Arctic Winds (5 page)
Authors: Sondrae Bennett
Her cheeks were still tinted a light pink, and her eyes glowed from the kiss. He liked flustering Samantha. Jason tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, letting his finger trail down her cheek. Her skin felt like velvet. He wondered if she was soft all over.
“Come on, I’ll help you carry your groceries in,” Jason said, reluctantly backing away. He opened the car door to get her groceries and discovered only one bag in the backseat. “Are there more bags in the trunk?”
“Uh, no. I just bought a few necessities.”
Looking into the bag, he saw turkey slices, a bag of Swiss cheese, a box of chamomile tea and a loaf of sourdough bread. He looked over at her curiously. “This is all you bought?”
“So? I told you I just got necessities. I’ll go back if I need to.” He shook his head and started walking toward her door. It took him a moment to realize she wasn’t following him. Jason looked back in time to see Samantha trying to pull a large suitcase out of her trunk.
“Samantha!” he cried and watched as she jumped, dropping the bag back into the trunk. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked over at him.
“What?”
“I thought you said this was it,” he exclaimed. Thrusting the bag of groceries into her hands, he strode past her, easily pulling her suitcase out of the trunk.
“No, I said there were no more groceries.”
He glanced at her as she grumbled. He tried to hold on to his frustration but burst out laughing at the petulant look on her face. God, she was adorable. Finally, she smiled at him.
“Okay, maybe I should’ve mentioned the luggage. It’ll be a whole lot easier for you to carry it up the stairs.”
Jason walked her up to the main door and waited while she unlocked it. He carried the luggage up the stairs, placing it inside her apartment doorway at the top.
“I don’t have any coffee or beer to offer you, but if you’d like, you can come in and warm up a bit.”
“I’d better not, but thanks.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek chastely. “See you later, Samantha.” Jason needed to get home and take a cold shower—a very cold shower.
Samantha walked into Books and Crannies the next morning and sought out Laurie, who was helping a customer at one of the bookcases sprawled around the room. She made her way over to the counter and flipped through one of the magazines while waiting for Laurie to finish.
“Samantha, is there something you needed?” Laurie asked, coming to stand beside her.
“I know I’m not supposed to start until next week, but I was wondering if I could start a little early. I’m feeling much better now and could come in as soon as you wanted.”
“Are you sure you’re better?”
“Truth be told, I’m going a little stir-crazy trapped up in that apartment. I’m dying for something to do.”
“If you’re sure, I could definitely use the help. The weekends are always a bit crazy and with the addition of the coffee bar, I’m having a hard time keeping up with everyone. It’s still early enough that we haven’t gotten too many customers yet. Let me show you how to work the machines and then you can give it a try.” Laurie started leading the way to the back. A few tables were set up for people to enjoy their beverages or eat their food, but Samantha’s gaze was drawn to the corners where more armchairs were placed with end tables for people to set their cups. It was a cozy getaway for readers and coffee drinkers alike. Samantha imagined drifting away into her favorite book while sipping a cup of tea.
“This is so cozy. I’ve never seen a store look this inviting before.”
“Thank you. Cozy is exactly what we wanted. I love to read so I built my own personal fantasy.”
“We?” Samantha asked.
“My sister, Julie, and I opened the bookstore together with some money our grandmother left us. She’s away at college right now, but she’s still half owner of this place.”
“Wow, you guys have a lot of brothers and sisters.” Being an orphan and an only child, Samantha had often wondered what it would be like to have a little brother or sister.
Laurie laughed. “Yeah, I guess my parents wanted a big family. There are five of us running around. Jason’s the oldest, followed by Ethan, me, and Danny in the middle. Julie’s the youngest.
She’ll be home on spring break in a few weeks. You’ll meet her then, I’m sure.” Laurie rounded the corner and started pointing everything out to Samantha. Before Samantha knew it, the day was more than half over.
