by KB Winters
“That sounds perfect,” Kenny chimed in. “I think we all need that.”
“I agree.” Jessie tugged me around with the hand he still had on my shoulder. “Let’s all head back to the truck before the bear’s ready to wake up.”
I nodded and followed after him, trusting him to lead me in the right direction. Billy stayed by my side, his small hand still tucked safely in my own while Kenny and Blake brought up the rear. I only glanced back at Blake once, but the expression in his gaze gave nothing away.
Chapter Fourteen
I sighed deeply as I took a large sip of fragrant coffee. Anne-Marie’s coffee house was filled with what had to be nearly one hundred people. Billy was sitting with his family at a large round table in the center and it was easy to see his resemblance to all seven of his siblings. His parents had thanked me profusely for protecting their son and they refused to hear it when I replied I hadn’t been the one to truly find him.
“You were going to protect my boy with your life. That, to me, is the definition of a hero.”
His father’s words still rang in my ears and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment. I’d genuinely wanted to protect Billy, and that seemed to be more than enough for everyone.
“Does my California hero need any more coffee?”
I looked up with a smile at Anne-Marie’s question. She had loudly declared I would be getting free coffee for life when we’d arrived and she had been true to her word by never letting my coffee cup get low. The warmth of her shop had slowly thawed me out and after a few minutes I’d finally relaxed back into my chair.
“No, thank you, Anne. Any more coffee and I think I might actually vibrate out of my seat.”
She laughed at my exaggeration before patting me on the shoulder. I thought about how I’d always wanted an older sister, especially one like her.
“Seriously, Taylor,” she looked over her shoulder at Billy and his family. “You might not have been the one to tranq that bear, but in Billy and his family’s eyes, you’re still a hero.” She looked back down at me. “He’s been telling everyone of your plan and how you planned to sacrifice yourself so he could get away.”
I shrugged self-consciously. “I know—Blake said it was a terrible plan.”
Anne-Marie nodded. “It was a terrible plan, but not because it wouldn’t have worked.”
I furrowed my brow confused by her words. “What do you mean?”
She smiled at me. “It was a terrible plan because you wouldn’t have survived it. Jessie and Kenny told me how big that bear was and I have no doubt it would’ve ripped you to shreds.” I shivered at her blunt statement at what could have happened had the others not found us. “But I also have no doubt Billy would’ve been able to get away and hide again. You wanted to protect someone you’d never even met. That right there is being a true hero, and it’s something no one in this town is bound to forget.”
“Oh,” I breathed out in response. I felt a flush of pride at my own selfless act. I hadn’t even thought about what would have happened after the fact and I’d never ever been called a hero before.
Anne-Marie’s hand squeezed my shoulder lightly. “Yes, oh. Don’t be surprised if you wind up in our paper or on the news this evening.” She walked away after her words and I cupped my hands around my coffee mug. The thought of being on the news had me panicking. I’d told my mother I was in Seattle with the girls. If it somehow got out I was in Alaska, there would be more problems.
I stood up quickly and tried to sneak out of the shop without anyone noticing. I hadn’t seen Blake since we’d returned which relieved and frustrated me in equal measure. The hug we’d shared earlier didn’t seem to come from someone who didn’t care and that confused me. All of the thoughts running through my brain were giving me a headache and with a final burst of speed, I made it out the front door and took a deep breath of the crisp cool air. I could appreciate the calmness of Kenai compared to the hectic and busyness of downtown Los Angeles, but the lack of people was really starting to get to me. I needed some kind of anonymity in order to reorganize my thoughts, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to get that here with the crowd of people.
“Is that her?”
I sighed internally when I heard a loud whisper undoubtedly talking about me. I took a few steps away and tried to ignore the two women huddled together to the right of me. I’m sure they thought they were quiet enough to not be overheard and if I wasn’t already exhausted—I might actually engage them in conversation before any rumors started.
“Oh yeah, the big time city girl? That’s definitely her.”
“She is quite pretty—”
“Not pretty enough for Blake though. Do you think he’s really going to marry her for the money?”
Those words slammed back into me and for a moment, I swore I went blind. How could I have forgotten about that? I cut my eyes over to the other women and raised my eyebrows in acknowledgment of their lack of subtlety. One of the women flushed a bright shade of pink, no doubt embarrassed at having been caught gossiping. The other woman met my gaze squarely as if challenging me to deny her words. As much as I wanted to rise to the bait, I knew it wouldn’t change anything. Instead, I turned around and continued walking in the direction of my hotel. All I wanted was a hot shower and some time to relax and plan out my next move.
“Hey.”
Blake’s voice stopped me in my tracks. I didn’t want to turn around, but I couldn’t stop myself from turning to face him. His gaze was unwavering and I was immediately drawn to it. I couldn’t read any emotion in his eyes, but his body language looked relaxed.
“Hey.” I put my hands in my coat pockets so he wouldn’t see their shaking. “I thought you went home, wherever that is.”
“Nah, just went to alert the rangers about the bear to make sure it didn’t track us back to town.”
“Oh,” I replied. I rocked back on my feet. “So what are you doing out here?”
