The Billionaire's Courageous Lover (Bold, Alaskan Men Book 3) (7 page)

“What’s next, Andie?” Knox asked, as he leaned against the doorway of her kitchen.  His eyes glanced down at the basket by her basement doorway and realized there were far fewer tennis balls this Friday night than there had been last week. 

He was going to have to ask about that but…well, he wasn’t positive she would give him an answer he would understand.  So he kept putting it off. 

Once again, he was back in her cozy house having dinner with her.  It hadn’t even been a formal invitation for this meal.  She’d just sort of asked if he was coming over for dinner again and he’d agreed.  They’d eaten several of their meals together over the past couple weeks.  He was really going to miss these cozy dinners at the end of the day when she realized she had to leave and go back home. 

In the meantime, he wondered why he continued to put himself through such pain.  Watching Andie move around her house, seeing her in either leggings that hugged her delectable bottom or those jeans that almost made him pant with the need to touch her… Nope.  Don’t go there, he told himself firmly.  He knew that she was still waiting for an answer from him about having an affair.  It had been two weeks since she’d propositioned him and…was he waiting for her to bring it up again? 

He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to think clearly.  Andie was saying something about her students and he was trying to figure out how to get the woman into bed.  He shouldn’t be thinking like that!  He should be trying to come up with reasons why she should get out of Winthrop and be safe. 

But he couldn’t.  She was having too much fun learning all of her new Alaska skills, and the students really loved her.  If he didn’t know better, he might think she was truly thriving here. 

Winter.  He had to keep reminding himself that winters were brutal and Andie wasn’t prepared. 

Andie pulled the chicken and stuffing casserole out of her oven and sighed with satisfaction.  “Skiing,” she announced with excitement. 

Setting the casserole on the table, she smiled with pleasure as she stared at the perfectly cooked meal.  “Did you know that I didn’t even know how to cook until a year ago?”

That was surprising, since she was a great cook, he thought.  “Why is that?”

He couldn’t imagine her not cooking.  She was a great cook, very creative and the meals were nutritious and hearty.  And she took such pleasure in each meal.  Even eager to cook!

He should be taking her out to restaurants more often, he thought.  She didn’t need to cook for him so often.  But there was something about being here with her, in her cozy house that kept luring him back. 

On the nights he forced himself to stay away from her, he was miserable and worried about her.  So even though he’d taken her out for Italian last night, he still showed up on her doorstep this evening.  It sort of felt natural now.  Being with her was… addictive.  He liked her smile, her breezy attitude and…

“What made you decide to learn to cook?” he asked as he sat down across from her.  They always sat in the same place and he loved the way her table was set up in front of the window.  During the summer months, they could…

Nope.  Andie would be gone by then. 

He sighed as he picked up his fork.

“I knew that I was going somewhere other than Boston.  I just wasn’t sure where.  So when I made the decision to start a new life somewhere different, I made a list of all the things I might need to do.  Cooking was one of them.”

He tasted the chicken casserole and was impressed.  Again.  “What are the other things?”

She shrugged, not willing to tell him that she’d had to learn to do laundry, clean a toilet, and other household things.  Growing up in a wealthy family, she’d never had to learn those things.  She’d paid one of her mother’s maids to teach her all the tricks and, looking around at her little house, she hoped she was doing it all correctly.  So far, no one had died from her cooking, so she was counting that one as a success. 

“Well, you’re a great cook, Andie.”

Andie’s smile at that compliment made his stomach ache.  He shouldn’t touch her, but with that smile, it felt like she’d just reached across the table and set his whole body on fire.

“So tell me what has been going on at school lately,” he asked, taking another bite of the casserole.

Andie wasn’t sure what one might call this relationship she had with Knox.  He came over almost every night for dinner but he never kissed her again.  He rarely touched her.  And yet, there were many times she would look over at him and it felt like he was thinking the same thoughts that were running through her mind. 

Unfortunately, he never seemed to act on those heated glances.  They were together so often in the evenings, it actually felt like they were a couple.  And yet, he wouldn’t touch her.  She was clueless here, not sure what to do. 

