by Linzi Basset
“Warf! Warf!” This time it was Sheila who offered her sixpence worth.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I don’t need either of you to offer me any advice.”
Storm growled and scraped his nails on the wood floor. He looked between Trent and the woman on the bed. His head bobbed up and down as he released a soft wail.
Trent chuckled. “Not happening, buddy. Besides, I think Sheila will castrate both of us if I so much as touch this fragile snowflake waif with a ten-foot pole.”
Sheila spun around in a circle in response before she nipped at Storm’s ear. With a haughty sniff at Trent, she ambled closer to the edge of the bed.
“Hey! Get off there,” Trent snapped as she adroitly jumped onto it and settled next to the prone body of the woman. She curled her lips back in a toothy snarl before she laid her head on the woman’s stomach. The message was clear. She wasn’t moving.
Trent shook his head as he dropped his medical bag on the wingback chair in the corner. “It seems the lady has gained a bodyguard, Storm. Best you and I go make something to eat.” He glanced at the woman’s pale face. “She’s going to wake up with a massive headache and most probably a concussion. Before I give her pain medication, she’ll have to eat something. Let’s go warm up some of the soup in the fridge.”
“Warf! Warf!” Storm led the way, releasing the odd yowling yap as they descended the stairs. He had a tendency to talk too much but Trent didn’t mind. At least the two of them understood each other … most of the time.
Chapter Three
“Ooww, lord, my head hurts,” Riley moaned with her eyes closed as she finally struggled to the surface through the thick clouds of sleep. She moved her head experimentally once again on the soft pillow.
Wait! Soft pillow and a nice thick duvet … where am I? And why does my stomach feel like it’s weighed down?
Panic ensued as Riley’s overactive imagination took flight and she envisioned herself an invalid. A soft whimpering penetrated her frazzled mind. Her eyelids fluttered open. She didn’t move her head, too aware of the pounding pain lashing through it with every movement. At first glance, she realized she wasn’t in a hospital. The room was cozy and obviously a luxurious mountain cabin built with thick round wood logs. One wall consisted of windows that had a breathtaking view of the mountains. Covered in snow as it was, it looked like a picture out of a fairytale.
“It stopped snowing,” she said softly as her gaze moved over the oversized wingback chairs in front of the window. The deep red fabric of the chairs was complemented by the warmth of the same splash of color in the deep gray brocade curtains. Riley assumed their sole purpose was to enhance and served as a frame for the view outside, in the way they were artfully draped and held in place with plated red tussle ropes.
On the dark wood dressing table stood a beautifully carved lamp with a silver shade and a life-like carving of two dogs but it was otherwise empty of paraphernalia. Contrary to hers at home, which was usually packed with perfume, jewelry, brushes, clips and makeup, among other things.
From her position, she could see that she was lying in an oversized intricately carved wood sleigh bed. She shifted her legs and froze as a rumble reached her ears. She looked down.
“Oh, my … what beautiful eyes you have,” she cooed as her gaze was caught by the ice blue stare of the most gorgeous silver-brown Siberian husky she’d ever seen.
What sounded suspiciously like, ‘hello’ coming from the dog brought a smile to Riley’s lips.
“Are you my nurse?” She reached down and gently stroked the animal’s head. “Hmm … are you a he or a she nurse?”
A snort was the only response, but the dog lifted its head from where it had been resting on Riley’s lower stomach. A pink tongue lolled from its mouth as a soft bark broke free, like it was cognizant of the headache from which Riley was suffering.
“I’m glad to see you’re awake.”
Riley froze at the deep rasping voice to her left. Cognizant of the pounding in her head, she turned only her eyes to encounter a big man regarding her silently from the doorway. She could feel fear gravitate through her. She wracked her brain for where she was and how the devil she landed in a stranger’s bed but her mind was blank. Pain seared through her as she tried to push upright. He was by her side in a flash and his big but gentle hands pushed her shoulders back against pillows.
