Текст книги "His Lover to Protect"

Автор книги: Katee Robert

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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 11 страниц)

Chapter Seven

Two motherfucking miles. Luke cursed again as his knee cried out. Two miles up. Because apparently Alexis the Princess simply had to climb to the top of a goddamn cliff and stare off it. Maybe she was calling in the birds from the area to do her cleaning à la her Disney counterparts, or she just wanted to feel closer to nature, but Christ, she could do either of those things on flat ground that didn’t require him to bust his ass up a path…

He stumbled to a stop, looked up…and kept looking. “You have got to be fucking with me.” The path turned into a goddamn mountain, so steep he’d have to use both his feet and his hands to climb, and it was riddled with boulders. He’d be lucky if he made it to the top without spraining an ankle.

This all could have been bypassed if he’d caught an earlier flight. But the early one—the same one he suspected Alexis was on out of Cork—had already left by the time he made it to the airport. So he was stuck with the evening flight. By the time he made it to Stavanger, it was well past dinnertime, and he had no idea where she would have picked to spend the night. The helpful stewardess had told him that the hike to Pulpit Rock—or Preikestolen as most people called it—was an all-day event. So at least he’d been spared from chasing after her in the dark.

Which was why he was here, at the ass-crack of dawn, ready to risk permanent injury to get to the top of this shit. If Alexis had kept on the phone long enough to tell her sister where she was staying, this would have been unnecessary, but noooooo.

He leaned down to rub his knee, knowing damn well that his anger was misplaced. It didn’t make it miraculously disappear to know the source was a combination of the physical aggravation from his knee and his bruised pride from the fact that she’d slipped out of bed without him so much as stirring.

He’d dropped the ball.

Luke braced himself for the pain that was about to become his world and started up. Faced with this challenge, he couldn’t help thinking that this would have been an easy hike before that IED blew off half his right leg. He would have spent it joking and laughing. Now… Now, it was a struggle to take the next step.

And hell if the reminder of all the ways his life was different didn’t piss him off. He wasn’t whole anymore. If he had been, the Air Force would have kept him on as a pararescuer. But he couldn’t meet the physical requirements—he didn’t even come close the one time he’d tried. To do his job, he had to be at the top of his game, and that’s something he never would be again.

By the time he hit the halfway point, he was breathing hard, and his leg shook with the effort. Pathetic. If he were smart, he’d stop and rest his knee for a little bit. He kept going, because the sad truth was that if he stopped now, he was going to have a hard time getting started again. Better to just muscle through it and hope that the trip down would be less difficult.

He glanced up, thankful that the dark clouds overhead had kept all but the most determined tourists off the trail. He didn’t want an audience for this. As it was, he got pitying looks as a group of chatting girls bypassed him. One fact solidified in his mind as his knee screamed from the effort of hauling himself upward.

This was Alexis’s fault.

Not his weakness, but having to put it on display. He bet she’d just bounded up this hill, marveling at how wonderful the world was. Spoiled-rotten princess.

That’s not fair and you know it.

Yeah, he did. He didn’t feel a whole lot like being fair right now. When he got to the top of this beast, he wasn’t sure if he was going to kiss the hell out of her or yell until he was blue in the face.

The path opened in front of him, leveling out to the cliff itself, a wide, flat rock that overlooked the fjord from a truly impressive height. The shock of it had him stumbling to a stop. Even though the path upward was brutal, it was closed in enough that he hadn’t realized how high up they were until now. It would be a brutal drop if someone went over the edge. And Europeans weren’t worried about putting safety cables or fences in place to keep some idiot from taking a running leap into oblivion if they were so inclined. Maybe they saw it as a way of natural selection, but it didn’t do a damn thing for his blood pressure.

But even with that staggering beauty in front of him, his attention zeroed in on Alexis and stayed there. She stood alone between two groups of people, and even from this distance he could see her face lifted and her eyes closed. Inexplicably, she wore a sundress with her hiking boots. His mind flashed back to the climb he’d just done, and he couldn’t help imagining how much easier it would have been if he had a view up that dress to keep him motivated.

But seriously, who the hell wore a sundress to hike a cliff? Obviously someone with no connection to reality.

