Crazy For You (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 8) Read online

  His eyes searched hers, the air around them fairly cracking with the raw electricity of their desire. He nodded, almost as if to himself. Then, he sifted his fingers through her hair and trailed them down the side of her neck. Goose bumps rose all over her skin, and she shivered. His touch was almost too much. She grabbed his hand in hers and spun away, all but dragging him behind her.

  In seconds, they’d stumbled inside. Her purse and keys clattered to the floor when he slammed the door shut behind them and spun her around. His mouth collided with hers as he backed her against the door. Their kiss picked up right where it left off, only this time it was hotter, deeper and so overpowering, she could barely breathe. When he broke free and his lips blazed down the column of her throat, she gulped in air.

  She was twined around him, all but frantic to meld herself to him. Every inch of him was hard muscle and she loved it, sweet hell did she love it. He abruptly stepped back and yanked at her shirt. Cool air rushed over her skin when he tossed it aside. He paused, his eyes locking to hers, and she thought she might come just from the look in his eyes. Her panties were soaked, and her channel throbbed. After an electric moment, he spoke.

  “I’d love to fuck you right here against the door, but I don’t want to rush this. Bedroom,” he said.

  Her knees weak from the look in his eyes, she pressed a palm against the door and pushed herself off, walking straight across the living room to the bedroom in the back. She kicked her shoes off on the way and heard his thump to the floor behind her as she tossed her shirt and bra to the floor. She managed to flick a lamp on before he stroked a palm down her back. She stumbled to a stop where she stood at the foot of the bed. She started to turn around but he slowly slipped his hands around her waist, reaching to hook his hands over the waistband of her leggings and shoving them down quickly.

  In a flash, Violet was stretched out on the bed with Sawyer’s palms sliding up her legs, his gaze so hot she could hardly bear it. When his palms reached her thighs, he paused. She looked up at him. “Not fair.”

  He arched a brow in question.

  She sat up quickly and yanked at his t-shirt. “You’re still dressed.”

  His low chuckle sent a wave of heat through her. She had it bad and she didn’t care anymore. He accommodated her and stood, reaching behind his head and pulling his shirt off quickly. She got a glimpse of his chest and abs—muscled and mouth-watering—before he curled his hands under her knees and tugged her bottom to the edge of the bed. He leaned down and stroked a finger across her panties—bright blue cotton. Nothing fancy because she tended not to bother with that. His eyes flicked up when her hips bucked into his touch. A few more passes, and she almost cried out. With one hand, he pulled her panties off and knelt between her knees.

  She tried to catch her breath, but she couldn’t. He dragged his fingers through her folds, which were soaked.

  “You’re so wet,” he said. The satisfaction in his tone should’ve annoyed her, but it didn’t. All she wanted was him inside of her.

  Her breath came out in a moan as he slid one finger into her channel, sinking it deep and then sliding it back for another finger to join. Her channel throbbed around him as he set to drive her mad with steady strokes. Pleasure coiled tightly inside. Her hips rolled restlessly as she chased after release. He brought his mouth to her, and she cried out. She lost herself in a wash of sensation with his tongue and fingers driving her wild. The pressure built and built, every fiber of her being frantic for release, until he sucked her clit into his mouth and the pressure spun loose, unraveling in a burst of sharp pleasure.

  He slowly eased away. She was nearly limp, but managed to drag her eyes open to see him standing. She couldn’t help but admire his efficiency as he made quick work of his jeans and tugged a condom out of his wallet before it tossing it to the floor in his pile of clothes. Greedy to see him, she leaned up on her elbows. He hadn’t been in elite condition in the military for over a decade without something to show for it, in this case a body so perfect, she almost sobbed. Broad shoulders, muscled chest, and abs carved from stone. As her eyes traveled down to his legs, it was impossible not to see the scarring on his left leg. Jagged shallow scars covered his upper thigh, while the distinct, surgical scars were deeper and clear to see. Her heart clenched and her eyes whipped up to his.

