The Billionaire's Courageous Lover (Bold, Alaskan Men Book 3) (11 page)

With a gentle touch, he quickly put a metal “stick” underneath her finger, then taped her finger to it.  When it was all fixed up, she looked down and was relieved.  It wasn’t so bad!  Her finger still hurt, but not nearly so much since it was being supported by the metal “stick” and she didn’t have to use her muscles. 

Looking back, he smiled at his handiwork.  “There!  That should help.  But I’ll give you some pain pills, just to ease the throbbing.  Or you can take some ibuprofen.  Whichever you prefer.”

Andie had taken pain pills after an accident on her bike when she was younger.  She hadn’t liked the woozy feeling in her head.  “I’ll just take the ibuprofen,” she stated, staring up at Knox and daring him to contradict her assertion.

Of course, he did! 

“She’ll take the pain pills as well,” he told the doctor.  Dennis just chuckled and moved to a back room, coming back moments later with a small bottle filled with pills.  “Take them as you need them, but come on back if you need anything else.”

Andie stood up and was about to ask him what she owed him when Knox interrupted.  “Send me the bill, Dennis,” and he took Andie’s other hand, tugging her out the door once more.

It was completely dark now and Andie shivered as the cold hit her.  She was tired.  Bone tired!  The walk from the door to Knox’s truck seemed too long.  Sighing, she carefully stepped off of the stairs to the driveway. 

Knox wasn’t fooled even a little.  He knew that she was exhausted.  It had been a long, arduous day and he had an insane urge to carry her.  Giving in, he felt better as he lifted her into his arms.  “Come on, honey,” and he lifted her up, carrying her the rest of the way until he gently tucked her into his truck.  “You need dinner and a good night’s sleep.”

She nodded, and wasn’t upset that he was carrying her around.  She’d never been extremely active, so today, all the skiing and physical exertion of just walking around in those ski boots and with the poles, not to mention the last hour of pain in her hand, she really was worn out. 

“Thank you for not taking me to the hospital,” she told him, leaning her head against the headrest, just for a moment.  “All four of my grandparents died after going to the hospital.  I know it is irrational, but I tend to associate hospitals with death.  I don’t like them.”

He answered her by placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head.  It was enough.  She felt that kiss, and his understanding, all the way to her toes. 

Looking down, she laughed and lifted her hand.  “I don’t think my boss is going to approve of the finger I hurt,” she said, and her hand really did look like she was flipping someone off.  The middle finger stuck out like…well, like a sore finger! 

She laughed softly, and knew that she was crashing hard.  “I need to exercise more.  Today really got to me,” she told him, and leaned her head back against the soft leather of his seat. 

Knox glanced over at her and gripped the steering wheel harder, trying to stop himself from reaching over and touching her.  He wanted so badly to run his finger over her soft cheek, to hold her in his arms as she fell asleep. 

Off limits, he told himself. 

He focused on driving her the short distance to her house, careful to avoid any of the potholes that might jar her. 

When he pulled into the driveway, parking his truck right in front of her red VW Bug, he put it in park and looked over at her.  She was completely asleep.  And she looked so beautiful with her long, dark lashes resting delicately against the pale skin of her cheeks.  He could just barely discern the slight pink of her cheeks in the dim light.  He took the moment to look at her, enjoy her soft, delicate body.  She wouldn’t ever know of this time, of his decadent pleasure in just watching her sleep.  He felt like a voyeur, but he couldn’t look away.

In the end, he knew that she needed a soft bed, and so he stepped out of his truck and came around to the other side. 

He knew there was no way to carry her inside without waking her up but he hated to do it, knowing that she needed sleep.  “Come on, sleeping beauty,” he said as he opened the passenger door. 

Andie jerked awake and looked around, realizing that they were outside of her house and he was about to lift her into his arms.

She shook her head and backed up, scooting as far away as the still-secured seatbelt would allow.  “Unless you’re going to carry me inside and make love with me, then no, you’re not carrying me, Knox,” she told him sternly. 

He backed up then and she sighed with frustration.  Stepping out of the vehicle, she looked up at him in the darkness.  Either her exhaustion was gone or it was making her bold, she wasn’t sure which. 

