Her Dragon Protector, page 10
part #2 of Black Claw Dragons Series
10
Charlotte
The head pounding woke me up. I tried to fight it and sleep as long as possible, but I had to give up and search for headache medicine and a large glass of water. After gulping it down with the cup from the bathroom, I collapsed on the bed again and was sucked into oblivion.
I woke again a while later with the sun streaming through the windows of my borrowed room. This time I felt more human.
After a long time under the strong water pressure of the enormous shower, I put my hair up in a high bun and dressed in comfortable clothes. Leggings, which I once said I’d never wear—until I tried some on and discovered their comfort—and an enormous t-shirt. Thick, woolen socks finished the ensemble. If I’d been in my own home, I would’ve gone braless, but alas, I was not. The shower more than made up for it, though.
It was late enough in the day I felt fairly confident Axel would be gone. Surely, he had to work sometime. I remembered the night before. I’d drunk enough for a headache, but not enough to forget. He’d come down the stairs without a damn shirt on. His chest.
Oh, geez. His chest. It was wide and sculpted, with just enough hair for me to want to touch, but not too much. When I’d put the tip of my finger in the center, it had taken every inch of my drunken willpower to walk away and into my room.
Thanks to the little bullet and fresh batteries, I’d helped my plight enough to get to sleep.
I walked down the stairs slowly as smells from the kitchen hit me. That quickened my step. I’d slept long enough for my stomach to recover from all the wine.
“Oh, there you are.” Carla walked into the foyer from the living room. “Come on. I made soup.”
“What time is it?” I still hadn’t asked Ava for my phone back and didn’t have any other way to keep track.
“After noon. You weren’t kidding when you said you couldn’t hold wine, were you?”
I groaned and shook my head as we walked into the kitchen, but then stopped short. Carla ran into my back.
Axel sat at the kitchen table with a big bowl of soup in front of him. “What are you doing here?” I asked. After a second of disappointment that he wasn’t in his uniform, I eyed his long-sleeved tee. His shoulders strained the material, as did his sculpted arms. Not a bad replacement for his uniform.
Carla shuffled past me and gave me a look. “He lives here, child. Where else should he be?”
She probably thought I was the rudest person she’d ever met. “Of course.” I ducked my head. “I thought you’d be at work or something.”
“Two days off in a row, a rare occurrence.” He dropped his spoon in his bowl and jumped up. “I made you something.”
I watched while he turned to the refrigerator. He pulled out one of those shaker bottles that athletes liked to carry around the gym for their protein shakes. “Here. It’s my special hangover cure. It’ll get you on your feet in no time.”
As a nurse, I knew the best thing for a hangover was to rehydrate, but I wouldn’t have refused Axel. He was too cute holding the cup out with a big grin on his face.
I took it with nervous hands. Who knew what it would taste like? Men and their concoctions. Ugh.
I flipped open the cap and looked at the grayish liquid. Oh, lovely. It was thick. I tipped it up and waited a couple of torturous seconds for the liquid to hit my lips.
To my complete surprise, it tasted halfway decent. Like pineapples. I sighed as I gulped it down. It wasn’t as good as a smoothie, but it filled my belly. Maybe it would help the dragged-down feeling.
“If you’re feeling up to it, I’d love to be your tour guide. Show you around the town.” He smiled at me as if that was the best idea he’d ever had.
“I’d love to, but should I be leaving the house under the circumstances?” If Logan was out there looking for me or watching Ava’s house, I didn’t want him to see me driving around. Plus, we still had the plan of the bus on the back burner. We hadn’t done it yet because nobody had seen him. Maverick was pretty insistent that he’d know if Logan had been on his property. I didn’t see how, not as enormous as the property was, but somehow, I trusted him. And Axel.
“I figured we’d drive around. We can take my truck, I just had it serviced.”