“There now, there’s no need to panic or to be afraid. You were in an accident during a snowstorm. Do you remember?”
“I … no,” she whispered. Try as she might, she couldn’t drag her fearful gaze from the warm depths of his eyes, which offered her a strange feeling of calm. She lifted a trembling hand to her head. “God, my head hurts. Where am I?”
“In my cabin in the Smoky Mountains. You had a hard bump against your head, so I need you to keep still.”
“I can’t remember the accident,” she said lamely as he walked to a small writing desk next to the doorway.
“Don’t force it. I suspect you have a concussion, which could be why your memory is hazy,” He returned with a tray in his hands. “I made some hearty chicken soup. We need to get something inside your stomach before I give you pain meds.” He placed the tray over her legs and settled on the bed next to her. “No, keep still. I’ll spoon feed you.”
Riley was too weak and confused to argue and meekly opened her mouth when he brought the spoon closer. The fear she’d woken up to, was slowly dissipating, courtesy of his gentle and caring nature. Not to mention the way his deep gravelly voice trembled through her to set her mind at ease. When she pushed the spoon away a while later, he conceded and placed the tray on the floor.
“Your eyes are drooping. Here, take these and then you can sleep.”
Riley was overwhelmed by the conflict of fear at being in a stranger’s house and said man’s gentle assistance as he held a glass against her lips when she swallowed the pain medication.
“There you go, all nicely tucked in. I daresay you’ll sleep through the night.”
She heard the soothing tones of his voice but not the words as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
A similar pattern followed every time she woke up the next three times, which by her jumbled calculation meant she had been drifting in and out of sleep for three nights and two days. During the short times she was lucid, her host was attentive and presented the perfect bedside manners to her as a patient. Which was exactly what she felt like— his patient. He even helped her to the bathroom to relieve herself, which was highly embarrassing to her, but he seemed unperturbed. She became rather irked by this and made no effort to hide it.
“From now on I’ll go to the bathroom myself. I’m not an invalid, you know,” she snipped as he placed her back in bed. His eyes sparked as he straightened. A dark look flashed over his face which was in contradiction to the wolfish smile that curved his lips. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m a naughty little girl,” she mumbled, belatedly realizing how stupid that sounded. He, on the other hand, seemed to be assessing her with an added sharpness to his gaze.
“Well, now, this is interesting,” he said elusively. “Definitely something worth pursuing.”
“What are you mumbling about? I’m not … oh,” she gasped as he blithely covered her with the sheet. For the first time, she realized she was naked!
Completely bare assed and he’s been carrying me around. Oh, freaking no!
Riley didn’t know what was more disconcerting. That she’d never realized it or that he didn’t seem at all affected by her nakedness.
It must be all the meds that are making my head so mushy. Tomorrow I’m getting up. No more wallowing in bed. This headache can be cured on a sofa as well as in this nice, comfortable bed.
“Why is the headache not easing up?” she asked in undisguised frustration to hide her feelings. The expectant glimmer in his eyes warned her to bring up her nakedness at this very moment might not be a prudent
thing to do.
“I’m relatively sure it’ll be better within the next day or so, as long as you rest and allow yourself to heal.” He frowned as he regarded her from his mountainous height. “Do you remember the accident yet?”
“I remember I was going to stop in Pigeon Forge if it looked like the blizzard was …” she yawned, with her fingers over her lips. “I think …” Her eyes fluttered closed as the meds kicked in and dragged her under while one thought kept ringing through her mind.
I must remember to ask him his name the next time I’m awake.
“Finally. I planned to carry you outside and drop you in the snow if you weren’t fully coherent this morning.”
“Aww, shit. That hurts.” Riley closed her eyes and moaned as a twinge of pain flashed through her brain when she swung her head to find the source of the deep, guttural voice. The now familiar size of the man loomed in the doorway.
Hold on! Familiar? I have no freaking clue who this man is!