  Even though she’d intellectually known he’d been injured, staring at the remnants of that injury made her heart ache for him. He met her gaze head on. They were silent, nothing but her ragged breathing, along with his, audible in the room. She felt an intimacy with him in that moment that she’d never known. He was a man of strength and dominance, yet she was witness to something that had threatened such an integral part of him.

  The percussive beat of her heart pounded through her body as he slowly stretched out over her. It felt so good, so damn good to feel his weight over her, his strength and heat surrounding her. He curled his hands over hers and stretched them up behind her head. His hips arched into hers, and she almost cried out. The feel of his cock, hard and hot, against her slick folds was almost too much. Beyond aroused, she bit her lip to keep from moaning when she rocked into her.

  “Vi.”

  His voice was gruff. Opening her eyes, she was instantly caught in his smoky gaze, intent and focused solely on her. He was still for a few beats, the pause serving only to ratchet up her need. She found it hard to believe she was already desperate for release again, having just had an explosive orgasm. But she was. Nothing had been enough yet, so she needed him inside of her. She curled her legs around his hips.

  “Sawyer,” she whispered roughly. “Don’t make me keep waiting.”

  His eyes flashed. She could feel his heart pounding against her breasts, but he made her wait just long enough, she arched into him. He adjusted the angle of his hips and sank home in a swift surge. Her cry was raw and throaty and mingled with his low groan. He held still for a long moment as her channel adjusted to his size. Since her choice to eschew relationships, she’d gone a good two years without actual sex. Her channel was tight, and he had plenty to fill her with. The delicious stretch of his cock was almost enough to send her over the edge again. After a moment, he drew away and slid back inside, settling into a slow, maddening rhythm. Every time she bucked roughly into him, urging him on, he simply kept up the relentless, steady drive into her. Pleasure whipped through her, as she teetered on the edge of another release. His hands gripped hers tightly and stretched her arms further up, her body naturally arching up in response.

  “Sawyer, please…”

  She couldn’t even finish whatever she’d meant to say because he went from slow to pounding and sent her flying. Tremors wracked her body as pleasure ripped through her. His grip tightened and his body went rigid before he cried out and collapsed against her. His forehead fell against hers. They lay still like that—joined as deeply as two human beings could be joined, their breath mingling, and their sweat cooling.

  Somehow they untangled themselves and stumbled into the shower. Violet didn’t want to think, so after they dried off, she slipped her hand in his and tugged him back into bed. She fell asleep curled up against him, savoring his heat and strength, and ignoring the distant warning bells clanging in her brain.

  Chapter 13

  Sawyer leaned an elbow on the bar in the lodge restaurant and glanced to Gage. “You think we should start our own guide business?” he asked.

  It was early afternoon and the restaurant was quiet, although there were a few customers scattered about. He’d learned this was a time of day when Gage often handled the business end of things, either in his office, or at the bar when he had a late lunch. Gage finished a bite of his burger and nodded. After a swallow of water, he clarified, “I do. I’ve got some great working partnerships with a few local places, but they’re all so damn busy people are often waitlisted. I mean, Eli’s so busy he can barely see straight all summer,” he said, in reference to Jessa’s husband who ran a backcountry guiding and ch
arter business, along with the retail store that provided all the gear needed for such trips.

  “Aren’t you worried about butting in on his territory? I mean, he’s family,” Sawyer said.

  Gage finished off the last bite of his burger, while Sawyer nibbled on some chips. “Nah. He’d love it if we ran a few of our own trips. So would the Winters’ brothers who help us out as well. I don’t want this to be a primary business, and we won’t do any fishing charters. It would be something we only offer customers staying at the lodge. I’ve been tossing it around for a while, but I haven’t had time. Cam could handle any backcountry ski trips for people crazy enough to want to do that,” he said. Cam was a world-class skier who’d landed in Diamond Creek after his brother died. He was a draw for visitors looking for serious ski instruction and was a huge help to Gage otherwise at the lodge. “I figure you and I can handle any of the hikes and whatnot. It’s not like we don’t have the training,” he explained, referencing the years of grueling training they’d each gone through to become Navy SEAL’s and the subsequent career that often meant treks into dangerous territory, carrying loads of gear. It seemed a far cry from taking tourists out on wilderness hikes, but the skills needed were remarkably similar. If any medical emergencies arose, they were both trained to handle remote medical treatment too.

