“I wouldn’t be so sure. He must like it or he would have fired me the first time I met him.” Harlow held out the phone. “Here’s a satellite phone. You should be able to get reception no matter what.”
Eva stared at the cell. “What’s that for?”
“For you to use while you guys are holed up.” She pushed it closer until Eva took it. “I don’t want you to be stuck there with no way to call if you need help.” She glanced out the door where Reed and Dutch were helping Brock load up the SUV. “They have a bad habit of doing shit they shouldn’t when things get crazy.” Her eyes snapped back to Eva’s. “How are your first aid skills?”
“What?” Eva pressed her temples. “This is not what was supposed to happen.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “What did I do to deserve this?”
“Something amazing.” Harlow leaned back against the wall. “You must be a way better person than I am, because I still haven’t gotten any action.” She wiggled her brows. “Of the danger or the dick variety.”
A group of men passed, all tall and fit and good-looking as hell. “How is that possible? This place is literally crawling with it.”
“Right?” Harlow groaned as she straightened, stretching her arms over her head. “None of them will even give me the time of day.” She glared as Dutch came in. “It’s probably his fucking fault.”
“What’s my fault now, Mowry?”
“My vaginal dry spell.”
Dutch’s jaw twitched. “How is that my fault?”
“I don’t know.” She waved one hand his way. “But I’m sure it is somehow.”
Brock wrapped one arm around Eva’s waist and pulled her in close. “Time to go.”
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere no one will be able to get to you.”
“You keep saying that.” Eva tried to slow down, but Brock kept moving, his long strides forcing her to almost run to keep up with him. “Why did Harlow give me a phone that works anywhere?”
“Did she?” Brock glanced down at the cell clutched in her hand. “She’s a smart woman. I didn’t think of that.”
“You aren’t answering me.” Eva grabbed the front of his coat and yanked as hard as she could, pulling him in close. “Where are you taking me?”
He smiled and kissed her on the tip of the nose. “My house.” Brock opened the passenger door on the already-running Rover. “Get comfy. It’s a long drive.”
Two hours later Eva was staring at a two-car garage stuck out in the middle of nowhere at the end of what some people might call a road.
Some people was Brock.
“You live in that?”
“What did you expect?” He grinned before climbing out to unlock the handle in the center of the door, pulling it open to reveal an empty bay.
Mostly empty. A large snowmobile sat to one side.
Brock’s cheeks were pink from the cold when he climbed back into the Rover. “You look terrified, Tatum.”
Her eyes stayed on the sled as Brock pulled the SUV into the garage and parked. He climbed out and opened the back hatch before starting to unload their luggage and the groceries Tyson and Reed brought from her Airbnb.
Her beautiful, heated, Airbnb.
“You can’t sit in there forever.” Brock gave her a wink as she looked back through the SUV at him. “Might as well get out and start suiting up.”
“Suiting up?”
He nodded to where a pair of white pants and a coat hung on the wall beside the snowmobile. “Those go on over your clothes.”
This was crazy. She lived in a condo on the river. One she could walk to from almost anywhere she had to go.
There was a freaking grocery store within five minutes.
“This is where you live?” She shoved out of the SUV, her breath catching as a cold gust of wind whipped through the open door.
“When I’m not working.” Brock loaded the last of their bags onto a small enclosed trailer and closed the lid. He glanced up at her. “The rest of the time I stay with whoever I’m working for.” Brock grabbed the pants and coat and walked her way. “Arms out.”
She did as he asked, mostly because what the hell else was she going to do?
Brock zipped her into the coat before working the thick canvas pants on over her jeans.
“I don’t think they’re going to stay up.” She wiggled in the too-big pants, trying to keep them in place.
“You’re going to be sitting the whole time. They just have to stay on.” Brock turned to push the sled out into the snow before hooking the tiny trailer up to the back. “Come on. We need to get going before the sun goes down.”
Eva leaned out, peeking at the landscape around them. “What happens after the sun goes down?”
He smiled, reaching one gloved hand out to her. “It gets cold.”
This wasn’t cold?
Eva braced for the smack of the wind as she took Brock’s hand and stepped out of the garage. She felt the pressure as it hit her, but the extra layer kept it from being any more than that.
Everywhere except her face.
“I forgot.” Brock reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a knit hat.
Nope. Not a hat.
He pushed back her hood and tugged the mask over her head and face before pulling the hood back into place.
She watched as he slid the garage door back into place and locked the handle. “What about you? Aren’t you going to freeze?”
Brock was still only in his parka and jeans. Nowhere near as protected from the elements as she was.
“I’ll be just fine.” He wrapped one arm around her back and hefted her body against his. “But I like that you’re worried about me.” He kissed her through the opening of the mask. “It’s go time, Tatum.” He grabbed her around the waist and picked her up off the ground, dropping her butt onto the long seat of the sled before climbing on in front of her. “Hold on tight.”
The engine fired to life and a second later they were moving, the sound of the wind and the roar of the sled drowning out her scream as they flew over the snow.
