Chapter 20
Lauren
“T his is the most incredible thing I’ve ever done,” I said as I snuggled with Cole in a mound of blankets as the aurora danced around us.
The light show had started a few hours ago.
We were at a high point outside of the city with zero light pollution and a spectacular view.
I’d gotten all of my photos with the help of an expert photographer, who was also our guide.
She’d shown me exactly how to set up the tripod and how to get breathtakingly beautiful photos because she’d been picturing the aurora in Alaska for most of her life.
Those amazing pictures never would have happened without assistance because Cole had purchased a very sophisticated and expensive camera for me, one that I never could have used without some advice from an expert.
I loved shooting pictures, but my knowledge was minimal.
I hadn’t gotten much opportunity to practice in the past, and I’d definitely never had anything as beautiful as the northern lights to picture.
My regret about missing the opportunity to see them in Montana was a thing of the past.
I never would have gotten views like this in Montana.
Honestly, I was surprised that Cole had even remembered me mentioning that I was sad that I’d missed the show when the solar activity had been high a few months ago.
It had been a passing comment. Not something we’d discussed in length.
Still, he’d remember that disappointment, and he’d bent over backward to make sure that I got my chance to see the aurora up close and personal.
What kind of guy did something like that?
What kind of guy actually remembered a passing comment from a woman?
Obviously, Cole did, and his thoughtfulness touched my soul like nothing else could.
“You have to be freezing,” he grumbled as he tightened his arms around me.
“I’m not,” I argued. “You made sure it was impossible for me to be cold.”
Yeah, it was the beginning of March, and the nighttime temperatures here in Fairbanks were probably below zero, but I wasn’t cold.
We had a tent set up on three sides of us, and there were heaters keeping the air around us tolerable.
We were seated on some sort of pad, and the blankets were stuffed with something similar to hot water bottles that were still keeping us warm.
Cole had made sure that I had the proper inner and outer wear to withstand the brutal temperatures, so I hadn’t experienced a single moment of discomfort since we’d arrived at the viewing site.
The temperatures had definitely dropped in the last half hour or so, and I knew that we were going to get cold once the attempts to generate heat were weak compared to the frigid temperatures.
Still, I wanted to savor every moment of the dancing green, red, and pink lights while I had the chance.
The skies were clear, and the lights were so vivid and beautiful. We’d been treated to a long show, and I knew how lucky I was to experience something so beautiful for so long.
“It’s not impossible for you to be cold, angel. The temperatures have plummeted. It’s after two.”
I yawned and leaned back against him. “I know we need to go, but all of this has been so magical. I hate to leave.”
Our guide had retreated to her vehicle to give us some privacy once we’d finished photographing the incredible phenomenon.
“Think of it as the beginning of our adventures,” he suggested. “There’s going to be plenty more in the future.”
“I’ve never thought of myself as a very adventurous person, but I think I’d like to experience things I never have before with you.”
“Travel?” he asked.
“I’d love that,” I said wistfully. “I don’t think I want to go mountain climb all of the fourteeners, but I’d love to experience other cultures and places. But you’ve done so much traveling, I’m sure that wouldn’t be all that exciting for you.”
“Traveling was never fun for me,” he answered. “I was always working. I’d enjoy it a lot more if I was simply seeing new places for pleasure. I do have a private jet. I’d like to use it for fun.”
I nodded enthusiastically. “Then let’s do it. I’ve never really had a break from work.”
“Where to?” he asked with amusement in his voice.
“Anywhere,” I said with a sigh. “It’s not like I’ve seen much of the world. Just getting away and not thinking about work would be heavenly for me.”
“I can arrange my schedule any way I want to,” Cole informed me. “Clear yours, and we’re gone for as long as you want. One of the reasons Asher and I sold our tech company was to spend more time doing the things we wanted to do.”
“I could manage a vacation in the future,” I told him. “I’m gradually cutting down to a reasonable amount of projects.”
“Charge more. Work less,” Cole suggested.
