An Ill Wind

by Monette Michaels

  Pia and Carmela made the move to Idaho. Levi hadn’t been thrilled about that, but Fee suspected he was making plans to move to Sanctuary and work for SSI, or at least, Trey had hinted at such during one of their few times together.

  The Lopez women shared a two-bedroom suite in Sanctuary’s Main Lodge. The medical center had hired Pia to work in the Elk City clinic. And soon Pia’s mother would reopen a shuttered diner located on the road between Sanctuary and Grangeville. Ren Maddox would be Señora Lopez’s silent partner.

  “Nothing.” Fee forced a smile to her lips. “So, what are your plans for our first truly free weekend?”

  Her friend raised a brow and shook her head at Fee’s obvious deflection. “This evening, mamá and I are going to visit the diner to take an inventory of plates, glasses, and other kitchen items the previous owners left behind.” Pia straightened some magazines. “Tomorrow, Keely will take us to the outlet mall to do some serious shopping.”

  “Does Ren really think the restaurant will draw enough business?” Fee asked, visualizing the building which sat in the middle of fricking nowhere.

  Everything is in the middle of nowhere out here.

  Too true.

  “He said SSI and forestry service personnel alone will flock to it. Not to mention all the hunters, hikers, and climbers that come here year-round.” Pia shoved a chair back against the wall, then turned her focus on Fee. “So, what’re—”

  “Did Ren say what happened to the last owner?” She wanted to keep Pia on the diner topic so Fee’s personal life wouldn’t come into the discussion. She wasn’t sure she had answers for any of the questions Pia might bring up.

  “Uh huh.” Pia shot Fee a “you still aren’t fooling me” look, but answered the question, “The previous owner died. His kids didn’t want to run a restaurant. Ren bought the property since it abutted his land and would give him frontage access to the highway. He eventually plans to build more cabins and condos in that direction for SSI support personnel.”

  “I can see that,” Fee said. “There’s not a lot of homes for sale in the area because of the national forest. Keely told me many of their employees made the drive in from Grangeville and from even farther every day. Also, they can’t attract new employees, especially those with a family, if they can’t house them.”

  The clinic reopening would also be a lure for future SSI hires.

  “Yeah, winter travel must suck around here. I’m really not looking forward to that hour drive each way to the clinic once the snow flies.” Pia moved to lean her hip against the check-in desk. “So, what are you doing this weekend?”

  Busted.

  Fee had known better than to think she could keep Pia from circling back around to Fee’s private life.

  “Trey is taking me to dinner and a movie tonight and…” She hesitated.

  “And?” Pia gestured with a hurry up motion.

  “And I’m staying at the Lodge at Ren and Keely’s invitation…”

  “And…” Pia wiggled her fingers in a give-me-more gesture.

  Fee wrinkled her nose. “And I’m trying to figure out whether Trey will want sex or not.”

  “Ahh.” Pia smiled. “So Trey’s the one you want to take the lead.”

  Fee jabbed her finger at Pia. “You did hear what I’d said.”

  “Yep. So what’s the problem?”

  “The problem is he insists that I have to take the lead with the next step into intimacy.” Fee bit her lip. “And I don’t know how … to lead.”

  “It’s simple, chica. Just start shedding clothes as you walk into his bedroom. His male hormones will force him to take over.”

  “It’s not that simple … I, uh, hell…” Fee scraped her fingers through her tangled curls. “If he takes the hint…”

  “Oh, he will,” Pia said with a wicked grin.

  “If…” Fee repeated. “Then we’ll get in bed, and he’ll be kissing and touching me, but…”

  “But what, Fee? What are you worried about?” Pia prodded.

  “I’m afraid I’ll balk … at the last minute … no matter who leads. Then Trey will get frustrated and…” Fee choked as tears streamed down her face. “God, I’m a mess.”

  Pia came over and hugged Fee. “Chica, Trey’s not that cabrón who hurt you. He’s the man who patiently pursued you over many months with a long-distance commute that would’ve driven away any man just wanting to get his cojones off.”