“To be expected. It must’ve been quite a blow seeing as the swelling took two days to go down but at least you don’t look groggy and sleepy anymore. No … stop rubbing your forehead, you’ll loosen the closures over the wound.”
“Closures? Wound?” Riley felt like a record player with a stuck needle but the dulcet voice disconcerted her. So much so that she felt a thrill of sensation ripple through her … and all from listening to his voice for heaven’s sake. Her eyes fluttered open. She blinked to bring the mountain-sized man into focus. He seemed familiar but her hazy mind couldn’t place him … and then he came into focus
Holy, freaking moly!
Just like that, Riley promptly forgot to breathe.
She gulped at the sheer size of the man whose hands rested low on his hips. He was imposing; that was the word that came to mind as her eyes combed over his body. Actually, scrap that, he was intimidatingly massive, solidly built, and muscle-bound to such an extent, she felt herself drool.
She gasped in a deep breath and curled her hands into fists, lest she did something stupid, like dragging her fingers through his thick hair that kissed the collar of his shirt. A wayward fringe added to the enticing frame of his broad face of bold bone structure. His eyes were mesmerizing, like indigo darts, the color of the sky at midnight, swirling with a flash of silver like the slither of moonlight on a dark stormy night.
At the moment, they watched her from a fathomless depth.
“W-where am I?”
Trent studied her intently. It wasn’t uncommon for a concussed patient to forget the first couple of days after an accident.
“In my mountain cabin in Beer Willow Gap a couple of miles outside of Pigeon Forge.”
“Yes, I remember. I realized just before the crash that I must’ve turned off the main road.” Her lips pursed along with the frown between her brows. “I still don’t know how I managed that.”
“What were you doing driving in the middle of a snowstorm?”
“It wasn’t my intention but I guess I got sidetracked and drove through Pigeon Forge without realizing it.”
The man grunted and his eyes moved to the dog on the bed that had released a happy yap when he arrived.
“Time for you to take a walk, young lady,” he rumbled in a low demand. He shot a brief glance at Riley. “This is Sheila. She took it upon herself to take care of you for the past three nights.”
“Hi, Sheila and thank you.” Riley rubbed her ears. “It must be why I slept so soundly. Wait!” Her gaze moved to the big man. “Are you saying I was out for three entire nights?”
“You came to briefly now and then. I even managed to force some soup past your lips before I gave you some pain meds every time. I assume the headache isn’t any better?”
Riley’s breath wheezed in her throat as he leaned over her and prodded her forehead. The gentleness of his touch sparked a memory and the details of the past couple of days began to play like the snippets of a movie through her mind. One thing she’d been trying to ignore seared to life once again. He might be a stranger but there was something about him that drew her to him like a magnet. And … her libido that sparked inside her agreed one hundred percent with that assessment!
Good lord, woman. You’re supposed to be incapacitated, how the devil can your ovaries burst into a burlesque number?
She couldn’t explain the rush of pheromones that resulted in a flush of liquid heat she could feel settling in the wetness between her thighs. And all that from a light and impersonal touch against her brow! But somehow her mind recalled a bartering between them, where she’d been her usually sassy self, even while she was feeling so shitty. The way he’d reacted and the dark glint in his eyes had thrilled her to no end. Excitement rushed through her. She didn’t know this man from a bar of soap but instinct told her she could trust him. That maybe he was the man who could give her what she’d secretly been craving all her life.
“Warf!” A clipped bark drew Riley’s attention from the hot body of the man standing too close for comfort. She could feel the heat emanating from him where his legs pressed against hers as he leaned over her.
“My, but aren't you a beauty,” she cooed and smiled as a silver and black head of a husky bigger than Sheila wriggled its way between its master and the bed.
“Warf!” he boldly acknowledged her compliment.
“Behave Storm. Go outside with Sheila and no,” he said in a warning voice as the tails of the two dogs excitedly began to whip back and forth. “You’re not coming back inside if you’re sopping wet from playing in the snow.”
