by Nina West
“What’s this place?” I ask as he climbs down. He kicks off his shoes and slips into the sleeping bag, bringing a wave of cold with him that makes me shudder.
“My grandparents used to bring us here at night when we were young.”
“To look at the stars?”
“Sure,” he answers mysteriously, reaching over my head for something. He produces a bottle of champagne and two flutes from a basket I didn’t even notice sitting in the corner.
“Who knew you could be so romantic?” I tease.
“Thank Isabella. She’s the one who arranged all this for me. Sit up.”
I do, and he props up all the pillows behind us—six in total. I happily settle back against them, his arm curled beneath me, the smell of him wafting around me.
“The water is so calm here.” Thank God, the boat’s not even rocking.
“Watch the sky out there,” he whispers, pointing with his free hand.
We lie there in comfortable silence, sipping champagne and staring off into the sky, my hand dragging back and forth lazily over Henry’s chest and abdomen. His body is utterly relaxed against me, something I usually only sense in him in the minutes after he’s climaxed.
A wave of pale green light suddenly dances across the sky.
I frown. “What was that?”
Henry says nothing, smiling as his eyes remain locked above and ahead.
A few moments later, another wave skitters across, this one brighter, with a touch of pink.
It dawns on me. “The northern lights!” How had I forgotten about those?
Henry grins. “Aurora Borealis. They’re most active in the fall and winter months. With the clear skies, I knew we’d likely see them tonight. This is the best place to watch around here.”
I sigh and settle back into Henry, and watch the light show in absolute awe as the waves of green, pink, and purple grow in intensity and frequency. Each one of them makes me gasp and squeal.
“I’m starting to think these lights do more for you than I do,” he murmurs, shifting us until his large, warm body is spooning mine, and my head is nestled in the crook of his arm.
“It’s my first time with them, so I guess it remains to be seen. Do they last longer than you?” I joke.
I get a playful but sharp slap against my cheek in response. And then his warm hand slips down the front of my sweatpants and into my panties. His fingers stall between my folds. “Seriously. Are you getting off on lights?”
“Shut up!” I softly elbow him in the stomach.
His fingers resume their leisurely exploration between my legs, pulling a sigh from my lips as his index finger pushes inside.
“Hot and soaking wet. Just how I like it.” He pulls out long enough to work my pants off my hips and down past my knees. Now I know why he insisted on loose clothes.
I make to roll but he stops me with a soft, “Stay.” He buries his face into the back of my neck, his hot breath tickling as he licks and gently bites and kisses along my skin. I feel him shifting behind me and I realize he’s pushing his own track pants down.
I raise a hand up and over, hooking it around the back of his head. “I don’t want it rough tonight, Henry.”
“It won’t be rough tonight,” he promises. Hiking my thigh up and out with his hand to open me up, he holds it there while fitting himself in behind me. I feel his smooth tip prodding my entrance.
And then he’s sinking into me.
I close my eyes as my senses go into overdrive.
“Who knows when we’ll get to see this again. Relax your leg and watch. No touching yourself.” He settles in, his thrusts unhurried, only breaking every once in a while to press a sensual kiss along my neck and shoulder.
It’s a punishingly slow pace that goes on forever. He expertly drags both of our releases out, stalling every time my hip rolls become more urgent, or when his own breathing has grown ragged, a sign that he’s about to come. Within the cocoon of blankets, our skin is slick with sweat and every nerve below my waist feels like a live wire.
“Who do you think will last longer? The northern lights or me?” Henry murmurs tauntingly. They’ve already started to fade.
I close my eyes, feeling another rush into my lower belly. “You, babe. Definitely you.”
“Do you want to come?”
“God, yes.” My orgasm has been lingering there, just outside of reach, forever.
He releases my leg and slips his hand in between my legs to touch my swollen clit.
I come almost immediately, my cry echoing through the silent bay.
He doesn’t quicken his pace but he makes sure the last five thrusts are hard. That’s all it takes until he grunts into my ear and I feel him pulsing inside me.
