Heat it Up: Off the Ice - Book One (16 page)

I secure my life jacket, not taking any chances. To my relief, Kyle does the same. We climb into the small boat. Kyle sits at the stern (or whatever you call the back of the boat), and I sit on the bench, facing him.

Flashing me a reassuring smile, he starts the engine and steers us away from the dock. As promised, he doesn’t go fast, and the tension building in me drains to the point that I don’t have to grip the side of the small boat so hard. Circulation returns to my fingers.

The warm wind blows gently through my hair, pushing loose strands of my ponytail into my face. That, along with the movement of the boat against the smooth waters, calms me to the point where I’m more relaxed than before I got in the boat. A memory of happier times on my uncle’s boat bobs to the surface, and I allow myself to relax more. Kyle’s reassuring smile has a lot to do with that, too.

“True or false,” Kyle says. “You used to be a water-skiing stunt woman in movies.”

I snort. “I think we’ve already established that I’m not good with boats.”

“Water skiing and riding a boat aren’t the same thing. Unless you’re in a James Bond movie. Then I guess they both tend to fly through the air at top speed, pushing the laws of aerodynamics to their limits.”

I laugh. “Yes, there’s always that.”

We arrive incident free at the part of the island where we’re staying. I glance around as Kyle pulls up close to the beach, ignoring the dock a couple of yards away. We’re the only boat in the area, other than the one further down the beach. But that one clearly belongs to the people staying in the other cottage, hidden slightly in the trees.

“If the only way here is by boat, where is everyone?” I ask.

“Good question.” Even though he’s wearing jeans, and not shorts like me, Kyle climbs out of the boat. The water laps his knees when he stands upright, turning the fabric dark blue. “Since it’ll be stormy later, I’ll leave the boat on the beach so it doesn’t end up smashing against the dock.”

I shift my body to the side, ready to climb out and help him. Seeing what I’m about to do, he holds onto the side of the boat and steadies it.

With my body weight low in the boat, I step over the side. Freezing water greets my leg. I gasp.

Kyle chuckles. “Guess I should’ve mentioned it’s cold.”

“It’s not too bad.” I’ve been in worse, although a warning might have been nice.

I climb out of the boat, the brisk water hitting me mid thigh, and help Kyle drag the boat ashore. My legs are a little rubbery from the ride, but it only takes a few seconds for them to switch back to their land-loving form.

Once the boat is far enough up the beach to be safe during the storm, we remove our bags and the supplies Kyle brought with us. We line them up on the sand, then I help him flip the boat over so the rain doesn’t flood it.

He wraps his arms around my waist and plants a soft kiss on my lips. It’s enough to banish any residual fear of traveling by boat. “I told you I’d get you here safely. You okay?”

I nod, not wanting the moment to end, even if a nagging voice in the back of my head warns me the happiness coursing through me can’t last forever. I’ve learned that the hard way.

He lowers his mouth to mine and teases me with feathery kisses. The electric hum is back, traveling through every nerve in my body. I want him so badly. I want to touch him, to please him.

He gives my lip a gentle tug with his teeth, but before I can respond, he steps away and grabs our bags. I crouch and pick up a box with supplies.

“I can get that,” he says.

“I know, but I’m capable of carrying it too.” It’s the other box I’m not so sure about. I peer into it. “Were you responsible for bringing everything?”

“It looks that way, doesn’t it? Maybe that’s why Nik invited me. I’m the pack mule.”

The cottage is farther back in the trees and it looks exactly as I imagined it would. Small. As in, two rooms small, if that. Several yards away is an even smaller building that I know is the sauna. Every summer cottage in Finland has one. It’s like a rule. Okay, maybe not a rule, but no self-respecting Finn would be without one, as Mom used to say.

“How many people are coming?” I ask, eyeing the building.

Kyle’s eyebrows bunch together as he, too, takes in the place. “He said about five, including himself, plus us.”

It will definitely be cozy for seven of us. This is further confirmed after Kyle unlocks the door and opens it. A small eating area and kitchen is located left of where you step in. At the back of the room is a single door. Other than the kitchen, dinner table for four people, a wood-burning stove, and the small couch, not much else fills the space. It’s like it fell straight from a fairy tale. I wouldn’t be surprised if three bears come through the door at any moment and wonder who ate their porridge.