He started to take a step forward when her shoulders squared. She looked like she was about to march into a battle, like she was steeling herself for something terrible. Luke looked around, frowning when he didn’t see anything particularly terrifying. What was she doing?

Flannery had said she was afraid of heights. Not that he’d believed it, knowing Alexis scaled this bitch. This mountain was wicked steep. Alexis picked up her pack and took a cautious step forward—toward the edge of the cliff. He could actually see her take a deep breath and then force herself another step forward.

She’s terrified. Fear screamed from every line of her body, seeming to get more intense the closer she got to the edge. She staggered to a stop about six feet from the cliff, her shoulders so tense, it looked like she might break into a million pieces. But she didn’t retreat. She didn’t move forward any more, but she didn’t back away, either.

Against all reason, a slow appreciation wound through him. He knew about facing fears—he’d spent most of his two years of training for the PJs doing just that. Yeah, he’d been afraid of drowning and failing his patient instead of something so mundane as heights, but that didn’t make the courage she showed any less real.

But it couldn’t be clearer that fear had her all locked up. She looked like a rabbit in the face of a wolf, frozen and hoping the danger would pass if she didn’t move. You can do it, princess. You have claws. Use them. A minute passed, and then another. If someone didn’t do something, she’d be here all night. Or worse, she’d talk herself away from the edge. He didn’t climb all the way up here for her to back out. Luke cursed under his breath and started for her.

Alexis could barely breathe past the panic fluttering in her veins. So high. It had been scary climbing up here, because the urge to turn around and see exactly how far she’d ascended was nearly overwhelming. But the closed-in feeling of the path had helped steady her. Now there was nothing but wide-open spaces at the top.

Six feet from the edge, frozen in terror, the sheer drop to the water of the fjord nearly two thousand feet below… Actually, it’s 1,982 feet. “Oh God.” A few more feet and she’d be at the edge, within reach of that paralyzing drop. It was all too tempting to shake off her fear and back away. The only person she was trying to prove something to was herself—it wasn’t like she was going to disappoint anyone if she didn’t touch the edge of Pulpit Rock.

Anyone but herself.

If she couldn’t do even this, then what the hell was she doing in Europe to begin with? This isn’t any harder than what I’ve spent the last few years going through—than what Mom went through. If she could do that, I should be able to take these last few steps and touch the edge. The only thing standing in her way was her fear.

But the fear was an overwhelmingly physical thing. It clawed down her throat and through her chest, making her skin feel too tight and her breath come too fast. I have to be sedated for plane rides. What the hell was I thinking hiking up here?

She was thinking she wanted to put Old Alexis in the dust. Climbing to the top of a cliff, let alone one that had a two-thousand-foot drop off the end of it, wasn’t even in the realm of possibilities a few months ago. And she was here. She’d made it to the top. Now she just needed to take the last few steps and banish the mousy part of her that would rather go with the flow than rock the boat, once and for all.

Mom would have walked out there without hesitation.

Yeah, well, Mom wasn’t afraid of heights. Mom wasn’t afraid of anything.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

She almost ignored the words, sure that the angry man on the other end couldn’t be talking to her, but she knew that voice. Intimately. Alexis looked over her shoulder and, for one eternal second, she was sure she was experiencing a fear-based hallucination. Because there was no other way to explain the sight of Luke bearing down on her, storms in his green eyes. Except then he was in front of her and glowering in that way she was already coming to recognize.

She blinked, but he didn’t disappear. “What are you doing here?”

“I have a better question. What are you trying to prove?”

She stared, not liking the way he gave voice to the very same question she’d just been thinking. “What?”

For a second, he hesitated, but then his brows dropped. “Christ, princess, I’m not even using big words—what are you trying to prove by crawling up here in that sad excuse for hiking gear? World’s prettiest thrill-seeker, too afraid to even look over the edge of a cliff?”

Anger straightened her spine, and she took her first full breath since she reached the summit. How dare he? He doesn’t know a damn thing about me. What happened in Cork didn’t give him free rein to steamroll all over her. Speaking of Cork… “Says the man who’s stalking me.”

“I’m not stalking you. I was minding my own goddamn business, taking in the scenery.” He motioned around them. “And who do I stumble over at the top? A scared little princess.”