* * * *
Samantha leaned against the counter as she finally got a break from the onslaught of customers and thought back to the night before. She’d never felt such a strong attraction to anyone as she had to Jason. When he’d kissed her, everything drifted away except him. He had been the sole focus of her world, and Samantha could’ve happily spent the rest of the night in his arms.
But he had insistently pulled away, she thought with a frown. Was it because she was a fox?
She knew a wolf couldn’t desire anything more than a passing fling with her. Not only was he a wolf with a pack, he was the fricken Premier. And who was she? A packless nobody.
He claimed it was the circumstances, but Samantha wasn’t sure she believed him. He hadn’t done anything to further their acquaintance. After all, he hadn’t asked her out, and he hadn’t wanted to come inside her apartment, apart from bringing her luggage up.
She hadn’t imagined his arousal, though. It had pressed insistently against her as he pinned her against her car. Maybe Jason was only interested in a wild night with the exotic new shifter.
Or maybe Jason was just one of those men with large sex drives who got horny looking at tinfoil.
Samantha thought she might be okay with either. Honestly, she’d take him any way she could get him.
As if conjuring him with her thoughts, the object that had invaded her daydreams all morning walked through the door. His gaze sought her out immediately, and he started walking toward her, a frown marring his brow. What had she done this time?
“Hi, Jason. Can I get you something to drink?” Samantha asked as he approached the counter.
“I thought you weren’t supposed to start working until next week. You shouldn’t be on your feet all day, you’re sick. Did Laurie pressure you into working?”
“No, of course not. I pressured her into letting me come in. I’m fine, really.”
“If you’re sure…” He trailed off, looking at her speculatively.
“I am. Now how about that coffee?”
“Sure. Black. What time do you get off tonight?”
“I don’t actually know. I suppose whatever time the store closes.”
“Okay, I’ll pick you up at eight thirty for dinner.”
“Dinner?”
“Yeah, dinner. You know, like a date.”
“A date?”
“I thought you said you were fox shifter, not parrot,” he teased with a glint of laughter in his eyes.
“Sorry. Dinner sounds great. I guess I’ll see you at eight thirty.”
“Have a nice day, Sam.”
“You, too, Jason.”
The smile he threw her before leaving melted her insides, and Samantha leaned against the counter with a sigh. She was definitely in trouble where Jason was concerned.
* * * *
Samantha pushed her wet hair out of her face and stared down at the clothes strewn across her bed. She couldn’t decide what to wear. She had no idea where Jason might be taking her, so she wanted to look nice but casual. In the end she decided on a soft, white v-neck sweater that clung to her curves, along with a pair of skinny jeans. She had just slipped on her mid-calf black boots and grabbed her hair dryer when the buzzer went off.
“Shit!” Taking a deep breath, she hurried down the stairs. Opening the door, Samantha had to take a mental step back. Jason looked dashing with a black shirt and brown cashmere blazer encasing his broad shoulders. He had on jeans and a pair of dark brown cowboy boots. His hair was wilder than normal and only enhanced his stylish look as it draped off his head in a mass of curls. And here Samantha stood with her wet hair falling about her face in a lifeless droop. She almost slapped a hand to her head in embarrassment.
“Jason, I’m sorry, I’m not quite ready yet. Do you think you could give me a couple minutes to dry my hair?”
“Nope. We have to leave now,” he stated, looking at his watch.
Oh God, she couldn’t go out with wet hair and no makeup! Her expression must have given away her horror, because Jason smiled down at her. “Relax. I’m kidding. Take as much time as you need, but do you mind if I come in and get out of the cold?”
“Oh, of course!” She quickly stepped to the side and started up the stairs. “I’ll be done in a minute.” At the top, Samantha took a look at the bed and the array of clothes spread out on it. She mentally shrugged. If he asked, she’d say she was unpacking. No need for him to know how long she’d agonized over what to wear. Grabbing her hair dryer, she disappeared into the bathroom.
* * * *
She didn’t have much by way of belongings. There was a pile of clothes on the bed and a ton of shoes lined along the wall. But there were no knickknacks that made someone’s home their own.
