He pointed to the mountains. “Check out the way the mist rises.” His voice held a sense of wonder and appreciation that she didn’t expect from a guy previously described as devious.
She shifted her gaze to where he indicated. The mist clung to the peaks like a translucent white veil. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“It’s better in the summer after a rain,” he said, staring at the view.
“Do you visit often?”
He frowned and shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. I don’t get out as much as I used to.” A wistful note in his voice.
She pulled her coat closer to block the wind then turned to him. “I’ve always been indifferent to the mountains. Not too excited about getting attacked by bears.”
“Bears?” His rich laughter floated in the wind, and sent a shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold. “You’re joking?”
She pulled her coat tighter. “No, I’m serious.” His deep laugh continued and she couldn’t help but smile. “Look, I’m only walking with you now because its winter and they’re hibernating.”
He shook his head. “Let’s go back down. Don’t want a bear to get us.”
She giggled, then pressed her hand to her lips. What the hell? Giggling wasn’t something she did…ever.
On the way down the mountain, a sign on the trail indicated a detour to a cabin that was restored from the late 1800s. Andre read the sign then spun to her with an eager grin.
She rolled her eyes but followed the gesture with a smile. “Fine, we’ll check it out.”
Their breathing, along with their footsteps in the snow was the only sounds as they hiked to the cabin. Views of the mountains were visible through the trees. The size of the peaks brought home how small her problems were in the grand scheme of things. It was a philosophical thought that wouldn’t be remembered on Monday when she returned to work.
Pushing aside the idea of going back to face Ryan and his family, she hurried along the trail to the cabin. Dark gray clouds hung in the sky, and the air had the quiet calm that usually preceded snow.
Inside was tiny. She paused and observed the the one room cabin. “Could you imagine raising a family here?” she eyed the small living area.
“People didn’t need so much back then.” Andre ran his fingers along the wall’s wooden beams.
“Everyone needs privacy,” she said. “I spent the night at my cousin Sheri’s house once when we were little and overheard her parents having sex.” She shuddered at the memory. “I was mortified. I still can’t look them in the eye. Can you imagine if you were in the same room with your parents on one of those nights?”
He turned to face her. His dark eyes studied her face. “That’s the first thing you think about?” He said in a teasing drawl. “Sex?”
Andre’s silky baritone wrapped around her. Heat crept up her face. The man said the word sex with enough smoothness to tighten her nipples and send her thoughts places they had no business going.
She spun away feigning interest in the fireplace. “It wasn’t the first thing on my mind.”
Heavy footsteps crossed the room and stopped behind her. “You can have sex without making a lot of noises.” His voice dipped enough to make her wonder if he cared to demonstrate.
“Apparently so,” she said. He stood close and the heat from his body beckoned her. She shifted away to peer out the window. “It’s snowing.” She brought a hand to her head. “My hair is going to be messed up.”
He chuckled, and she lifted her chin. The tangled mess her hair was whenever her dad tried to arrange it was the reason she now spent too much money at salons. She’d refused to be ashamed of not wanting for her hair to get wet.
Andre’s warm hand engulfed Mikayla’s, sending a shockwave of awareness up her arm and straight to her core. “It’s barely coming down. But let’s go before the snow and bears get us.”
She couldn’t suppress her chuckle. They hurried back to their cabin as the snow fell harder. Andre turned up the thermostat the second they were inside. She paused blowing into her hands when he came over and peered at her head.
Mikayla raised a hand and checked for flyaways. “Is everything okay?”
Andre reached over and brushed snowflakes from her hair. She didn’t move. When the crystals were either gone or melted and he ran his hand through her hair, she remained still. Usually, Mikayla hated anyone touching her hair, but his fingers soothed rather than irritated.
His eyes darkened with an emotion she wasn’t foolish enough to identify. She stepped away and made a show of brushing away non-existent snow.
“I’m sure it looks terrible.”