She hated when he called her princess. Alexis glared down at his knee. That hike had been tiring for her, and she wasn’t carting around a leg full of scar tissue and muscle damage. “How the hell did you even get up here, anyway?”

“Same way you did—I hiked. Though I’m at least wearing appropriate clothing. What, have you never been outdoors before?”

There he went again, assuming he knew a single thing about her. She poked him in the chest, hating how defined it was. Even now, she could perfectly picture his pecs. But she wasn’t going to stand here ogling him while he insulted her. “I got up here just fine.”

“Sure you did. And for what? You’re so scared, you’re shaking like a leaf.”

It stung more because he was right. Before he’d stomped up, she’d been half a second from calling the whole thing off. She couldn’t do that now, not with him watching. All it would do was reinforce every shitty assumption he’d made about her. So Alexis turned around and marched to the edge of the cliff, anger propelling her even when the height made her dizzy. It was so far down, and the blue water of the fjord gleamed in the gray morning. It looked like something out of an ancient myth, carved out of the surrounding trees by some careless god. She reached the edge, and the whole world seemed to sway. “What—”

“Christ, darlin’.” Luke grabbed her arm and towed her back to safety—and right against his chest. “You did it. You got to the edge.”

“This is so stupid. It’s not even that high. I mean, it’s nearly two thousand feet. I guess that’s enough. More than enough.” She started shaking again, thinking about how long that drop looked. Plenty of time to think about the mistakes she’d made in life before her body hit the water with bone-crushing force.

His grip gentled on her, but his voice was just as gruff as ever. “Two thousand feet is plenty scary. Scarier than thirteen thousand feet, strangely enough. At least at the higher elevation, you know you’ll have time to pull your parachute and pick a spot to land.”

She looked up, hating how being close to him drove away some of the cold from her body. She wished she could blame it on memories from Cork, but it would be a lie. It was just Luke—gruff and blond and larger than life. “You’ll notice I don’t make a habit of jumping out of planes.”

Oh my God, he’s trying to make me feel better. She thought back over the last few minutes and the shock nearly dropped her. He’s been doing it since he walked up.He goaded me to the edge, because he knew being pissed at him would distract me from being scared.

“Your loss. It’s a rush like you wouldn’t believe.” Something came into his voice, something a lot like longing. It made her wonder if he’d been skydiving since his injury… Which was none of her damn business.

Alexis shook her head. It was great that he’d helped her out, and her heart ached from the longing she could hear in his voice when he talked about jumping out of a plane—as insane as she found that—but it didn’t change anything. He was here, and that was an awfully big coincidence. “How did you find me?”

His frowned at her, looking genuinely confused.

But come on, the same time, same place. Europe wasn’t that small. “Luke, how did you find me?” She’d left him sleeping soundly, but he could’ve woken up and followed her to the airport. She didn’t know whether to be thrilled or appalled at the thought of him, well, stalking her.

He snorted, his next words throwing that assumption right out the window. “Why the hell would I go looking for you? Don’t get me wrong, the sex was amazing—”

Good Lord. “Will you please lower your voice?” She looked around, but neither of the other two groups of people seemed to be paying them the least bit of attention. Maybe I’m just being paranoid? He’s right. The sex was amazing, but it’s not like he had any way to track me down, even if he wanted to. It was just a coincidence straight out of some romantic comedy movie… If romantic comedies were populated by cranky asshole ex-military types.

No, she was looking too much into this. It might seem too convenient to believe, but he was right. What reason would he have to follow her?

“Why, princess? Am I offending your delicate sensibilities?” He gave a wicked grin that told her just how much he liked the thought. “You didn’t seem that offended when my tongue was between your thighs and you were riding my mouth as you screamed my name.”

“Just shut up.” Because it was all too easy to remember exactly how good it felt when he had his mouth on her countless times the night before last.

“Don’t worry your pretty head about it. It’s just a strange coincidence that I’m here the same time as you.” Luke finally seemed to realize he still had his arms around her, because he let go and took a step back. “Though maybe I should be following you. You don’t seem to have the sense God gave a toddler.”

Ouch. She wasn’t sure what hurt more—that he thought so little of her, or that he could dismiss the sex they’d had in a few short sentences. She might have left him yesterday morning, but that had nothing to do with him or the sex.