“I’m going to win, Knox.  You should just give in because we both know that this attraction is strong.  So are you and we’re both stubborn, but so is my determination to prove you wrong.  I love it here.  I’m staying.  And we’re going to be lovers.”

He answered her by lifting her damaged finger and raising an eyebrow.  “This could be your leg.”

“But it wasn’t.  Because I’m strong.  A lot stronger than you think.  I’ll just have to work harder to prove it to you.”

And with that, she walked into the house with as much dignity as her tired limbs could manage. 

When she was inside, she walked over to her sink, grabbed two ibuprofen and swallowed the tablets with a large gulp of water.  She wobbled into her bedroom, stripping off her clothes as she went.  She was practically sleepwalking by the time she made it into her bathroom; she brushed her teeth, slipped her nightgown on, and then fell into bed.  She was asleep within moments. 

The weekend had finally arrived!  She’d had another fun week of teaching.  She felt like she and her students were getting into a rhythm, and that was always a good thing.  She knew what to expect of them and they knew what to expect of her. 

It was Friday afternoon.  Saturday and Sunday loomed ahead of her, promise and hope in the air.  She was determined.  Andie looked out the window, saw the rain and considered her options.  It was time to take control.  Her neighbor had just brought over two more boxes.  She stared at them for a long moment. 

Yes, she could put the end tables and coffee table together all by herself.  There was nothing difficult in the process.  In fact, she was always amazed at how perfectly engineered the process was.  All the pieces fit together perfectly, there was never a shortage of hardware and they all screwed in easily. 

But….that didn’t mean she couldn’t play damsel in distress if it suited her purpose. 

And her purpose was burning inside of her.  Too long!  She’d lived here for weeks now.  Her finger was much better after a week in the splint, her house was becoming more livable, thanks to a very efficient postal system, and she missed Knox.  He hadn’t been to her house for dinner since their day of skiing.

It was time.  It was time to fish or cut bait.  She’d been shocked when one of her students had used that line, but it was perfect.  Especially since her first attempt at fishing had been so successful.  So she was trying it again. 

Lifting her cell phone, she dialed Knox’s number with trembling fingers, almost missing several of them.  She might be determined, but she was still nervous.  Rejection or acceptance, either possibility hung in the air.  Either option terrified her.

“What’s wrong, Andie?” he demanded as soon as he answered her call. 

Andie laughed, hoping that he couldn’t detect her anxiousness in her voice.  “Nothing is wrong, of course.”

“How is your hand?”

She smiled and glanced at her finger.  “Much better.  But you would know that if you’d bothered to come around the other day when I offered you dinner.”

There was a long pause.  “I’m sorry Andie.  I had a meeting.”

She knew he was lying.  But that was fine with her.  She was determined now.  Enough messing around.  She wanted answers.  And she wanted Knox.  If he didn’t want her, then he was going to have to spell it out for her.  No more kissing and then retreating.  No more to and fro on the desire that was hanging between them like a thick, heavy fog. 

“Well, I have two more large boxes of furniture.  Any chance you could help me put them together?”  She fiddled with the button on her big shirt as she talked, debating on whether to unbutton it or leave it closed.  When he paused, she smiled and released the button.

Into the silence, she considered her words carefully.  She knew this man slightly better now.  She was playing on his well-ingrained sense of chivalry.  Not really fair, but she wasn’t willing to play fair.  Not anymore.  She was cheating.  She was going to win!

“If you don’t have time, that’s no problem.  Tommy offered to help me out if I needed any other tools, so I’m sure I could call him and ask him if he has a few spare moments to help me with the furniture.”  She took a deep breath.  “I could do it by myself, but some of the pieces are longer than I was expecting. 

She heard the growl of anger and almost laughed out loud.  “I’ll be right there,” he told her and ended the call. 

Andie laughed and almost danced around.  She was feeling so brave, she even went to the basement door and looked down into the well-lit but spooky area.  Could she do it?  Could she venture into dangerous territory?  She was just being silly!  There was nothing down there.  Nothing at all since she hadn’t even stored stuff in the basement yet. 