There was a small travel alarm clock on the bedside table. Jason picked it up and looked at it. It was a simple clock in a leather case. When opened, the case made a triangle prop and when closed, provided a protective shell around the clock. He spun in a circle and took in the entire room.
There was no permanence anywhere in sight. Definitely something Jason intended to change.
He looked up as Samantha came out of the bathroom, surprised at how quickly she had managed to dry her long hair. She hadn’t been in there more than five minutes, but the white golden tresses curling daintily around her shoulders held no trace of water.
“That was fast.”
“It’s the arctic fox in me. My hair dries quickly. Ready when you are,” she said, slipping a scarf around her neck. He took her coat and held it out as she slipped her arms through it.
After making sure she locked her apartment, Jason held the car door open for her. He registered her surprise and wondered at how little romance she must have experienced in her life for her to be shocked by such a common courtesy. Something else he intended to change. Already, Jason began to plan his seduction.
Flowers arrived the next day at the store. Samantha watched from behind the counter as the delivery boy carried in a bouquet of white roses sitting in an elegant glass vase with a white ribbon tied in a bow around the neck. The boy spoke briefly to Laurie as she took the roses from him.
Samantha sighed wistfully as she watched Laurie sign the papers on the boy’s clipboard and take the small note out. Laurie tapped the card thoughtfully against her lips without opening it.
Her assessing stare shot over to where she stood watching. Samantha couldn’t read the expression in their depths from this far away, but she could feel the intensity of her gaze. As if reading her thoughts, Laurie carried the roses over to where she stood.
Laurie held the card out. “Here, they’re for you.”
Samantha stared at the card, certain she’d heard Laurie wrong. Who would send her flowers?
Laurie placed the roses on the counter, took Samantha’s hand in hers and shoved the card into it. “Go on, open it! I’m anxious to see what my boneheaded brother wrote.”
“How do you know they’re from your brother?” Samantha asked, still staring at the card. No one had ever given her flowers before. No one had given her much of anything before. Even her clothes growing up had been hand-me-downs.
“Who else would send you flowers?” Laurie laughed. “Besides, his name was on the slip I signed.”
“Yeah right, who else would send me flowers? But why would your brother send me flowers either?”
“Oh stop. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sure lots of guys would be thrilled to be the ones sending you flowers. And I’d wager my brother is sending you flowers because he likes you. But you’re never gonna know if you don’t open the card.” Laurie winked at her as she grabbed a bag of M&M’s from the shelves beneath the counter and started eating them.
Samantha looked down at the card again and popped open the seal. Taking the small piece of paper out of the envelope, she silently read it, then read it again.
Samantha, I wish I could be
with every moment of the day, but in my stead I send these. They reminded me of your soft elegance
and beauty. I can’t wait to see you again.
“What’d he say?” Laurie asked, snatching the card from Samantha’s hand before she had a chance to answer. “Hmmm, not too bad, big brother,” Laurie murmured before focusing on Samantha. “So spill, what’s going on between you two?”
“Nothing. We had dinner last night. I mean, maybe something is going on, but I’m sure it’s nothing serious. It’s not like we’re going out or anything. Well, we are going out, but we’re not going
out
out…” Samantha stammered, suddenly nervous to be talking about Jason with his sister.
Laurie laughed and held out a cluster of M&M’s to Samantha. She took one, grateful to have something to distract her. “You ramble when you’re nervous. It’s kind of cute. Hey listen, the bookstore’s closed tomorrow. What say we go back to my place, whip up a pitcher of margaritas and have a girls’ night.”
“Girls’ night?” Samantha didn’t exactly know what went on during a girls’ night, but she was intrigued. She’d never been invited to, well, anything before. She’d never had giggling slumber parties growing up or any other girl-bonding events in her life.
“Come on. It’ll be fun.”
“Okay, yeah. Yeah, I think I’d like that.”
* * * *