On the one hand, she could tell him that they needed to stop their dinners together unless he wanted to have that steamy affair she’d suggested.  But on the other hand, she loved these nights with him.  They often left her craving more, needing more from Knox.  It was as if they were both winning and yet still both losing at the same time.  Being with him, but without the affair just…wasn’t right!  Was she going to stop this?  No way.  She told herself she should stop it every night when he left without kissing her goodnight.  But when he showed up the following evening, she’d already set the table for two and made enough for both of them.  She was also learning what his favorite meals were and cooking those, experimenting with recipes in order to surprise him. 

Shaking her head, she unfolded her napkin and sat down across from him.  Another night talking with him was better than a night without him at all, she thought. 

Andie grabbed her purse and her bag filled with papers she’d graded the night before and hurried out the door.  She’d already brought the cupcakes out and set them on top of her car and she was excited to bring them in to her class.  All of her students had done an outstanding job on an essay and she’d spent hours last night making cupcakes as a reward for them. 

But as soon as she stepped out of her house, she came to a stop.  The enormous animal staring back at her was….huge!

She dropped her bags and ran back inside, terrified and not sure what to do. 

Fortunately, her cell phone was still in her hand, and she nervously dialed Knox’s phone. 

“Andie?  What’s wrong?” he demanded as soon he answered. 

“Umm…” she wasn’t exactly sure how to describe her latest predicament.  “Well, there’s a very large animal in my driveway and…he’s eating my cupcakes.”

Knox was already sprinting out the door, leaving a group of his East Coast directors on a conference call.  He didn’t give a damn.  Andie was in trouble. 

“Honey, what kind of animal?  Is it the bear again?”  He grabbed his pistol and a different rifle this time.  If the bear had come back, he was going to have to shoot it. 

“No.  Not a bear.  This is sort of like a really big…reindeer.”

Knox stopped short.  He was standing in his garage, one hand on his SUV and the other holding his cell phone.  “A deer?  You’re afraid of a deer?”

He could picture her cringing.  “Well, this deer has really big ears.”

Knox was confused.  “Honey, deer don’t have big ears.”

There was another pause, and he knew she was trying to figure things out.  “Maybe it isn’t a deer,” she finally said.  “Maybe it is a moose.  There are moose in Alaska, right?”

His heart started thudding with renewed fear.  “Andie, if that’s a moose, then don’t leave your house.”

“But he looks pretty sweet.  And he’s eating my cupcakes.  Those are for the students.”

He sighed and whipped open his SUV door, backing out of his garage.  “Andie, why in the world did you leave cupcakes outside?” And more to the point, why hadn’t she given him one?  He hadn’t ever thought that he had a sweet tooth until he’d tried some of Andie’s baked goods.  She was an awesome cook! 

“Well, I was bringing them to school for the kids.  And my keys were inside the house, I couldn’t hold everything at once so I brought the cupcakes outside and put them on the roof of my car.”

He sighed heavily.  “Andie, you have to keep food protected.  If animals smell food, they’re going to come to you and now you’re in danger.”

“But it’s just a moose, right?  Big ears, big eyes and a big…mouth.”

If he’d had a free hand, he would have slapped his forehead.  As it was, he needed one hand on the steering wheel and another to hold his cell phone so he could maintain communication with her.  “No Andie!  A moose is dangerous.  They aren’t like deer.  They will charge you.  Stay inside!”

“Can’t you just bring that bean bag gun thingamajig and scare him away?”

“No!  Don’t shoot anything at him!  Don’t do anything!  This is mating season and if that’s a male, then he’s going to be pretty mean.”  He knew how the big guy felt.  He’d been desperate to feel Andie in his arms lately.  It had been too long since their one kiss and he was almost howling at the moon with sexual need for the slender, challenging beauty. 

“How do I know if it is a moose or something else?  Maybe it’s an elk?  Are elk bad guys?”

He had to suppress his laughter.  If nothing else, Andie had a fresh perspective on the world.  “Are there antlers on his head?”

“Yes,” she replied quickly. 

“Are the antlers pointy or are they mostly flat with rounded points coming out?”

“Flat with rounded points,” she confirmed.  “And lots of frosting on his big lips.”

