Snowed In (3 page)

“Nina,
I’m a good listener,” Dex said putting his hands on her upper arms. “Really, I am.”

His
thumbs worked soothing circles on her shoulders and prickles of pleasure danced
across Nina’s skin under her robe. A wave of heat swept through her and her
heart stalled. Nina stared into space and tried to ignore the exquisite feel of
Dex’s touch and the primal desire that
it
had ignited in her.

Dex
was undeterred Nina realized. He wanted to know what disturbed her and unless
Nina wanted to further aggravate the situation by dumping her insecurities on
him she’d fib. “My cousin…” Nina voiced.

Dex
searched her features as if gauging her response, “Your family?”

She
nodded. It wasn’t a lie really.

“I’m
sorry your family is so far away.”

Nina
was too, sorry. Most of all she missed June, her cousin. Twenty-eight-year old
free spirited June was the only other person in the world who understood her, who
‘got her’. Here in Anchorage, a city thousands of miles away from the only
place she’d ever called home, Nina had no friends.

She
felt the shock of moisture on her face. Then without warning, tears streamed down
her cheeks. What the hell wrong with her?! “Your hormone levels may take a
while to return to normal…on the average it can take four to six weeks.” Dr.
Ting’s voice echoed in her head.

“Callie
and I are alone…” Nina sobbed as tears blurred her eyes.

Dex
gathered her close and hugged her. It was a responsive gesture Nina thought a
friendly embrace so she offered no resistance and sagged against him.

“That’s
not true Nina,” Dex replied
after a moment of silence, “You and
Callie have me.”

Dex
circled his arms around her and Nina was instantly awash with a sense of
calmness. His protective embrace gave Nina’s a sense of security made her feel
as if nothing could hurt her. He held her tighter and whispered something
indecipherable, yet soothing and comforting. His hands caressed her back in
light strokes and Nina finally allowed herself be swept away by the sheer bliss
of his protective hold.

“I
don’t want you to think you’re alone.” He said just as his lips lightly brushed
the top of her head. The brief physical contact made Nina jolt made her skin
prickle.

“I
would never let anything happen to you or Callie.” He concluded, “You know
that, don’t you?”

What!
Her knees buckled and her heart went to her throat. For several seconds, she
couldn’t speak, think, breathe even. No, she actually didn’t know!

Chapter 5

When
Nina had been hired on as the nanny, she’d taken very specific orders from the
agency that certified her. Dexter McIver was a very private person and as
personal matters went, Mr. McIver rarely discussed anything outside of Ian and
the McIver household with anyone on his staff and that included the nanny. So,
naturally there was little about Dex or his feelings or his emotions that Nina
was aware of.

“No.”
Nina replied unsure of what else to say. She was not to read any more into what
he was saying. Nope.

“Well,
now you do.” He told her taking a step back to look at her.

“Thank
you.” She whispered.

Thank
you?
Really? What the hell what she supposed to say?

Unable
to establish eye contact she looked away but concentrated on Dex’s voice
instead.

“Nina…”

She
liked his voice actually. It was a nice deep baritone and at that moment hearing
her name on his lips it sounded a lot more like a purr than a word.

Nina
took a moment to pull herself together and to put her thoughts in logical
order. Dex was a decent person a Good Samaritan. He’d given her and her child a
place to live and Nina a means of earning a living. Dex was a good father to
Ian and he recognized that the care Nina provided was excellent and did not
want to risk her leaving on account that she was homesick. That made sense, of
course. Yet, his statement didn’t fit into her logical conclusion, “I would
never let anything happen to you or Callie.”

 “…you
know?” Dex said cupping her face, “You and Callie have become part of us.” His
thumbs stroked her cheeks and wiped tears away.

Nina
was so shocked by his gesture she could barely speak, “Us?” She heard herself
say. What did that mean?

“Yes.
Us...” He said that time kissing the top of her head. “The McIvers.”

The
bombshell he’d just dropped on her rocked Nina to the core and she was at a
loss for words. “What do you mean by that?” She asked the words tight against
her throat.

The
corners of his mouth creased into a smile and he grinned, “It means that I care
about you and Callie very much.”

“How
much?” She blurted.

“This
much.” Dex said as he slid his hand behind her neck slanted his mouth and parted
her lips open. A low groan rumbled from Nina and as his tongue twirled inside
her mouth, excitement skittered through her and Nina melted into his kiss. Minutes
later when they parted, Nina’s breathing was uneven and went in short puffs. His
breathing too was labored. Dex examined her face for a moment and she stared.
He
just kissed me!
Nina screamed inwardly.

She’d
fantasized about Dex for so long that at that very moment it all seemed so
surreal. With the way his eyes studied her and the way his body was plastered
against hers it was all Nina could do not to jump into his arms and tell him exactly
how much she…
cared
about him.

“Your
mouth tastes sweeter than I imagined.” Dex said as his lips curved into a half
smile.

“And
you…you’re a good kisser.” She commented a low grin on her face.

“Am
I?” He asked cupping her neck and pulling her toward him again.

It
wasn’t without apprehension that Nina considered how a liaison would affect Dex.
Bad enough that one of Anchorage’s most eligible
bachelor’s reputation had been tarnished when Dex had taken in a stray, but with
Nina being his employee and ten years his junior, anything more than just platonic
involvement would compromise Dex to a much greater extent.

Nina
placed a hand on his chest and held him at bay, “Stop…” she whispered.

Dex
cocked his head sideways and narrowed his eyes at her.

“I
don’t want them talking about you.”

