I pushed him until he was standing in the doorway and then turned to grab the roses he had dropped before shoving them in his face and slamming the door in his face with a satisfying thud.
I walked to Daniel, grabbed his face and planted a hard kiss on his lips, before I pulled away, patting him on the shoulder. Satisfied I’d caught him just as off guard as he had caught me, I finished packing and stuck my things in the hall. I looked around the room one more time and closed the door. I would be back, but that didn’t make this any less bitter.
I walked back down to the kitchen to put my dishes up, only to find Sheila having done them already, and John talking to Daniel in a corner. I waited for them to finished before giving John a hug. It was time to go.
“I told him if he hurts you I’ll be using him for halibut bait next fall. He does anything that isn’t cool, you let me know and he’ll never have to worry about it again. I don’t want you going through that bullshit again. Be careful, little sister.” He gave me a fierce hug. I hung on a second longer than normal and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“I’ll keep in touch, my overprotective brother. You have my cell number, my e-mail and you know where we’ll be. There’s nothing to worry about. Daniel’s a good guy and we have an understanding. I won’t get hurt and I won’t let him hurt me. Now I should go or we won’t get there until midnight. Goodbye, John.” I walked out of the house and into the car Daniel had gone to while I was talking with John.
Chapter Thirteen
Daniel
I pulled onto the road. Today was already going to be a long day. Not just with how it had started, but because we were now running two hours behind. I hadn’t wanted to leave this late, there was no choice now. We still had to get the SUV and then get on the road. Oh well. At least the house was furnished. John had told me it had been taken care of yesterday. I glanced at Alexa, wondering what she was thinking, and hoping that I hadn’t overstepped my bounds.
“Thank you. It’s not the first time he’s tried that shit at John’s, but hopefully, he won’t try again.” She reached over and squeezed my leg. My breath caught in my throat as the heat from her hand soaked through my jeans. Alexa laughed as she rubbed my leg lightly, then removed her hand.
I looked at her and shook my head. I didn’t know what the deal with her was, but she had a wicked sense of humor if she thought that was funny. I’d have to show her just how funny it was later, but right now I was driving in town, and I didn’t want to wreck.
I was hopelessly lost and should have let Alexa drive. I was about to ask her for directions to the dealership when she screamed and pointed in front of us. I slammed on the break, barely avoiding the car that had recklessly pulled out in front of me. The other car slammed on its brakes, and Sean got out with a crowbar in his hands. He started bashing it against the side of the car. I got out and told Alexa to call the cops.
“Hey, asshole, stop beating the car. It didn’t do anything to you. Unless you don’t like the fact that it’s prettier than you are.” I laughed watching the pissed off man swing aimlessly.
“I don’t want your car. It’s just an obstacle to her,” he was pointing at Alexa. “I want that filthy whore, and there’s nothing you can do.”
I groaned. I had told her to call the cops, but her phone wasn’t even in her hand. I wished she would have just stayed in the car and let me handle this. This man was violent.
“What are you doing, Sean? Why don’t you go back to Natalie and leave us alone? Are you seriously so stupid that you think violence is the right path? You wouldn’t want something to happen and you get arrested, would you?” Sean rose the crowbar as she spoke, pointing it at her.
“Look asshole, just because I didn’t press charges last time doesn’t mean I won’t press them this time. So, get back in your car and move along. We’re done.” She honked the horn at me, wanting me to get back in the car. I glared at Sean, as I got in the car and drove away.
“Good thing I got the insurance, isn’t it?” I laughed at the irony. “Man, you weren’t kidding about him. Did you give the cops his information?” I pulled into a nearby parking lot to wait for the police. Sean sped off. When the police finally showed up, I flagged them down and told them what happened. Alexa gave them the car’s description, license plate, and Sean’s address.
“So, where’s the best place to get an SUV in this town?” I thought about letting her drive but decided I needed to focus on something. “I was thinking about a Chevy.”
“If you want a Chevy, you need to go to Dimond. You can get there if you get on the highway here,” she pointed left at the street light. “Don’t let the street name fool you, it goes into the highway.” She was laughing at me. “Just trust me please?”
“Okay,” I turned left onto Gambell, going past the Ford dealership and followed the hill up. Before too long we were on the New Seward Highway and driving toward Dimond. As we drove, Alexa pointed things out to me, before she told me to get off the highway.
“You want to get all the way over so we can turn at the light; it’s just on the other side of the mall there.” She pointed past the mall to the dealership. “After we get the SUV we need to drop this off at the airport and file a report with them as well. I’m sorry Sean has been such a pain in the ass to you.” She was all business as we pulled into the car lot.
Half an hour later we were driving in separate cars to the airport. Shaking my head, I looked in the rearview mirror to make sure Alexa was following fine.
Turning everything in went smoothly and in less than an hour, we were on the road. I was driving because I knew the way to house, Alexa, staring out the window beside her as we drove.
Periodically she would glance at me as I drove, always quickly looking away when I would catch her looking at me. Finally, I could stand it no more.
“Hey, we should probably find a place to eat before too much longer,” I said as our stomachs growled in hunger.
