat suffused her.
Owen arched a brow, at which point she realized she was still seated. She jumped up quickly. “I’m Ivy,” she said, taking a few steps across the room and holding her hand out.
Owen reached out and clasped her hand, giving it a quick, firm shake. His touch was like a shock to her system. His hand engulfed hers, warm and strong, and heat surged through her. She took a breath and forced herself to look up at him. Out of all of her worries about navigating this interview, she hadn’t considered what to do if her body went haywire like this. His eyes flicked to hers, something she couldn’t identify flashing in the depths of his gaze. He slowly released her hand and turned smoothly to hold the door open.
He gestured for her to pass through, so she did, her pulse beating wildly with each step. Once she stepped past him, she paused in the hallway while he closed the door. The hall was all glass on the side facing the mountains. She forced herself to focus on a mountain peak in the distance, trying to slow her pulse and calm her rapid, shallow breathing.
Owen stepped past her. “Follow me,” he said, his words clipped.
She immediately began following him down the long hallway. His stride was long, so while he appeared to stroll down the hall, she felt like she was almost running. His shoulders stretched against the fabric of the navy jersey shirt he wore. She hadn’t expected a business here to include people dressed in suits, but she also hadn’t expected it to be quite so casual. Owen looked as if he’d stepped out of the pages of an outdoor magazine. Aside from his casual shirt, he wore a pair of faded jeans that outlined his muscled legs and a pair of well-worn leather boots.
The hall had a few doors along the way, all closed. When they reached the end of the hall, he opened the single door there and gestured for her to step through. She’d managed to get her pulse somewhat under control on the walk here, but the
moment she had to pass by him, feeling the heat emanating from his body, it went wild again. She stepped into what must be his office. It was situated on the corner of the building with two walls of windows floor to ceiling offering a near-panoramic view of the area with the mountains to one side and Kachemak Bay glittering under the sun to another. There was no desk in here, but a large table with drafting paper, two laptops and a computer tablet scattered across its surface. The table was in the corner opposite the windows. In the windowed corner was a small round table with several comfortable chairs encircling it. Owen gestured to that area. “Have a seat.”
Ivy thanked the universe she had manners because she moved on autopilot to the chairs and sat down, clutching the folder that held her resume and several summaries of projects she’d worked on so far. Owen sat down across from her and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“I suppose you might want to know I tend to make decisions quickly. I asked you to come to this interview because I’ve already made my decision. Your graduate and doctoral work was almost exclusively focused on what we do here. Your academic references are outstanding and rumor has it you’re easy to work with. Considering that engineers can be prone to arrogance and aren’t the most social creatures, you score high for that. My only question for you is this: why are you leaving the academic world?”
Ivy stared at Owen, so startled by his words that she was silent for a long moment. He’d done a remarkable job of getting her mind off of thinking all kinds of thoughts about his body by asking the one question she hoped no one would ask in this new job search of hers. She’d mentally prepared herself for this question. She couldn’t lie, but she also didn’t want to discuss what actually happened in her last position. She hewed as close to the truth as possible. “All I want is to work in research and development. I’d hoped academia would offer me what I wanted, but I found the environment not what I was hoping for. I have, of course, heard about Off the Grid and the work you’re doing. When I saw this position, I decided to try to make the leap. The fact that I have family here also made it an easy choice.”
