I’d known Nate for years, although we didn’t see each other very often. If he needed a favor, I wouldn’t hesitate. And I knew he’d do the same for me.
“Whatever it is, you got it.”
Nate chuckled. “That’s faith, dude.”
“I trust you not to ask me something ridiculous.”
“We have some food and supplies for Henry Cooper waiting for delivery. Do you mind dropping them off at his place on your way?”
Henry owned a remote fishing and hunting lodge between Willow Brook and Diamond Creek. Considering it was only a slight detour, it would be an easy favor.
Less than an hour later, I was maneuvering my plane up into the air with the delivery of food and supplies. The wind was kicking up a bit, and the plane bounced slightly in the air. I glanced toward Daphne, but she seemed completely unruffled.
“You enjoying the view?” I called over the loud rumble of the engine.
Daphne glanced at me with a broad smile on her face. “I love it! Thanks for letting me tag along today.”
My mouth was curling into a smile before I could stop it. “Anytime.”
By the time we landed at the next lodge, the wind was bad. With it being late summer in Alaska, it was getting cooler in the afternoons and evenings. When we climbed out of the plane, the wind was chilly enough that Daphne curled her arms around her waist and stomped her feet on the ground.
“Wow, it got cold fast,” she said over the wind.
We were deep in the Kenai Mountains. As the crow flew, we were roughly an hour away from home and a few thousand feet higher. It was windy enough that I wasn’t sure it was smart to take off again.
Without being asked, Daphne started to help me unload the boxes. Much as she gave off a princess vibe, she didn’t like to be idle. If there was something to do, she was jumping in to do it.
Henry came jogging out of the lodge. “Need some help with those?”
“There are two boxes left in the plane,” I replied, gesturing with my chin over my shoulder.
I’d delivered supplies here before, so I knew to go into Henry’s lodge and hook a right into an industrial-sized storage area for food and goods. Not much later, we stood in the entryway of his lodge.
Henry was a longtime Alaskan. He’d moved here in his twenties and was now pushing eighty. He ran a minimalist fishing lodge, much less luxurious than the one I’d taken over from my mother when she passed away. Henry’s place was nuts and bolts. He served exclusively those guests who wanted to hunt and fish. There were no viewing tours or any extras.
Due to how long he’d been here, he was also generally unfazed by Alaska’s occasional extreme weather. Having grown up here myself, not much weather worried me. Being in the southcentral part of the state, we experienced less of the brutal and frigid cold than the northern part, but we got plenty of wind, rain, and snow. Wind could be a ruthless devil when you were in the air in a small plane.
Henry met my eyes. “If I were you, I’d stay put. I just checked the forecast. The wind’s picking up, and the storm’s going to last through the night. Rain and fog are already on the way.”
I knew, perfectly well, that Henry’s suggestion was the right thing to do. I simply didn’t know how Daphne would feel about an overnight here. As I glanced her way, my eyes collided with hers just as she looked up at me.
A hint of anxiety swirled in the jade green depths of her gaze. Then, she lifted her chin. Fuck me. It was getting bad. Whenever she lifted her chin like that, a stubborn little motion, it turned me on.
“Henry’s right. You okay sitting tight for the night?” I asked.
“Of course,” she said, her voice squeaking at the end.
Roughly a half an hour later, Daphne and I stared at each other across the bed.
“It’ll be fine. I’ll sleep on the floor,” she offered.
“You’re not sleeping on the fucking floor, princess,” I replied, my words coming out harsher than I intended. I looked down at the floor in question. It was hardwood and uninviting. Looking back at her, I shrugged. “I’m not either. We’ll share the bed, and it’ll be fine. I promise I don’t bite. If necessary, you can put some pillows between us.”
Chapter Five
Daphne
Flynn’s words echoed in my mind. If necessary, you can put some pillows in between us.
Since the discovery that only one room was available for us to share at this rather utilitarian lodge, my mind had been frantically trying to come up a way to deal with the situation. My brain was like a hamster on a wheel, spinning and spinning and spinning with nowhere to go.
Now, it was the middle of the night, and I’d awoken to that barrier of pillows completely obliterated. I couldn’t even blame Flynn. I must’ve kicked them out of the way and was now latched on to him like he was my personal teddy bear.
He was warm and hard all over. After three weeks of practically salivating and wondering just what his body looked like underneath his clothes, I was now currently plastered against it. Although I couldn’t see it, I most assuredly could feel it.
His arm was wrapped around my back, his big palm curled over my bottom with his fingers almost brushing between my thighs. My hand rested over one of his pecs, and before I could even stop myself, my fingers went exploring.
Oh hell, who was I kidding? In this quiet darkness with the wind rushing at the house in gusts, I felt as if my heart was beating in tune with the storm outside. I wanted Flynn. Life and its messiness had convinced me I might never experience desire again, so the headiness of wanting him was intense.
I hadn’t laid a hand on Flynn until now. Like light suddenly rushing in when a shade opened in a darkened room, so did desire rush in where I’d thought I’d lost all capacity for it. My cheeks were so hot I knew my face would be bright pink if anyone could see me. The thaw had begun inside me the very day I’d met Flynn. For more than one night, I’d brought myself to climax with my fingers while imagining him.
Those same fingers traced over his chest and shoulders before mapping lower. Oh wow. He had a true six-pack. I could count the hard ridges with my fingers.
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of his voice, like rough velvet in the night. “What are you doing, Daphne?”
Flynn didn’t move or say anything else, but I could feel his body’s shift to being awake. A subtle tension thrummed through him, and his heart thudded against his ribs. I had no doubt he could feel my heart, beating wildly against his side.
“I don’t know,” I lied.
Even though the polite and proper voice in my mind was screaming at me, I didn’t move. It felt as if an electric current was circulating between Flynn and me. Sparks skittered over the surface of my skin, and liquid need slid through my veins. The air was abruptly in short supply in the room. I could hardly get more than a shallow sip in my lungs.
I expected Flynn to notice his hand was cupping my bottom and shove me away. The man had been nothing but distant and cranky with me. At his best, I got something akin to a smile.
“So much for your pillow barrier,” he murmured.
An almost hysterical laugh bubbled up in my throat. I tried to keep it from escaping, but a little bit slipped out. Flynn surprised me when I felt the rumble of a laugh in his chest under my palm—because, yeah, my hand was still on his chest. His chest was incredible—his skin warm and sleek with a dusting of hair. All hard planes that I wanted to explore with my hands and my tongue, if I was being completely honest.