Chapter 17
Alaska slept better than she had in what seemed like years. And that was saying something, because she’d slept pretty good in Drake’s arms the last few weeks or so.
But something had happened out there on that rock.
She and Drake had connected in a way that was almost spiritual.
He’d been sexy and alpha, but she hadn’t missed the way he’d still protected her.
The way he’d put himself between her and the hard rock.
How he’d tenderly cleaned her afterward.
Held her close as they made their way back to the cabin in the pitch darkness.
No one, not one person, had treated her as if she was the most precious thing in their life.
Alaska couldn’t even remember her mom doing that when she was little.
She’d been allowed to wander their various neighborhoods as late as she wanted from a young age.
Her mom never asked where she’d been when she came home.
Anytime she’d gotten hurt, it had been up to Alaska to clean and bandage herself.
When she was with Drake, she felt loved.
He sought her out the second he stepped into the lodge—and when their gazes met, gave her a small, private smile.
Always made sure she wasn’t too tired, too cold or warm.
Checking to see if she’d taken a break or grabbed some lunch.
The list went on and on. She felt as if she was always on his radar.
That he was constantly reassuring himself that she was good.
She’d been fairly pessimistic about them working out for a good while, but she was beginning to think they might just go the distance. It felt unbelievable.
Alaska knew part of her pessimism came from his background, from the fact he’d lost his best friends.
She now understood more about PTSD, how everything could be going great, then the smallest thing could send you into a tailspin.
Drake had a better handle on his demons than most…
but still, life was full of ups and downs, and the downs always seemed to have more of an effect on a person’s long-term attitude and actions than the ups.
She’d seen the same in herself. Alaska wasn’t as trusting as she used to be.
She took stock of her surroundings more.
Was on watch. She didn’t particularly like that, but when she’d talked to Drake about it, he’d pointed out that her watchfulness wasn’t a bad thing.
She agreed, but still missed the mostly carefree person she used to be.
She’d been independent for so long. Now, just the thought of traveling on her own made her break out in hives.
But she had no intention of going anywhere anytime soon.
Life at The Refuge was idyllic. She loved her job.
Got along great with the other men who owned the resort.
Found the guests fascinating. And of course, there was Drake.
She had to trust that even when he succumbed to his demons, he’d have the strength and fortitude to wrestle them back into submission. Maybe even with her help.
She’d been ready to continue their lovemaking when they got home from their hike last night, but Mutt needed attention, and she needed to empty the backpack of their trash and leftovers.
Then Drake wanted to check his email, since he had to get up early in the morning to go into Los Alamos and pick up Mr. Choo.
By the time they crawled into bed, they were both tired.
So Drake had simply pulled her against him in their usual sleeping positions and they’d been dozing within minutes.
Drake had gotten up early, kissed her and told her to sleep in, said that he’d see her later. He and his friends would be busy most of the day as they showed Mr. Choo around the property and had a meeting about the future of The Refuge.
Because she was feeling lazy, Alaska did as he ordered and snuggled into the bed that seemed far too empty when he wasn’t in it with her.
Later that morning, she wandered into the lodge and greeted the guests that lingered there.
While some of the men and women who visited the resort chose to spend the majority of their time in their cabins or hiking the property, others enjoyed hanging out in the lodge.
There was always someone reading, eating, or relaxing on the leather couches in the great room.
Alaska greeted two men who were talking quietly in the sitting area as she entered, and headed toward the desk in the corner. She booted up the computer and got to work answering emails and phone messages as she prepared to check out the three guests who would be leaving later that morning.
Around lunchtime, Drake entered the lodge with Spike and Pipe and a man who could only be Mr. Choo.
He was around Alaska’s height, with a round face, short black hair, hooded eyes and his golden skin looked a little sallow, as if he didn’t spend a lot of time outdoors.
He wore a pair of pressed black pants, a short-sleeve yellow polo shirt, and had an air of superiority he didn’t bother to hide.
Alaska instantly felt guilty for thinking the latter when she’d yet to even meet the man.
