Chapter 2
Laura Murdock had had Nash tied in knots from the second he’d set eyes on her.
Two stories up a ladder, nail gun in hand, he’d taken one look at the tight-bodied cop climbing out of her cruiser, smile aimed at his boss, Alex, and Nash’s cock had gone harder than the nails he was shooting into the side of the building.
That wall had a few nails in completely unnecessary places.
Five years hadn’t diminished the effect she had on him either. He’d come to the realization that nothing short of death would stop him from having a gut-punching reaction to Laura.
Minutes ago he’d been shocked immobile when he recognized her coming up his driveway and he couldn’t think of one good reason for her to be out here.
It hadn’t become public knowledge that he’d bought Lakeside Inn yet, only because everyone had been in prep mode for the coming bad weather nobody wanted to deal with, especially the week before Christmas, and too busy to take notice of what he was doing.
His boss had been the one to point out the place to Nash. Down the road from Alex’s house the big old Inn had remained empty and without TLC for months, and while it was larger than Nash wanted—or needed—the location had tipped his hand.
Lakefront real estate at a rockbottom price was too hard to pass up, especially with the recent improvements and influx of residents in both Winter Lake and Broken Bay.
Places had been increasing in value steadily over the last few years and Nash was a shrewd businessman and knew when to get into the property market.
The plan was to renovate and improve the Inn’s carbon footprint as much as possible without compromising the original structure or removing any of the charm of the grand old house.
He was confident, with Alex’s help, he could turn Lakeside Inn into the perfect destination for people looking for a secluded mountain getaway.
To do that he would need to take some time to consider how to separate the house in a way that allowed for private quarters that didn’t intrude on the public areas and vice versa.
“So…”
When she didn’t continue he waited quietly for Laura to continue speaking as they pushed on through the snow.
“You bought the Inn?” She kept her head forward, gaze on the ground in front of them, but he could see her eyes darting to the side to look at him every few steps.
“Yep.”
“When? I haven’t heard anything about it.”
One thing he’d come to know about Laura was she took her job seriously and that meant knowing where all the locals lived and hung out. Sometimes he thought she took her job too seriously, she never seemed to be off duty even when she was out of uniform.
The only time he’d ever seen her let her hair down—fugitively and literally—was at her cousin Alex’s wedding a few years ago.
She was always beautiful, but that day, she’d glowed in a way that had him breathless and incapable of doing anything remotely social, like carrying on a conversation.
He’d spent the whole day following her with his gaze. He was pretty sure that was when the rest of Winter Lake clued in to the fact he’d fallen for hometown girl Laura Murdock.
If what he felt wasn’t so bone deep, so right, he would be embarrassed by his infatuation with her. No, embarrassment wasn’t the primary emotion he felt when it came to Laura. Riding right along side his attraction was a throbbing need that kept him from functioning at times and frustration.
She frustrated the fuck out of him.
He knew she knew how he felt, what he wanted, she wasn’t clueless and he’d made it clear more than once, and at every turn she rebuffed him or worse, ignored him.
Nash wasn’t sure which he hated more. Her rejection or her indifference. If at any point in the last five years she’d given him one hint, one sign, that his attraction wasn’t one sided he’d have dived right in. He wasn’t pushy by nature, he got things done, but he didn’t bulldoze his way there.
And he’d never forced himself on a woman. Laura wouldn’t be the first. Except…
If she gave him any indication she returned his interest he’d let go of the reins he’d held tight for five long years and make a move—one she couldn’t ignore.
“Well?”
Shit. He’d been up in his head and forgotten to answer her. “Got the keys ten days ago, took a while to move my stuff over and block off most of the house. I’ve been in residence full-time for around a week I guess.”
“Hmm…”
Nash wasn’t sure what that hum meant. With Laura it could be a good or bad sound, and honestly, with the way his luck had been swinging with her in recent months he’d lean toward the bad side.
“We need to head around the back,” he said as he grabbed her elbow and steered her to the left of the house they could finally see through the swirling snow. “I’ve got the front section closed off until after winter.”
Normally they would have been able to see the Inn from where Laura had taken her tumble in the snow, but with the white stuff coming down in a thick curtain, and the wind blowing around what was already on the ground as well as what was falling, it was only his memory that told him exactly where they were and when to change direction before the blurry hulk of the house appeared.
“God. Can’t see a thing,” she muttered, moving closer to his side.
“And it’s only going to get worse. Getting worse,” he said looking around. He would never have seen her if it had been falling this hard when he’d first come outside.
“Shit.” She stumbled and Nash tightened his grip, yanked her against him to steady her. The obviously reluctant,“Thanks,” she muttered made him smile.
“No problem.” And it wasn’t. He’d help her any way he could weather she wanted him to or not.
As they trudged through the thickening snow he was grateful he’d cleared the path around the house before the snow started. He knew there was nothing under the blanket of white that could tripped either of them up, but he held her tighter to be sure she didn’t slip.
And with her plastered to his side he discovered something he hadn’t noticed before. She was shaking.
He tucked her closer and asked, “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just really cold. I think that fall soaked me through.” Her voice held a slight quiver, her words a little slurred.