The cold air made her eyes water and her nose run. She pressed her face into Brock’s back and closed her eyes, holding onto him for dear life.
She was going to die. All this work to shut Mona and Chandler up was going to kill her.
No one would find her until spring.
Was there even spring in Alaska?
“Almost there, Sunshine.” Brock’s voice was barely audible between the layers covering her ears and the wind battering her head.
She nodded against his back.
A few minutes later the sled slowed enough that she was willing to risk taking a peek.
“Holy shit, Broccoli.”
“That a good holy shit?” He pulled to a stop in front of a modern-lined building made of wood and concrete. The roof was covered with solar panels as was a large portion of the ground beside it.
“This is your house?” It was bigger than she expected and definitely nicer.
“It is.” He climbed off the snowmobile and reached out a hand. “Come on. Let’s get you inside where it’s warm.”
Eva kept her eyes on the house as she stood on one leg and bounced her way off the seat, letting Brock support her weight as she did. “Why do you live somewhere you can only get to by snowmobile?”
“That’s only in the winter.” He gave her a wink. “I can drive all the way to the front door in the summer.”
“Which is like two months.” She peeked around as they walked to the small covered porch. “The steps are shoveled.” Eva leaned back to look up at the solar panels. They should be covered in snow, but each one was clear and snow-free.
“One of my neighbors comes over once every few days when I’m out of town.” Brock shoved a key in the door and unlocked the deadbolt before stepping back. “Go on in. I’ll bring in our bags.”
Eva peeked inside.
“You’re letting all the warm air out, Sunshine.”
“Sorry.” She stepped in and Brock immediately closed the door, leaving her in his space.
All alone.
The inside of the place was just as surprising as the outside. Thick rugs covered the rugged wood floors and large leather sofas and chairs dominated the open living room. Everything was dark and sleek, but still cozy-feeling.
But that wasn’t the surprising part.
Eva fought her boots off, leaving them on the rug just inside the door before making her way across the room to a wall off shelves. A good number of books lined a few, but discovering Brock was a reader didn’t even make her blink.
It was the rest of the items that had her mind spinning. She reached for one, carefully picking the priceless object up for a closer look.
“Eva?”
She spun to face him, tucking the small sculpture safely against her chest as she did.
Brock’s eyes dropped to where she held it over her heart. He took a deep breath.
“You probably have some questions.”
CHAPTER 13
“WHO ARE ALL these kids?”
Eva still held the clay pot his oldest nephew made when he was six, both hands wrapped protectively around the brightly painted item as if she understood its value.
“My nieces and nephews.” Brock moved toward her. He thought this moment would be a hurdle.
That explaining his life would be difficult.
“I’m the youngest of four brothers.” He reached around her to pick up one of the photos lining the shelves. “This is us when we were kids.”
She smiled at the shot of him and his brothers piled up in an open tent at one of their many family camping trips. “That’s a lot of testosterone your mother had to wrangle.”
“She’s amazing.” Brock pointed to the most recent picture of his mother, flanked by two of her grandsons.
Eva grabbed the photo. “She’s beautiful.”
“I’ll tell her you said so.”
He had no intention of doing that. He fully intended for Eva to tell his mother herself.
“Good. Most women like to hear that.” She replaced the photo along with the pot.
“Not you, though.”
Eva’s eyes met his. “No. Not me.”
“Why?”
“Because being beautiful isn’t always a good thing.” She looked down at the heavy coat still zipped on her body. “Thank you for letting me wear this.” Her lips pressed into a frown. “You were probably freezing.”
“I’m used to it.” His acclimation to the frigid weather was not why he still felt warm even after a bitingly cold trip to the cabin. “Is it warm enough for you in here?” He reached out to work down the heavy metal zipper of the coat.
“It is.” Her eyes moved around the cabin. “How do you heat this place?”
“Depends.” He’d never shared this place with a woman. Never wanted to, but seeing Eva in his private space settled a part of him that was forever on edge. “I use solar for as much as I can, but I have a propane tank for back-up.” He nodded to the buck stove set between the kitchen and living room. “When I’m here I can pretty much heat the whole place with that.”
“Wow.” Her brows lifted. “I kind of doubted you when you said we were going where no one could find me.”
He pulled off the coat and tossed it over the back of the large leather sofa. “I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into this.”
“Is it fixable?” She watched as he unfastened the pants and worked them down her jean-covered legs. “Would I be safer to just go home? Hire someone there?”
He wanted to be able to tell her there was no place she would be safer than here. It was true.
But it was also not possible to keep her here forever. She had a company to run. Bad men to investigate.
“Is that what you want? To go home?” The thought made his chest ache.
“Well.” Eva chewed her bottom lip the way she did when the desire to lie made it hard to tell the truth she prided herself on always giving. “I have to go home sometime.”
It wasn’t the open honest answer he was hoping for. Eva might not lie, but she sure as hell skirted the truth.
And he was tired of it. “I don’t want you to go.”
Her eyes barely widened.