  Sawyer rolled Gage’s plan over in his mind and smiled slowly. “Works for me. Is this why you’ve been so impatient for me to decide what I was doing?”

  Gage flashed a grin as he leaned back in his barstool. “Yup. I’ve got too much on my plate to get this going on my own, but with you here, we can think about something like this. I also didn’t want to step into anything where I’d be the only one taking off. You and I can rotate who covers what trips, so I won’t be gone for too long. Marley would be a good sport about it, but I hate to be away from her and Holly too much.”

  “All right. Can you give me a little time before we attack this plan? I need to figure out where I’m gonna live and…”

  “You can stay here,” Gage said quickly.

  Sawyer knew he could. While he technically held part of the ownership at the lodge, this was Gage’s baby. With the hard work Gage had put into bringing the lodge back to life after it had been boarded up and empty for over twenty years, well it was his to live in. There was only one set of private quarters on site, and with Gage’s family settled in, Sawyer wanted it to stay that way. For a flash, he wondered what it would be like to have a family to call his own. He pictured Violet instantly. The mere thought of her sent lash of need through him. The other night with her had been so damn good, it was almost hard to think about because all it did was make him want her more.

  Sawyer met Gage’s gaze. “I know I can stay here, and I will until I figure out something else. Long term, it’d be nice to have my own place. Other than that, let me get my feet under me with anything else you need help with around here. To say this is a career change for me is a bit of an understatement.”

  Gage smiled ruefully. “Oh, I get it. Went through the same thing.” He started to say something else when Don Peters walked up to them.

  Don had worked for their grandparents back when they built and ran the ski lodge in its first life. He was also Delia’s father and had joined Gage when he started work on the lodge a few years ago. He was an all-around helper, handling just about anything that came his way. He glanced between Gage and Sawyer. “Hey boys, I’ve gotta head to town to see if they have a water heater at Builders Galore. The water heater in one of the rooms broke again. This is the third time, so I’m thinking we should replace it. Anything else we need there?”

  “Pick up about ten two-by-fours. I want to add a bigger closet in Holly’s bedroom. You need help with the water heater?” Gage asked.

  “Not yet. When I get back, if you guys could help me unload it and pull out the old one, that would be great. Your leg up for that yet?” Don asked, glancing to Sawyer.

  Sawyer flexed his knee and nodded. “For the most part. It’s still sore, but mostly from the incisions, instead of shrapnel rattling around in there. I can’t do everything, but I can definitely be an extra set of hands to get those moved around.”

  Don’s blue eyes crinkled with his smile in his weathered face. “Whatever you can do will be enough. I should be back in about an hour,” he said as he turned and walked out into the reception area.

  Gage glanced back to Sawyer. “You sure you’re up to helping move those water heaters?”

  “Definitely. I get why you might be worried, but this last surgery wasn’t much. The hard part was when they had to put my bones back in place and I limped around in a cast for too damn long. This was just a little leftover clean up. Amazing how much a few bits of shrapnel can hurt. They’re gone and the incisions are already healed up.”

  When Gage gave him a skeptical look, Sawyer rolled his eyes. “Dude, the surgery was arthroscopic. The incisions are tiny. I’m not planning to go running yet, but I can easily help. I’m damn relieved to finally feel close to normal again.”

  Gage shrugged. “If you say so. I’ll trust you not to be an idiot about it.”

  Sawyer lightly punched him in the shoulder. “I’m never an idiot.”

  Gage threw his head back with a laugh. “Except for the time you thought you could push me off the dock,” he said, referencing a time when Sawyer was eight years old. They’d been camping at a lake outside of Bellingham, Washington where they mostly grew up after their parents moved away from Alaska. Sawyer had seen Gage standing at the end of the dock and barreled toward him at high speed, intent on pushing him into the water. Gage, four years older and wiser, had waited until the last minute before neatly stepping to the side and watching Sawyer fly into the lake.

