Stars Over Alaska

by Jennifer Snow

  Selena laughed. “Ha!” She pointed to the date on the video. “This was ten minutes ago and there’s four more from today alone.”

  She searched the next few names. Most of the men were filming on location and movie sets, eliminating them from the suspect list.

  “I’ll try Instagram,” she said, sliding the laptop toward Levi to log in.

  As he did, Leslie noticed his messenger icon pop up on the bottom right-hand corner of the computer screen.

  One New Message from Angelica.

  Who was Angelica?

  Selena glanced at Levi. “Do you need to read that?”

  His cheeks were flushed again. Obviously Angelica was someone important.

  Oh my God, why did she care? Levi’s dating life was none of her business.

  “No... I can check it later,” he said, turning the laptop back to Selena.

  The next two guys she searched were on a yoga retreat. Together.

  “Ahhhh...they finally came out. Good for them,” Selena said, looking genuinely happy for her exes.

  “You dated two gay guys?”

  Selena turned to look at her. “Yeah.”

  Leslie checked her watch. “Moving on...”

  The next guy’s photos were from a hospital bed. “Oh my God. What happened to him?” Levi asked.

  “Nose job,” Selena said.

  The next guy was in rehab. “It’s just research for a movie,” Selena said.

  “Wow, that’s commitment to a role,” Levi said.

  “I once spent four nights in jail to prepare for an indie project I was passionate about, but the funding wasn’t there so it never got finished,” Selena said, sounding disappointed. “It was a great story though, based on a true story of a woman wrongly convicted for killing her abuser.”

  That actually did sound fascinating. A movie Leslie would watch for sure. “I thought you only did rom-coms?” Leslie asked.

  “That’s all I do right now, but my agent is on the lookout for other projects all the time. Unfortunately, I’m currently pigeonholed as the rom-com queen, so it’s difficult to be taken seriously by other filmmakers for their more offbeat projects.”

  She had no idea Selena was interested in doing anything other than the work she was doing. Not that she really knew much about her at all beyond the surface...or what she’d assumed based on her own preconceptions of the rich and famous.

  And right now wasn’t really the time to bond or get to know her client better. “Can we get back to this?” she asked as another message popped up on the screen.

  Tracey would like to connect with you. Accept chat now?

  Angelica. Tracey. Levi was a busy guy.

  Selena glanced at him with an amused raised eyebrow. “Are we talking to Tracey?”

  “Just hit Decline,” Levi mumbled, obviously embarrassed.

  Leslie couldn’t define the source of her annoyance. It was completely illogical. What did she care if Levi had a healthy dating life? She wasn’t jealous; that would be ridiculous... Or maybe she was a little. Jealous of the fact that she could no longer hang out with him the way these other women could. They’d never have the friendship they used to have. That’s all it was. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that his kiss had rocked her and she’d been surprised by her body’s reaction to it. She’d wanted him. That was true no matter what the reason.

  “That’s all of them,” Selena said. “Ten out of the twelve accounted for as obviously not the guy since they aren’t in LA.”

  “Well, at least we’re down to two that I’ll ask Eoghan to check out,” she said.

  Selena’s face twisted into the look of disgust she always wore when Eoghan’s name was mentioned.

  But Levi’s face held a different look. She may not be jealous, but he certainly looked it.

  And she had no idea why, but that made her feel slightly better. Maybe he was missing their friendship too.

  “He’s our guy on the ground back there. And he’s good at his job and would do anything to help me,” she said, daring a glance at Levi. She wouldn’t admit to Selena that her confidence and trust in him was fading a little. “We should go. Thanks for the use of your laptop.”

  Selena stood and touched Levi’s arm. “Hey, do you want to show me around? Maybe go snowshoeing or something?”

  Leslie pretended not to listen or care. If Levi wanted to entertain Selena, all the better. Get the woman out of her hair for a while so she could hear her own thoughts for a bit.

  “Um... I can’t tonight. I have plans. Maybe tomorrow?”

  Plans with Angelica or Tracey? Or both?

  Damn it, she was jealous.

  And unfortunately, she wished it was just because these women got the pleasure of Levi’s company, but she feared it went deeper than that.

  Just another reason to get the hell out of there as soon as possible.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  SUNLIGHT CRESTED THE mountains in the distance and a mild cool breeze held that sweet promise of warmer days to come as Levi stood in the clearing behind the cabin while Smokester procrastinated doing his business, instead preoccupied with a tree branch he’d buried in the snow the day before. Usually, Levi loved rare warmer Alaskan spring days like this, but that morning’s brightness only helped to illuminate the shit show he found himself in the middle of.

  The evening before, he’d been acting on instinct, following his gut and doing what he thought was the right thing.

  That morning, all of the reasons that having Leslie and Selena at the cabin was a bad idea kept replaying over and over in his mind.

  And the biggest one was that having Leslie so close was going to be the death of him.

  Sleep had been impossible for Levi, lying in his bunk in the room next to where she was no doubt also not sleeping. All he could think about was the kiss and the slightly jealous looks he’d been catching when Selena flirted with him or when she’d seen the messages pop up on his computer screen... Was she actually attracted to him? He’d assumed their kiss had meant nothing to her, but what if it had?