Blake took a step forward. “I was waiting for you.”
I tilted my head at his answer. “You could have just come inside.”
“Too many people.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What? You didn’t want to be seen with me? I’m sure everyone would’ve been understanding, especially since your inheritance is apparently on the line,” I spit out letting my frustration and anger leak into my voice. Blake’s jaw clenched at my words, but he didn’t deny it. I swallowed hard before taking a step back and away from him. “You aren’t denying it?”
“I’ve never lied to you, Taylor.”
“No of course not—you just hid the truth by not saying anything at all.” I pulled my hands from my pockets and clenched them into fists. “You gave me so much shit about supposedly being a gold-digger and yet you’re the one who apparently needs to get married for money.”
He narrowed his eyes. “That’s not what this is about,” he growled taking another step towards me. I put my hands up in response.
“Oh bullshit. You are a fucking hypocrite and I can’t believe I even listened to you.”
“Fine!” He shouted. I could see some people staring at us, but my anger was too strong for me to stop now. “Why don’t you just go back home to your fancy mansions and pretty boys who come complete with mommy and daddy’s money. I don’t even know why you fucking came here in the first place.”
I don’t know what came over me, but without a thought, I rushed over to him and fisted my fingers in the front of his coat. “I came here for you, asshole!” I tried to shake him, but his hands came up and wrapped around my wrists halting my movement. “I came here to learn about you and prove that I’m not some brain-dead gold-digger like everyone seems to think.”
“Why?”
I tried to pull away, but his grip held me fast. “Let me go.”
“No,” he shouted, his blue eyes blazing down at me. “Why did you come here for me? Why do you care what I think of you?”
“Because I like you!” I screamed my voic
e echoing through the air. “I’m freakin’ crazy about you!” I didn’t care who heard me. I could see Anne-Marie step out of the door from the corner of my eye and I could feel my face burning up in humiliation. I looked back up at Blake even as my body deflated. I was too tired to fight anymore. “Ugh! Maybe this thing just wasn’t meant to”
Warm lips surrounded by soft hair stopped my words and with a moan of pleasure I leaned into Blake. His mouth was hot and made me shiver even more than I already was. My eyes drifted closed and rolled to the back of my head as his hands released my wrists and buried themselves in my hair. How could I fight this—this feeling his touch always gave me? How was I supposed to give this up and go about my life like I had before?
“I don’t understand,” I whispered when our lips separated slightly. I couldn’t go far with his fingers still tangled in my hair, but I didn’t want to. I gripped his coat tighter and molded my body to his. “I don’t understand how you can kiss me like that and then push me away not even a moment later.”
“I’m sorry.” He leaned forward and kissed me again lightly. “You are without a doubt the most frustratingly beautiful woman I have ever met and I’m finding I can’t be even tempered with you.”
His words didn’t make sense. “I still don’t understand.”
“When you talk about yourself and your life, you constantly put yourself down. You demean your own accomplishments and what’s worse, you don’t even realize it. And yet…” he trailed off. His gaze bore down on me, and I swore I could feel it to the very depths of my soul.
“And yet?” I prompted him. One of his hands came up and cupped my cheek lightly.
“And yet you are undeniably good. You were willing to give your life to someone you don’t even know without even considering the consequences. You’re intelligent and quick-witted and rarely have a negative thing to say about other people. You are everything I want and nothing I ever thought I’d have.”
I closed my eyes and took in a raspy breath. “Then why?” I opened them again and looked at Blake in confusion. “Why can’t you just say you want me and we do this? Why didn’t you just come clean about your inheritance?”
He sighed. “Because things are so complicated and messed up. The inheritance isn’t quite what you think, Taylor. It’s just—”
“Woohoo!”
“Yeah, Blake!”
The shouts from two men I had never seen before broke the mood and I jerked against Blake as if to move away. His grip on me didn’t loosen so I couldn’t move far. Blake’s gaze never left my face, but his lips did twist into a wry smile. “Maybe we should go somewhere less public for this.”
I nodded in agreement. “Yeah, sounds like a good idea.”
His hands fell away from my face and hair. I forced my fingers to uncurl from his jacket, but was pleasantly surprised when one of his hands took mine. A smile came unbidden to my lips and I let him lead me down the road towards his family’s lodge. I glanced back to see Anne-Marie watching us from the doorway of her coffee house. When I gave her a nod, her lips split into a wide grin and she waved at me before turning to go back in.
The sight of the large bear statue in the front of the lodge wasn’t a shock this time like it had been before. I nodded to Blake’s uncle as we bypassed the front desk. I tried to calm my heart beat when Blake opened a locked door.
“These are my quarters here in the lodge.” He gestured for me to go through. “Thankfully, my uncles are on the other side, so I don’t have to worry about him overhearing me unless he actually tries to.”
I nodded before taking a step through the open doorway. I flicked on a light switch and blinked quickly against the brightness. The room was larger than I’d expected. It looked to be a living room, dining room combination and a quick peek through an open doorway on my right showed a sleek and modern kitchen.
