by Lucy Farago
“Sirius—”
On hearing a scream, Sirius ignored Loki’s telling him to stop, and took off upstairs.
3
Believing the scream had come from behind the closed door to his left, Sirius hammered it with enough fist power to bulldoze it to the floor.
Winter squealed. She sloshed bubbles onto the tiled floor as she snatched up the towel from a hook behind her, giving him—he could feel ashamed about later—a side view of one amazing boob and one fine butt cheek before she re-submerged in a bathtub that no longer contained an adequate amount of bubbles to cover her modesty. It was a lot to take in, and he nearly forgot why he’d broken down the door.
“What-the-fuck.” She popped the earbuds out of her ears.
“You screamed.” What the hell was going on?
“There was a spider on my wall,” she snarled through gritted teeth.
“You didn’t strike me as the squeamish type.” Way to go, dummy. Annoy her even more.
“The only thing I’ll allow in my bathroom when I’m taking a bubble bath is a tall Swede with a glass of champagne. You Swedish?” she asked, tucking back one of the many strands escaping the mane she’d clipped to the top of her head.
“Canadian.”
“Strike one.” She stood with that retched towel shielding what looked to be a very nice, very wet, very tanned body. “You got champagne?” she said, glaring at his empty hands. At least that was where he thought she was looking. He was too busy trying to get his tongue to work.
How he managed a “no,” he had no idea. She’d rendered him stupid. It was like he was in the presence of a goddess and he a lowly peon.
She stepped out of the tub, sloshing more water and bubbles onto the bathroom floor. “Strike two.”
For several seconds he did nothing…nothing but stare. He regained his senses and dropped his gaze to see ten perfectly painted red toes. He figured it was the most innocuous place to keep his eyes, that and he had broken down her door…two doors. Looking contrite might not hurt him, as ogling one very beautiful woman whom he’d put in an awkward position might get him killed.
“I smelled blood.” It had to count for something, but then he made the mistake of looking up.
“Blood?” She eyeballed him with such intensity he nearly hightailed it out of there.
But hey, she was naked under that towel, and cad that he was, should she drop that towel, he wanted to be around to see it. He’d never been more jealous of anything touching a woman as he was right now…. The towel, the water, those tiny popping bubbles clinging to her skin. It should be him.
“Then there were the scratches on the front door…which I will fix,” he quickly added. “And then you screamed.” And he realized that perhaps he was being an asshole in not giving her privacy. “I’ll wait for you downstairs.” If she was going to ream him out, she should, sadly, do it while clothed.
He turned to leave and cringed at the havoc he’d caused. Not the best way to get to know his new colleague, let alone new neighbor.
Loki stood in the middle of the stairs and, from the grin on his face, had heard their exchange.
“She’s not a fan of spiders…or people…but insects even less. It’s weird.”
“It is not weird,” came a shout from the bathroom.
“You’re a grown-ass woman who scares almost everyone who comes through the academy and you’re the size of the Statue of Liberty. Guaranteed bugs are afraid of you.”
Winter stepped out of the bathroom, now fully wrapped in that towel but not looking any happier. “Did you just call me fat?”
Well, at least her anger was directed in another direction, for now anyway.
“Get over it,” Loki said, not in the least intimidated by a six-foot-tall woman ready to kill someone. “You’re hot, and you know it. Just…tall.”
Then before he knew what was happening, Loki disappeared down the stairs…just as something whizzed by Sirius’s face, denting the wall where his friend’s head once was. Holding his breath, he picked up the hairbrush and gingerly handed it back to her.
She snatched it from his hands, and from the force she’d wielded it, he was grateful he still had an arm. “I’ll wait for you downstairs,” he said as meekly as he could muster.
Normally, he didn’t cower, but he had broken into her house, invaded her bath, and seen her nearly…deliciously…naked. Even if he had his reasons, she was still dressed in a towel and she deserved the power in this situation.