I twist back to kiss him tenderly. “Thank you for tonight.”
Henry sighs against my mouth. “We’ll do it again next year. Deal?”
I smile. “Deal... wait. What time is it?”
“No idea.”
I reach for my phone, cast aside earlier. “It’s after midnight. It’s your birthday.”
“Hmm....” His palm smooths over my bare belly.
“Happy birthday,” I whisper against his lips, pulling his bottom lip playfully between my teeth.
He grins. “Is that what you got me? A birthday fuck?”
“More than one, if you’re lucky.” I chuckle. “I love you, Henry.”
He pauses. “Every time you say those words, I can actually feel them inside me.”
I smile. “I know exactly what you mean.” Jed used to say them to me all the time. I thought he meant it, and maybe he did. But I know Henry doesn’t love easily. Every time those words slip from his lips, my heart swells.
“And when you look at me like that....” His gaze skates over my face. “You are the gift that I didn’t realize I wanted. That I needed. I love you, Abbi.” We get lost in a sensual kiss for a few moments, before he pulls out and adjusts himself to stretch out behind me once again. We lie in comfortable silence, our bodies tangled and hot and fully satisfied, gazing up at the Alaskan sky, until I begin dozing off. Somewhere in the sleepy distance, I sense him drawing my pants back up and rolling out from the covers to start the boat. The engine is a soothing rumble. I stay under the warm covers as Henry takes us back to Wolf Cove.
Chapter Fifteen
“You can’t do this tomorrow? Do they know it’s your birthday?”
Henry chuckles through a sip of coffee. “There are hundreds of people who have been waiting for weeks to get back to work. I’m not going to delay that because it’s my birthday. We’ve already lost loyal workers who can’t afford not to work.”
I huff.
“I’m just going up there to meet with the supervisors and let them see how I work, give a morale-boosting speech to the employees, and walk the mine to prove that the safety issues have been satisfactorily resolved. I’ll be back by midafternoon.”
I pluck a croissant off a platter and begin pulling it apart. “Fine. I’ll just be here, waiting....” I let the ends of my white robe fall apart, exposing my nakedness beneath, fresh from our shower together.
“Jesus Christ, Abbi. We’ve already fucked three times today and it’s only 8:00 a.m.,” Henry mutters, unable to resist a long gaze over my body, stalling on my full, round breasts, on the red mark he accidently left from sucking too hard. “You know, I think your friend Ronan may be right. I might not be enough to satisfy your needs.”
“You’re right. Maybe I need two men,” I quip, earning a flat look. “And I didn’t hear you complaining this morning.”
“Believe me, you will never hear me complain about waking up to my dick in your mouth.” He slides his last piece of toast into his mouth and then, wiping his mouth with a napkin, gets out of his chair. He reaches for my hand and pulls me to him. He cups my chin gently, and presses a soft kiss against my lips. “Thank you for arranging all of this.”
“You’re welcome. Do you want me to walk you to the helicopter pad?�
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“Like this?” He yanks open my robe.
I slide my arms around his waist, his form-fitting black sweater soft against my breasts. His choice of clothing was intentional. He figures showing up at a mine as the new owner in a suit and tie won’t win anyone over. “I can change.”
“No. It’s okay. Stay here, where it’s warm.”
“And dinner? What do you want to do, Lux again? I can make reservations for us.”
He pushes a strand of my long red hair off my face. “Why don’t we just stay here? That way I can fail at satisfying you all night long without interruption.”
I giggle, my hands trailing over his sculpted back. “Deal.”
He leans in for one last, lingering kiss. “Gotta go.”
I release him and watch him stroll out the door, grabbing his jacket on the way.
“I love you,” I call out, but the door has already shut and he doesn’t hear me.
I check the clock again. It’s just after eight. If he’s back by midafternoon, that gives me a good eight hours. Hopefully it’s enough time for the plan that hit me the moment my eyes opened this morning.