“It’s fine,” He cleared his throat and pulled off his coat and gloves.
She glanced at Andre as he walked over and sat on the couch. Andre possessed the Caldwell good looks. Maybe not so much of the charm, but he was nice. Ryan’s side described their uncle’s children as cutthroat.
“What are you watching?” She sat beside him.
“Just flipping channels.” He held out the remote. “You want to pick something?”
She shook her head. With a shrug, he turned back to the television. She pulled the quilt he’d folded and placed on the edge of the couch around her and snuggled into her end of the couch. Sleep came quickly. Her eyes opened to slits when Andre lifted her into his arms.
“You’ll be more comfortable in the bed.” His deep voice lulled her eyes closed.
Andre carried Mikayla into the bedroom and gently placed her on the bed. A soft sensation brushed across her forehead. A kiss? It couldn’t be. Still, she smiled and fell back asleep.
CHAPTER 6
Andre came into the cabin and set the DVDs he’d gotten from the rental office on the table. The lights were off; the only sound the hum of the HVAC unit heating the place. Mikayla must still be asleep. He’d fallen asleep watching television earlier. After waking up and realizing she still slept, he figured it would be better to go out and find something they could entertain themselves with for the rest of the night.
Much to his surprise, he’d enjoyed her company earlier. She liked to talk, but not to fill space with useless words. Several times that afternoon, he found himself just enjoying the sound of her voice. She didn’t require many conversations with him, unlike most women he knew. Most women tried to drag information out of him. Mikayla’s lack of prying made opening up easier.
He knocked softly on the door. When there was no answer he peaked in. She lay curled on her side, hugging a pillow to her chest. Without the orange head wrap from earlier her hair fanned across the pillow and his fingers itched to run through the soft strands.
Clearing his throat, he called her name. She didn’t move. He edged closer into the room, and gingerly approached her.
“Mikayla,” he said. He poked her shoulder a few times.
She groaned, swatted his hand away before rolling onto her back. His throat constricted. The tops of her breasts swelled above the neckline of her shirt. Her nipples, pebble hard beneath the soft material, stoked his admiration better than the mist rising from the mountains. He clenched his hands, when he really wanted to reach out and take the swells into his hands.
He shook his head. Be the good guy, not the jerk. He would not sleep with or fondle his cousin’s ex-girlfriend, no matter how delectable her breasts appeared.
“Mikayla,” he called loudly.
She jerked awake and sat up. He took a step back and she looked frantically around the room. When her eyes focused on him, her face scrunched into a scowl.
“Did you yell at me?”
“You didn’t move when I called you from the door and poked your shoulder.” He shrugged. “I had to yell to wake you up.”
“I haven’t slept that long in the middle of the day in…” her brow crinkled. “I don’t know how long.” She swung her legs to the side of the bed and stretched, her breast straining against the fabric of her shirt.
Andre diverted his gaze to the cro
wn molding along the ceiling.
“You were pretty tired, huh.” He felt foolish for stating the obvious.
“I’m not usually this tired.” She said behind a yawn. “But somebody had me out hiking.” She stood and strolled into the bathroom.
His lips quirked. Their tour around the property was hardly a hike, but he’d enjoyed getting out and stretching his muscles. He hadn’t had the chance to enjoy nature in years. Too many Caldwell family responsibilities he’d let take over his life.
“I got some snacks from the rental office and a few DVDs.”
She poked her head out of the bathroom and ran a comb through her hair.
“What kind of snacks?”
“More doughnuts and a few cookies.”
She stopped combing her hair and smiled. “Thanks for getting something. I forgive you for making me hike.”
He smiled and Mikayla ducked back into the bathroom. He sauntered over and leaned against the door jamb. Watching as she squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush. An innocent act, but for some reason watching her do the mundane task seemed sexy.
“You might want to hold your forgiveness until after you hear what movies I brought. I hope you don’t mind horror or action.”