I pulled over into a small dinner when we reached Glennallen and we enjoyed a quick and simple lunch and were on the road again. As we got deeper into the interior of Alaska, I started watching for the little road to the house. After about half an hour, I spotted the mile marker signaling the turnoff to the house. Turning down the lane, I pulled to a stop in front of a three story, six bedroom, and three bath, mansion in the middle of nowhere. Exactly what I had pictured and wanted.
I looked at Alexa as I grinned maniacally and pulled her across the front seat to me, capturing her mouth with mine. I deepened the kiss, running my hands up and down her body, causing her to moan into the kiss. I broke the kiss and pushed her back as she froze breathlessly, in the front seat. I grinned as I took in her flushed face, and got out of the rig.
“That was for earlier.” I snickered, closing the door in Alexa’s confused face before I walked around to begin unloading the back of the Chevy.
Chapter Fourteen
Alexa
I loved what Daniel had done with the house. John had brought me out here when they were finishing the build on it and the place had seemed so barren. Daniel had filled it with furniture and love. The table in the dining area, set for twelve, to the large couches and fifty-five-inch television on the wall.
I walked into the kitchen to start making dinner, but I couldn’t find anything. No dishes, pots and pans, or even food were here yet. I turned to look at Daniel as he brought in the last of the stuff from the truck.
“Hey, I thought you said there was already going to be food here.” I waved my hand around the kitchen, to the fridge.
“There should have been. Why? Is it empty?” Daniel snickered, putting down the box in his arms.
“Well, I was looking for something to make for dinner and there’s no dishes, no pots and pans, and most definitely no food for me to be able to cook. I know we have some snacks in the truck, but other than that, there’s nothing.” I plopped down on the couch next to him, stretching my legs out after sitting all day.
“We
could go and get some stuff until the supply truck gets here. Fairbanks is only a couple hours’ drive from here. I suppose it would be worth it to go and get groceries.” He stood, grabbing the keys, and put his jacket back on. He grabbed my jacket from by the door and tossed it at me. “You might want this. Looks like it might snow soon.”
I stared at him and the jacket in my hands and put it on. Shrugging into my jacket I walked outside and glanced up at the clear sky. There was a chill in the air, and I could smell the snow. It was far off, but only by a couple of hours. I just hoped that we could make it to and from Fairbanks before it started in earnest. I hate letting someone else drive in the snow. It scared me.
Daniel pulled back out on the road toward Fairbanks and Nenana. I watched the sky as we drove, noticing the clouds gathering over the park, coming from the north. I wondered if I shouldn’t just offer to drive to save myself the anxiety of having to drive with someone else. The drive through Denali would be easy, but the roads past it could get messy. I was weighing my options and watching the scenery when I noticed the caribou off to the side of the road. Sure, Daniel hadn’t seen any in the wild, I decided to point them out.
“Hey, look at those!” I pointed them out and leaned back to let Daniel see. I couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes lingered on my chest as he glanced out my window. He smiled at the animals beside the road.
“That’s cool. Does that happen often up here? Where they just stand on the side of the road?” He looked curious and confused at the same time.
“Sometimes, up here in the park and where we haven’t truly invaded their space. They talk about herds of caribou on the North Slope running under the Pipeline all the time. The moose in Anchorage have been known to press the walk signals to cross the streets instead of darting out into traffic.” I tried not to laugh as I remembered reading about it in the newspaper, thinking they were being silly. Then I saw it with my own eyes, and I never laughed again.
I hadn’t laughed this much in a long time, and I knew it was because of the man sitting beside me right now. He was waking me back up, and I could never repay him for that.
Soon we were leaving the park and heading toward Nenana. I hadn’t bought my ticket for the Nenana Ice Classic yet, and I needed to. Driving over the river would let me guess how thick I thought it was and when I figured it would break. The pod was already in place when we crossed the bridge. This was going to be a great year and a giant pot.
I sighed as I wondered if I would still be pining over Daniel when the ice finally broke.
“Hey, everything okay?” Daniel touched my arm, bringing me back to reality.
“Yeah, I was just thinking we will be in Fairbanks pretty soon. Probably about another half an hour or so since we just passed through Nenana.” I sighed, not willing to share my inner turmoil.
I kept staring out the window, refusing to look at Daniel as we drove. I was just getting settled back down when we drove into Fairbanks. I was about to say something about dinner when Daniel spoke instead.
“Hungry?”
“I could eat a horse or two,” I laughed and pointed up the road. “There’s a Denny’s up here, most northern one they have. We could stop and eat before shopping. You know what they say. Never shop on an empty stomach.”
We pulled into the parking lot and Daniel looked like he was about to have a coronary at the number of cars in the parking lot for 10:30 at night. If I remembered correctly from coming up here when I was younger, this was the local dive for all the younger gamers. They would get their coffee and game all night.
Daniel held the door for me once we found a spot, and we walked inside to wait for someone to seat us. The place was packed with people, and there was only one table available.
“Be right with you.” A waitress hurried by, carrying a tray full of drinks to a booth full of teens in the back. She hurried back to us, slightly out of breath, reaching for menus.