Downstairs, Loki waited, cross-armed and with a grin that, in any other circumstances, demanded to be smacked down.
Sirius was certain anyone else would’ve reacted exactly as he had. “She screamed. How was I to know she hates spiders?”
“Didn’t you hear me telling you to stop?”
Of course he’d heard. He could hear a pin drop from the other side of a football stadium. “There was the blood…and the claw marks,” he said, refusing to be chastised.
“Those are from last year. You never learn, do you?”
Who had clawed her door? “Why hasn’t the door been repaired?”
“Because,” said Winter from behind him, “I put them there.”
“Her warped idea of art or her sick sense of humor. None of us have figured out which,” Loki explained, now giving her that shitty grin.
“Neither, you mangy mutt. My homage to shifters,” she said, glaring down at her very, very broken front door.
Even though she’d thrown on a pair of biker shorts and an oversized shirt that fell off one delicious shoulder, she looked hot as hell. Her damp hair was re-piled high on her head, and while her face was still rosy and pink from her hot bath, her demeanor didn’t read like a woman who’d just enjoyed a long soak. So when she started to laugh, it took a few seconds to register.
“You’re going to fix that?” She pointed to the wreckage on the floor. “With what? Krazy Glue? You turned it into match sticks.” Her laughter was throaty, sexy, the kind that made him want to do more dumb things, simply to hear that luscious sound leave her perfect, full lips.
“There goes your homage,” Loki said, not in the least intimidated by a woman who, he’d warned Sirius, had an explosive temper. “Bud, you did the neighborhood a favor. That door was creepy, and it scared the kids on Halloween.”
Whoever had first said “if looks could kill” hadn’t met Winter. Hers could incinerate. “What kids have you seen trick-or-treating at the Academy?”
“Exactly,” he replied, as if she’d proven his point.
“You,” she hissed “are lucky Mia is my best friend.” She twisted to turn her attention onto Sirius but seemed to change her mind and spun back to Loki. “Fuck it. She can do better.”
And before Sirius could agree, Loki exploded out the door with Winter very much on his tail.
Thankfully, Siberians were almost as fast on their feet as they were on their paws. But then again, given Winter’s species was unknown, she could very well outrun him. A good pal would probably go after them. In his defense, he did debate it for a good twenty seconds before grabbing a seat on one of the black leather couches in her living room. It had been a long day. Besides, Loki had accused him of always wanting to be the hero, everyone’s savior. He’d show him. He could fuck a friend over as good as the next guy.
While he contemplated how long it would take her to beat his ass, he couldn’t help but notice Winter had really nice taste in decorating, expensive taste. The salary he’d been offered to join the teaching team at the Academy was good, so he had to assume she wasn’t strapped for cash. He’d just come off a triple tour of duty and had never had a place, a home to decorate, not really. But he knew what expensive Italian leather was. He now understood the whole comparing leather to butter thing. And her rug, the one her splintered door was now partially splattered over, was silk, and not the kind you bought online. And while he wasn’t up on his art, he’d bet the measly belongings he’d managed to stuff into his duffel bag that the black an
d white seascape over the sofa cost far more than a generous week of bartending tips. Sadly, if he’d been entertaining the idea of getting to know her better, he was deeply mistaken. She was out of his league.
Winter returned to find a very sexy man napping on her couch. The dog, sadly, had outrun her, depriving her of any fun today. She’d have had better luck if she’d worn shoes. As it was, she wasn’t going to ruin a good pedicure on that idiot. It was hard to fathom that her kind and his had once been allies. It was unclear how the alliance had been broken, but she’d bet dollars to donuts it was because of fools like Loki. How Mia tolerated him she’d never know.