He wanted her to be honest. Wanted her to tell him all the reasons she was trying to pretend there was nothing real happening between them.
So he would give her his reasons for being like he was. Hopefully she would return the favor.
“All my brothers got married young.” He laid the pants on top of the coat before grabbing Eva’s hand and pulling her toward the couch. “Had kids young.” He sat, tugging her down beside him. “They were husbands and dads before I finished high school.”
Eva smiled. “Uncle Broccoli.”
He laughed in spite of the truth he was about to offer her. The honesty he’d never given another person. “Believe it or not, none of them have ever come up with that one.” He reached out to smooth down the side of her hair. “I’m sure they’ll be thrilled when they hear it.” He didn’t give her time to think too much into the comment. “My oldest brother married the girl he dated all through school. They’d been together since eighth grade.”
“That’s sweet.” Eva rested one elbow on the back of the couch and leaned into her palm.
“They had four boys back to back. She wanted a big family.” He chuckled a little. “Said she wanted a basketball team.”
“Because you’re all so tall.” Eva followed along perfectly.
He nodded. “You would have really liked her.”
The soft smile she’d been wearing slipped. “Would have?”
“She died a few days after their youngest was born. A blood clot from the c-section.”
A line of tears edged each of Eva’s ringed eyes. “Oh my gosh.” One hand covered her mouth as her gaze moved to the shelves where dozens of photos of his family sat. “That’s—” She shook her head. “I don’t even have a word for it.”
“My brother was devastated.” Brock reached for her other hand and held it in his. He swallowed around the lump of pain clogging his throat. “He couldn’t live without her.”
Eva shook her head. “No.” The pain in her eyes almost stopped him. Almost made him keep the rest to himself.
But he couldn’t hold back. Not with her.
“He shot himself on the first anniversary of her death.”
A tear slid down her cheek and she let it fall. Didn’t try to wipe it away as another followed behind it. “Who has their boys?”
“My parents.” He brushed his thumb across her cheek, stopping the slide of another tear.
She sniffed in a long breath. “Are they okay?”
He lifted one shoulder. “As okay as they can ever be. I’m not sure that’s something you can completely come back from.”
Eva’s head barely tipped to one side, her eyes moving over his face.
She was connecting all the dots he’d given her. Putting together the pieces of his life like the puzzle they were.
“But you’re not okay.”
He shook his head. “No.”
He’d never given any woman this much of himself. Not even close.
Never planned to. In a life filled with lethal men and constant threats, this was the most dangerous thing he’d ever done.
Letting Eva Tatum in.
Her hand slowly reached out, the move more tentative than anything he’d seen from her.
The Eva Tatum he’d seen was strong and sure and confident. Unwilling to be anything besides what she was.
Now she was giving him the smallest glimpse of the part she kept hidden. Held close.
Her palm finally rested against his cheek, warm and soft.
She didn’t tell him any of the things most people did in situations like this one. She didn’t apologize. Didn’t talk about what a tragedy it was.
Her eyes just rested on his, a war of understanding and indecision fighting in their ripple
d depths.
Her chest lifted and fell on a long, deep breath.
And then she was on him, straddling his lap, hands shoving into his hair, full lips finding his. She held him tight, fingers pressing into his scalp as her body rolled against him, trying to get closer.
Brock never wanted to want this. Was never willing to admit to himself or anyone else how empty his life was.
How fucking empty he was.
He tried to pretend it wasn’t there. Did his best to stifle the loneliness with companionship. Meaningless sex with women who deserved better.
But that would never happen with Eva. He knew it the second he saw her helping that old man in the airport. The way laughter erupted from her lips. The way she refused to hide who she was. The full honesty in every breath she took.
She didn’t hide behind a wall, waiting to see if he would like her. Because she didn’t care.
It cut him off at the knees. He couldn’t avoid seeing her.
All of her.
And every bit of it was fucking perfect.
“You ruined everything, you know that, Sunshine?”
“I’m not the problem here, Broccoli. You’re the problem.” She grabbed at his shirt. “You just couldn’t be shallow, could you?” Eva shoved the fabric up his chest, yanking when it got caught on his armpits. “What man doesn’t want to have casual sex?” Her hands were on his skin, not an ounce of hesitation in the way she touched him. “It’s freaking ridiculous.” She went back to his shirt, nearly strangling him with it in the fight to get it off. “This could have been so simple.”
He raised his arms and she whipped the garment off and threw it over her head before grabbing the hem of her sweater and shucking it in one quick move.
“Stop.” He grabbed at her hands as they went to work on the button of his pants, catching her by the wrists just as she flipped it free. “Stop.”
“I don’t want to stop.” She twisted in his grip. “I want to keep going.” Her eyes locked onto his. “And so do you.”
“Not if you’re still going to pretend this is just fucking.”
Her shoulders dropped and her hands went limp in his. Eva pressed her lips tight together, but not before he saw the tiny quiver of her chin.
Counterfeit Relations (Alaskan Security: Team Rogue Book 2) Page 12