Drake headed straight for her, and she stood. With one look, she could see he was stressed. His movements were slightly stiff and the small smile he gave her didn’t quite reach his eyes. He leaned down to kiss her briefly, and she whispered, “Are you okay?”
And just like that, he relaxed a little. “I am now that I’ve seen you,” he told her quietly. Then added, “It’s just been a stressful morning. I’ll be okay.”
Alaska nodded, hating that he was so tense.
The others had approached the desk by that time and Drake turned to them. “Bolin, I’d like to introduce Alaska Stein. She’s our admin, and we don’t know what we’d do without her. Alaska, this is Bolin Choo.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Alaska said politely, holding out her hand.
Mr. Choo took her hand in both of his and bowed over it slightly, drinking her in with dark eyes.
For some reason, the hair on the back of Alaska’s neck stood up, and she stilled.
The man’s grasp was cold and clammy. Just the feel of his skin on her own made her want to wipe her hand down her pants to try to remove the feel of his fingers.
It was an odd reaction. She couldn’t count the number of strangers she’d met in her lifetime…
but not one of them had given her this kind of feeling.
Luckily, he let go quickly, and it was all Alaska could do not to follow through and wipe her hand on her clothes.
She tried to convince herself that her reaction was simply because this was the first Asian man she’d seen since her ordeal.
How many times had Drake warned her about being triggered? The man didn’t deserve her distrust.
She swallowed hard and forced herself to smile. This was good for her. All a part of healing and moving on with her life.
“We’re going to head into the therapy room for lunch,” Drake told her.
Alaska nodded. “Do you want me to tell Robert you’re here?” she asked in as normal a tone as she could muster, praying he’d agree so she could have an excuse to leave.
“That’d be great, thanks,” he said. “But tell him to give us twenty minutes or so. The others will be joining us soon.”
“Okay.”’
“Thanks, hon,” Drake said. He leaned down and kissed her temple before turning back to his friends and guest. “Shall we?” he asked.
The three men turned to go to the therapy room, but Drake lingered for a moment.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his brows drawn into a frown.
For a moment, Alaska was tempted to tell him that she did not like Mr. Choo, but she quickly reconsidered.
Drake was under enough stress as it was.
The last thing he needed was to be worrying about her when he was in the middle of an important negotiation.
Even though he’d already told her that they were leaning toward turning down Mr. Choo’s offer, it wasn’t a done deal.
He and his friends might change their minds after this visit.
Alaska didn’t want to ruin the chance for Drake to expand The Refuge.
He loved this place, and she wouldn’t stand in the way of helping more people if she could help it.
“Nothing,” she said with a forced smile and a small shrug. “I’m just worried about you. You look tired and stressed.”
“I am,” he said. “But not because things aren’t going well. On the contrary, they’re going better than I thought. Mr. Choo has some good ideas and he loves what he’s seen so far.”
Alaska understood. “Which makes the decision whether to turn down his offer or not all the more difficult.”
“Exactly,” Drake said with a nod.
“I’m sure you and your friends will make the right decision,” Alaska told him.
He smiled, and it seemed a bit more relaxed than moments ago.
“The money on the table would definitely be welcome,” he admitted.
“But we’re in no way ready to pull that trigger yet.
We have a lot to discuss this afternoon…
and we’re waiting on a phone call from a friend with more information about Mr. Choo.
So we won’t make any decisions until we have all the info we need. ”
“More information?” Alaska asked.
Drake shrugged. “Yeah. We’re just being cautious and want to know everything there is to know about the man before we go into business with him.”
“Oh, so like a background check,” she said.
“Something like that. It’s taking longer than it might have otherwise, because so far he’s squeaky clean…which is a relief,” Drake said. “Enough about that. You had lunch yet?”
Alaska smiled at his concern. “Yeah, I took a break right before you got here.”
“The guests get checked out okay?”
“Yep. There’s a new couple coming in around one, and then the last new guest should be here right before I go off duty, around three or so.”
“Good. If you need anything, just let me know.”
“Drake, I’m not going to interrupt you in the middle of your meeting. If something comes up, I’ll handle it.”