Both dogs awarded him with discontented snorts but happily ran out of the room.
“I’m Riley Miller. I was on my way to my aunt in Gatlinburg,” she said quickly, before she forgot again to find out who this compelling man was.
“Trent Reeves.” He came closer and carefully pushed his arm behind her back. “Come, let’s get you sitting up. You must be hungry for something aside from chicken soup. Easy … there’s no rush,” His voice dipped low and rumbled gravelly from his chest as she moaned.
Riley was stumped at how his voice cut through her heart and stopped time, if only for a brief moment. It left her shaken, like she’d been transported to an outer universe where normalcy didn’t exist. She was so enraptured by the unexplained sensations that rippled through her from wherever his hands brushed over her body that she temporarily forgot about the headache. It felt much better but the pesky throbbing remained.
Hold on just a damn minute! His hands on my skin! My naked skin!
“Why the devil am I naked?” she snapped through thin lips as she clutched the duvet against her chest. Anger flashed in slithers of black, darkening the leafy green of her eyes.
Riley’s memory offered her another flash of the previous night when she’d realized she’d been naked all along.
Lord, I feel like such an idiot!
Mountain man didn’t seem at all perturbed. In fact, he regarded her with raised eyebrows, taking note of the reddening blush covering her cheeks.
The Dom stirred and the beast inside his soul awakened with a lazy stretch.
“No need to feel offended, little snip. I’m a trauma surgeon and have seen my fair share. I had to carry you from the wreck to my truck in the blizzard. You were soaked by the time we got back here. Covering you with the down duvet heated you up much faster against your naked skin.”
“Oh,” she mumbled, doing her best to hide her discomfort. Knowing she was naked under the covers while he stood so close, watching her with an expression she couldn’t decipher, placed her on the backfoot. She decided to rather not question him why she was still naked after her body temperature returned to normal. She didn’t have the strength for that debate. Not yet anyway.
Now that she could remember the past two days, her uncontrolled reaction to her savior completely threw her for a loop.
Suddenly he appeared bigger and exuded power in the confident way he squared his shoulders. It was an unconscious shift; one s
he was relatively positive came to him naturally. The way his eyes darkened as he stared at her, stirred something deep inside her, a desire to give this man whatever he asked for. A need to please him and be pleasured in equal measures.
What the flying flamingos, Riley!?
“Here, I brought you breakfast.” He picked up the tray he’d left on the bedside table. He carefully placed it over her legs before removing the silver cloche covering the plate, releasing the decadent aroma of freshly baked bread, fried onions, and bacon.
“Good lord, I sincerely hope this is for both of us,” Riley exclaimed as she stared agape at the mountain of eggs, sausages, bacon, mushrooms, and onions on the plate. To add insult to the injury, three pieces of toast accompanied the stack of food. She pretended to look under the tray. “I think you forgot the pancakes and muffins,” she said with an amused chuckle.
“Are you sassing me, Miss Miller?”
Riley peeked at him through her lashes, wondering at the dark undertone in his voice. The way he looked at her, reminded her of his reaction to her snappy remark the previous night. His entire demeanor had changed. He absolutely oozed confidence that made his presence that much more commanding.
“Is there a law against that in this area? Or are you one of those men who believe women should be seen and not heard?”
His chuckle sounded decidedly wicked. It caused a spark to zap at her clitoris which caused her legs to jerk in response. His eyes flared with interest as he stood witness to her reaction.
Freaking fiddles! Behave yourself, Miss Clitoris! Before I make an absolute doofus of myself.
“Believe me, Snowflake, I love sassy women …” The hesitation was deliberate. She glanced up and felt her loins clench violently at the heat in his eyes. “As long as they’re prepared to accept the consequences of their brattiness.”
“Snowflake? Consequences?” She cleared her throat at the croak that escaped from her lips. It was incomprehensible how aroused she was.
Good grief! I don’t know this man and all I can think of, is him having his way with me.