She hated how dismissive he was of everything about her, and so she spoke without thinking. “And you do?” She sent a pointed look at his knee. “I’m not the only one shaking.” A low blow, and one she instantly regretted. You’re a goddam nurse, and you’re poking at his injury because he pissed you off. Classy, Alexis. Really classy.

As he started to say something, the skies opened up. Luke cursed, but she only tipped her face up and breathed out some of her anger. If she’d wanted to bicker with someone, she could have stayed at home and gone head-to-head with Drew or even Ryan. This trip was bigger than some grouchy former military man who seemed determined to make her life a thousand times more difficult.

Her peace lasted all of ten seconds, when her body registered that she was soaked and the cold set in. Alexis wrapped her arms around herself and looked around. Both the other groups were hustling back down the way they’d come, huddled inside Windbreakers and their packs. Not Luke, though. Of course she wouldn’t be that lucky. He just stood there, glowering at her. “What? Don’t you have some other helpless woman to bully?”

Unexpectedly, he laughed. The sound rolled through her, deep and addicting. Oh my God. Luke shook his head. “Bullying you is a full-time job.” He seemed to consider for a second. “And you’re anything but helpless, even if you are a giant pain in my ass.”

Once again, she was struck that his crappy attitude seemed calculated to keep her distracted from the huge drop just a few feet away. She wasn’t sure if she should thank him or smack him for interfering in the first place—even if he did help get her to the edge. “Was that an actual compliment? I might pass out right here from the shock.”

“Princess, if you’re passing out from anything, it’ll be hypothermia.” He eyed her backpack. “Did it cross that pretty little head of yours to put on a fucking jacket before you traipsed through Norway?”

Wow, he was really doling out the backhanded compliments today. She glared. “I had a jacket, which I took off when I got too warm.” She wasn’t a complete idiot. Maybe her clothing choices didn’t line up with what he thought was smart, but she had come prepared. Mostly.

“You’re not too warm now.”

She followed his gaze down and nearly groaned when she saw her nipples, very present and accounted for, pressing against the thin fabric of her sundress. Determined not to give him the satisfaction of showing how uncomfortable she was, she lifted her chin…and was instantly caught in his sea-green eyes.

Chapter Eight

Luke was about to demand that Alexis put her damn jacket back on when she kissed him. He should hustle her back to the hotel and get her properly clothed before she ended up sick, but all he did was pull her closer and kiss her back. It was even better than last time, her tongue stroking along his and tasting like peppermint. Alexis dropped her pack and leaned fully against him, her breasts pressing against his chest. He gave in to the need to reach down and cup her ass under her dress, and he nearly went to his knees when he found her wearing another thong. “If I’d hiked up here behind you, we never would have made it.”

She laughed against his mouth. “Hmm? Maybe that’s why those guys never passed me on the trail.”

Jealousy hit him, even more potent than their first night together. He wound his hand through her hair, forcing her head back so she had to look at him. “You flashed a little extra ass at them on purpose¸ didn’t you?”

Her hazel eyes were defiant. “Even bent over at the waist to tie my boots once or twice.”

The thought of those nameless men staring at her perfect ass—at any of her—made Luke see red. A rational part of his mind pointed out that she was likely just goading him, the same way she had with the soccer players, which gave him pause for half a second before a wicked thought occurred. Two can play that game. “You want to give some stranger a show?”

He cast a quick look around the cliff, but everyone else had cleared out, leaving them alone. Satisfied there was no one else here to see, he reached up and pushed one strap of her dress off her shoulder. The wet fabric clung to her breast, and so he was forced to give it another tug. The white bra was soaked through, revealing a clear outline of her nipple, but he didn’t give in to the temptation to suck her there. Instead, he met her gaze as he pulled the lace down to bare her. “We can do that.”

Her chest rose and fell with each harsh breath, and she arched her back, pressing her breast into his hand. “There you go again—all talk and no walk.”

“You can push all you want. I’m doing this in my own time.”

“And if I say no?”

He stopped his meandering path up her side and met her gaze. “Are you saying no?”

