Chapter 2
NOLAN
A short, petite woman grips my hand like she’s hanging off the edge of a cliff and I’m her only hope of survival.
“I’m Katherine,” she coos, her tiny frame falling against me. “But you can call me Kat.”
“You must be Ms. Harper’s grandmother?” I say, putting two and two together.
When I offered Bree Harper the job less than thirty-six hours ago, she said she’d get on a plane the same day if I’d pay for her grandma to travel with her.
She said something about a bucket list, but all I cared about was getting the incredibly talented web designer to North Haven ASAP.
“Don’t mind her,” a woman with chestnut hair pulled into a messy bun says as she adjusts her purple framed glasses.
Though most of her body is swallowed by an oversized sweatshirt with the embroidered words dogs are better than people, tight black leggings showcase her long legs.
Legs I’d very much like to run my hands—
“She’s grateful that you allowed her to travel with me,” Bree adds, cutting off my wicked thought before it can fully form.
Fuck. Focus, Barnes.
“Very grateful,” Kat says, looking up at me adoringly. When she wrapped her tiny arms around my lower back, I have no idea. But her aggressive affection reminds me of my own late grandma, and I have to admit, it’s kind of nice.
I give her a tentative pat on the back before reaching around the older woman to offer my hand to Bree. Except, she has her hands full with coffee cups from Black Bear.
“Long flight?” I ask, eyeing the cups. Their flight itinerary was a little brutal with them coming from North Carolina last minute, but it was the best option for getting Bree here as quickly as possible.
If we want to impress our most important investor, we need that website up and running by Monday morning. There’s no time to waste.
“One of those is mine,” Kat says, unwrapping herself from my lower torso to reclaim the larger of the two cups. “My granddaughter doesn’t sleep. You’ll be happy you hired her.”
“Ready to go then?” I ask, checking my watch. We’re expected at The Iceberg in ten minutes, and with their flight landing fifteen minutes behind schedule, we’re barely going to make it on time as it is.
“We haven’t gotten our bags,” Bree says, looking back toward the flightline.
“They’re in my truck.” I push down the extended handle of her roller suitcase so I can carry it. “That’s why I wasn’t here when you first walked in. I wanted to get your luggage secured so we could stick to the schedule.”
“The schedule,” Bree says, and I can’t tell if it’s a question or a jab. Maybe a little of both. I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come.
“I emailed you an itinerary,” I remind her, feeling the slightest bit of annoyance as we head to the door.
Tony promised me his sister was the best there was.
That she was willing to drop everything and fly all the way across the country last minute was nothing short of a miracle.
I just hope her immediate availability isn’t a reflection of something else—like a lack of current clients.
“Yep, got it.” She holds her phone up, wiggling it as I hold the door open for her and Kat. “Just having trouble with signal at the moment. Is it better in town?”
“I’ll print you out a copy,” I say as she passes by me, a wafting of some tropical scent assaulting my senses. Is it her shampoo? Body spray? My dick twitches against my zipper, the fucker just as intrigued by the question.
Focus, jackass. She works for you now.
“Is this your truck?” Bree asks, her green eyes wide.
“This isn’t a truck,” Kat says, her head tilted straight up at the passenger door of my F-150 Shelby, at the handle I doubt she can reach. “It’s a miniature tank. You scaling mountainsides with this beast?”
“The terrain is a little rough at the site right now,” I explain, opening the back door to secure Bree’s smaller suitcase. “It’s built to go off road if needed.”
It’s also perfect for getting out to my secluded cabin perched on top of a private bluff outside of town.
The road’s too rough for tourists and nosy locals, even the ones bold enough to ignore the no trespassing signs.
But I keep that detail to myself. The less personal I get with Bree, the better.
She’s only here for a few days, and then she’ll be gone.
There’s no time for extra curriculars. It wouldn’t matter if there was.
Even if she wasn’t Tony’s little sister, I know better than to mix business with pleasure.
I help Kat into the passenger side first, then attend to Bree.
“Let me help you up,” I say to her, offering my hand. One she eagerly refuses.
“I got it.” Except, her first attempt to hop up via the running board nearly sends her backward onto the ground.
I go to catch her, but she grips the edge of the seat for dear life. Her perfectly plump ass bumps against my upper thighs as she hangs awkwardly out the side of the truck. My dick goes from half hard to full mast in seconds. Thank fucking God that she’s not taller.
I steady her by the hips, until she regains balance.
I look away, but it’s not enough to tame my wild imagination.
It’s too easy to imagine digging my fingers into her sides as I take her from behind.
Maybe right here, with her half bent over the backseat of my truck.
But we’d have to go back to my place, where there’d be a backdrop of the Bearing Sea and less people.
Because I’ll be damned if I share this sacred view with anyone.
“Well, that I’m blaming on the three layovers and twenty-one hours of travel,” Bree says, brushing off her leggings as she rights herself.
A few fibers of dog hair float away in the gentle breeze, and she seems to smile as she watches them drift away, though I can’t quite tell if it’s a smile when she uses her hand to cover a long yawn.
A twinge of guilt hits me. Maybe I should’ve planned to take them to the lodge to check in first. Given them a chance to freshen up and take a nap if needed.
It was a horrendous travel schedule. But it’s too late to shift the schedule now.
Jasper, Ben, and the others are already waiting, and every minute we waste is one less before she gets started building the website for Caribou North.
“Want to try that again?” I ask, holding out my hand. Acting as though I’m not completely affected by the near dick brush that just happened.
“You’re just determined to be chivalrous, huh?” Bree asks, staring at my outstretched hand for several seconds before finally accepting it.
Tingles form at the point of contact, and the sensation travels quickly up my arm and straight down to my dick. The urge to yank my hand away is strong, but I won’t risk her falling a second time.
My cock throbs.
Fuck me, I wish I had time to run home and take a cold shower. I can’t show up to The Iceberg with a hard on. But there’s no time for detours. So I force my thoughts to redirect: spreadsheets, financial statements, marketing presentations, permits. Anything but how long it’s been since I got laid.
“Since you’re so set on being a knight in shining armor, I’ll let you close my door,” Bree teases. As she secures the seatbelt, she flashes me a flirty smile that nearly brings me to my knees.
Fuck, this just might be the longest few days of my life.