Page 9

I wasn’t even thinking, at all, when I tapped the blinker, abruptly slowed, and turned down a side road. She glanced my way, her eyes widening.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

I told myself I just wanted to show her something. Sort of true. This road led to a small park with a beautiful view of a pond and the mountains in the distance, fairly common to come across in Alaska, but some of them were just perfect at the right time of day. Like Heartfire Falls out at our family’s property, when the sun was just so, the falls looked like they were on fire. This spot was something else entirely during the winter sunrise.

Within another moment, as that heat and electricity kept on burning in the small space of my truck, I turned into the parking area and rolled to a stop.

Chloe breathed in, pressing her palm to her chest, her voice low with that subtle twang and throaty quality that sent a jolt sizzling through me, fire spinning in my veins. She glanced toward me quickly.

“It’s so beautiful. Oh, wow. Is this the best view of the sunrise around?”

“It’s pretty good,” I agreed, getting lost for a moment in Chloe.

She had this way had about her. She was one of those rare people who could let herself fall into a moment and just be there, and she would pull you in right along with her.

She looked forward again and I followed her gaze. The pond was completely frozen, thick frost shimmering with glints of light over its surface, the wind having blown the snow clean off at some point. The sunlight angled across it, those early rays still barely gold woven with silver, illuminating the frost covered grasses that surrounded the frozen pond. Beyond that were the tall evergreens, mostly blue spruce in this area, and beyond those, the mountains. Alpenglow painted the snow-capped peaks in a watercolor wash of pink and purple, the color brightening as the sun climbed, a golden curve visible now above the ridge.

Chloe let out a soft sigh. I felt her gaze on me. She might as well have had a magnet attached to me, because I turned, catching her eyes.

“It’s so beautiful. Thank you, Lincoln. This was really nice of you.”

I cleared my throat. “Of course.”

“It’s like a secret,” she said, her lips quirking. Those lips I wanted to kiss. A sheepish smile curved her mouth. “I know everyone who’s from here is used to all the views, but it’s fresh for me.”

“I might be a little more used to them, but they never get old,” I said honestly. Aside from Chloe, the beauty of the outdoors here in Alaska, my home, was one of the few things that could still make me feel something close to alive.

Impulsively, she leaned across the console, her palm closing around my shoulder. “Thank you. I didn’t expect this.”

My voice was gruff when I replied. “Didn’t expect what?”

“For you to show me a pretty view.”

We stared at each other, and her hand might as well have been a brand. I could feel the heat of it through my coat. Whether it was me and my own reaction, or her and her touch, or some combustible combination of both, I was locked into her gaze. A subtle tinge of pink rose on her cheeks and her tongue darted out to lick across her bottom lip.

Fuck me.

“Chloe.” My voice came out low and rough.

She finally spoke, her voice lilting in question. “Lincoln?”

“I want to kiss you,” I rasped. “So, uh, if you don’t want that, you better say so now.”

That pink on her cheeks deepened. My pulse pounded, racing so fast it snatched my breath. I forced myself to hold still, because I had at least a scrap of decency left and I didn’t want to kiss her unless she wanted it as much as I did. She blinked and leaned closer. The space between us felt hot, as though there were flames flickering in the air, racing from one tree to another just like in a wildfire, except we were the fire.

“Please,” she finally whispered.

I closed that distance. The urge to claim her, to all but devour her mouth, was riding roughshod over everything else inside me. But the moment our lips touched, it became something else entirely. Even though every instinct in me wanted to take, to claim, to lose control, the second our lips touched, everything slowed.

Her lips were soft and warm, so plump and full, and I groaned at the feel of them. She answered that groan with a tiny catch in her throat, a sound like spurs digging into the flanks of my desire, sharp and impossible not to answer. I angled my head, sliding my hand into her hair and fitting my mouth over hers. Even then, as the kiss shifted from soft and testing to hot and open and messy, it was still an exploration. She tasted sweet. She’d taken a bite of her donut as we walked out to the truck, and I could taste that subtle hint of sugar laced with blackberry.

Her hand slid up my arm, over my shoulder, and down across my chest to rest in the center, where my heart kicked against it as if my heart itself understood something I didn’t yet. All the while our tongues glided together, slow and teasing. She made this little whimpery sound in her throat, and I wanted to yank her across the console into my lap.

Sweet fucking hell. I was gone. Lost in Chloe. Lost in her mouth and the way she felt. Her hair was soft and silky, just as I’d imagined all this time. My thumb trailed down along the side of her neck and I was gratified at the goosebumps rising under my touch, at the way she flexed and arched toward me.

The sound of tires on gravel snapped through the moment as another car pulled into the lot. We broke apart, staring at each other. Her eyes were wide and dark, and I feared the vulnerability and openness I saw in her gaze was also reflected in mine. It was a damn good thing I wasn’t standing, because my knees were weak, my cock was hard, and all I wanted was Chloe. Her lips were kiss-swollen and I just wanted to keep on kissing her. I wanted this moment to last forever.