She licked her lips, and her body shook as a shiver overtook her. He wished he could chalk it up to lust, but the ugly truth was they were standing outside in cold rain and she wasn’t even close to properly dressed. He’d have to be some kind of dick to push her when there was a very real risk of hypothermia if they didn’t get moving and to shelter. Cursing, Luke pulled her bra up and fixed her dress. Then he made himself let go of her and step back. Strangely enough, that was even more difficult than covering up the nipple begging for his mouth.

Alexis frowned. “I didn’t say no. Hell, I’m half a second away from screaming yes, yes, yes. Who’s getting cold feet now?”

“Both of us.” He motioned at the sky. “If you still want it, I’m more than happy to spend a few hours warming you up with my mouth—but not until we get off this godforsaken cliff. Where are you staying?”

She seemed to consider not answering, but then she let out a shuddering breath. “The lodge in Jørpeland. I took the bus here.”

“It’s your lucky day, then. I rented a car.” He’d driven in from Stavanger since he had no idea where she was. At least she was closer.

“My lucky day? That remains to be seen.” Without another word, she marched off in the direction of the path.

All Luke really wanted to do was sit down and rest his damn knee, but he followed her anyway. He’d lived through worse pain, with a shittier end result. Alexis, in bed again. Even as he struggled down the boulders, keeping an eye on her in case she got cocky and fell as a result, he couldn’t help wondering if this was one hell of a mistake.

One night could be called a moment of insanity, brought on by adrenaline, snarky commentary, and a convenient bar brawl. Once he’d kissed her and she’d thrown down her challenge, the end result was all but written on the wall. To do it a second time… That was damn near premeditated. He was supposed to be protecting her, not bending her in half and fucking her into submission.

Though that was a thought. Maybe if he kept her exhausted from constant sex, she’d be too drained to take off without him again.

Luke shook his head, breathing hard as he dropped off the last boulder and to the relatively flat ground. It was only the first in a long descent, but he felt as if he’d really accomplished something. Then Alexis glanced back, a small line between her brows. “Are you okay? We can stop for a few minutes if you need it.”

She thought he was weak. Weak enough that she was offering him an easy out. There wasn’t exactly pity on her face, but the compassion was only a step away. He’d seen it too many times over the last couple years, and having it appear on her face was the last thing he wanted. “I don’t need a break.”

He shouldered past her and picked up his pace, even though his knee screamed at the strain. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t weak. He refused to be. All that mattered was getting to the bottom of this fucking mountain and shoving Alexis in a room so she wouldn’t wander off while he had a chance to recover. She could shove her pity while she was at it.

“With that permanent thundercloud you have hanging around your ears, it’s no wonder it’s raining.”

“Life’s not all rainbows and sunshine, princess. The sooner you figure that out, the better.” He’d known that ever since he was a kid, when Aunt Rose had to step in because his deadbeat mother bounced out and left him to fend for himself at the tender age of seven. That truth was only reinforced as he grew up and joined the Air Force, where he had the pleasure of witnessing firsthand the horrible shit that people did to one another in wartime. The truth was that life wasn’t pretty or clean or neat. It was a goddamn mess.

She made a pissed-off hissing sound. “For the last time, you don’t know a single thing about me. So take your bad attitude and shove it up your ass.”

She was right. He, of all people, shouldn’t be judging the hell out of her without hearing her story. He knew that, but it was so goddamn hard to focus when his instincts were all fucked up when it came to this woman. Part of him—a very large part—wanted to protect her, even though it was obviously the last thing she wanted. The other part of him blamed her for prying him out of his comfortable misery back home. He knew that holing up in Aunt Rose’s basement wasn’t a legit life decision—in fact, he was pretty sure she was less than a month from kicking his ass to the curb in her usual tough-love style—but it had been comfortable. Now, because of Alexis, he was in fucking Norway, hiking down a cliff where each step was agony.

It wasn’t her fault. Not really. But he needed his anger to get through the next few hours, so he wrapped it around himself and used it to propel him down the mountain path. A little longer. Just a little long and he could rest.

If looks could kill, Alexis would have drilled a hole in the back of Luke’s head by now. He really thought he had her number down. Princess, he called her, as if the worst crisis she’d ever had to deal with was a bad hair day. The outside of her body might not be marked up, but her scars would give his a run for his money. Not that she was about to enlighten him. She’d come here to put that part of her life behind her, not dredge it up to prove to some asshole that she was worth a damn.

