Arrogant Savior: A Hero Club Novel

by Terri E. Laine

  For the next hour and a half or so, I typed what I thought was a humorous piece until said pilot came over the speaker with that damn sexy voice of his.

  “Strap in. It looks like we are taking a detour.”

  I didn’t like the sound of his words and might have gone to the cockpit door to ask questions if the plane didn’t suddenly bank right, sending my computer to its almost death if I hadn’t caught it.

  Hastily, I buckled in, wondering what was wrong as visions of the plane in a steep dive toward a fiery crash filled my head. There would be so many things I would regret not doing if I died. The first of many would be not telling my father how I really felt.

  As I worked out the words that needed to be said, the plane smoothed out. Yet, I could tell we were descending.

  So many questions were swirling in my head. I was grateful when his voice came through the speaker.

  “The storm shifted weather patterns. The airports in New York have temporarily closed to inbound flights due to white-out conditions and possible wind shears. We are landing in Maryland. That’s as far north as I can risk going.”

  Though I understood airports didn’t make decisions like that lightly, I was frantic with the idea I might not make it to my grandmother’s in time. Tears blurred my vision.

  The one person in the world I knew loved me unconditionally was her. Yes, my mom loved me, but she had expectations about my life and who I should be. My grandmother, on the other hand, loved me as I was.

  The idea that I might not get to say goodbye, that she could be at this very moment gone from this world, broke me in ways I didn’t know possible.

  I fought the oncoming despair. As soon as the plane set down, I would call the hospital immediately. Which was what I did. Once the wheels struck the tarmac, I turned my phone on and made the call.

  When it was answered, I managed only one word, “Father,” with so much desperation, he would have had to be an idiot not to hear the unspoken question.

  “Jo,” he said with a much too long pause. I covered my mouth, afraid of what he was going to say next. “She’s still with us.”

  I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding.

  “Is she better?” I asked with so much hope, I probably sounded as if I was pleading.

  “The same.”

  It wasn’t the news I wanted, but better than hearing she was worse.

  “I can’t get to New York,” I said. “Not in the next hour. They’ve closed the airports.”

  “I heard.”

  Of course, he had. He owned a major airline. News like that disrupted business, but it wasn’t uncommon and contingency plans were always made just in case.

  “Can I talk to her?”

  He sighed. “She’s sleeping right now. Once she’s up, I promise to call you.”

  “Okay.”

  Things were awkward then. We didn’t know each other well enough to have a conversation outside of family matters, which was why I called him Father and not Dad.

  “I should go,” he said. “The doctor’s coming. I’ll keep you updated.”

  “Thanks,” I said, but I wasn’t sure if he’d heard before he hung up.

  I shivered in my seat. Wherever we were in Maryland was certainly colder than it had been in Palm Beach. The sweater I’d hastily packed didn’t fight the chill I felt. I would have to pull out the packable light down jacket I brought and hope it would do. I didn’t have much winter gear in my bungalow in Palm Beach. Plus, my job as a flight attendant took me to mostly exotic and warmer climates.

  It was only recently I considered shifting teams, thus destinations grouping to avoid Carter Clynes. And even that was up in the air. Why should I change my life just because a man didn’t want me?

  “We’re here.”

  I glanced up, only realizing now we weren’t moving. The devastatingly handsome man stooped before me because of the low ceiling and wore a guarded expression. Not that I could blame him. I’d come at him like a bulldog. Not that he hadn’t deserved it.

  “Where is here, exactly?” I asked.

  “Clinestown.”

  “Clyne’s town?” He couldn’t be serious.

  “One word,” he said. “It starts with C. Common mistake.”

  “I was thinking C,” I said. Just with a Y and not an I.

  Was this karma coming to bite me?

  “C L I N E S town,” he spelled out as if reading my thoughts.

  He was just guessing, I chided myself. He couldn’t read my mind.

  “How long are we here?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “A few hours, days?”

  “Days?” I all but shouted.

  He gave me a nonplussed rise and fall of his broad shoulders.

  “I can’t wait here days. Is there someplace close I can rent a car?”

  “Dad should be able to help.”

  Dad? Where exactly was I?

  Four

  Grant

  Dad had the ladder in place when I opened the door. I’d spotted Jolene’s moment of confusion and chose to ignore it. She was no longer my problem.

  “Boy,” Dad greeted.

  I hated that he called me that. I was far from a boy, though I had some years until I was thirty. It was something he’d called me since my mother left when I was around six.

  Out on the landing, I waited for Jolene to come out and descend first so Dad would be distracted and play the good host. I’d done my part.

  The hanger doors were open, and the air was blustery. Snow had arrived in miniature flakes that blew carelessly in the air. After I’d finished things, I would be lucky to make it home before it came down hard, sticking in clumps to the ground.

  I went back into the plane to finish closing it out. Dad ran a slim crew, considering he was on the verge of going out of business. Cleaning up after our rich patrons was one thing I was looking forward to not doing once Monday came.

  When I’d been young and eager, I wanted to know all facets of the business. But now, after college, I just wanted to fly.

