Hold On To Me

by Elisabeth Naughton

  Yeah, right.

  She dried her hair, slapped on lip balm and a thin layer of mascara, and figured that was good. She wasn’t getting gussied up for him. As it was, if she hadn’t already agreed to be cordial to him, she’d barricade herself in her room and not come out until it was time to leave.

  Still not a bad option…

  She shook her head and frowned. He’d only hunt her down if she tried that, and the last thing she needed was him here in this cozy room with her and that giant bed. Pushing the thought—and the fantasy—aside, she headed for the hall.

  No sound echoed from the kitchen when she reached the stairs. No scents of breakfast cooking either. Which was a good thing, she figured, because if she’d beat him to the kitchen, at least cooking would give her something to do with her hands so she wouldn’t be tempted to grab him.

  Surprise drew her feet to a halt though when she reached the great room. Mitch was already up, sitting on the couch, leaning over and tying his boots. He was wearing jeans and a thick blue-checked flannel shirt. And the same black-knit skullcap he’d worn when they’d driven up here.

  He must have sensed her, because his head came up, and she saw then that the tips of his curly hair peeking out from beneath the cap were wet. The image of him stepping from the shower filled her mind again and sent heat careening through her veins to condense between her legs.

  A slow smile spread across his scruffy face, crinkling the skin around his green eyes in a way that made them sparkle. “Good morning.”

  She didn’t like that heated look in his eyes, the I’ve been waiting for you look. And she liked the flutters in her stomach because of that look even less. “G-good morning.”

  She pulled her gaze from his and moved around the island, heading for the coffeepot. Please let there be coffee. That, at least, would go one step further in settling her raging hormones.

  Mitch went back to tying his dusty hiking boots. “I’m glad you’re already wearing something warm. Saves me from telling you to go change.”

  She reached for a mug from the cabinet. “Why? Are you expecting the heat to go out or something?”

  He pushed to his feet. “We’re getting out of here.”

  Her cup clattered against the counter, and she whirled on him quickly. “Did you hear from Ryan?”

  “No.” He rested his hands on his lean hips. “Sorry. I didn’t mean like that. I meant…we’re getting out of here for the day. I can only be cooped up so long before I go stir-crazy.”

  Simone glanced around the living area. “It’s only been a day.”

  Mitch scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, well, I need some exercise, so unless you can think of something sweaty and physical we can do right here in the house together…”

  His unfinished words lingered in the air, and Simone didn’t miss the innuendo. Neither did her body, which felt like someone had just fired up her internal burners and switched them to SMOLDER.

  She cleared her throat and turned back to the coffeepot. “I can’t think of a single thing.”

  His sexy chuckle drifted across the room, igniting a tingle deep in her core, one that messed with every inch of her resolve. “You’re quick, Counselor. I bet if I give you some time, you could come up with something.”

  Her pulse shot up, and a memory of the last time they’d been together, when he’d done that crazy thing with his tongue that had made her see stars, ricocheted through her mind. Heat erupted all through her body, and a thin layer of perspiration dotted her spine. She wanted that. Needed it. But she couldn’t have it. “Mitch—”

  His boot steps echoed across the kitchen floor, and she tensed as he drew close, afraid if he touched her right now, she’d give in. The warmth of his body permeated the air around her, and his fresh, masculine scent drifted to her nose, causing that heat to turn into a full-blown blaze. Her fingers shook against the mug in her hand. No, if he touched her right now, she knew she’d give in.

  But the touch never came. Instead, a clatter echoed at her feet, and, surprised, she looked down to see another pair of leather hiking boots lying against the hardwood floor.

  “These should be your size,” he said, close but not close enough. “I’ve already packed us some food and a fresh thermos of coffee. Grab some breakfast and meet me out at the garage.”

  He moved away, and she turned quickly, surprised—and disappointed. “You’re serious about getting out of the house?”

  He stopped near the hall and looked back, all sexy, rugged, outdoor man she never thought she’d be attracted to. “Unless you want to get down and dirty on the kitchen floor right now, yeah.”

  Her cheeks heated, and she opened her mouth to respond but couldn’t find the right words. Because hell, yeah, right now would totally work. And doom him for all eternity.

  His sexy, throaty chuckle slid across the room toward her again. “I didn’t think so. We’re going hiking. I want to show you something.”

  “Mitch.” She crossed the kitchen before he could get more than a step or two down the hall. “Are you sure that’s a good idea. After what happened yesterday—”

  He turned back toward her. “That guy yesterday was nothing more than one of Kendrick’s crazy fans. You heard Ford. It had nothing to do with us. No one knows we’re here. And where I’m taking you, no one would ever think to look for us.”

  Simone wasn’t so sure.

  “Trust me, sweetheart. You need this. And you’re gonna like it.” That sexy, mischievous smile slinked across his lips again. “Ten minutes. If you’re not out there in ten, I’ll assume you’d rather go the kitchen route.”

  He left before Simone could stop him.

  Alone, she frowned and looked down at her mug. She didn’t particularly want to go hiking. She and the great outdoors weren’t exactly friends. Her gaze slid to the hardwood floor beneath her feet. And before she could stop it, a bone-deep craving pushed that ache deep in her belly to a throbbing need she could only just contain.