She was more than the cancer that had demanded the removal of her ability to have kids as penance for her life. It didn’t win. She did. Even though she came out of that year feeling like she was walking off a battlefield into a strange version of the reality she’d once known. She wasn’t going to wave that knowledge in front of him. Pity wasn’t something she wanted—especially not from him—and she didn’t want him to start treating her with kid gloves like so many other people in her life.

But maybe he could stand to be a little less of a grumpy ass.

By the time they made it to the bottom of the path, she simultaneously wanted to kick him in the shin and offer him a shoulder to lean on. He didn’t seem to notice he was weaving on his feet, but she half expected him to topple at any second. God, this was the last thing she needed. The man was so much easier to deal with when he ran his mouth and acted like a dick.

Either way, he favored his right leg so much, there was no way he could drive. Elevation and ice is what he needs. Probably some ibuprofen, too, if we can find it. He wasn’t the type to accept help, even from a registered nurse, but that was too damn bad. Crappy attitude or not, he’d gotten her to the edge of that cliff, and so she was going to do what she could to help his pain.

She picked up her pace as he pulled a set of keys from his pocket. Alexis grabbed them out of his hand and danced back when he turned on her. He’d already proven that he didn’t want her pity—which she understood all too well—so she’d take a page from his handbook and snarl him into submission. Putting as much snark into her voice as possible, she said, “I know where we’re going, so I’m driving. End of story.”

For a second, she thought he’d argue, but Luke just shook his head. “Whatever you say, princess. Your way or the highway, right?”

She’d never been that unbending even once in her life, but she nodded all the same. The faster they got back to the lodge, the faster he could sit his ass down and rest. “That’s exactly right.” He should know something about that, being stubborn as all get out.

“Figures.” He stomped over to a tiny red Volkswagen Golf. When she just stared, trying to reconcile this large man with the itty-bitty car, Luke glared. “It’s all they had.”

“I didn’t say a word.”

“I can read it all over your face.” He marched over to the driver’s side, opened the door, and then marched back to the passenger door. At her blank look, his glare only deepened. “What? My auntie raised me right. Get in the car.”

Wordlessly, she rounded the front bumper, tossed her pack into the back, and slid into the driver’s seat. What was she supposed to say? Alexis couldn’t remember a single time a man had opened a door for her. Oh, Drew and Ryan did it from time to time, but that was different. She didn’t see them as men. But a boyfriend? Never. Even Eric had claimed to be so enlightened that it was his firm belief that feminism meant women should open their own damn doors and pay their own checks. They’d split every single date’s cost until they were engaged. And she’d patted herself on the back for not needing a man to take care of her then—or now.

That said… She liked the feeling that came when Luke opened her door, even if he was surly about it.

It was something to think about later, when she had time and space to be alone. She turned out onto the street and headed back toward the lodge where she’d spent the night last night. The drive was really pretty, the road curving through so much greenery, it was like a completely different world than back home. The man sitting beside her only added to the surreal feeling. In Wellingford, Luke never would have looked twice at her, and she never would have had the courage to push and prod and meet him every step of the way. She liked the New Alexis. She liked her a lot.

She just needed to figure out how to keep the changes when she finally went home.

The silence stretched, threatening to become uncomfortable—at least for her. He was staring out the window, and she wasn’t really sure what to do with a contemplative Luke. He was so much easier to deal with when he was snapping and snarling at her. “Thank you.”

“Not necessary. I do it for every woman.” He spoke without looking over.

She took half a second and considered letting it go. What would it hurt for him not to realize she knew what he’d been up to on the cliff? But he was the one who got her those final steps to the edge. She had to acknowledge that, for herself if not for him. “No, I mean thanks for back there—for goading me into getting to the edge.” She wasn’t sure if she could have done it without anger at him driving her.

“You would have gotten there on your own eventually. I just sped up the process.”

Shock spread through her, and she tightened her grip on the wheel. He threw it out so casually, as if he had no doubt in his mind that she would have made it to the edge. Just like that. This man, who seemed barely able to stand the sight of her half the time they spent together, had more faith in her than she had in herself.