“Wow, Blake. Your place is gorgeous.” I turned my head to look back at him noting his soft smile.
“Thanks. I just finished the renovations. Eventually, I want to update the entire lodge.”
My eyebrows rose in surprise. “You want to make it all modern like this? But what about the rustic feel?”
“Oh no, not all of the rooms will be like this,” he replied stepping around me. “I plan on having a few high end rooms like this, but most of them will stay rustic themed, just updated as far as appliances go. I have big plans for this lodge.”
I smiled at the pride clear in his voice. “You really love this place, don’t you?”
“Of course,” he replied. “It’s home.”
I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. “I love your home.” My voice was whisper soft and for a moment, I worried he hadn’t heard me. When his hands cupped my cheeks and tipped my head up, I let him. The kiss, when it came, was soft and sweet completely unlike all of the ones we had shared before. When our lips separated slightly, I sighed happily.
“I’ll never get tired of kissing you.”
Blake rumbled out an agreeing noise before kissing me again lightly. “What do you want to do now? There’s not much else to show you in here other than the bathroom and my bedroom.”
I smirked. “I wouldn’t mind seeing your bedroom.”
“Or we could just talk, baby. I know you’ve had a rough day and hearing the local gossip probably didn’t help.”
I huffed out a laugh. “It definitely didn’t, but I want nothing more right now than to be wrapped in your arms…or a big piece of Anne-Marie’s coffee cake. Either one sounds good, actually.”
Blake chuckled softly. “She seems to have taken a liking to you. I haven’t seen her smile that wide in years. Seems you have charmed your way into the town’s elite circle with that one.”
“I don’t know what you mean by that, but she’s awesome. She reminds me a lot of my best friends back home. Everyone I’ve met has been a breath of fresh air, actually.”
Blake smirked. “Being the local celebrity can do that to you.” I balked slightly at his words.
“It’s not that. Blake, it’s…” I trailed off as I took a step away from him. I looked down at the floor to try to gather my words to help him understand how I was feeling. “All my life, I have had people look up to me not because of anything I did, but because of my parents and or my family’s money. No one other than my brother has ever looked at me as someone worthy of respect by my own merits alone—not even in college. Being here has been so different from anything back home and it’s refreshing.”
Large fingers moved under my chin and lifted my head up until I was staring into Blake’s blue gaze. “You mean it’s refreshing to be disliked by people who make assumptions about you?”
I winced slightly at how he put it, but it was essentially true. “Yes.” His eyes widened as if he were surprised by my words. “It’s nice to know exactly where I stand with people. It’s nice to know my family’s money isn’t the reason why they smile at me and pretend to be my friend. It’s nice to know people want me around because they see I’m a good person. I won’t pretend to have had it harder than most of the people here,” I said earnestly. “I’ve led a charmed life and I know that, but it wasn’t always wonderful. Money does things to people and sometimes it’s hard to know who is really there for you until it’s too late.”
Blake looked at me for a moment and I vaguely wondered what he saw. “You sound as if you’re speaking from experience.”
I swallowed thickly as the feelings of guilt I’d been repressing welled up within me. “I am.”
He nodded before pulling me to him. “Then we have that in common.” When his lips met mine again, it was as if every terrible thought I’d had since the moment I learned of my father’s death faded away. Vaguely, I felt us moving towards what I assumed to be the doorway to his bedroom, but I was so far from caring I didn’t even bother to open my eyes. I wanted Blake. I wanted him in ways I wasn’t even aware it was possible to want someone and giving up the money I used to have was completely worth
it as long as I could have this—him.
Our bodies moved together and it wasn’t long before I felt the brush of cool air against my naked skin. With each piece of my clothing Blake removed, his lips followed along, igniting a searing path along my body and making me gasp out loud.
My hands busied themselves between gripping the silky strands of his dirty blonde hair and grasping frantically at his clothing in attempts to remove them. My fingers were uncoordinated as his tongue mapped out corners of my mouth that had never been breached. I shivered as he licked against the roof of my mouth and I retaliated by sucking on his tongue with a soft groan.
The rumbling sounds that emanated from Blake’s chest further inflamed my blood and I relished in the hot feelings of the palms of his hands skirting up and down my sides. He was heavy and solid against me in a way that made me feel safe and treasured. I let my legs drop open in order to feel his weight shift between them, and I had to peel my lips away from his in order to let out a moan. His denim was rough against the soft skin of my inner thigh, but the best part was feeling his hard cock pulsing within the confines of his well-worn denim. I knew without a doubt I had to have soaked him with my pussy, but I still lifted my hips in order to feel him press against me. I brought one hand down from his hair to grip the meat of his ass and pull him in tighter.
“Fuck, baby,” Blake groaned. His lips left mine and planted themselves firmly behind my ear. His hair fell over my face like a wave, and I breathed in deeply gasping at the scent of his familiar man scent. I could almost smell my own slick, he had to have smelled it too and known how turned on I was.
There was a deep ache inside of me that pulsed with each new wave of desire and I gripped him harder. My cunt was needy, and I had no desire to deny myself. I’d given in and now I wanted my reward.