Tossing the tennis ball down there, she held her breath and stared.  It bounced, then came to a rest among the other balls littering the area.  Nothing happened. 

She should just go down there.  Be brave. 

In the end, she wasn’t feeling that brave.  She turned off the light and closed the door again.  Tomorrow, she promised herself.  She’d go down into that scary place tomorrow. 

Meanwhile, her fishing pole took up residence in her coat closet.  For now.

Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang and she took a deep breath before walking over to open it up. 

“Thanks!” she said, smiling up at him.  She’d done her hair, smoothing out the curls and added a bit more makeup than normal.  She also had a roast in the crock pot that was simmering with garlic and potatoes, making a delicious gravy.  It was all part of the master plan. 

Knox looked down at her and knew that something was going on.  She looked… sexy.  Hell, she always looked sexy but right now, she looked like some sort of soft, sexy goddess. 

His hands clenched the doorframe, not sure if he should walk in or not. 

But when she walked over to one of the boxes in the middle of her living room floor, kicking the box with her sock covered toe, he knew that he wouldn’t let her lift things like that by herself. It wasn’t as large as the sofa box that he’d helped her with the last time, but it looked heavy, and the pieces inside were most likely cumbersome. 

“What’s in the box?” he asked, closing the door and shrugging off his canvas jacket.  He laid it carefully down on the back of the sofa, wishing that he could simply walk over to her and take her into his arms. 

There was a strange light in her eyes.  Something that told him to be wary, but still drew him closer. 

Andie bent down, hopefully giving him a good flash of her lace bra in the process.  She was a bit breathless, doing something so blatant, but she was also determined. 

“They’re either my coffee table or my end tables,” she told him, and shifted to try and see the labels better.  “I’m not completely sure.”  She looked at both boxes, a finger to her cheek and not quite able to look back up at him.  “I’m guessing that the big one is the coffee table and the smaller one, hopefully, holds both end tables.” 

Knox was frozen, his erection coming hard and fast as he gazed down at the delicate lace as well as the soft swell of her breasts.  Then she straightened up, looking at him and he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her, make love to her. 

His eyes moved lower and he would swear that he could see a darker sphere where her nipple should be.  Was she doing this on purpose?  Had she worn that filmy, white blouse and the barely-there, lace bra to make his mind muddle? 

He almost groaned out loud.  When his eyes moved back to hers, he had his answer.  Yes.  Hell yes, she was doing this on purpose. 

But instead of moving closer to him, as he expected, she walked into the kitchen and grabbed one of the knives from the knife block that hadn’t been there the last time he’d been in her kitchen.  She took one of the knives and sliced open one of the boxes.  Unfortunately, she was awkward about the handling because of her still-bandaged finger. 

“Here, let me do that,” he grumbled, and took the knife from her hand.  Had her fingers lingered a bit longer than necessary?  He tried to ignore that.

But then she sat down again and leaned over, that billowing shirt opening for another glance.  He felt like a voyeur, watching her as she worked the cardboard back.  Every time she moved, his eyes were drawn to her breasts, watching, holding his breath in the hopes that he would get another peek. 

When the furniture was put together, he helped her move the small tables into positions at each end of her sofa and the larger one in front and he noticed that the sofa now sported accent pillows and a soft-looking blanket draped over one end.  She then brought out lamps that had obviously been delivered at some other time, putting them carefully on the end tables.  And they looked good.  When she turned them on, they filled the area with a warm light that helped soften the whole room.  The place was really looking nice in a comfortable, homey way. 

“I like it,” she announced with a huge grin on her face.  And the smile only made her look more beautiful.  She smiled up at him and his gut tightened even more.  “Thank you for rushing down here to help me.  I could have done it by myself, but it would have taken more time.” 

Knox wanted to kiss her.  He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss those incredibly kissable lips, and make his way slowly down her body, to know if she liked to be touched more on her breasts or her stomach, to explore her slender back, find out if she might be ticklish at her waist when his lips kissed her there, or if that ticklishness turned to excitement when she was aroused. 