  Sawyer chuckled. “Oh right. Except for that time. Give me some credit though, I never tried that again.”

  Gage clapped him on the shoulder and stood. “You sure didn’t.” He nodded toward Harry Lawson who stepped behind the bar to stack their plates. “You need me to carry those to the kitchen?”

  Harry shook his head. “Nope. I’m headed that way in a few.” Harry helped Delia run the restaurant and reception areas of the ski lodge. He was tall and thin with dark hair and brown eyes. He was almost constantly in motion and immediately spun away to tap something into the laptop mounted behind the bar.

  “Will you guys be down for dinner?” he asked over his shoulder.

  Gage shrugged when Harry turned back to face them. “Not sure. Depends on what Marley wants.”

  Harry glanced to Sawyer with a grin. “Noticed your brother is officially whipped?”

  “Oh yeah. Thought it would wear off by now, but it’s not looking like it,” Sawyer replied with a pointed glance at Gage.

  Gage was unperturbed. “Marley’s the best thing that ever happened to me. No complaints here.” He glanced from Harry to Sawyer and back, his eyes taking on a gleam. “Just wait until he wises up. He’ll fall harder than any of us.”

  Harry turned his sharp, assessing gaze to Sawyer. Sawyer had already picked up that Harry noticed everything. “If you ask me, he’s already on his way,” Harry said with a wink.

  For the first time in his life, Sawyer counted himself lucky he wasn’t prone to blushing, something he’d never thought about. Ever. He didn’t even want to ask how Harry knew anything about him and Violet.

  Gage burst out laughing. “Can’t hide anything around here.”

  Sawyer looked over at Harry, considering how to respond. Before he collected his thoughts, someone called Harry’s name from the reception area. “Duty calls,” Harry said as he rounded the end of the bar and headed to the front. He paused by the arched entrance and glanced back to Sawyer. “Violet’s awesome,” he said with a wink.

  At that, Harry disappeared into the front, and Sawyer glanced to Gage. “How the hell does he know anything about me and Violet?”

  “Dude, if Harry doesn’t know something, he finds it out damn quick. What is the deal with Viol
et anyway? Didn’t you have dinner with her again?”

  Sawyer ran a hand through his hair and groaned. “Sure did. Do I need to report back to you?” he asked.

  Gage grinned. “Not at all. Just curious. You’re nicer when you see her.”

  “I’ve hardly seen her,” he countered.

  “Exactly,” Gage replied.

  He turned and walked out, leaving Sawyer standing there, his mind narrowed to one person—Violet.

  The other night had been about the best night of his life on so many levels he almost didn’t like to think about it. He wished he could chalk it up to the crazy hot chemistry he felt with Violet, but it wasn’t just that and he damn well knew it. Problem was, in the cold light of day, Violet put up invisible walls. He’d woken beside her to find the sheet half off of her. He’d traced the line of her shoulder, into the swoop of her waist and up over the lush curve of her hip. Her skin was a temptation all on its own—silky soft with random freckles here and there. When she’d opened her eyes and rolled to face him, her skin went rosy all over. Her dark hair and translucent blue eyes stood out against her creamy skin. For a few seconds, she was sleepy and relaxed, the echoes of their intimacy from the night before lingering between them.

  In another moment, she didn’t precisely pull away, but he sensed the distance she created. She’d climbed out of bed and hurried into the shower, calling out that she had to get to work. Seeing as it had been Monday, that seemed perfectly reasonable. The next weekend was one day ahead, and Sawyer hadn’t heard much from her since. She’d responded politely to his texts, but that was it.

  He didn’t know what the hell he meant to do, but he needed to see her. He had an hour before Don got back, so he headed out to the parking lot.

  Violet carefully labeled a vial of blood and stowed it in a rack in the refrigerator. She enjoyed the tidiness of having all the vials properly labeled and ready to be sent off for analysis. Another major perk to her own office was she could keep it organized the way she preferred. She had a system for every day. She spun in her chair and quickly ran through her charting to make sure everything was complete in the system. Her office phone buzzed, and she glanced at it, curious to know why reception would be buzzing her at the end of the day.