  By the time I’d closed the plane door, Dad had the hanger doors shut. He and Jolene were nowhere to be seen. It was likely they had gone to the office by way of the small passageway between this hanger and the office.

  I took that same passageway and heard Jolene’s shrill voice.

  “What do you mean?”

  I stepped inside, curious about my father’s response.

  “The weather’s changing mighty fast. No one’s going to fly you out and no one’s flying in.”

  Though she looked up at me, she asked my father, “What about renting a car?”

  “Not today. This is a small town, and everyone’s closed or closing up shop as we speak.”

  That was when I glanced up and noticed the steady stream of snow falling outside the picture window.

  Fuck.

  “What am I supposed to do?” she asked.

  Dad glanced at me, but way too quickly. I knew then I wasn’t going to like what he said next.

  “You’re going to go home with my boy here.”

  Though he said it like a declaration, neither Jolene nor I liked the idea. While I said, “Wait!” and she said, “What?”, we both ended with the finality of “No!” at the same time.

  Dad held up a hand like we were wayward teenagers being given a curfew.

  “I’ve called. They’ve closed the roads.”

  This wasn’t unexpected given the storm I’d been tracking. If it were this far south, which hadn’t been predicted by forecasters, the roads wouldn’t have been treated in time.

  “There’s no hotel?” When Dad only lifted a brow, she switched gears. “Motel, Airbnb?”

  He shook his head and she sighed.

  “Can I stay here?” she pleaded.

  “I’ve got a place in the back, but it’s the size of a closet and barely fits one,” Dad said as I remained silent and grim.

  I knew where this was headed. Though he’d said the words, it was finally sink
ing in that there were few options in this situation.

  “What about the airplane? Can’t I sleep in there?”

  “Of course, Your Highness. I’m sure you can pay for the fuel and the cleanup when we leave the hanger door open to run the plane to keep you warm.”

  So that wasn’t exactly right. The plane didn’t have to run for the electricity to work. But like a car, it wasn’t made to run power without the motor for an extended period.

  Dad turned cool eyes on me, and I lifted my hands and said, “Sorry.”

  Before I could clarify that my apology should have been aimed at Jolene, she focused on Dad as if I wasn’t in the room.

  “What are my options?” she asked.

  He replied, “You can ride the ATV with my son to his cabin.”

  Her eyes widened. “ATV?”

  I pointed outside. “He did mention the roads. But trust me, you’re welcome to stay here alone, and Dad can come with me.”

  I really didn’t want to deal with this princess in my place. It certainly wouldn’t be up to her standards.

  “I can’t believe this,” she said more to herself. “And that’s my only option?”

  “I can’t say I’m all too pleased about it either,” I grumbled.

  Her narrowed eyes laser-focused on me. “As if I want to be with you.”

  “Looks to me like I’m the last man on earth,” I sarcastically announced with arms wide.

  Technically not, my dad was there, but it was as if he wasn’t in the room.

  “Lucky me,” she said, her words dripping with disdain.

  The weather was only getting worse as heavy snowflakes fell faster as the wind began to howl outside.

  “We have to go.” I let my eyes take her in. “You can’t go like that.”

  Her head dropped so she could inspect herself. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

  The fact that her jeans molded to her body like skin over curves that didn’t seem to stop was my problem and mine alone.

  It was the unzipped jacket that looked like it wouldn’t hold up in a slight breeze, let alone cover breasts that appeared like they’d be heavy in my hand. I blinked away the thoughts before I got painfully hard.

  “Everything,” I said. “With this snow, you’ll be lucky not to freeze to death before we get to my place.”

  “How about I pay you to take me down this mountain and I can find a hotel.”

  “No,” I said absolutely.

  “Why? It’s an ATV, perfect for these conditions.”

  “Yeah, and what if something happens, mechanically breaks down? I’ll be stuck in the middle of the forest with you in that.” I waved a hand in her direction. “It’s not worth the risk. But you’re welcome to walk it.”

  I strode out of the room to grab my gear. I didn’t have time for the prima donna. If she didn’t want to come, it wasn’t my problem. Last thing I really needed was her in my space looking like a snack.

  Geared up with my winter coat and boots I kept stowed in the back, I walked out. She looked like she was wearing the poor man’s version of fly-fishing gear. Dad had given her a raincoat to wear over her stylish, more to be seen and not for actual winter weather, jacket. He’d also covered her shoes with plastic bags and tied them off at her calves.

  I almost offered her my coat because I wasn’t a total ass. But I’d be taking most of the weather, as the wind would come at me. Her torso would be protected because she’d be at my back. Her feet, however, wouldn’t. If we couldn’t keep her completely warm, keeping her dry was the next best thing.

  “Let’s go,” I announced.

  We walked through a door to the side and into a large shed-like area. Dad followed. The ATV was convenient. It was the quickest way to my place, and I used it often over my truck. The windy roads farther up the mountain could be tricky in a weather situation like this one.

  After securing her bag, I straddled the ATV and said, “Get on behind me. Keep your hands under my jacket and hold on tight.”

  That would put her hands close to my dick. And though she wore gloves, again they were the ‘I’m going to be outside a total of five minutes’ kind.