“Andie,” he groaned, stepping on the accelerator.  “That’s a male moose and he’s horny, ready for any female moose.  And he’s hungry if he’s eating your cupcakes.”  He stopped her next question before she even asked it.  “No, I can’t shoot him with the bean bag gun.  You’re just going to have to wait until he gets bored and moves on.”

Knox almost laughed out loud because he could hear her mind working, trying to think of a way around his advice.  “But I’m going to be late for work!” she told him, starting to panic now. 

He almost rolled his eyes.  “I’m on my way.  Go out the back door, and I’ll drive you to work.” 

“And the cupcakes?”

“History, honey.  Sorry.”  But he wasn’t.  He was actually jealous of the moose as well as the kids in her class.  She’d made cupcakes for them and he wanted one!  Damn it, what was going on in his head? 

Five minutes later, he pulled up at the street and saw Andie sprinting out of her back door.  She was cute when she climbed over the fence and hurried down the yard.  When she popped into his SUV, she smiled her thanks and he groaned as a fresh wave of lust hit him.  “You’re really great to do this for me.”

He only grunted when he pulled away, unable to say anything since she was wearing a long skirt and boots, but he’d gotten a glimpse of her stocking covered leg.  “Put your seat belt on.”  Was he so seriously gone that he got turned on by the flash of a leg?  It wasn’t even a bare leg!  Her tights were opaque! 

“Here,” she said as he drove down the street.  “This is for you.”

He looked down at what she was holding out to him.  He almost crashed when he saw the cupcake in a small box for him.  “This is for me?” he asked, feeling something warm hit him inside. 

“Of course I saved you a cupcake,” she said, shaking her head as if he shouldn’t have asked. 

He opened the box with one hand while he steered the truck with his other.  “What are you doing?” she asked, smacking his hand when he started to lift the cupcake out of the holder.  “You can’t eat that now.”

“Why not?” he asked, avoiding her hand and taking half of it in his mouth.  “Wow!” he mumbled when the sugar and cake hit him.  “You’re amazing,” he mumbled around a mouthful of cupcake.  He wished it was a mouth full of her breast, but he’d take what he could get. 

She squirmed in her seat for a moment but he caught her blush.  “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” she admonished, and tried to hide her smile of satisfaction when he complimented her cooking. 

Andie sighed with frustration when he pulled into the parking lot of the school building.  She wanted more time with Knox.  She wanted to slide across the seat and kiss him, to feel that crazy stirring inside of her when they touched. 

Her hand hesitated on the door handle, but she stopped when she felt him touch her arm.  “Andie…” he started to say something but his eyes moved to her lips. 

Her breath caught in her throat and she looked up at him, aware of the male power of his body, the way his green eyes felt like crystals when they glanced at her.  And the male scent of his body, the clean soap and the slight woodsy smell of his cologne.  “Knox,” she whispered back. 

His hand moved slowly up her arm, his fingers curling against her neck.  Andie waited, wondering what he was going to do.  His fingers tightened and his gaze made her feel hot, sexy. 

With strong hands he pulled her across the seat and into his arms.  She went willingly, desperate for another taste of this man.  When his lips covered hers, she gasped at the electricity, the heat that rushed through her body.  His strong hands tilted her head, deepening the kiss even while she reached up and touched his cheek.  She couldn’t deepen the kiss enough for her need and whimpered, wanting him to do so much more. 

Everything inside of her wanted to curl up on this man’s lap, to revel in his amazing touch, the way he could make her feel.  She wanted this heat, these sensations to continue forever. 

Unfortunately, the bell ringing startled her and she looked around, surprised to find herself kissing Knox in the school parking lot. 

“I have to go,” she said, but looked at his mouth with longing.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Sorry?”

“For disrupting your morning,” she said, and slid back across the seat.  She grabbed her bag and her purse.  “Thank you for the ride as well.”

“Andie!” he called out to her moments before she slammed the door closed.  “I’ll pick you up after school to drive you home.”

She shook her head, her body shaken from that kiss.  “No, that’s okay.  I’ll just walk home.”

“Andie, I’ll be here.  Don’t you dare walk home!”