Dex
pulled away slightly and stared, “Who’s ‘them’?”

Nina
shrugged and said, “Anchorage.”

“You
mean
all
of Anchorage?” He smiled.

“Yes.”

“Anchorage
may not be as big as Seattle, but it is still a large city.” His gaze flickered
downward and rested on her mouth for several seconds. “Doubt
all
of
Anchorage is talking about us.” A slow sexy smile emerged from the corner of
his mouth, “Maybe
half
of Anchorage, but not
all
.”

His
answer surprised her.
Dex actually knew people in town were talking
about them?
“Do you know what they’re saying? About me? About us?” She
asked looking at him square in the eye.

“Yeah,
I do,” he replied promptly as his index finger touched her chin and he brought
her face towards him.

His
feathery soft touch ignited her, sent shivers up her spine. Nina’s body came
alive.

“Let
them talk.” Dex told her as he brushed his lips over hers once then twice. “I
don’t care what
others
have to say. Do you?”

“No.”
Nina replied instantly. “They’re lies anyway.”

“Oh”
he jumped in quickly, “Which one is the lie, the one about you wanting to
seduce me? Or the one about you being in love with me?”

“
What?”
Nina cried out.

Dex
tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear and said, “You know? They also say
I’m lovesick over a much younger woman and that I’m stupid.” Something hot and
intense flared in his eyes then his hands slipped down to the small of her back
and he pulled her close, “I say the former is true, the latter not so much.”

With
his body that close Nina could detect his arousal against her belly. A wave of
heat swept through and her flesh quivered. The noise of the storm outside and
the fireplace behind them faded, making time stand still. Suddenly Nina found
it hard to breathe. A single tear formed at the corner of her eye and he gently
brushed away. They both stared at each other as if they were suspended in time
each sensing as if what they were about to start was something very real.

His
fingers curled deep into the hair at her nape and Dex lowered his face to hers
until their lips touched and he kissed her again. Nina flattened her palms
against his chest and tightening her grip on his shirt, she parted her lips and
he gave into him.

Dex
smoothed his lips back and forth over hers probing, “If you rather we stop we
can.” he murmured.

“No,”
Nina whispered breathless and impatient, “Don’t stop…please. I don’t want you
to.”

Dex
was more than willing to appease
.
He threaded
his fingers through her hair and tightened her curls around his fingers. He
invaded her mouth hard and demanding and delved in with pent up desire. Nina kissed
him back with equaled unbridled passion.

In
the next minute, Nina felt her own hands reaching upwards, her fingers enlacing
at the base of his neck pulling him as close as she possibly could. He
responded, holding her tighter. His fingers slipped down further and he cupped
her buttocks, she whimpered in response. Prickles of pleasure beaded her skin
and her insides turned to mush.

Dex
pressed her against the couch and they both stumbled onto the sofa frame. Their
mouths parted momentarily and they both smiled with pleasure. She shifted
closer, nestling her frame between his legs.

Dex
stared at her, his gaze moving over her features before returning to her eyes. “You’re
beautiful.”

She
patted his chest softly and glanced at him above her eyes lashes, “You’re not
so bad yourself.” A moment later, her hands moved to his shirt and Nina began
unbuttoning it slowly, kissing and caressing the sculpted muscles beneath the
fabric. When the pajama top was completely opened, she touched his chest with fascination;
he was magnificent to look at. She leaned in and captured a taut male nipple
with her teeth and scraped it lightly. He hissed.

A
moment later Dex smiled and captured her hand raising it to his lips and held
it in place, “Nina, we need to talk.” He told her.

Nina
was caught off guard by the sudden shift in mood. Something odd flared in his
eyes and she almost panicked. She took a steadying breath then moistened her
parched lips. “Yes…”

He
couldn’t possibly be reconsidering!

Chapter 6

Dex
didn’t respond immediately and his unreadable expression unnerved her. She’d
hoped that he would give her some indication of what he was thinking; instead,
he just continued to stare.

“I
need to know something?” He finally said.

His
gaze remained fixed on her with an intensity that made Nina edgy. “What’s that?”
She managed.

 “Are
you sure about this?”

“Of
course I am,” she retorted after a brief pause.

Dex
was quiet again then he said, “I am ten years older than you.”

At
that, she laughed out loud, “I’m well aware of that, Dex,” she searched his
eyes and asked, “Does that bother you? Our age difference?”

“Well,”
Dex said searching her features, “Doesn’t the age difference concern you at all?”

Nina
shook her head, “No. It doesn’t,” she stroked his cheek then turned the
question on him, “Does it concern
you
?”

He
looked away and hesitated. An eternity later he brought his attention back to
her and said, “No. But…”

“But
what?” Nina pressed.

“I
don’t want to be selfish.”

Selfish?
Dex was likely the most unselfish person Nina had ever met. “Dex,” she said stroking
his cheek, “You are not selfish.”

He
snickered and his bottom lip twisted, “I know there are guys out there much
younger and better suitors. I just don’t want to take you out of circulation.”

“
Out
of circulation
?” Nina chuckled. “I’m not a library book, you know?”

“You
know what I mean, Nina.” He answered, offering a weak smile. “I know the guys
at the office swoon every time you stop by.” He shrugged, “They all think
you’re hot.”

Nina
never realized she had such an effect on Dex’s male employees. “Listen, I’m
okay with being ‘out of circulation.’” She told him. “I’m also okay with giving
us a try,”

Nina
added the last part of her statement on a whim hoping that Dex would declare
the same.

After
a brief pause he replied, “What about Lynne?”