Staring down at this sleeping dog, she assumed Sirius had gotten the job he’d come for. Or else why show him their living quarters? Then it dawned on her that the cottage beside hers was no longer empty. Too bad the lake wasn’t closer. She’d have enjoyed her morning coffee with a side of naked hunky man. She guessed she should feel lucky. If they’d showed up twenty minutes before she decided to soak her frustrations in a hot bath… Then Winter would’ve been the one with some explaining to do. For this reason, she decided to forgive the dog’s rude and destructive interruption. Dumb heroics aside, he’d meant well. Of course, if she didn’t solve her little problem, a couple of broken doors were the least of her worries. But one thing at a time.
Now, how did she wake him? Not that she didn’t appreciate the view. He took up all of her couch and then some, which was saying something. She’d had it specially made to fit her own long legs. And lying on his back with one foot on the floor and his hands over his head exposed one sweet-ass midriff. But given her current dilemma, she needed the big boy out of her house. With a regretful sigh, she poked his shoulder.
Exactly how she ended up on the floor with an arm across her chest, one hand over her head, and the other lodged under his body, she couldn’t say. And while not entirely unhappy with where he’d put his fantastically muscular thigh, if he wasn’t kissing her, he’d better get the fuck off. Lucky for him she realized her blunder and lay still. Never poke ex-military. She counted to five and waited for him to figure out his mistake.
“Shit. Sorry. Did I hurt you?” He withdrew the arm pinning her but failed to remove the rest of him.
She took in a much-needed breath and flashed him teeth. “I’m not the fragile type.” She’d once fallen thirty feet and come away with an itty-bitty bruise on her ass.
“That’s good. Still. I’m sorry. Old habits…hard to break.”
“You make it a habit of flooring everyone who wakes you up?” She wiggled her toes, trying to regain some feeling. The dude was huge. Why hadn’t he gotten off her?
“Not always. But, I consider myself one of the lucky ones. What’s tossing someone on their ass compared to the PTSD others have to endure?”
She reminded herself to be respectful. The man had, after all, served his country. But did he really thinking it was cool to tackle someone? And still, he made no attempt to get off her. Her left butt cheek grew numb and if he didn’t move soon, she’d have a hard time standing by herself. As much as she enjoyed the weight of this man—whose image she could vividly recall emerging from the lake—it was time to say something.
“You smell nice.” He smiled.
She hadn’t expected that. “Is that your way of saying I stank earlier today?” She feigned offense, just to bust his chops. He hadn’t smelled her scent, but she had been running and sweat was sweat, even to her kind.
His half-grin was even sexier than the full one. “Are you always difficult?”
“When it amuses me,” she said, more pleased than was good for her that he hadn’t cowed.
The first thing she’d done when she left home was get rid of her cumbersome virginity. True, she’d done it out of spite, but she’d chosen well and hadn’t regretted it. Naïve she may have been; stupid she wasn’t. Still, she wasn’t that experienced. Could flirting with a dog, who only recently busted down her door and seen her all but naked, be a good thing? It was just so damn hard to resist a man who didn’t fall at her feet and cower.
Loki was the only one who didn’t take her shit. She’d grown up in a house with six other siblings, six loud argumentative siblings. While she didn’t miss home sweet home, she appreciated anyone who could challenge her…even Loki, although she’d never admit it to the dog.
“So…this has been nice…you, me…your thigh between my legs, but how about you get off now?”
One of his eyebrows shot up, and she immediately registered her blunder. “You know what I meant. Dog, cut it the fuck out before I cut it off.”
Propping himself up onto his elbows, he seemed unperturbed by her threat. Hmm. Was it a Siberian thing?
“You seem to have this fascination with my…man-parts. Why is that?”
Because what she’d seen were spectacular. “I wouldn’t say a fascination per se. More like concern.”
“Concern?” He chuckled, a ticklish vibration she felt right down to her spine…and other parts.
“Yes. You seem to enjoy putting them in constant peril. First the icy lake and now me.” She batted her eyelashes and flashed him an innocent grin.
