Chapter Twenty-Five
For a woman who craved control, she surrendered in Hawk’s arms.
That excited and scared the hell out of him.
Wearing only bathrobes, they relaxed in the kitchen, picking at some cold cuts and fruit, calling it lunch.
While they had been discovering each other, the falling snow had started coming down hard. Well over an inch and a half was covering all the places it had melted off before.
Alex sat on the counter, her bare feet dangling, her robe showing just a hint of her right breast ... and popping blueberries into her mouth. “Did you check the weather forecast, by any chance?”
“No. Did you?”
“You have my phone.”
Hawk tilted his head to one side. “A phone you haven’t asked for,” he said.
Unashamed, she looked him up and back down. “I’ve been distracted.”
“Oh, is that all it takes?”
Another berry hovered over her mouth. “Don’t shortchange yourself.”
The woman was good for his ego.
Hawk had his phone charging in the living room and left to find it.
The wind outside had kicked up, and snow was frosting the sides of the windows.
He opened his phone and clicked into a weather app.
The satellite view came in, showing the snowfall outside.
Then he scrolled down the page and stopped walking halfway to the kitchen. “Oh, damn.”
Alex hopped off the countertop and walked to him. “What is it?”
He read the report and handed the phone to Alex.
She blinked a few times and looked at the phone again. “Am I reading this right?”
Hawk looked out the window and up. He didn’t see a generator when they’d done the tour the day before. He needed to get dressed and take another look.
“Four to six feet of snow?” Alex sounded just as shocked as he was. “Is that normal?”
“The best way to gauge normal is to see how the locals are responding.” He picked up the TV remote and turned it on. A midday news broadcast told them all they needed to know.
“The real issue with this storm is the one-two punch, although those in the higher elevations may not notice a break between storms. Expect at least two feet to fall overnight and into tomorrow. By the evening we should see a short break, but by noon Friday, expect three to four feet.”
The coverage shifted to the grocery stores, where a reporter was talking to locals about what they were stocking up on to ride out the storm.
There was enough empty space between the shelves to concern Hawk.
Not that he worried they’d go hungry.
The caretakers must have known the forecast. There was enough food in the pantry and refrigerator to carry them for three weeks instead of one and a half.
“We have a wind event with this weather system, so expect power outages and delays in clearing the roads.”
Hawk switched off the TV and turned to Alex. “I’m going to check the gas situation and see if there is a generator somewhere.”
Alex looked out the window. “This place is going to get cold if the power goes out.”
He reached for her, pulled her close. “I’ll keep you warm.”
That had her smiling. “And when we need to sleep?”
“There’s plenty of firewood.” He kissed her briefly and let her go. “I’ll look for a generator. See if you can find any candles, lanterns, flashlights.”
“What about cooking?”
“Worst comes to worst, we can cook over the fire. But my guess is there is a tank for the gas, and that will still work.”
“In that case,” Alex said, “I need my phone.”
“Work doesn’t need you.”
She patted his shoulder. “Not work. I need to write down some recipes while I have the chance.”
He kissed her, wanted to linger. “I’ll get it. It’s probably best to keep it charged.”
“Somebody was a Boy Scout.”
“Naw. But I am familiar with living off the grid.” He patted her butt. “Time for a scavenger hunt.”
The generator was found in a closet in the back of the garage. It still had the zip ties and tape, as if it had been pulled out of the box and stored.
Two five-gallon containers with fuel lived nearby. Not to mention the fuel for the snowmobiles that was stored in the toy garage.
It wouldn’t run the house, but it would keep a coffeepot going, plus a few lights and the plug-in portable heater Hawk found next to a stash of camping supplies.
For a man who didn’t spend much time there, Aaron Stone had thought of everything one could need when living in the mountains.
Or maybe the credit Hawk was giving belonged to someone else. Like the caretakers.
Yeah, that would be more likely.
Hawk moved the generator to the open patio that was off the kitchen.
There was enough overhead coverage to keep the thing from being buried in snow, yet it was open enough to not asphyxiate them anytime they opened the door.
Hawk brought every possible device he believed they would need should the power go out.
From what he’d seen on the forecast, the power going out was a given.
Once all the extension cords, the portable heater, lights, and even a hot plate were ready to go, Hawk started the many trips back and forth to the shed where the firewood was stored.