  “I know that.” Fee sniffled, then mumbled, “I’m scared he’ll be disappointed … find out I’m not worth all that effort. God knows, even the guys I had sex with prior to Adam-fucking-Stall attacking me were disappointed after having sex with me.”

  Pia rolled her eyes. “Did you ever think the problem was them and not you?”

  Fee shrugged, not wanting to go into full detail on her sad, former sex life, but she knew Pia wouldn’t leave the topic alone. So, she offered the Cliff’s Notes version. “Most of the guys I dated were fellow doctors I met during training. They were safe, more like buddies I could share a meal or a movie with. The ones that weren’t safe were selfish and wanted to go bed to get their rocks off and could care less if I got any pleasure.”

  Plus, none of them were macho former Marines like Trey. Just inhaling Trey’s scent made her horny.

  “I take it Stall fell into the latter bunch,” Pia said.

  “No. I never dated him. I sensed he was off from the moment I met him. He didn’t like me turning him down, so he stalked me. He’s a sociopath and fooled everyone.” Fee sighed, suddenly tired to the bone.

  “Maldito Stall aside, it sounds like your former sex partners and you had a total lack of chemistry,” Pia said with the bluntness Fee had come to expect from her friend. “As for Trey? I predict there’d be no disappointment on either side. Sparks fly when you two are together.”

  Fee shook her head.

  “Truth.” Pia patted Fee’s arm. “Back in New Mexico, when he visited the emergency clinic that first time, I said to myself ‘he wants her, and she wants him, but is denying it.’”

  “Okay, I admit I’ve wanted him from the day I met him. I wasn’t ready back then.” Fee ran her fingers through her curls and kneaded the tense muscles at the base of her skull. “I’m not sure I’m ready even now.”

  Especially if she had to lead in the bedroom.

  “Trust Trey. That man is in a class all by himself, and he cares about you … more than a lot,” Pia said. “So, do what I said—shed clothes and let him take over.” She tugged on Fee’s hand. “Come on, let’s get the heck out of here. You have a date to get ready for, and I need to get back to Sanctuary and pick up mi madre.”

  Fee allowed Pia to lead her out the clinic’s front door, then her friend locked up after them. The entrance to Fee’s studio apartment from hell was accessible only from an exterior staircase.

  “I want to come,” Fee said. “Tomorrow. Shopping. To the outlet mall.”

  “But what about spending the weekend doing things with Trey?” Pia frowned. “Even if you don’t have sex tonight, this will be the first quality couple time you two have had.”

  She’s right. Grow a pair.

  Trey would have the only balls in their relationship. Fee just wanted to scrape up enough courage to get her hands on them.

  “Okay, I’ll amend my request … may I come if the date turns out to be a bust?” Fee said.

  “It’s not going to be a bust.” Pia turned, took Fee by the upper arms, and shook her. “Lose the negative attitude, chica. Now, repeat after me—my date with Trey will be wonderful, and I’ll spend my weekend off doing fun things with him.”

  Fee laughed. “My date with Trey will be wonderful, and I’ll spend my weekend off doing fun—and sexy—things with him.”

  Pia released her arms and high-fived her. “Now that’s the kind of positive attitude that’ll get results.”

  ****

  Later that evening, Sanctuary, Trey’s house

  Trey stood just inside his
front door and smiled with an overwhelming amount of satisfaction. Finally, Fee was here, where he’d envisioned her for too many long and lonely months.

  “Wow.” Fee turned in a circle as she took in his home’s open concept great room and kitchen.

  Was that a good wow? Or a who-in-the-hell-decorated-this-dump wow?

  If she didn’t like the masculine decor with its leather and wood Arts & Crafts furniture and the Native American artifacts and rugs, he’d change it all. He wanted her to want to move in with him—sooner rather than later. He’d already marshaled his arguments.

  First and foremost, the place she lived in wasn’t secure. A four-year-old with a hair pin could pick her apartment entry door lock, and a hundred-pound weakling could kick in the flimsy wood door.