He finally got the message and rolled off. It was a tad disappointing he hadn’t proved more of a challenge. She was envious every time she saw Loki and Mia quarrel over the dumbest things, and then poof, they’d disappear. She swore they fought on purpose for some angry sex… with handcuffs and one of those feathery whip things she’d give anything to try. She’d accidentally walked in on them at the garage, and, was ashamed to say, it wasn’t easy to ride the academy’s ATV and not be jealous of her friend’s good fortune. It wasn’t just about the sex. In her world—her old world, thank you very much—everything came with conditions. Including her love life.
“Hey.” Sirius waved a hand in front of her face. “Where’d you go?”
“I was just wondering how much Siberian balls go for on the black market.” She sat up. “There be some crazy shifters out there. Tell me, is your kind known to have any mystical healing power? Never mind…” She waved him off and got to her feet. “People will believe anything these days. I’ll say...” She gestured a slogan through the air with her middle finger and thumb. “‘He who endures can conquer.’ That shits manly enough to attract any buyer.”
He stood as well. “Did you just come up with that? Or did Loki get you thinking?”
“I’ll admit I’ve considered whacking his off on more than one occasion. But Mia seems to have need of it, so…”
“You two are friends?”
“Close friends. But I tell ya, I never saw those two getting together. She hated him.” She hated him so much she never used his name. It was the dog this, the dog that.
“Goes to show you never know when the mating call will get you.”
Winter adjusted her shirt on her shoulders. “Not everyone hears a mating call.”
“Not everyone listens,” he corrected. “Sometimes you have to listen.”
“Look at you, a romantic.” She headed for her front door, wondering if a spare one was on site. While she didn’t mind the temperature drops this time of year, the looming clouds indicated a storm was brewing. And with her luck, he’d still be out there.
“I take it you’re the only female on the planet who doesn’t like romance?” He joined her, kneeling on one knee to examine his mess.
“Believing in some biological hocus-pocus to give you a sign that you’ve found the love of your life is a tad out there. Lots of couples who never hear the call are very happy.” Several taught at the Academy or worked as agents.
“Like I said, maybe they weren’t listening.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever, so, my door…” No way could he fix it.
“I can’t fix this,” he said. “You need a new door.”
She shook her head. “And here I thought Loki was the only smart Siberian.”
“Sarcasm, lovely.” He got to his feet and extended a hand to her.
While she appreciated the chivalrous gesture, she didn’t need a man to help her stand and waved him off as she took out her phone and called maintenance.
After the most frustrating conversation of her life—besides the ones she had with Loki—she hung up. They were of no help. It had to be ordered and would take several days.
While she was on the phone, Sirius had cleared the debris onto her front porch and was headed down the stairs with the remains of her bathroom door.
“I’m out of luck. They’re bringing a tarp to pin to the frame before the storm hits.”
“I’m really sorry. I don’t normally…I’m sorry.” He rubbed the back of his neck and muttered something about maybe Loki being right.
One, Loki was never right. Two, he looked so forlorn that she had to make it better. “You meant well.”
“Messing with someone’s home, it isn’t right. I’ve left you homeless.”
“I’m not homeless.” Typical Siberian, stubborn to the core even when it came to something like this. “It’s just a couple of doors.”
“You can’t stay here, without a front door. What if a raccoon or a bear wandered in while you were sleeping?”
She could point out she was far scarier than anything that lived in the Rocky Mountains, but that would be tipping her hat to what she was. “I seriously doubt that will happen.” It would be funny though. She was fairly certain she’d scare them.
“And then there’s the storm. Loki said it’s going to be bad.”
It was sweet that he thought she needed taking care of. She wasn’t used to it and wasn’t entirely sure how to deal with his kindness. Snarling, clawing, and the occasional biting was how matters were handled in her family, mostly because, well, if you were nice, you were taken down. “I can handle the storm. It’s just water.”
“No, you have to let me do something. You’ll stay with me until the door is fixed.”