He imagined the walk from the back door to the shed in six feet of snow. Already, he was trekking in a few inches that had piled up on what was already there. But six feet. That was eye level for him. Hell, Alex would have to jump to see over the snow if the skies dumped that much.
Maybe he was being naive, but he was looking forward to being trapped in a mini-mansion with Alex.
He’d crossed the line with their first kiss. He might have been able to get back from that ... but now that he knew how she tasted, how she felt ... the way she looked at him and sounded ...
Hawk shook his head and filled his arms with more firewood.
He had no doubt he’d kick himself later for caring for someone he was supposed to be guarding. Caring. Not the right word.
Not the right emotion.
Only he didn’t trust himself to dissect his feelings right now.
Their chemistry and connection were off the charts, and he’d have to be a saint to deny her, or him, what they were experiencing.
No.
He’d enjoy this. Enjoy her.
And worry about tomorrow next week sometime.
He smiled into that thought, dumped the armload of wood on the back porch, and went back for more.
Alex found an entire cupboard filled with emergency supplies. Boxes of candles in all shapes and sizes. Several scented ones, mainly the smell of cinnamon and baking spices.
She found flashlights and batteries and even a radio. The kind that was used before cell phones.
That seemed extreme.
But who knew?
Once all the necessities had been located, Alex concentrated on the food they had ... and how to cook it.
After taking screenshots of a dozen ideas, Alex concentrated on what they should try that night.
Hawk had to know that cooking would be a group effort. If it was left up to her, she’d eat salads, fruit, bread, and anything out of a can. Judging from the size of Hawk, that wouldn’t work for him.
The man was an unexpected surprise.
Never in a million years would she have predicted him.
Since she’d inherited her father’s estate, the only men that approached her were either twenty-plus years her senior or men like Lawrence, looking for someone to pay their bills.
Outside of her social circle, men simply didn’t walk up.
Hawk swooped in. From day one.
His whispers of Vikings and suggested touches amplified their sexual encounter. There was something liberating about letting someone else sit in the driver’s seat. A truth she wouldn’t say aloud and would probably deny if asked.
Alex heard the door to the patio open and diverted her thoughts.
Analyzing what was going on between them was for another day.
Alex wanted to live in the now.
And from the size of the snowflakes falling from the sky, she’d have a good week to do just that.
Falling asleep in Hawk’s arms had been heaven, waking up without him by her side felt lonely.
Which was beyond stupid.
Alex had slept alone virtually her whole life.
Outside of long weekends with past boyfriends, and most of those from her college days, Alex had slept alone. Not even a cat or a dog curled up beside her.
She turned to look at the bedside clock. 7:13 stared back at her.
Which meant they still had power.
Though after looking out the window, she didn’t know how.
There had to be at least two feet of fresh powder, with trickles of more floating to the surface.
An easy smile lifted her spirit.
It was spectacular. The branches of evergreen trees were completely white, drooping with the weight like a wet blanket over a pet.
Alex crossed to the window and opened it a crack.
Cold air rushed in, but so did the scent of the fresh winter air.
And quiet. No birdsong, no rustling of leaves or trees. Just the peace and quiet that could only happen high in the mountains with slow-setting snow.
The high winds the weathermen had forecasted didn’t manifest overnight. Maybe they had that wrong. God knew the meteorologists in Southern California only seemed to get it right about half the time.
Bundled in a bathrobe, Alex made her way downstairs.
The scent of coffee drew her to the empty kitchen. After filling a cup, she went on the search for Hawk.
She found him in the gym.
Music from a portable speaker played as Hawk lay with his back on the bench, his hands holding two large weights that he was pressing into the air.
He wasn’t wearing a shirt.
He hadn’t noticed her walk in, so she watched in silence at the ease with which his muscles rippled.
Alex had started to believe that six-pack abs were something Hollywood airbrushed in for the sake of the egos on the screen. That they didn’t truly exist in the wild. At least not to the scale of Hawk’s.
She licked her lips in appreciation.
The barbells hovered in the air. “Are you just going to stare?”
He had seen her.
“Yes, I am.”
Another rep was squeezed in the air.
“I thought you’d sleep for another hour,” he said.
Alex set her coffee on a nearby cabinet and walked over to him.
“And I thought you’d be next to me when I rolled over this morning.”