Glancing down he saw her uniform was a darker shade down the full length of her right side, and her pants were wet from above both knees. That didn’t bode well.
“As soon as we get inside we’ll get you dry and warmed up. I’ve got a pot of stew on the stove and there’s plenty of hot water for a shower. You can borrow some of my clothes after you get out of your wet uniform.”
He pushed away the thought of Laura in one of his shirts and nothing else.
As much as he’d love to see her in his clothes, especially if it was after she’d spent the night in his bed, she’d need more than a single shirt to stay warm even though he was able to keep the three rooms he’d blocked off to live in at a comfortable temperature.
“H-how do you s-still have p-power?” she asked, teeth chattering now. Her lips had a blue tinge to them too.
“Generator.” He picked up their pace, thought about picking her up, but discarded that idea because he really liked his balls were they were. Although if she stumbled again he’d say fuck it and pick her up regardless of her protests whatever shape they took—verbal or physical.
“Huh.”
“First thing I hooked up. Along with closing off the parts of the house I don’t need.”
She stayed quiet, her shaking getting more and more violent, and he all but picked her up when they hit the small porch in front of the kitchen door. It demonstrated how cold she was when she didn’t argue with him about being plastered to his side with her feet off the ground.
Shouldering the door open, he ushered her in and closed it behind them, throwing the deadbolt. Not that he expected anyone to come in uninvited but the catch was a bit dodgy and the last thing they needed was the wind to blow it open and let the cold air in and precious warmth out.
The room they entered was large, designed to hold a big farm table on the opposite side of the kitchen island from the huge double cooker that sat in the middle of a wall of cupboards behind which hid a butler’s pantry he was using as a utility room.
He’d foregone the table in favor of a couch and TV.
If he didn’t stand at the island to eat, he sat in front of the TV.
Only one door led out of the room. Behind it was a spacious bedroom with connecting bathroom. The rooms made up the total of his living quarters. He figured the bed/bath combo used to be the Innkeepers quarters when the place was still operating as one.
Whatever it was used for it made it easy to section off this part of the house and gave him more space than he’d had in the small apartment above Della’s the last few years.
He didn’t bother removing their outerwear before carrying Laura to the bathroom. Once there he helped her take off her backpack and placed it on the floor. “Let me grab a towel and some clothes while you get out of your jacket and boots.”
Not wasting time, Nash grabbed a pair of sweat pants with a drawstring waist, a long sleeved thermal and one of his thickest hoodies. Snagging a towel from the basket of clean laundry in the corner of his room he entered the bathroom to find Laura hadn’t moved.
Her face had drained of all color except those blue lips and her large hazel eyes—eyes that were dazed with cold and fatigue—and he knew they didn’t have time to fuck around.
Hypothermia was a real possibility. He had to get her out of those wet clothes and warm before she got worse.
“C’mon. You need to get those clothes off.” He didn’t bother waiting for her agreement, at this point they were past that, and he wasn’t about to let her stubbornness make the situation a deadly one.
He had no idea how long she’d been out in the elements before he’d seen her on his final check before he locked down to wait out the storm.
If he’d been a few minutes earlier or later…
Shoving that terrifying thought away, he stripped her of her jacket and tossed it through the doorway into the bedroom. He’d deal with her wet gear after he got her into a warm shower. He had to clamp down on every thought outside of getting her warmed up.
He ignored his hands on her, his fingers undoing the buttons on her police issue shirt, and he disregarded the skin-tight thermal that left nothing to the imagination he uncovered beneath it.
When he got her down to bra and panties he concentrated on getting the shower running and not the smooth pale skin with all its sleek lines and curves.
“Will you be okay now?” he asked, his gaze anywhere except her naked flesh.
He had no clue what he’d do if she said no. That was a lie. He knew what he’d have to do. He just wasn’t sure he could survive it. His body was already thrumming with need even though it made him an asshole.
There was no denying the sight of Laura with her clothes on got his blood pumping and his groin throbbing. Circumstances didn’t change his reaction to her, it just made him an asshole if he did anything about it.
When she didn’t answer he gripped her shoulders and gave her a little shake, bent his knees to bring his eyes level with hers. “Laura! Are you able to get in the shower without help?”
“Yeah,” she breathed. “T-thanks.”
“Okay, yell if you need me. I’ll leave this door and the bedroom one cracked. I’ll be in the kitchen. When you’re done come out there.”
She nodded as he let her go and backed out of the room.
Nash didn’t know how he managed it, how he walked away from the woman he’d wanted with a bone deep ache for five long years when she was practically naked in his bathroom, but he did it because he wasn’t an asshole.
He might want to get her naked, at times needed it to the point of pain.
He never thought this would be how he got that wish.
The last thing he wanted was for her to be forced to get naked in front of him. When Laura finally allowed him to see her it had to be her choice. She had to want it as badly as he did.
And right now he was pretty sure she barely had the brain function to breathe.
No. When he and Laura moved the dance they’d been doing around each other to one they did together it wouldn’t be because circumstances got them there.
They’d both want it—need it—with everything in them.