I place the box on the table and open the other door. Inside the room is a queen-sized bed and that’s it. “Are there any sleeping bags?” ’Cause we didn’t bring any.

“Nik said we wouldn’t need any. Why?” Kyle asks behind me.

I turn to him. “Because there’s only one bed.” Surely Nik doesn’t expect us all to sleep in it. Or have an orgy.

“What the…?” Kyle pulls his phone from his back pocket. He waits for whoever he’s calling to answer, then says, “Hey, Nik, where the hell are you?” Pause. “Yeah, we got in…And when were you planning on telling me this…? Yeah…yeah…okay.” He hangs up.

“So where is everyone?”

“Not here. There is no get together planned. Nik set this up to make up for that asshole thing he did the other day with the dog tags. No one else is coming.” He nods at the box on the table. “Which explains why I was supposed to bring everything.”

“So we’re it?”

He nods. “’Fraid so.” He looks back at the bed, and an odd expression clouds his face. “If you want, we can go back…or—or you can take the bed and I’ll take the couch.”

I glance at the couch, which isn’t long enough for either of us. I’m not sure if he’s suggesting that because he’s being gentlemanly, or because he really doesn’t want to sleep with me.

“We can share the bed,” I say. “I’m fine with that.”

He rubs the back of his neck, but it doesn’t seem to relieve how tied up in knots he is at the possibility of being in the same bed as me. He had a wife. It makes sense that he’s not over her and isn’t ready to go that far with me. But if that’s true, why did he have the one-night stand with the woman from the club? Why has he been flirting with me? Why did he go down on me?

Because he figures your ex-boyfriend must have cheated on you for a reason
, an annoying little voice points out.

I swallow down a bitter laugh at the irony. All this time I avoided being involved with anyone so I wouldn’t be hurt again. Yet here I am. Different situation. Same rejection.

Needing to escape, I grab my camera bag and walk out the door.

I stalk down the dirt path to the boat, but then change my mind. Kyle will be getting the other box and I need space to sort through my emotions. I turn, walk past the outhouse (oh, joy), and disappear into the wooded area that makes up the majority of the island.

It doesn’t take me long to find the perfect location for photos. The clearing is small with the leaves redirecting the light and giving the place a mystical mood. I study the area, like I do whenever I get ready to shoot a scene, and figure out what I want my images to say. Right now dejected comes to mind, but I push it away. I close my eyes and remember the fairy tales Mom used to tell me. When I was a kid, I would imagine all kinds of magical creatures living in the woods near Muumu’s. This place is no different.

I switch the lens on my camera to my favorite macro lens, and wander the area, searching for anything hinting mystical creatures are among us. I’ve been shooting a number of shots of a fallen tree trunk, while on my stomach, when a loud snap of a branch yanks me from my zone.

I gasp and scramble to my feet, almost expecting a troll to lumber out of the trees, hungry for a tall blond snack. All those childhood tales Mom used to read me aren’t helping me here.

I creep backward away from the sound, my gaze locked in the direction it had come from. It could be a bear or something equally big and deadly. The back of my calves collide against a fallen branch and I lose my freakin’ balance.

I land sprawled on the ground, the wind knocked out of me. It takes a moment to regain my senses before my gaze jerks up to meet Kyle’s.

He crouches next me. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. Are you hurt?”

My butt isn’t exactly thrilled with what happened, but hell if I’m admitting that to him. “I’m fine. I didn’t realize you were behind me.”

Kyle, now wearing long khaki shorts, helps me to my feet. I run my hands over my sore butt and the backs of my legs, dislodging any forest floor debris that’s made itself at home there.

Definitely not my finest moment.

“What are you doing out here?” I ask once I’ve removed the evidence of my clumsiness.

“I got worried when you didn’t return. You’ve been gone for over an hour.”

“I was taking photos.” I hold up my camera, you know, in case he didn’t believe me. At least only one us is dealing with a bruised ego and backside.

I walk to my camera bag and place my camera inside it. “So what now? You wanna explore or go swimming?”

“I started the sauna. It should be ready soon. Why don’t we swim first?”