“I already charge a lot,” I said hesitantly.
“Not enough,” he argued. “I was surprised when you told me how much you were charging me for your reports on my proposed investments. You could charge double what you’re asking, angel.”
“My company isn’t that established yet.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he grumbled. “You’re established.
Your services are in high demand. Your company doesn’t have to be decades old to command a premium price.
You’re damn good at what you do, Lauren.
Those skills should get the highest rate possible.
You busted your ass to get your degree and your work experience, Dr. Collier. ”
I made a face. “I don’t use that title very often. It sounds so formal.”
“You should use it,” he argued. “You earned it. It also reminds clients that you’re highly educated and worth more money than they’re paying you for your services.”
I laughed. “I’ll think about upping my rates a little.”
He was right.
I probably could charge a little more.
My rates wouldn’t be unrealistic, but they’d be on par with a more established company.
“Good,” he grunted. “Then you can spend more time with me.”
“Like you have all the time in the world?” I asked drily. “You’re busier than most guys with a normal career.’’
Yeah, Cole had sold his tech company, but he had a ton of international business interests that needed his attention.
He was also starting a small breeding operation, which took a lot of work.
He’d hired a manager to help him organize that business and to help with the everyday work with the Arabians, but Cole wasn’t exactly good at leaving all of his decisions to other people.
He was as involved as he could get with all of his investments.
Breeding Arabians was more a passion for him than a business, but that endeavor was still important to him.
Asher and Cole had been researching breeding operations for years, and they’d owned horses in Texas.
In fact, Cole’s big quarter horse had come with him from his property in Texas when he’d sold. He’d told me that his gelding, Cash, had been his primary riding horse and his companion for years. He’d refused to give him up when he’d left Texas for good.
I’d chuckled a little over the fact that a billionaire had nicknamed his expensive, registered quarter horse Cash, but it kind of fit the big, beautiful beast and his owner.
“I’ll make time,” Cole said with so much conviction that I believed him.
This trip had been his way of showing me that he’d make me a priority in the future. How could I not believe him?
After this incredible experience, I wanted to figure out a way to make Cole understand that he was going to be my priority, too.
I couldn’t do really fancy things, but there must be some way that I could return his thoughtfulness.
“What can I do for you, Cole?” I asked seriously. “You’re a man who has everything. You don’t really need anything or want anything that you don’t have. You’re also a guy who’s done so many things in your life. What can I give you that you don’t already have? I want to make you happy, too.”
Cole pulled me between his thighs, my back to his front, and wrapped his arms around my waist.
He held me tightly like that for a moment before he said huskily next to my ear, “If I haven’t made myself clear on that yet, angel, I guess I still have work to do. You make me happy. All I need is you. You haven’t figured that out yet?”
I put my gloved hands on his forearms as I gazed at the aurora that was slowly starting to fade. “Maybe I haven’t quite figured out why,” I said honestly. “You can have any woman you want. You’re gorgeous, hot, and a billionaire. Women have probably been throwing themselves at you for years.”
“Because none of those women were you, angel,” Cole answered gruffly. “They threw themselves at me because I’m a billionaire. None of them gave a damn about me.”
The light bulb finally went on for me.
None of those women had ever seen Cole.
They’d seen dollar signs and all of the things he could give them.
Maybe the reason he wanted me was because he needed someone to care about him.
God, I understood that.
Wasn’t that all that anyone wanted?
Cole adored me.
I knew that.
He’d made it perfectly clear.
That was why he was so damn irresistible to me.
I craved that attention and a man who could see me.
“I give a damn,” I finally said earnestly.
Cole stood and pulled me to my feet.
He wrapped me in a blanket before he swung me up into his arms and strode toward the warmth of the vehicle.
“And that feels like a fucking miracle to me,” he growled as we approached the car. “So don’t ever question the reason why I need you to be with me or why that makes me happy.”
He sounded grumpy as hell, but I smiled against his shoulder.
It was quite possible that Cole Remington really did need me after all.