Like the man who is taking me.
Fuck.
“Who the hell are they?” I cry as we take off into the night. “And who the fuck are you?”
Despite maneuvering the vehicle through dark mountain terrain without headlights on, he answers calmly, “I’m the guy who just saved your ass.”
Chapter Four
AXEL
Okay. That didn’t exactly go to plan.
Distracted by lust, I’d spent more time in the lodge than I’d intended to, and as a result, I had to deal with the spooks hired to kidnap the heiress.
Now I’m sporting a knife wound to my shoulder that’s a giant pain in the ass as I steer my Jeep through the darkness, while trying to navigate the rough mountain terrain.
My cabin is on the other side of the mountain. At least a half-hour drive through the secret trails and off-roads only a local would know.
There is no chance we are being followed. Back at Mirror Lake Lodge, when I saw the black SUV slowly pull up with its headlights turned off, I had moved stealthily in the dark and plunged the knife I always carried with me into the two rear tires before slipping back into the darkness.
The spooks were sloppy and slow, which told me they weren’t professionals. They didn’t have the same training as I did. I could move fast and quiet without detection because I had lived in the shadows for too many years to remember. They were still outside when I had slipped into the lodge and made my way up the grand staircase to her room. They were still circling the lodge while I stood in the darkness watching her with ferocious desire as she made herself come.
Fuck.
I can’t afford to think about that now.
The adrenaline pumping through me is just enough to keep the pain of a knife wound at bay. But not my raging hard-on.
I need to keep my focus. Need to get off the road and lock Lauren safely inside my cabin.
I glance over at her. She is staring out the window. She is eerily calm, but I can see the gentle thud of her pulse against her lovely throat.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” I say.
She turns to look at me but doesn’t say anything. She is weighing every possible scenario in her head. I see her throat work as she swallows slowly and lets out a shaky breath. Her silence is welcome because I don’t have time to explain anything yet. I need to focus, concentrate, and get us out of harm’s way.
The night gets darker with an approaching storm as we drive deeper into the mountain. I can’t rely on the moonlight here, so I switch on my low beams and take it easier through the rutted trails leading toward my cabin.
Mist hangs low among the pine trees. Here the shadows are deeper. Eerier. I feel her body go rigid beside me.
“You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?” she says.
I glance at her. “Kill you? Princess, I’m trying to save you.”
By the look on her face, she doesn’t believe me.
“So you say.”
“Do I look like I’m trying to kill you?”
“Maybe not right now. But who’s to say you’re not going to do all kinds of things to me once you get me to your cabin.”
“I’m not going to do anything to you.”
“Excuse me if that doesn’t exactly reassure me. I don’t know you. For all I know, you’re going to kill me and use my skin to make lampshades.”
“I’m not going to do that.” I raise an eyebrow at her. “Well, not today, anyway.”
She rolls her eyes. She seems more agitated than scared. “At least tell me your name.”
I think about it for a moment before replying. “Axel. My name is Axel.”
Up ahead, I can see my cabin through the shadows. The porch light is on, otherwise it is completely dark out here. If anyone had breached the perimeter of my property, there would be red lights glowing in the darkness. It’s a necessary security set up I need, considering who I am and what I’ve done.
I pull up to the front of my cabin. But when I climb out of my Jeep, she doesn’t follow. Instead, she remains belted in her seat with a look of pure stubbornness on her face.
“You need to get inside,” I growl because I’m in pain. I haven’t told her about the knife wound, but now it’s beginning to hurt like a bitch. Plus, I still have to do a perimeter sweep and check out the inside of the cabin before I can tend to my wound.
But instead of moving, Lauren shoves her arms across her chest. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on!”
She is frustrating.
“I will explain everything once we get inside.”
“No. You’ll explain it to me now!”
Did I say she is frustrating?
I mean, annoying.
“Listen, Princess—”
“And stop calling me Princess!”
I take a deep breath to calm the flash of irritation I feel surge through me.
“Listen, Lauren…you can stay out here or come inside, I don’t give a goddamn. But the truth is, it gets down to freezing out here at night, and a storm is coming. They’re even talking about an early snowfall, so you’re better off coming inside where it’s warm. And safe.”
She raises an eyebrow at me and I start to think that she is going to be more of a handful than I thought.
She raises her chin slightly but doesn’t budge.
I lean into the door frame.
“The woods are active at night. No telling what’s out there lurking through the trees and the low fog.” Her arms loosen and her glare changes to alarm. “Now you might want to take your chances, but the odds are against you. Two legs aren’t nearly as fast as four fur-covered ones.”
We stare at each other before she finally huffs out an unimpressed breath and unbuckles her seatbelt.
Turning away, I walk toward the cabin, and she follows grudgingly. At the wooden steps leading up to the porch, I pause to let her pass, and our eyes meet. Again, she glares at me and I can see the contempt in those beautiful lavender eyes.
Yep.
She is going to be a handful.
Just as well, I have a lot of experience handling rich, spoiled brats.
Chapter Five
LAUREN
Once inside, I try to get a handle on my bearings.
I’m in a cabin, deep in the mountainside. And I have no idea what the hell is about to happen.
When we first left the lodge, I tried to take note of where we were driving. But he drove so fast it was impossible to keep up with all the twists and turns he took on the mountain trails.
Now we’re here, somewhere among the alpine forests and darkness.
And so far, he has ignored my every plea for an explanation.
To be honest, it’s more frustrating than frightening. It’s strange. But I’m not frightened at all. Just … confused.
And excited.
I stand just inside the door and look around the cabin. With its logged walls and high ceilings, it looks pretty much like your typical alpine cabin. To the left is a small kitchen with granite countertops, to the right, a living room with a couch and two armchairs, and ahead is a small set of steps leading to the split level. Across the room, dying embers glow in a river stone fireplace. It’s cozy. Charming.