Getting out of the house sounded heavenly. “Maybe we don’t go into town, too?” I asked. If we could come up with a way to get out, that would’ve been great. I wasn’t much the outdoorsy type, but I also didn’t want to be cooped up in the house anymore. I’d recovered at Ava’s, then a couple days here. Everyone had been amazing. So nice and welcoming, but I’d go stir-crazy soon.
“Okay. Let me go change.” I turned and grinned at Carla, who already had a beaming smile on her face. “What?”
“Nothing, dear, I’m just glad you’re recovering.” She took the empty shaker bottle from my hand and walked to the sink with a sniff. I watched her back, trying to figure out if she was crying, but she just rinsed out the bottle and put it in the dishwasher.
“Charlotte,” Axel said. “Dress warm. If you’d like, there’s a short hike to a beautiful waterfall.”
I nodded but wasn’t sure I wanted to hike. If it was short enough, maybe.
When I walked back down the stairs ten minutes later in jeans and a sweater, my thick coat slung over my arm, he was dressed and ready.
“You look great. We match.” He held out his arm with a chuckle. We’d both put on thick brown sweaters. I’d chosen mine because the brown set off my blonde hair. I pushed his compliment away—It was nice but didn’t matter. I wasn’t trying to date the man, no matter how much my body wanted me to. He was too hot to date.
But his dark hair and dark eyes looked amazing above the dark brown of his sweater. To be fair, I was certain he could’ve worn a brown paper bag and looked hot. I’d been told the same, but that was beside the point. “Regular twinsies,” I joked and sent him a wink. “Ready?”
He nodded. “I pulled the truck right up to the door, but I also checked our security cameras. No activity recently, so we’re safe to take off.”
“Great.” I pulled a baby-blue-colored beanie out of my coat pocket and shoved it on. My hair curled naturally at the bottom, a blessing from the hair gods. With a beanie on, I looked like a snow bunny.
Oversized sunglasses completed my look. “Just in case,” I explained.
Axel chuckled and grabbed a green scarf from the coat tree beside the front door. It didn’t match at all, but when he wrapped it around my neck, his body entirely too close to mine, I realized it had to be his. His scent enveloped me like a hug from a spice rack.
“There. Now you can pull that up and cover your hair.” He fiddled with the ends, but obviously had no clue how to make it work.
I did. I wrapped it around and tucked my hair in the back until we got away from his property. “Ready.”
He held the front door open, then the truck door. Damn it. He was so sweet.
But I wasn’t falling for that shit again. I’d already done that too many times. Hot and sweet came with baggage. Something major had to be wrong with him. He was probably just another wolf in hot-man’s clothing.
We did go through town, but only one trip straight down Main. I sat back and kept my hands near my face to further obstruct any view that would identify me. On the other side of town, he turned and took us onto the back roads. Then he drove for what seemed like hours, stopping at several places like an antique shop set way out of town. “How do they stay in business?” I asked. We’d gone in and found a beautiful box that was perfect to hold my makeup brushes. I bought it and the sweet older lady that owned the place wrapped it carefully for me. She’d patted my hand when she handed me the bag. Everyone I’d met so far in the town was so kind. Nothing like living in Santa Fe, where everyone pretty much ignored everyone else.
“The whole town knows she’s out there. She’s not rich, but she sells enough to locals and the occasional tourist to make a living. And last I heard she’s got a niece that’s graduating high school soon. She’s supposed to take over the place and start doing online sales.”
“Oh, that’s nice. She was so sweet.” I watched the beautiful scenery pass by. The roads were clear, though of course the surrounding forest and land was covered in snow. “When does it stop snowing?” I asked.
Axel laughed. “It’s only just begun. We’re a few days from February, and February and March are our snowiest months. April usually warms a little, but then there’s almost always another big snow in May. Some years it’s June before it clears away.”
My mouth dropped. That was a lot of freaking snow. There was already a good five or six feet packed in most places. “How do the roads stay so clear?”