  Second, the area around the spot-in-the-road called Elk City was rough, wild, and isolated. More than its fair share of dropouts from society lived in the mountains and forests surrounding the area. Some of those dropouts could be highly dangerous to a single woman living alone in a shitty apartment with zilch security.

  Third, pushing aside the lack of security—which Trey couldn’t—the studio apartment itself was inherently dangerous. The electrical was antiquated knob-and-tube, a fire waiting to happen. The water pipes had burst over the last winter when the place was empty and the repair job done by the landlord had been half-assed. If there wasn’t mold growing in the less than adequate insulation, he was a one-eyed jackass. There were raccoons living above the drop-ceiling, and packs of wolves in the surrounding forest. Plus, he’d seen bear scat behind the clinic. He didn’t even want to think about her taking out the trash and running into a hungry bear or wolves.

  Keely had checked out the apartment before Fee arrived and told him and Ren the place wasn’t fit for human habitation. Probably why the two previous doctors, both male, hadn’t even lived in it.

  But no amount of persuasion, and even an invitation to stay in the Lodge, had budged his stubborn little doc from taking up residence in the ratty-assed apartment. She’d pled the need to be close by while getting the clinic up and running.

  Well, the clinic was now open. No more excuses. If she wasn’t ready to move in with him, then he’d convince her to move into the Lodge for her safety and comfort. He wanted her free from all dangers and living on Sanctuary.

  And close at hand for a more intense courtship.

  Yeah, that, too.

  Trey tracked Fee as she moved about the great room and into the kitchen. His gaze grew warmer as she trailed fingers lightly over the dark granite counter tops in the kitchen and peeked in the reclaimed wood cupboards. A light smile played about her full lips. Her blue-green eyes gleamed with delight.

  She liked his kitchen.

  Trey, being a Neanderthal, liked seeing her in his kitchen. He could care less if she cooked. Instead, he pictured her there each morning, sharing his space, puttering around making coffee, and talking about the coming day.

  Did it make him a sick fuck that he’d also envisioned beginning each day laying her out on the kitchen island and eating her for breakfast? Probably. Of course, that would only occur after he’d awakened her first in their bed by making love to her.

  Getting ahead of yourself, Maddox. First you have to convince her to move in.

  “What do you think of the place?” He walked to where she stood at the folding glass doors leading to the double-level deck which wrapped this side of the house and overlooked the river gorge.

  She turned her head from the view and smiled. “Gorgeous house. Fabulous view. And I love the outdoor kitchen on the deck—is that a hot tub I see down one level?”

  “Yep. You want to sit in the hot tub, drink a little wine, and enjoy the stars?” he murmured as he swept a hand down her back and then settled his arm around her waist.

  Shit, her body had gone rigid. He lightened his hold, but didn’t remove his arm. If she needed to pull away, she easily could.

  Trey was relieved when she didn’t.

  Actually, Fee had been tense since he picked her up for their date. Although she’d said all the right things at dinner and laughed at the romantic comedy she’d chosen, her stress had been evident in the tautness of her neck and facial muscles. Now, he felt it in her whole body as she held herself immobile within the circle of his arm. Her reactions were those of a small animal freezing in place so as not to attract the further notice of a predator.

  Was she afraid he’d attack her as soon as he had her in his house? Hadn’t she processed anything he’d said over the months he’d visited her and more recently in Madera?

  Fee was in control of whatever happened next. And as much as he wanted to make love to her—to make her completely his—he’d die before he went back on his word. Her trust in him would lay the foundation for their future.

  “Fee, relax,” he whispered against her hair. “I’m not gonna attack you.”

  “I know.” She sighed and let her body go lax.

  Some of his own tension released. Thank fuck, she wasn’t retreating as she’d done so often in the early months of their acquaintance.

  “I’m sorry,” she muttered as she stared at her feet.

  “Nothing to be sorry about.” He brushed a kiss over the top of her head. Her hair was so soft and smelled like peaches and vanilla. Her scent alone had his cock hard and pushing against the placket of his jeans. If she brushed against him intimately, he’d shoot his wad before he’d even kissed her. No other woman had ever gotten him so hot so fast with just her scent before.