“You figured out how to start the sauna?” I guess it’s not electric like the one in Muumu’s apartment building. There is no electricity here. And that includes in the cottage.

“Nik told me how to do it.” He shakes his head. “Because he knew he wouldn’t be coming here with us.” Wow, Nik really had everything planned out. The question is, did he know about the storm or was that an added bonus?

We return to the cottage and I change into my white lace bikini in the bedroom. I don’t wait for Kyle while he changes into his swimming trunks. I’m already toeing my way into the water when he emerges from the building.

A brief glance at him is all I need to remind myself of the power he has over my body. God, it’s not fair. Just one look at him and my body aches for him to touch me again. I’m not talking about how toned his body is. I’m talking about how his gaze roams over my body in a way that makes me feel beautiful. If any other guy did that, I would have felt shy and self-conscious.

An army of emotions battles in me, with confusion in the top spot. One minute he’s running cool and wants nothing to do with me, beyond being my friend. The next he’s on fire and wants to devour me with his kisses. And let’s not forget to throw in an extra order of how my body responds to his slightest touch. It’s no wonder I’m lost as to what’s going on between us.

And it looks like I’m not the only one struggling with this. The same battle of emotions warring in me is affecting him, too. He steps closer so our bodies almost touch. A mischievous look crosses his face. That’s all the warning I get before he scoops me up in his arms and walks into the lake.

I squirm in his arms, which doesn’t do much for the buzz zinging through me with his hard yet warm body pressed against mine. “Kyle, put me down.” My arms go around his neck. “Please.”

He tightens his hold on me and strides deeper into the water. I shriek as the cold lake laps my butt and my legs. He laughs and lets go of me.

I disappear under the water, the cold pressing in on me. My feet find the silty bottom and I push myself to stand. Kyle’s chuckling when I emerge. I send a tidal wave of water at him. Laughing harder, he dodges it, then grabs hold of my waist and pulls me close so only a thin layer of water separates us. The water around us might be cold, but the water separating us is toasty warm. Kyle’s toasty warm.

I take in his light blue eyes as they watch me from behind his glasses. My gaze drifts to the small scar under the outer corner of his left eye. As if drawn by it, my finger traces along the smooth surface. “How did you get that?” I whisper, too afraid to speak any louder and betray the longing flaring in me.

“It happened when I was nine. I was playing hockey and the puck hit me in the face.” His voice is low and deep, the sound of it velvet trailing across my skin.

The longing intensifies.

My fingers trace along the curve of his cheekbones down to the day-old stubble on his jaw. The magnetic drive between us strengthens and my lips crave to touch the same places my fingers explored. I press my mouth against his jaw and relish the roughness of his stubble against my skin. And then, as if my body is no longer interested in what my brain has to say, the tip of my tongue tastes his flesh and doesn’t want to stop at just that. It keeps exploring him, along his jaw and his neck. And because that isn’t enough, and my teeth want in on the action, I nibble his neck—something I never did with Ian.

A slight moan vibrates through Kyle’s chest and makes me bolder. My mouth moves to his and I kiss him, deeply, taking everything he’ll give me and so much more. Before I have a chance to register what’s happening, Kyle’s hands slide down the backs of my legs and in a smooth movement he lifts me. My legs go around his hips, grinding us together. Our kisses become more consuming, and any doubts I have that he wants me as much as I want him vanish.

At least it does until his mouth pulls away a minute later and he lets me slip back into the water. His expression is back to what it was earlier—the battlefield of emotions. “The sauna should be ready now,” he says, voice strained. His gaze drops to my arms. “You’re cold.”

Disappointment and frustration course through me and I glance at my arms. Goose bumps cover my skin, but not for the reasons he thinks. Unable to look at him, I nod.

Without a word, I trudge through the water to the beach. He doesn’t move for several seconds before splashing after me. The sound of him approaching kicks me into action and I run back to shore, pretending I’m just eager to get into the hot sauna after the cold lake. Okay, maybe not so much pretending.

A cool wind brushes against me, reminding me that the storm will hit us in a few hours. For a brief moment I contemplate telling Kyle we should head back to the mainland, but then we’re faced with another long drive home. It also means showing up a day earlier than planned, which will be hard to explain to Muumu. I have no one to translate for me, and this goes beyond what Joni has taught me so far.