I dial the concierge desk and cross my fingers.
“Good morning, Mr. Wolf. How may I be of assistance?” The voice on the other side chirps pleasantly.
“Autumn! Thank God! I need Isabella’s number. I need her help with something.”
“Hey, Abbi! Sure!”
~ ~ ~
“You are such a jerk, Connor,” I mutter as I hug my chest against the jolts.
“Hey. I didn’t put the potholes there,” he counters.
“Yes, but you’re swerving to hit them!”
He starts laughing, earning my hard slap against his rock-hard chest. It only makes him laugh harder.
Ronan sits on the right side of me as he always does—relaxed, legs splayed, hand gripping the roll handle above. “So, Wolf has no idea you’re doing this for his birthday?”
“No. I just came up with the idea this morning, after he left. I called Isabella to help set things up.” After her help with the fishing boat last night, I figured she might be willing. I was right.
“Isabella,” Connor moans with appreciation.
I roll my eyes, ignoring him. “Thank you, guys, for doing this.”
“The place was due for a check anyway,” Ronan murmurs, his gaze drifting ahead, over the narrow path that serves as a road to the old Wolf cabin.
“I’m serious. Thank you.”
Finally he meets my eyes and the look in his softens. I don’t know exactly why Ronan went toe-to-toe against Henry the other night; if Henry’s right, and Ronan’s feelings for me have changed. “Paige sent housekeeping over there a few hours ago, so it should be clean and set up already.”
“Awesome. So all we have to do is get the fireplace ready and the wood loaded in and it’ll be ready for him.”
“I don’t get it though. You guys could jump in his plane and fly to Vegas like high rollers for a hot and dirty weekend. Why stay here?” Connor lays his cornflower blue eyes on the old cabin that finally appears as we round the corner. The one that Henry’s grandfather built on his own. The one Henry has so many cherished childhood memories of.
I smile. “Because this place means something to him.”
~ ~ ~
“You just have to throw a match in and this baby’ll burn,” Connor announces, backing away from the expertly stacked pile of kindling and paper in the hearth. “And there’s enough wood here to keep you warm all weekend.”
“Thank you. Now if you can just help me figure out how to use this.” I stand in front of the antique woodstove.
He strolls over, switching on a lamp on his way past to add light to the dim space. He lifts one of the round covers on the surface. “Just stick the wood in here and light it up.”
“Right, but how do I bake a cake in it? Wait, it must be in here.” I pull on a handle and a door opens to a small compartment perfect for a cake pan.
“Bake a cake....” Connor’s face twists up. “You don’t bake a cake in this!”
I laugh. “Henry’s grandmother baked cakes for him in this thing all the time. I’m going to make a birthday cake for him.” I hold up the box of chocolate cake mix as proof. John was kind enough to grab it at the grocery store in Homer on his way in.
“You have a team of five-star world-famous chefs and sous chefs slaving over there in the kitchen, who will whip you up the fanciest cake you could ever imagine with the snap of your little fingers, and you’re making him a Duncan Hines cake mix cake?”
I smile. “Yes.”
“Because his grandmother baked him cakes here.”
“Yes.”
Connor frowns. “You want him to think of his grandmother when he looks at you? Is that what Wolf is into?”
“No! You weirdo!” I launch the box at him, missing completely.
“He’ll love it,” Ronan calls out.
I look up to find him leaning over the ornately carved cedar rail that lines the loft.
“It’s all good up here. They only prepared the one bedroom.”
“That’s fine. We only need the one. Wait, which one?”
He looks knowingly at me. “The one with the balcony.”
That’s the one that Ronan and I were together in for the first time.
I refocus my attention on the kitchen, rounding the table to pick up the box. “Okay. You start this fire and I’m going to start mixing this so I can get the pan in and....” My voice drifts as a wave of unbalance hits me. I take a moment to try and get my bearings.
But it’s not me.