  She’d never given him any indication that she might have feelings for him before. But what if...

  He groaned. What-ifs could drive a man insane and they had far more pressing issues at the moment. Like keeping Selena alive and both not losing their careers over it.

  He also had the added pressure of the charity fundraiser. The night before he’d filled out the documents that Mrs. Powell had sent to him and scanned and emailed them back to her and it had only made him more nervous. There was no backing out now, but having to come up with a tribute speech to deliver in his best friend’s memory at the first event was unnerving. It wasn’t that he couldn’t sing Dawson’s praises or explain what had made him so amazing at his job... It was just that in doing so, it reminded him just how much the guy had meant to him and that only compounded the guilt Levi fought for having feelings for Leslie.

  A kiss could never happen again. Nothing could ever happen between them. It didn’t matter if she was suddenly seeing him in a different light or not, he couldn’t act on his repressed feelings. Not and still be loyal to his buddy’s memory. He’d feel like a fraud.

  He checked his watch and whistled. “Okay Smokester, time to head back in.”

  The old dog glanced up at him, then reburied the stick in its hiding place and sauntered on over. He nudged against Levi’s leg and he bent to pet the dog. “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?” he asked, scratching behind the dog’s ears.

  Smokester’s single bark confirmed it as they stood and headed back inside.

  “Ahhhh the puppy,” Selena said excitedly, seeing them enter. The night before, Smokester had hidden out in his office, not exactly a fan of strangers, but when Selena stood and patted her legs, encouraging him to go to her, he did. “Oh! You’re so pretty! Look at the pr
etty girl.”

  Smokester was a male dog, but it seemed irrelevant. The dog didn’t take issue with it, rolling onto the living room floor and allowing himself to be adored. “I miss my dog so much... We’ll be great friends,” Selena told the dog.

  With Smokester taken care of, Levi glanced into the women’s bunk room on his way to the office, but he didn’t see Leslie. The sound of running water coming from the bathroom had him envisioning her in another towel and he quickly dove into the office and shut the door.

  Almost immediately there was a knock, then Chad entered. “That woman’s making a wuss of our dog,” he whispered.

  Chad’s only issue was that Selena wasn’t rubbing his belly. The movie star hadn’t shown the same flirtatiousness toward his co-worker the night before, and for a guy who thought of himself as a bit of a Casanova, that must have been a hit to Chad’s ego. “The dog’s not complaining,” Levi said, and he was happy that Selena’s affection had been turned elsewhere. “What’s up?”

  “We still need to get out to the Sanders property with a cleanup crew.”

  Levi nodded. He’d meant to arrange a team that day, but then he’d been preoccupied. And now, the cleanup might have to wait awhile. He couldn’t risk bringing in more crew members right now with the women at the cabin. He trusted his team with his life when they were on a mission, but this was different and he’d already put Chad in a compromising position. That was enough. “Yeah, I’ll set something up...”

  Chad shot him a look, but he didn’t say anything as his cell phone chimed with a new text message and he left the office.

  “What was that about the cabin?” Leslie asked, entering the office next.

  Obviously, she’d heard Chad. The station cabin wasn’t big enough for any kind of privacy. He nodded. “We will have to get a team out there soon to take care of the debris.”

  She lingered at the door. “Do you know the extent of the damage?”

  Unfortunately. He hesitated. She had enough to deal with right now, but there was no point sugarcoating it or keeping the truth from her. “Aerial views show that there’s not much left...” he said sympathetically. “Sorry, Leslie.”

  If she was upset, she hid it well. Something she’d perfected over the years. When he’d first met her as a kid, she’d been so different. Before she’d started dating Dawson and her home life had gotten complicated, she’d been so open, so happy... He’d kill for a glimpse of that girl again.

  “I suspected that, anyway...thanks,” she said, turning to leave.

  He hesitated. “Hey, did you want to go out there?” He wasn’t sure if seeing the remnants would make her feel better or worse, but he wanted to give her the option.

  She shook her head quickly, her blond ponytail whipping her in the face. “No, that’s fine. There’s really no point.”

  “Okay...”

  She turned to leave, then stopped. “How would we even get out there?”

  So she did care. “We could take one of the Ski-Doos. There are several trails leading that far inland.” They weren’t well traveled and the snow wouldn’t be packed down yet, so it would take the better part of the day. He swallowed hard and forced out any feelings of excitement at the idea of spending the day with her.

  He’d just resolved to bury his attraction and not let anything happen between them again. Still, the idea of being alone with her made his heart soar.

  She looked less enthusiastic as she bit her lip, then slowly nodded. “Maybe we should. See if there’s anything left to salvage.”

  He knew she was thinking of her father’s paintings and photographs that had decorated the walls and he was nervous about what they’d discover. “Sure...give me a couple of minutes, and we can head out.”

  She nodded then sighed as though having forgotten about their other guest. “What about Selena?”

  There was no way he was bringing both of them. They’d have to take separate Ski-Doos and he knew which woman he’d end up riding with. He couldn’t deny that he wanted to go with Leslie. Alone. Damn, his pulse was already racing. “Chad’s here. He’ll keep an eye on her.”