  Lifting the cup to her lips, she ignored the fact that her hand was shaking.

  Okay, hiking. She could do this. And thankfully, at least, they were heading someplace cold, which would be enough to keep her blistering hormones in check.

  Or so she hoped.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The crisp mountain air was exactly what Mitch needed.

  He paused along the snowy trail, drew in a deep breath, and turned to look for Simone. She was still ten yards back, breathing heavily as she climbed the steadily rising path toward him, lifting her snowshoes with every step as if they were lead weights attached to her feet.

  Okay, not exactly what he needed, but a strong second. If she’d taken him up on his offer back at the house, he’d have gladly locked himself inside for one more day and made sure they were both thoroughly sweaty and exhausted in the sweetest way. But part of him was glad she hadn’t. Because sex between them had never been a problem. It was everything else—the secrets, the omissions, the holding back—that had done them in. And this excursion at least gave them the chance to spend more time together and hopefully bridge the gap they’d created between them.

  Lodgepole pine, white fir, and spindly aspen that had just lost their leaves stretched to the gray sky. He’d thrown snowshoes in the back of the rig before they’d left, just in case, and was now glad. Though most of the snow from the earlier storm had melted down by the lake, up here a layer of white still covered the ground and hid the trail. He’d made Simone pull on snow pants, boots, and the snow shoes before they’d left the car, which she’d bitched about, but once she’d gotten the hang of it, she’d stopped complaining. For the most part. Of course, watching her try to navigate the terrain with all the gear was thoroughly entertaining, and every time she sent him one of her adorably irritated looks, it only made him smile wider.

  Simone reached him, her cheeks rosy, her chest rising and falling beneath the thick jacket, her breath making tiny wisps of steam all around her. “You didn’t bother to
mention this hike was uphill the entire way.”

  Before he could stop himself, he tugged the white knit cap farther over her ears so they didn’t get cold. She had no idea how cute she looked right now—his own personal Stay Puft Marshmallow girl. “Think of it this way, it’ll be downhill the entire trip back.”

  Her frown told him she was less than impressed. “This looks like it could be a road.”

  “It is in the summer.” Reluctantly, he let go of her and moved back up the path, slowing his pace so she could keep up with him. “The gate where we parked is usually open when the weather’s good.”

  “You mean we could have driven all the way up here and missed out on all this fun?”

  He laughed. She was such a city girl. Usually that was a major turn-off for him, but every single thing about her turned him on. It always had.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” she muttered. “I successfully managed avoiding the outdoors with you all these months, and the first time I cave, it’s in the middle of winter, when I’m freezing my ass off. Yeah, this makes sense.” Louder, she said, “Speaking of the weather. Is it just me or does that look like trouble?”

  The clouds moving up from the southwest looked like trouble to Mitch too, though “trouble” was subjective depending on one’s interpretation. He’d glanced at the weather report before they’d left. He knew that the storm moving in wasn’t going to be a big one. The worst that could happen was they’d get stuck out here for a night, if that.

  The thought of being stuck with Simone pinged around in his brain and heated his blood. Being locked in Kendrick’s giant house together was one thing. Being trapped alone together in the great outdoors where they’d have to huddle together to stay warm took on a completely different meaning.

  “Mitch?”

  Her voice brought him around. He glanced her way and realized she was ten feet in front of him on the path, watching him carefully. “Yeah?”

  “Should we go back?”

  Go back and walk on eggshells around each other, or stay here and see where it went. He glanced from her worried eyes to her gorgeous lips. Her cold, pink, perfect lips he wanted to kiss now more than yesterday.

  “We’re fine.” He moved toward her, his stomach tightening with every step, his awareness of her inching up the closer he drew. “It’s not much farther.”

  He stopped in front of her. Even with the elevation and her standing uphill, he was still taller than her. Her chin lifted, and her chocolate eyes narrowed in a way he’d seen her do in the courtroom when a witness gave an answer she knew was false. “Why do I get the feeling you’re up to something?”

  Because she was as keen as a bloodhound, and because she knew him. Really well. But tonight he wanted her to know him a whole lot better.

  One side of his mouth curled in a smirk. He stepped around her, careful not to touch her. There’d be time for that later. Hopefully. “Now what could I possibly be up to out here in the middle of the wilderness?”

  “You tell me,” she said. Then, in a whisper: “Um, Mitch?”

  He stopped and turned back. She wasn’t looking at him. She was staring at something off in the trees. “What now?”

  “Please tell me that isn’t what I think it is.”

  His gaze slid past her and into the trees, to the large four-legged creature ambling parallel to them at least a hundred yards away.

  Slowly, he made his way back down to her. “Don’t make any loud noises.”

  “Oh. My. God,” she whispered.

  “Your chances of being attacked by a bear are less than your chances of being hit by lightning,” he told her, trying to diffuse her anxiety. She’d gone rigid next to him, her eyes wide with fear. Grasping her gloved hand in his, he slowly tugged her up the path. “He hasn’t looked our way, which is a good thing. Come on.”