“Hi! Just the two of you?”
“Yup. Do you only have the table or is there a booth available?” Daniel looked nervous. I was having a hard time not laughing at him.
“Sure, this way please.” She grabbed the menus and led us to the booth that was hidden in the back of the restaurant. I looked around as the roar in the restaurant dulled. Everyone was staring at us. Daniel in his suit, and me in my jeans and t-shirt. They must have all thought I was his charity case of the evening. Once we were settled at the table and had our menus, the roar came back to life, and the waitress ran off to get us water.
I kept trying to read my menu, but couldn’t help getting distracted as I felt Daniel’s eyes drilling into me. Finally, I slammed the menu down on the table and glared at him.
“What?”
“It’s interesting watching you try and decide what you want to eat. Whether you want dinner, breakfast, or maybe both and an appetizer. Don’t worry, I like my women to have an appetite. I know you can eat your weight in gold. What’s the worst thing you do? Take it in a doggy box to go?” He fixed me with a pointed stare.
“Yeah, and how long has it been since you came to Denny’s? Hmm, Mr. Money? Don’t you think you should look at the menu to see if they have something that you want to eat?” I was trying to take some of the heat off of my face, but Daniel sitting there smirking at me just made it that much worse. He was insufferable!
Our waitress finally seemed a little calmer when she came back with our water. “Hi. My names Alicia, and I’ll be your server. Can I start you guys off with something to drink, maybe give you a couple more minutes to look over the menu?” Alicia looked from me to Daniel and kept staring at him.
“I’ll have Vanilla Shake, T-bone and eggs, rare, sunny side up eggs; bacon cheese fries, and a cheeseburger and fries, sautéed onions instead.” Daniel rattled off, staring at me.
“And you?”
“I’ll have the chicken bacon sandwich, fried chicken patty, fries; Cookie’s and Cream shake, mozzarella sticks, side salad, Italian dressing, and the fish and chips, extra tartar.” I was playing Daniel’s game and he knew it. He was smiling at me as he took my menu to hand to Alicia.
“Anything else?” Alicia took our menus from Daniel. He dismissed her and she ran off to get our drinks and put in the orders.
Daniel looked at me and started laughing. “I know you said you were hungry enough to eat two horses, but really? The restaurant too?”
“Well, you were ordering so much I didn’t want to be left out. So, I just... upped the ante? Like you said. Worst I do is take home a doggie bag. Afraid I’m going to make you go broke?” I fluttered my eyelashes at them innocently.
“Broke, no. I am afraid of you losing your girly figure.” Daniel winked at me. “So, I guess we’ll just have to figure out a way to burn those calories off. After we get home. Or before depending on when we get out of here and get our shopping done. That sound okay to you? At least for now?” Daniel took a sip of his water.
“Sounds fine.” Everything about this man confused me and enticed me. Was he making a statement or a promise? Would there be more than what happened last night? I wanted to go shopping and get some things that would be good to have in the house, and all he could make me think about was sex and him. I was a mess, and he wasn’t helping. I was sure we would be looking for a way to keep this going after the end of this weekend. I sure as hell didn’t want to let go.
The smell of food arriving broke me from my thoughts as I looked in front of me. The salad would be the first to go. I hated taking them to go. At least the mozzarella sticks would stay if we had to take them, so would the fish. But not the fries. I grabbed the fork and dug into my salad, looking up at Daniel to see if he was watching or eating. As always, he was watching.
“Why are you watching me eat?” I wanted to make a more smart ass comment, but I had already been pushing my luck today. I didn’t know what he was capable of and I didn’t want to lose my job after just getting it. Maybe I should tell him to take a video though because it would last l
onger.
“I like watching you eat. You actually eat. Not like the other women I’ve dated. You don’t shy away from food after three bites and expect me to be okay with it.” He looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to continue eating. He went back to his fries when I brought the mozzarella stick to my mouth and took a slow, eye rolling bite of it.
I decided to return the favor and started to watch him eat. The way he was attacking those fries though, made me question my sanity. I started to think about what we had done last night, and how he had attacked me with the same vigor. I wasn’t going to forget last night anytime soon, and I could tell that this weekend was going to be an extremely long weekend.
I looked around the restaurant in time to see our entrees heading toward us. I gathered the empty dishes and stacked them all together, and waited. When the food was placed on the table, I handed the empty plates to the waiter and looked at our plates. Greasy and loaded with deliciousness. I watched Daniel in the same way he was watching me. Smirking, he picked up his burger and took a giant bite out of it, moaning in delight. I glared at him and he started laughing. He was laughing at me! I took my chicken sandwich and cut it in half, beginning to eat it.
He cracked a smile at me, and I started to giggle. It wasn’t long before I was full out laughing at him. As if unable to stop himself, he got out of his seat and kissed me, not caring who saw us. The kiss was searing, more so than last night. He broke the kiss as quickly as he started it, and sat back down to eat again.
“What was that for?” I was confused.
“You were laughing at me. It was the only thing I could think of to shut you up. Why were you laughing at me anyway?” Daniel cocked his head at me.
Snowed In (Lost and Found Book 1) Page 7