She met his eyes in the mirror. “As if I’m really in the mood for some sappy romance.”
He grinned. Then it hit him. He liked her. It was one thing to want to have sex with a woman, but to like her and want to have sex with her meant he was heading down the wrong path. She bent over to rinse and his eyes dropped to the delectable swell of her ass. His dick twitched in agreement. They were both wronged. Could they really be faulted for seeking comfort with each other?
He jerked away from the door and took a step back. He wouldn’t take comfort now only to see Mikayla on Ryan’s arm at another family wedding in the future.
Andre cleared his throat. “I’ll put in the movie and put the food in front of the television.”
She turned. Their eyes met and her hand paused as it wiped the excess water from her mouth. She pulled in a stuttering breath. Then quickly glanced away. His body heated. She felt it too.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” she said softly.
He nodded before spinning on his heels and walking out. When she joined him a few minutes later he sat on the couch with the first movie, Zombie Invasion, already in the DVD player.
She rubbed her arms and eyed the food. “You know what would be great with this.”
He smiled. “A cigarette.”
With a sigh, she flopped on the couch. “Isn’t this sad? I haven’t smoked in a year, but after one incident, I’m ready to pick up the habit again.”
He handed her a plate. “Tell me about it. I quit two years ago, but we had a few rough months when we thought we’d lose a major client. Before I knew it, I had a pack in my car, home, and office again.”
“Do you smoke every day?” Her full lips pursed as she slowly sucked lo mein noodles into her mouth, followed by a long circular sweep of her tongue.
His balls tightened before he swallowed hard and averted his gaze. “When I’m stressed. Which isn’t every day, but more than I like.”
Bullshit. He was tense daily after doing the dirty work required to make the company successful.
She nodded. “It makes me mad all over again, knowing this thing with Ryan is causing me to backslide.”
“How about we agree not to let this take us down that road again.”
“Yeah, you say that now then you’ll be back home smoking a pack a day.” She said a teasing glint in her eye.
“You don’t trust me?” He smirked and took a bite of food.
Mikayla’s light laughter filled the room. “I didn’t say that.”
“Check in with me whenever you want. I’ll let you know if I had a cigarette.”
She slowly chewed and watched him. He wanted her to agree. Wanted to prove she was just as intrigued by the attraction between them. Wanted her to accept his obvious attempt to keep in contact.
Her shoulders relaxed and then she nodded. “It’s a deal.”
He released a breath, and only showed his satisfaction by smiling and starting the movie.
*
A shriek jerked Andre from his sleep later that night. He pushed the covers off and shook his head to clear the fog of sleep. He sat still, listening, but heard nothing. He pulled the covers up and laid down when the shriek came again from the bedroom.
That had him rushing to Mikayla’s door as if one of the zombies they’d watched earlier chased him. He burst into the bedroom and Mikayla thrashed around on the king size bed. She mumbled and swung her arms as if fighting off an attacker. He hurried over and grabbed her flailing arms. She struggled more. Eyes closed, her head jerking from side to side.
“Mikayla,” he said giving her a soft shake. “Come on, baby, you’re dreaming. Wake up.”
One of her arms broke from his grasp and she fought harder. He didn’t want to pin her against the bed. He wasn’t a dream expert, but holding down someone fighting a nightmare couldn’t possibly help the situation.
He pulled Mikayla against his chest. Her body jerked.
“No…please…leave us alone,” she murmured.
He wrapped his arms around her. “Shh, baby, it’s okay. You’re having a dream. It’s okay.” He ran his hand up and down her back and gently rocked from side to side.
She stiffened. He sucked in several deep breaths to calm his racing heart as she lay rigid against him, when suddenly her body relaxed and she collapsed into him.
The tension left his shoulder, and he pulled back enough to see her face. Her eyes closed, her breathing smooth and even. She slept like the dead. A nightmare and a strange guy holding her and still she hadn’t awakened.
