Boy, he’d hit the nail on the head. Was she that obvious, or was he that observant?
“I think you’re frustrated and disappointed and searching for something special.”
She ducked her head. This didn’t feel very comfortable, having him analyze her and be so accurate.
He reached out and cupped her chin with his palm, raised her face to meet his gaze once more. “I’d like to make you feel special, Kay.” His expression was doing her in, causing her to feel hot and cold at the same time.
“Quinn, you’re looking for a wife, and the last thing I’m in the market for is a husband.”
“Kay, I’m a pretty simple guy. I take life as I find it. I don’t put expectations on people.”
“Then why did you reject me back in New York?”
“Like I told you then, I don’t come between couples. You had to get free from Lloyd first before you could come to me. But you’re here now. Officially unattached. Anything can happen.”
Anything.
The word reverberated in her head. It was exactly what she wanted to hear. Exactly what she feared most. By coming to Alaska she had set herself on a course of sexual exploration. If a man as virile as Quinn couldn’t give her an orgasm, if he couldn’t save her from a life of frustrated sexual fantasies, then could anyone?
* * *
QUINN DROVE KAY over to Jake’s bed-and-breakfast in his parents’ Wagoneer and gave her the keys. He’d started to walk her to the door, not wanting her to slip in the gloom and the snow, but she surprised him by announcing she wanted to walk around and check out the town.
“For the article,” she explained.
They walked to the end of the half-mile-long boardwalk, which ended at the pier where the cruise ships docked in the summer. Most of the shops were closed for the winter, except for Long Bear’s sundries and MacKenzie’s trading post. He took her over to KCRK, his parents’ radio station, and they waved to Liam Kilstrom who was in the control booth. They wandered past the community rec center and the nearby church, where the ladies’ auxiliary was having a quilting bee. They strolled by the Happy Puffin bar, where half the town was hanging out, because it was trivia night. The other half of the town was either probably in Jake’s huge sitting room or at the adjacent restaurant, Paradise Diner.
He was not quite certain what had passed between them at his house. Had she come to Alaska to have an affair with him or not? She wanted him as badly as he wanted her. He saw the desire reflected in her eyes, noticed her passion in the way she held her body, recognized longing in how she got flustered in his presence. But something was holding her back.
It was all he could do to keep from touching her, brushing a wisp of hair from her cheek, taking her hand to guide her over the icy patches on the road. He wanted to caress her and hold her and never let her go.
He had it bad and he knew that wasn’t good. He had to be careful. Kay was not a long-term relationship. He knew that. He didn’t want either of them to get hurt. But man, how he wanted to make love to her.
His gut somersaulted and he drew in a deep, steadying breath, unable to remember when one woman had tied him so inextricably into knots. He was afraid of screwing up, of making a wrong move, of letting this one slip through his fingers. He wanted her with a power that shook his normal confidence.
Kay stopped on the wooden promenade, inhaled deeply of the cold air and gazed at the mountains surrounding the town.
“It’s so incredibly beautiful here,” she murmured. “Breathtaking. Overwhelming. Majestic. Totally wild. Honestly, I had no idea.”
“It’s just home to me.” He grinned.
“I can’t believe how different it is from New York. Bear Creek is quaint and clean and charming. No noise, no pollution, no panhandlers. I’ve got to tell you the truth, all this quiet is a shock to my system. How do you stand it?”
“How do you stand Manhattan?”
She gave a little laugh, and the delicate, feminine sound drilled a corkscrew of awareness straight through his groin. “I suppose it’s what you’re accustomed to. Although I’ve got to admit it can be a tough place to live. I’ve been mugged twice in two years.”
“That’s awful.”
She shrugged. “Builds character.”
“I hate the thought of someone accosting you,” he said vehemently. “Makes me want to do bodily harm.”
“Omigosh!” she exclaimed, and latched on to his arm.
“What is it?”
“There’s a moose. Trotting right down Main Street. I was reading a book on Alaska on the flight over, and it said moose are often more dangerous than bears. Is that true?”
“Moose have been known to cause a lot of damage.”
“Do they bite?”
Quinn struggled not to laugh. Her gloved fingers dug into his forearm. Her lithe body trembled against his. Ah, at last, here was his opportunity to touch her, even if he had to do something a little underhanded to keep her latched on to him.
“Shh. Hang on to me, Kay. We’ll tiptoe past him and hopefully he won’t notice us.”
“Quinn—” her voice warbled and her eyes grew round as hubcaps “—maybe we should turn around and go back to the pier. Give him the whole street.”
The moose snorted and trotted closer.
“Oh! Oh!”
“I’ll protect you.” He thrust her behind him.
Her arms went around his waist and her sweet-smelling head popped out from under the crook of his arm so she could keep her eyes fixed on the moose.
“He’s huge,” she whispered. “What if he charges?”
“I’ll hold him off while you run away.”
“Quinn, I’m scared.”
He patted her hand. “It’s all right, Kay. I won’t let any harm come to you. This isn’t New York.”
The moose snorted and pawed the ground. Then raised his shaggy head and glared at them.
Kay tightened her grip on his waist.
“We’ll just ease on by.” Quinn took a tentative step forward.
“No, no.” She dug in her heels. “Please don’t move.”
The moose chose that moment to turn and lope off in the opposite direction. Kay sighed and sagged against his body. “Whew. That was a close call.”
Reprobate, his conscience accused. Tell her the truth.
“Kay...” he began, but she was no longer next to him. She was sprinting toward Jake’s B&B. He had to run to catch up with her.
She wrenched open the door and tumbled headlong into the foyer.
The place was packed with toddy-sipping locals gathered around a roaring fire, playing chess, swapping tall tales, listening to the weather report on the radio. The minute Kay burst through the entryway, every head turned to stare at her, and he hated the way they gawked.
“Wild moose!” Kay gasped. “Walking down Main Street.”
The denizens of Bear Creek, mostly men, all Quinn’s neighbors and friends, stared at her as if she was some exotic bird who’d migrated too far north. More than a few mouths dropped open, and even Lulu, Jake’s Siberian husky, lifted her head off the rug. A twinge of guilt bit him for having let her