  She followed but kept glancing over her shoulder toward the bear, which was now moving away from them. “Have I ever mentioned I hate the great outdoors?”

  He chuckled.

  “There’s no way I’m going back down there now.”

  He smiled, loving the way she gripped his hand tightly in his, loving the way she was now plastered to his side. “I may need to send that bear a fish basket to say thanks.”

  She frowned, a sexy little pout that turned her lips and made him want to kiss them all over again. “The view up there better be worth it.”

  It probably wouldn’t be—at least to her—but finding a way to fix things between them? Yeah, that was totally worth whatever the cost.

  Simone paused along the trail to catch her breath.

  The air was a lot thinner than she was used to, and it seemed to take twice as much energy to go half the distance as it did at sea level. As she braced her hands on her knees, she drew in large breaths, hoping to ease that low burn in her lungs while she turned to look down the path again.

  Still no sign of that bear. A bear, for God’s sake. Mitch owed her. Owed her big-time agreeing to this crazy activity. She didn’t even like bears in zoos.

  “We’re almost there, sweetheart. Don’t give up now.”

  Lifting her head, she glared up the trail toward Mitch, who stood near the trunk of a pine tree, seemingly unfazed by the elevation or the fact they could have been lunch. Granted, it wasn’t a difficult hike, and that bear hadn’t even looked their way or tried to follow them. But still… It was a bear!

  She glanced up at the sky again. It was definitely growing grayer, the air temperature dropping. She could barely feel her nose anymore. They’d gotten a later start than she’d thought, mostly because Ford had insisted on finding all the snow gear for them, and she wasn’t sure of the time, but it was definitely heading toward late afternoon. Going back down would probably be a lot faster than coming up, but there was no way she was going down until that bear had plenty of time to disappear.

  She looked back at Mitch, who didn’t seem the least concerned about anything other than his precious hike. Her eyes narrowed. He was definitely up to something. The red parka he was wearing brought out a ginger hue in his beard she hadn’t noticed before, but it was the sparkle in his green eyes and that lopsided grin accentuating his dimple that made her suspicious. And revved her pulse.

  Slowly, she made her way up to where he stood waiting for her. When he handed her the water bottle, she took it and downed a generous sip. “How far is ‘almost there’?”

  “Two hundred yards, if that. It’s just up around that bend.”

  Two football-field lengths didn’t seem that bad. He pointed up the hill, and Simone looked past him at the snow covering the ground, then to the cloud behind her, which seemed a whole lot closer than it had only moments before. “We’re not going to freeze to death out here, are we?” She faced him again. “I know you’ve been mad at me, but I’m starting to worry you dragged me all the way up here to make my death look like a random accident. Hypothermia, starvation, being lunch for some giant beast…. The possibilities are growing by the minute.”

  Mitch laughed, a throaty, sexy sound, and took the water bottle back from her. His hand grazed hers in the process, and for a fleeting moment, she wished neither of them had been wearing gloves.

  Which was just asinine. She knew better than to go there with him. And as much as she’d grumbled about this hike, it had at least given her something to do rather than daydream about him all day.

  His brow lifted beneath the rim of his cap. “The only kind of bears around here are black bears, and they’re more scared of us than we are of them. Trust me. No beast is going to eat you. At least not the bear kind.”

  The spark in his eyes sent her blood humming, but she tamped it down, not wanting to go there. “Okay, so you’re not planning to kill me by bear. That only eliminates one possibility.”

  His smile widened. “If I didn’t know you better, Counselor, I’d think you were nervous.”

  Of course she was nervous. She had every reason to be. She’d lied to him, broken his heart, ruined h
is future. Any sane woman would be worried he could be plotting some kind of major payback, but when she was with him, she didn’t feel sane. She never had. The minute Mitch Mathews had stepped into her life, sane had flown straight out the window.

  Regardless of everything she’d done, though… This was Mitch. He was as rugged and rough around the edges as any outdoorsman, but his heart was made of gold. And after the way he’d held her in that safe room, she knew he’d never hurt her, even if she had it coming.

  Stomach tight, she pulled her hand away. Words hovered on her tongue, an explanation she knew he deserved, but she couldn’t get them out. Call it pride or self-preservation or even just the simple fact they’d agreed not to discuss anything that had happened, but…she didn’t want anything to ruin this moment. She’d never admit it to him, but he’d been right—she did need to get out of that house—and part of her was actually enjoying this, even if she was still worried about bear attacks and freezing to death and all other kinds of impending doom.

  She frowned, because even to her, that reasoning sounded idiotic. “Better be careful, or your lips will freeze in that stupid Joker grin.”

  He leaned in so close, his minty breath warming her cheek, taking her completely by surprise. “Better be careful, or I’ll find something physical to do to keep my lips nice and warm.”

  Her gaze shot to his lips. To his plump, masculine lips she knew felt like heaven against her own. A deep, dark craving rolled through her core, sparking electricity in her belly, sending waves of heat all through her hips that radiated down between her legs and up to her breasts. Her limbs fell slack, her stomach caved in, and she sucked in a breath, watching as his smile widened into a sexy, Cheshire cat, I know exactly what I’m doing to you grin.