  “I don’t need a babysitter—where the hell would I go?” Selena yelled from the other room, obviously eavesdropping on the conversation.

  Levi shrugged. “She’s got a point.”

  “Chad won’t mind being left here...?” she asked quietly.

  “I mind!” the guy called from the kitchen.

  Seriously zero privacy.

  Levi shook his head. “He’s kidding.”

  “I’ll meet you outside,” Leslie said, obviously feeling a desperate need to escape the claustrophobic quarters.

  Ten minutes later, Levi had given himself a serious pep talk about boundaries and keeping things light, and the two of them met near the back shed where the Ski-Doos were parked. He climbed on and started the engine, the machine revving to life before he reached behind him for two helmets and handed one to Leslie.

  He’d loaned her a ski suit from the cabin’s supply room and despite it being two sizes too big for her, she looked insanely hot wearing it. The ends of her blond hair sticking out from under the hat blew softly in the wind and the overwhelming urge to grab her and kiss her and see if he’d imagined the spark between them was strong.

  So much for the pep talk. Luckily, he didn’t expect her to make the same impulsive mistake again. He was relying on that.

  She put the helmet on and then tossed one leg over the seat, climbing on behind him. Levi braced himself and waited for her arms to wrap around his waist, but a quick glance over his shoulder revealed that she was holding on to the handles in the back instead.

  Probably for the best.

  He didn’t need the extra distraction. The proximity to her and her thighs against his hips even with layers of fabric between them was enough.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Let’s go,” she said.

  He started toward the trail leading south toward the lake. Visibility was clear and the thick wet snow on the trail made for a smoother ride. Thank God, because the ride was rough enough. Keeping his eyes straight ahead and his hands on the bars was a challenge.

  “Why are you driving like my grandmother?” Leslie called over the roar of the machine.

  The trash talk caught him by surprise. It was the first thing she’d said to him that wasn’t full of tension or awkwardness. The slightly teasing tone gave him far more hope than it should have. He shot a quick glance at her over his shoulder and hit the gas harder. A little too abruptly. She flew backward slightly and reached out for him before she could fall off the back of the Ski-Doo. “What was that about my driving?” he called back as her arms encircled his waist. Another quick look at her revealed she was smiling and it nearly took his breath away. This was the first time he’d seen that smile since she’d arrived. And it was directed at him...or this activity anyway.

  He didn’t care if he had to fly over the snowy trails; he was determined to keep that smile on her face as long as possible.

  * * *

  LESLIE’S ARMS TIGHTENED around Levi as he drove even faster down the tree-lined trail, snow blowing up all around them. The adrenaline pumping through her from the speed and exhilarating ride gave her an almost euphoric feeling, one she desperately wanted to last as long as possible. The wind whipping against her cheeks, the motor vibrating between her legs and the small bumps and hills along the way that added an extra element of excitement to the ride had her heart feeling a little lighter than it had in a week.

  The smile on her face was definitely new. She hadn’t even been able to force a convincing one in days, but right now she couldn’t help but enjoy the moment, the sense of freedom and letting go—while she held on tight to Levi.

  Her chest pressed up against his back and her thighs clutching his hips added a sensuality to the moment that she wished she c
ould explain...or at least understand.

  She’d been on the back of Ski-Doos and Sea-Doos and dirt bikes with Levi a million times over the years, but it had never felt this intimate.

  Her mind told her she needed to get a grip, focus on what was important and not let anyone from her past get too close while she was stuck there. Her heart told her she might not have any say.

  Levi was breaking her down bit by bit. She’d crumbled completely two nights before in his hotel room and unfortunately the wall she’d rebuilt around herself seemed to be made of straw. And more and more of it was being blown away in the wind the kinder Levi was, the more considerate, the more helpful and understanding.

  As much as she didn’t want to need him, she did and that was leading to a whole lot of other confusing emotions within her.

  She moved even closer, breathing in the scent of his familiar cologne on his jacket. The smell combined with the feel of his muscular body beneath the coat had her body reacting in ways it really shouldn’t be. She clenched her thighs around him—the vibration from the Ski-Doo was definitely not helping the situation.

  Selena was right. Levi was hot.

  But Levi was also her former best friend. Her former fiancé’s best friend too. This attraction to him was not right. Oh God, what would have happened if he hadn’t pushed her away the other night? She’d be feeling guilty and embarrassed and awkward on top of everything else right now. Even more so. Thankfully, he’d had enough wits about him to see the impulsiveness of the situation for what it was... Still, his rejection stung. He didn’t want her? Not even in the context of a one-night fling that would mean nothing?

  She took a deep breath and loosened her hold on him a little.

  Levi was just a friend from her past helping her out in a shitty situation. Nothing more. He couldn’t possibly be more than that. She needed to remember that and not fall into the trap of vulnerability that would swallow her up before she had an opportunity to escape Wild River once again.

  * * *

  STOPPING IN FRONT of the cabin a few hours later, Levi turned off the Ski-Doo and removed his helmet.