“Are you feeling that?” Connor looks from me to Ronan, to the glasses in the corner hutch. They’re rattling and clanking against each other. And the antler chandelier that hangs from the thick beam in the ceiling is swaying. A few moments later, it stills. I feel normal again.
“That was a fucking earthquake!” Connor exclaims.
“They have those here?” I ask in disbelief.
“They have them somewhere.” Ronan climbs down the stairs. “Who knows where that one hit, but we definitely felt it here.”
“Wow. That was crazy. I’ve never felt something like that before.” Not that I know of, anyway.
Connor’s muscular arms curl around me from behind. “You mean besides that time Ronan and I rocked your world?”
I elbow him in the gut and wriggle away, shaking my head. “Help me with this fire or don’t, but I’m baking a damn birthday cake.”
“I’ll help you, Red.” Ronan wanders over, chuckling darkly as he punches Connor. “Go and check the cellar.”
“Fuck, no! I hate going in there,” Connor moans, heading toward the front door. “Why did I have to get stuck with such a pussy for a work partner?”
“Fuck off. I can’t help it.”
I frown. “Help what?”
“I can’t deal with tight spaces,” Ronan admits sheepishly. “I panic.”
“I can think of a tight place you’re fine getting into,” I hear Connor mutter before the door shuts.
Ronan sighs with exasperation.
I duck my head to hide my blush. “So they still make the crew come out here?”
“Every single week. And ever since they had a mouse problem in here, we’ve been having to go into that cellar to make sure nothing’s getting in there.” Ronan falls into silence as he stuffs kindling and newspaper down into the stove.
I watch him intently. “Are we good?”
“Yeah, we’re good.”
“What was all that about the other night?”
He strikes a match and sets it inside. “Nothing.”
“Didn’t sound like nothing.” I tear open the cake mix package and dump it into the bowl the kitchen supplied me with. “Henry thinks you have feelings for me. I told him we’re just friends,” I say as casually as possible.
Ronan says nothing.
“I’m right... right?”
“We’re just fri
ends.” He sighs, resting his palms on the top of the woodstove. “And yeah, I have feelings for you.”
My stomach tightens. “What kind of feelings?”
“The kind I don’t want.”
I busy my hands with readying the hand mixer, my eyes averted. That wasn’t supposed to happen. “Since when?”
“I don’t know, but I didn’t realize it until you came back.”
Finally, I dare look up, to find those piercing green eyes on me. I release a shaky breath. “Ronan, I’m madly in love with Henry. I—”
“I know. I’m not asking for anything, or expecting anything. You asked, so I’m telling you.”
Awkward silence hangs.
Finally, Ronan turns back to the woodstove, where flames begin to crackle and lick the open top.
I catch the smirk curling his lips. “What’s that for?”
“Handing that lube to me the other night?” He shakes his head. “One hell of a move. That motherfucker crushed me with that one.”
I press my lips together, unsure of whether to laugh or cringe. In the end, I can’t keep the giggle down, and soon we’re both shaking with laughter.
A scream sounds from outside, cutting our mirth.
I drop the hand mixer and race for the door, Ronan on my heels. He grabs me by the biceps and forces me aside so he can open the door and step out first.
Connor’s standing beside the truck, holding a rake out in front of him, his face as white as a sheet of paper.
“Dude. What the hell?” Ronan takes the creaky steps down, his puzzled look scanning the area. The old wood door that closes off the cellar is still thrown open. “Bear? Cougar?”
“Raccoon!” Connor hollers, picking up a pinecone and whipping it into the bushes.
That’s when I notice the black mask peeking out. The sizeable raccoon chatters back at him before scurrying into the bush.
“I’m done with that fucking cellar! You tell him they need to board that shit up! They’re talking about putting fucking solar panels on this roof, but they still want a goddamn hole in the ground. For what! Fucking potatoes? Fuck!” Connor throws the rake to the ground and shudders, visibly shaken and ranting like I didn’t even know him capable of.