Instead, he stood there, staring at her, his hunger gnawing away at him because making love to this woman would be wrong since she wasn’t going to stay. 

Andie sat down on the sofa and smiled, excited by the way her home was shaping up, and by the way he was looking at her at the moment.  He wanted her.  She could feel his hunger as if it were a living force in the room.  But he was still fighting it.  She patted the cushion next to her, her gaze moving up and down his body with a hunger that was equal, possibly even more, powerful than his.  “Try it out.  The couch is pretty comfortable.  And when the accent chairs come in, the whole room will look better.”  She extended her legs onto the tufted ottoman, enjoying the cushioned surface.  “I prefer having this kind of ‘coffee table’ so that I can feel free to put my feet up, not worry about etiquette.”

He almost groaned.  That was exactly like what he had in his house.  He’d told his decorator to go for comfort over style.  He didn’t want furniture that he didn’t feel comfortable kicking back and relaxing on.  It had to be useful and comfortable.

Still, he didn’t move.  He didn’t shift on his feet and walk around to the sofa.  He just stood there, looking down at her. 

“Come try it out,” she said, and patted the place next to her. 

He didn’t sit down.  He walked over to stand in front of her.  “Are you trying to tease me?” he asked.

She looked up at him but shook her head.  “If you’re going to talk to me, you’re going to have to sit down.  It hurts my neck to look that high up, Knox.”

Damn, he loved the way she said his name, all breathy and excited.  Her eyes, the shirt, the lace bra and…well, everything about Andie tonight seemed different.  She was always enticing.  Too enticing.  But tonight she was just…different. 

Against his better judgment, he sat down, one arm behind her.  “What’s going on, Andie?” he demanded. His shoulders shifted so that he was almost facing her, needing to see her face to gauge her reactions.  She was beautiful, and he suspected that she was up to something.  So he needed to look into her eyes. 

Andie turned around so that she was facing him, her feet tucked up underneath her.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she replied, licking her lips.  He was here, in her house, and she wanted to kiss him so badly that she could almost taste it. Unfortunately, she was too afraid of making the first move.  Of rejection. 

Taking a deep breath, she lowered her lashes, wishing she had the courage to just reach out and touch him.  Instead, she forced a smile to her face and said, “How about some dinner?  I made a roast in the crock pot.”

He turned his head slightly.  For the first time, he noticed a scent other than her soft, feminine fragrance.  “Dinner,” he commented, then looked down at her lips.  Then at that deep shadow between her breasts, the area where her white, billowing shirt didn’t hide.  He wanted to explore that shadow.  He wanted to make the shadow go away so that he could see all of her.  No more shadows. 

Taking a deep breath, he shook his head. 

She could see that he was about to turn her down, so she added, “I have chocolate chip cookies ready to bake for when we’re finished with dinner.”

Knox groaned out loud.  He might have been able to resist the offer of freshly baked cookies, but he couldn’t hurt her.  The look in her eyes told him that she was vulnerable right at the moment.  She was trying to seduce him, he suspected, but he was going to have to be strong enough to resist.  And not hurt her.  “Deal,” he finally agreed.  “What can I do to help?”

She smiled and shook her head.  “Nothing.  Salad is in the fridge and everything else is pretty much ready.  I love the crock pot!”

She moved into the kitchen and pulled down plates, unaware of Knox behind her, watching as the white shirt pulled up, revealing her bottom in the leggings.  “Can you open a bottle of wine?” she asked, pointing to the cabinet over in the corner. 

Knox watched her as she moved around the small kitchen.  He’d like to see her in his kitchen, with all the extra space where she could move around more easily, create all of her delicious meals on a whim and not have to put everything away so quickly.  He suspected that Andie could be a crazy good cook if she had more time and space.  His eyes quickly scanned the kitchen, then glanced out the window.  Maybe he could extend the kitchen area more, push out that wall, add a double oven, shift the countertop so that he could sit and watch her while she cooked. 

Even now as he leaned a shoulder against the wall, he enjoyed the way she moved, the innate, sensual grace of her body, her long legs, and her delicate arms.  She moved as if she had a song in her head and her body was swaying to the music only she could hear.