She looked up at him, startled by the vehemence but not sure what to say to him.  She gave him a swift nod and then closed the door, hurrying into the building. 

She was shaking as she walked into her classroom, and wasn’t even aware of some of the other teachers calling out a greeting to her. 

“Hey Miss K!  I heard you found a new pet!”

Andie looked around and noticed several of the students smiling in her direction.  “A new pet?”  Was there something in her basement after all?  Had the tennis balls failed her? 

One of the girls smiled, a teasing smile on her face.  “Yeah, the bull moose in your driveway?  He seemed to be pretty happy with his breakfast.”  The rest of the class laughed and she saw the principal walk into her classroom.  He was a very nice man with a mustache and kind, brown eyes.  “Crazy morning, Miss Kingsley?” he asked, chuckling right along with the other kids.  “I heard about the moose.  Don’t go near them.  Especially around this time of the year.”

The kids all nodded their heads, obviously well aware of the dangers of moose.  Or meese?  Andie tried hard to remember the proper word for multiple mooses, but her mind was still a bit off after that kiss.  Her lips were tingling and her body wanted to run back out of the building to chase Knox down, beg him for more. 

Sighing, she tried hard to focus on the advice regarding meese.  Mooses.  Nope, moose.  Plural of moose is moose.  Yes, moose. 

And now she was blabbering in her mind!  All because of that kiss! 

Shaking her head, she focused on her students.  “Tease me all you want, but that big guy ate the cupcakes I baked for you last night,” she told them all, feeling a measure of satisfaction when their smiles fell away.  “Ready to discuss Chaucer?” she called out. 

The day passed slowly, and she had to pull her mind out of the gutter several times.  She felt like the clock was ticking more slowly than normal.  Every time she glanced up, the hands on the clock seemed to be in the same place. 

When the final bell rang, she thought she was going to spring from her skin, just as eager for the end of the school day as the kids. 

Was he out there?  She hurried to stuff her papers into her bag, not wanting him to be waiting for her too long. 

But she also was afraid to face him again.  She’d kissed him this morning!  How awkward.  What was she supposed to do when she saw him again?  How should she react? 

Would it be hussy-ish to throw herself into his arms and beg him to continue where they’d left off this morning?   

Walking out the door, she saw his big, black truck and took a deep breath.  She should just apologize to him, tell him that the kiss didn’t mean anything and that she shouldn’t have done it.  Yes, she’d propositioned him, but that had been over two weeks ago.  He hadn’t taken her up on the offer. 

He hadn’t turned her down either.

Ugh!  She had no idea what to do, how to act.  Especially when all she wanted to do was make love with this big, enormous man. 

With that in mind, she walked over and pulled his door open.  “Thank you for picking me up.  I really could have walked but…this was very kind of you.”

Knox stared at her, his body clamoring to pull her into his arms and kiss her like he’d done this morning.  But she was off limits.  He’d been telling himself that all day today, and so far he hadn’t convinced himself that it was true. 

Instead of responding, he put his SUV into drive and pulled away from the curb.  The drive to her house was less than five minutes and when he pulled into her driveway, he put the car in park and turned it off.  “Let’s talk,” he said and came around to her side of the truck, opening her door and reaching up to help her down. 

When they were in her house, she pulled off her coat and immediately went to the stove.  He knew she was going to make some tea and he had to fist his hands to his sides to stop himself from carrying her into her bedroom. 

Looking around, he realized that there was a large box in her living room.  “What’s this?” he asked. 

Andie pulled her hand away from the box of tea bags and turned around.  “It’s here!” she gasped, her nervousness giving way to excitement.  “How could I have missed this?” she laughed, almost dancing over to the enormous box that was pushed against the wall.  She looked up and laughed again.  She knew exactly how she had missed her new sofa.  When Knox was around, all she could think about was Knox. 

“What’s here?” he asked again. 

“My sofa!  It finally arrived!”  She hurried back into the kitchen and pulled out a knife.  Slicing away the cardboard, she practically danced around the large package.  “I was hoping it would come today but the tracking didn’t say it was going to arrive yet.  I gave my neighbor keys so that she could let the delivery people put my boxes inside as they arrive.”