“You’d be surprised how many snowplows we have. The roads have to stay clear to keep tourists up here skiing. Just be thankful we don’t live on the western slope, near Aspen and Breckenridge. They get the real snow. Three hundred inches is child’s play to them. We rarely get that much.”
“Let’s not go in that direction.” I shivered at the thought. It was beyond cold here already.
“No, I wouldn’t want to either. I like the snow, but it’s been nice this year. We’ve had a very warm winter.”
I stared at Axel in shock. This was a warm winter? If I decided to settle here, I might have to consider finding a winter home elsewhere. Like Florida. Or the equator.
The area was peaceful, though. I was at ease as Axel showed me an out-of-the-way diner, a gas station set way up on a hill, and several places to pull off and enjoy the incredible view.
When he parked in front of a trail sign, I shivered. “I’m not sure how much I want to hike,” I admitted. “I’m not completely healed, and it’s so cold.”
He turned in the truck to face me. I’d long ago taken off the extra layers in the heat of the truck, removing everything but my sweater. “We can bundle you up. The walk is really short and the payoff is amazing.”
He looked so eager I couldn’t refuse him. “Okay. If it’s close.” He nodded, so I began piling on the layers again. Hat, scarf, and a pair of gloves Axel handed me. “Nice. Thanks. I forgot gloves.” Then I struggled into the big parka.
Axel burst out laughing as I tried to wiggle my way into it in the truck. I didn’t want to get out of the cab of the truck without the parka on, then all the cold would seep into my clothes.
With his help, I got the parka on, but my nerves were shot to hell with every small touch of his hand.
I zipped and buttoned the coat, then jumped out of the truck. Stomping my feet, I prepared myself to spend time in the cold. The sound of the water filled the air, even out in the parking area. We walked through enormous snowdrifts to get to the trail. It started low but inclined sharply, where the snow had been cleared but they’d had to leave a path for hikers to get onto the packed-snow path.
The parka held up to the cold, though my jeans didn’t. I would’ve worn thermals under them, but I didn’t have any. Something I’d rectify if I stayed.
At least he was right about the length of the walk. We topped a ridge in about four minutes of brisk walking, with the sound of the water growing louder with every step.
Damn. He was right about the view as well. I gasped as the frozen waterfall came into view.
“Whoa.”
Axel stopped so close that his arm and hip brushed mine. “Told you.”
“This is gorgeous.” I walked forward, getting as close as I could to the ridge.
“There’s a way down, but it’s really hard to get back up.” He looked apologetic.
“It’s okay. This is enough for such a cold day.”
We walked around a bit, looking at the small spray of water washing over the frozen icicles. “Does it freeze solid?” The bottom of the waterfall was a big sheet of ice, with more of the falling water freezing every second. But then more still came.
“It can. It takes a while and even colder temperatures.” Axel stood still, and every time I looked his way, his eyes were on me, not the waterfall.
It wasn’t creepy. It was sweet. As if he watched me to make sure I was okay and enjoying myself.
A zing of cold inched up my back from my shivering legs. “I’m freezing,” I admitted. “As beautiful as this is.”
He jumped and held out his arm to motion for me to walk down the trail ahead of him. I moved slowly down the incline on the snow. It had been easier going up, stomping our feet into the snow for traction. It wasn’t as easy to stomp going down.
I made it with only one slip, almost at the bottom. I could see the truck through the trees.
That was my mistake. I looked up at the truck instead of where my feet went and had that split second of terror when my foot didn’t land where I expected it to. I windmilled my arms and my stomach lurched.
Then Axel wrapped his arms around me, circling my stomach, and I was able to find my footing.
“Thank you,” I whispered, the heat of his arms shooting straight through the many layers of clothing.
He didn’t immediately let go. “My pleasure,” he said huskily, only releasing me when I moved forward.
It was a damn good thing there was snow everywhere. Otherwise, it might’ve been too tempting to strip naked and do the McNasty right there in the woods. When we made it safely to the truck, I sighed, half in relief and half in disappointment that some porn-movie level incident hadn’t happened. We hadn’t accidentally had sex in the woods. He didn’t trip and his dick just slipped right in. Nothing like that. Damn.