  When she got on, even through my coat and hers, I swore I felt her soft breasts molded against me. Add her hands sliding around my waist and that made me instantly hard.

  Fuck. It would be a good fifteen minutes if we were lucky getting to my place. I felt all kinds of growly knowing nothing satisfying was coming at the end of this journey.

  Five

  Jolene

  Total utter jerk, but damn, if he wasn’t so insanely sexy I wanted to throttle him. I had to bite my lip when I was forced to straddle the seat behind him. Putting my arms around him and up under his coat against rock-hard muscles nearly had me groaning in anticipation of what it would be like to be underneath him.

  Not that it would ever happen. Ever. He was an arrogant ass that didn’t deserve my time. Especially when he didn’t think I was worth his. As if being a pilot made him God’s gift, more like Satan’s gag gift. I would never make that mistake again.

  I’d learned my lesson hard. My standards had risen. The next man I was with would be the kind of man I’d marry. Or at least I’d go in without any expectations and no regrets.

  A bump in the path broke me out of my thoughts. The ride so far hadn’t been smooth. For the little time I kept my eyes open, I’d barely seen the trees from my side view before we passed them.

  Added to that, snow fell like there would be no end, blinding what was ahead. I couldn’t remember a time like this even when I lived in New York.

  My face froze first, then my thighs. The raincoat didn’t quite cover enough, and snow had melted on my jeans, letting the chill in. My feet were nearly numb by the time the ATV came to a grinding halt.

  For a second, I held there, too cold to move. At his urging, I got into action, albeit very slowly. I felt like a popsicle with two sticks for legs. I was so cold, my eyelashes felt frozen. I barely got a view of the rustic cabin before I was hustled forward.

  We stepped inside a dark room.

  “Wait here,” he said, his voice sending shivers all over my body.

  Why was I attracted to jerks? Hadn’t I learned my lesson with Tripp?

  Before I could consider the answers to that question, I was left in a dark room as the closing door shut out the partial moonlight.

  I wrapped my arms around me as if that could dispel the frost that seemed to cover me. As my eyes began to somewhat adjust to the darkness, noises like the beginning soundtrack of a horror movie just as the monster made an appearance pierced the silence like thunder. I jumped just before the sounds of an engine preceded light stunning my eyes.

  A few blinks later and a smallish room came into focus, adorned with a leather beaten sofa and TV taking up the left side of the room and a small but serviceable kitchen to the back and right. A small table finished out the room. Then a tiny hallway to the right led to what I assumed were the bedroom and bath.

  My pilot, who I just realized hadn’t introduced himself, went to the left to start a fire in the hearth below the large TV.

  As I stood shivering, I asked, “What’s your name?”

  He stilled and turned his head to face me. “Grant,” he said as if it caused him effort to give me that much information about himself.

  I rubbed my arms, not sure what to do. My guess was if I complained, he would go back to calling me Highness, which was super annoying.

  “You should get out of those wet clothes,” he said without bothering to look at me.

  I glanced around, because surely he didn’t think I would get naked in front of him.

  He stood, and for the first time, I really took in just how tall he was. In the plane, he’d been stooped. Back at the small airport, I was too mad and frazzled to really pay attention to him. Now, I could appreciate his frame. I wasn’t a small girl. Some considered me tall for a woman, yet he dwarfed me.

  “You expect me to g
et naked here?” I said before my thoughts tumbled back to getting naked with him.

  His eyes raked over me like he was disappointed in what he saw. I gritted my teeth and bit back a sarcastic remark that wouldn’t have been kind, considering he was doing me a favor. Then again, he probably thought of himself as my savior.

  “No. You can change in the bathroom.”

  That’s when I realized I didn’t have my bag. As if reading my mind, he pointed to the floor near the door where my bag sat.

  I snagged it and followed in his wake as he entered the short hallway.

  He pointed at the end. “You can change in here.”

  I worried my lip between my teeth, not wanting to say what I had to.

  “I don’t actually have a change of clothes. I—”

  He cut me off. “Of course, you don’t.”

  He had the nerve to look put out when I was just as annoyed as he was making assumptions about me. Before I could explain again that I hadn’t exactly been thinking clearly when my dad called to say my grandmother was in the hospital, he darted across the hall and disappeared in a room.

  When he came out, he handed me a folded bundle of clothes. “You can wear this. It’s not going to be a perfect fit but should keep you warm.”

  “Thanks,” I said through clenched teeth.

  The more I wanted to hate this man, the more he did something nice, although begrudgingly.

  In the bathroom, I got my first look at what he’d given me. The material was ribbed and turned out to be a thermal top and bottom set in gray. I stripped and took a towel from the rack to dry off. Though I really wanted a shower, I decided not to take one yet. The place appeared pretty remote, so I wasn’t sure of the plumbing situation even though there were a toilet and a sink.

  The dry clothes felt like heaven, but they didn’t completely warm me up. I left the bathroom and gravitated toward the fire and the heat coming off of it.

  “There’s food in the fridge if you want to make something to eat,” he said, scaring me.

  I hadn’t seen him, and I clutched my chest as I spun to face him. Before I thought better of it, I admitted, “I can’t cook.”