Wild Men of Alaska Collection - By Helmer, Tiffinie Page 0,20
contractor dude.” He stiffened. “Are you in love with him?”
She gave a short laugh. “There is no contractor dude. Well, there is. But I hired him. He built me some bookcases, and now he’s working little by little on my kitchen.”
“There isn’t anything romantic going on?”
“Nope.”
“You haven’t slept with him?”
She leaned up on her elbow and looked at him, her eyes serious as the snow now softly falling outside the windows. “Skip, the only man I’ve ever slept with is you. There was this ‘almost’ incident in jail where this woman wanted—”
She didn’t finish as he reached up and pulled her down to him, sealing her words with a kiss that lit her internal furnace.
When he ended the kiss, he gazed lovingly into her eyes. “There’s been no one for me either. Only you.”
“You mean...”
“Yep,” he said with a silly smile. “The last person I had sex with—not counting myself—was you.”
“You haven’t had sex in five years?”
“You couldn’t tell how rusty I was?”
She shook her head. “Though it does explain the constant hard on,” she tried to joke.
“Wren, you were my first, my only. You’re everything. Marry me, love me, make a life with me.”
Her heart melted, and tears sprain to her eyes. “Skip.” Her words shuddered on a sob as the impact of his words sank into her. How could this man love her so much?
“Say yes. It’s such a short, simple, happy little word.”
She took his face in her hands and gently kissed his lips. “Yes.”
“Oh, thank you God.” He kissed her, relief and love mixed in with a desire that would never be sated. “Now, give me three little words that I’ve waited years to hear from your lips again.”
“I love you, Skip Ozhuwan. Only you, always you.”
They woke the next morning to the sun shining, snow melting, and the whoop, whoop of helicopter blades.
Skip groaned. “Sounds like the Coast Guard found us.”
“Do they have to be so damn reliable?” Wren asked with a sexy stretch. “I had plans for this morning.”
She leaned over and kissed him. He loved the feel of her pressed against him and the rightness of the moment. The promise of a new day, a new life, with the woman he’d always loved.
He moaned around her kiss, loath to break it off, but they needed to get moving. “Save that thought for later. We need to hurry and get dressed. Not only are they reliable, they’re damn fast too.”
Sure enough, they heard a man running up to the plane, his boots crunching in the snow.
Wren reached for her sweatshirt, but not before the man opened the door and was halfway inside the cockpit. With a squeak, she grabbed the covers and pulled them up to her chin, uncovering Skip’s nakedness.
“Morning!” The Coast Guard crewman greeted. “Glad to see you two made it through the night.” He nodded to Skip and tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile. “Officer Ozhuwan, I see you’re conducting the correct deferment method of hypothermia.” He addressed Wren, “Ms. Wren, nice to see you, and that the two of you are back together again.”
“Leroy,” Skip said, worried over how Wren was taking all this attention, “give us a few minutes, would you?”
“Yes, sir.” Leroy ducked out of the plane.
“Don’t tell me, that’s—”
“The kid you used to babysit, yeah.”
Leroy popped his head back into the plane, his eyes shut. “Sorry, just thought I’d mention your sister and her intended are impatiently waiting in the chopper. She is really, and I mean really, worried about the condition of her wedding cake.”
“Leroy, you might as well leave us here. It’ll be safer for everybody.”
Wren giggled, then laughed long and loud, falling into his one-armed embrace, where she’d always belonged.
The realization that he could be waking every morning with her in his arms, had emotion bursting forth. “Wren, before our lives become hectic with this rescue, the wedding, and Jim’s funeral, I need you to know that no other woman could impact my soul the way you always have, always will. I don’t want to lose you again.” He didn’t think he’d survive a second time.
The love in her eyes deepened, and she reached up to smooth the worry lines in his face. “You won’t lose me. I’ve missed you so much, Skip. You’re not just the love of my life, you are my best friend. Don’t worry, I’m strong enough now.”
Moisture collected in his eyes and throat. He hadn’t realized how afraid he’d been that he’d truly lost her five year ago. Or