“So, how do you know about all these spots?” I asked as he turned the truck around.
“I grew up here. Maverick and I spent most of our youth exploring. Before we could drive, we were on our bikes. When we got a little older, we had four-wheelers and snowmobiles.”
My eyes lit up. “Snowmobiles?” I leaned toward him. “Do you still have them?”
He shot me a sly look as he turned the wheel. “We do. I don’t suppose you’d like a trip on one?”
“I’ve always wanted to ride one,” I said. “They look so fun.”
He chuckled. “They are. I don’t think Maverick has taken Ava out yet, either. But both of you need to make a trip to town and get warmer clothes, made for being out in this kind of cold.”
I thought about how cold my legs had gotten on our very short trek to the waterfall. “Agreed.”
He launched into a story about him and Maverick getting lost on the snowmobiles. The story was meant to be funny, but he sounded so sad. “Why the long face about such a fond memory?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I guess I’m forlorn that those times had to change.”
I wanted to ask why they’d changed and how and when and a million more questions, but I had to remind myself that he wasn’t my boyfriend. He was a friend who was helping me out during a hard time.
As I tried to figure out a way to get him to elaborate, he surprised me with a question of his own. “What about your family?”
I cleared my throat. “We’re not close,” I said. If he didn’t have to elaborate, neither did I. No need to explain how my family thought I was a bubble-headed waste of time. Since I hadn’t gone into money like they wanted, it had cemented their derision of… well, me.
“I understand. Sometimes family is who you choose, not who you’re born to.” He said the perfect words to comfort me. I avoided thinking about my family most of the time because inevitably I’d end up mad or upset.
“True.”
“Hungry?” The little diner had just come into view up the road. “We could grab a bite before going home.”
“Sure,” I said. “Sounds good.”
The risk of running into Logan seemed low this far away from town. There was no reason he’d look anywhere but Ava’s house.
Axel helped me into my coat again. We were only running from the truck to the restaurant, but it was that cold. As soon as I was bundled, I made a dash for the door, but he still beat me there, opening it for me.
The diner was half-full, not busy but not dead, either. All the eyes in the room turned to the door as we came in.
And all the women’s eyes glued to Axel. “Seems like you’re eye-candy around here,” I murmured behind him as he led us toward an empty booth.
He snorted. “Hardly. That’s Mav.”
After a sweet server took our order and brought coffee and tea, I fixed Axel with a firm stare. The time out with him today had done wonders for my mood. I felt more like myself than I had in weeks. “Why don’t you have a girlfriend?”
He seemed perfect. Gorgeous, good job, hot, hard worker, funny, sweet, sexy. He lived at home, but I wouldn’t have left a house like that, either. What was the point when he was so comfortable there and still single?
His gaze softened as he considered my question. “I’ve been waiting for the right person.”
Axel’s left eyebrow arched ever-so-slightly as he answered.
Did he have the same feelings I did? Was he as distracted by me as I was him?
His gaze was intense enough to make me think maybe.
Not that I wanted him to. It was too soon, too much.
But damn it. I really hoped he meant me.
11
Axel
Working the next few days was torture. Nothing happened. No sight of Logan, not even a domestic or fender bender to distract me. Normally, in the middle of winter, everyone stayed home, and things got quieter than normal. We generally spent the time sprucing up the station. Painting, getting small chores out of the way. Sometimes we did extra training classes or took vacations.
But this week, nothing happened, and I nearly went stir-crazy. I knew my entire family was concentrating their available hours to keeping Charlotte safe and entertained, but when I went home two nights later and found out Jury and Maddox had taken Ava and Charlotte out on the snowmobiles while Maverick and I were at work, I nearly throttled the young idiots. I’d wanted to feel her arms wrapped around my waist, watch her eyes light up when we flew over a drift, warm her up when she got too cold.