  If he were more sure of her, he’d strip off her clothes, lift her off her feet, and make love to her against the glass as the sun set behind the mountains. Then he’d take her on the couch. And finally he’d make love to her in his bed where neither of them would get any sleep for the rest of the night.

  God, if she knew what he was thinking … what he was imagining, she’d run.

  Don’t fuck it up now, asshole. Stay the course.

  That would be the course he’d set for himself when he’d first met her across the barrel of an assault rifle as she’d protected a pregnant and in labor Keely. Fee’s fire and courage had impressed him and captured his previously fickle heart. He’d fallen head over heels in love with her at first sight—and she’d run from him. He’d managed a patient pursuit since that time, and he’d stick to that path until Fee trusted him, unconditionally, to care for her body, heart, and soul.

  Momentary pleasure wasn’t worth losing what ground he’d gained. He had a right hand, if he needed relief.

  Fee angled her head. Her silky curls caught in his five o’clock shadow as he leaned over her. Her gaze was quizzical and a bit wary. “What would we wear in the hot tub?”

  “Skin?” Shit, his mouth had gotten ahead of his brain.

  Trying to cover for the lame-ass mistake worthy of a horny teenage boy, he chuckled and winked. “Just kidding. I have some gym shorts with a draw-string waist and a T-shirt you can wear. I’ll keep my boxers on.”

  Fee stared at him quizzically. Her fair skin flushed dark pink.

  After several tense seconds in which he wasn’t even sure he’d taken a breath, she bit her lip, then muttered, “Yeah, this’ll work.”

  Her phrasing puzzled him, but he wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. He blew out a relieved breath. After rubbing her waist, he released her. “I’ll just go—”

  Before he could finish the sentence, she moved away, turned her back to him, and stripped her loose peasant top over her head and dropped it over the back of his leather sectional. Then she shimmied out of the long, gauzy skirt she’d worn and laid it on top of the blouse. She was now clad in only an emerald green bra and lace-edged panties which hugged her sweet ass cheeks. Her skin glowed almost pearlescent in one overall pale pink blush.

  Trey almost swallowed his tongue. Her near nakedness had his cock ready for some action. Only his iron will kept him from embarrassing himself.

  Shit, Fee just did it for him. The smell of
her … the look of her bare skin, and he was ready to blow.

  When she turned around, all the moisture in his mouth dried up instantly. With her petite stature and subtle curves, she looked like a fairy or pixie from some fantasy tale. Make that an erotic fairy or pixie. Her sheer bra and panties did nothing to hide her feminine attributes. Her nipples were dark and beaded. Her pussy was framed by red-gold curls. The only jarring notes to the titillating picture she made were the scuffed motorcycle boots she wore with some sort of frilly socks sticking out of the top of them.

  “Trey—” Fee’s eyes widened as she skimmed his body, from top to bottom. Her gaze lingered over the bulge in his jeans. “Um, are you gonna get naked, too?”

  “Yep.” He pulled off his thermal T-shirt. With his gaze fixed on her, he unbuckled his belt, toed off his boots, and then stripped off his jeans.

  The dying light from the setting sun glinted off something on Fee’s abdomen. His dry mouth suddenly watered and a blast of lust hit him so hard, he fought with every bit of his strength to rein it in. She had a naval piercing, a gold ring with a green jewel centered in her cute little belly button.

  “Fuck me. You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” He moved slowly toward her, afraid if he moved too fast she’d fly away like the fairy she resembled. A punk fairy in motorcycle boots … with a piercing.

  His punk fairy.

  When he was within arm’s length, he swept some of her curls back over her shoulders, then traced her collar bones with the tip of one finger. “Freckles. I plan on kissing every single one. Does that scare you?”

  Breathing slightly faster than a few seconds ago, Fee’s eyes were so dilated that only a thin blue-green band surrounded the pupil. She licked her lips, took a deep breath, and then let out a shaky sigh. She didn’t move away—but didn’t move closer, either. She’d frozen in place.