She appeared calm now. He could leave. Lay her back down, tuck the sheets around her, and go back to the couch. He smoothed the hair away from her face. He watched and slowly the fear from seeing her thrashing around on the bed evaporated.
He pulled her close again. Burying his nose in the crook between her shoulder and neck, took a deep breath, and pretended she was his, while he inhaled the sweet floral fragrance she wore.
Andre’s heartbeat slowed, and his body temperature steadily rose. A reminder that his good deed for the day was done. He gently laid her back on the bed. He ran the back of his hand along her cheek, then moved to get up.
Her hand shot out and grabbed his. His body froze. Her eyes opened and she observed him through sleepy eyes.
“It was a nightmare,” she said in a low husky whisper.
He smiled. “I kinda figured that out. You want to talk about it.”
“You’ll think I’m crazy.”
He rested his arms on his knees. “I doubt that.”
She brought his hand back to the side of her face and placed a warm cheek against his palm. Her light breaths brushed against his wrist, sending a tremor through him.
“I was being chased by zombies.”
A relieved laugh burst from him, and his shoulders relaxed. He’d expected some deep-seated trauma to be the cause of her nightmare.
“Then it’s my fault for bringing those movies.”
She shook her head. “No, my fault for not telling you. I sometimes have nightmares after watching horror films.”
“Then why did you watch?”
She opened her eyes and met his. “I needed the distraction…you know?”
His thumb trailed down the side of her face, stopping at the corner of her mouth. Her full lips parted. Moonlight streamed in through the windows, reflecting off her cocoa skin and that damn orange head wrap. He wanted to snatch the thing off, dig his hands in her hair and chase away the remainder of her nightmare with a kiss.
“I should go back to the couch,” he said, though the couch no longer held its previous appeal. He moved to get up, but her hand tightened.
“Don’t go,” she whispered.
He cleared his throat and shifted on the bed. Her quiet
declaration tightened his groin.
“That’s not a good idea.”
She shook her head. “Maybe not. I know there’s this…attraction between us, but we’re both smart enough to realize that it would be stupid to follow up. I would feel better if you stayed with me a little while longer.”
She sucked in shallow breaths and her hand clung to his. Asking him to stay after acknowledging the attraction meant she was either really afraid or really stupid.
He was really stupid.
He pulled his hand out of hers and shifted. “Slide over. I’ll sleep on top of the covers.”
She scooted out of the way. Then lifted the duvet. “No need for you to be cold. We can keep the sheet between us.”
Suppressing thoughts of how only a sheet separated him from her beautiful warm curves, he slid in next to her.
CHAPTER 7
Somebody lay beside her. Mikayla hadn’t opened her eyes, but she recalled the memory of asking Andre to stay. Her face heated. If she’d been fully awake, and not wrestling with leftover fear, she wouldn’t have made such a crazy suggestion. He must think her all kinds of dopey for dreaming about zombies then asking him to sleep beside her like a toddler.
Slowly rolling onto her back, she peered at Andre out of the corner of her eye. He lay on his back, with one arm draped across his eyes. His mouth slightly open, a soft snore escaped with each exhale. A slight nudge would push him to the floor he lay so close to the edge of the bed.
She frowned, he didn’t look comfortable. Well, what should she expect, for him to be curled up against her back? Handsome, wealthy, and used to dating women as beautiful and polished at Angelica; there was no way he’d be flattered that Mikayla asked him to protect her from imaginary demons. Still, thoughts of the day before made her smile. Even though Andre didn’t talk much, he seemed to enjoy himself. He wasn’t like Ryan, who always needed to talk and be the center of attention.
She stared at the ceiling. The vision of Ryan and Angelica falling out of that closet was so vivid it could’ve been projected on the flat surface. Tears burned her eyes, and she let them fall. She’d have to face him, and the humiliation of what he’d done, on Monday. She thought of going to work and facing Ryan again. A sinking feeling assaulted her midsection.
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