Page 27

27

ORSON

O rson could tell Alex was more shaken than she wanted to admit and he squeezed her hand. He held up her part of the conversation when she sank into silence. Had she hit her head? If he hadn’t been able to protect her…

“We’ll have cellphone coverage in a few miles,” the driver said. “Do you need medical attention?”

“We’re fine,” Orson promised. “We just need some warm clothes and food.”

He produced some energy bars, and Orson prodded Alex to eat hers.

As they wound down the mountains, they came out on flat, open land. As promised, there wasn’t a tree in sight and the pipeline was in clear view across the tundra, winding along the road further north.

Deadhorse was a definite step up from Coldfoot when they finally got there. It was a little town that was a cluster of very simple buildings topping out at four stories laid in a careful grid next to a large airfield. Orson was surprised by how many lakes there were, and how industrial everything was. He had built up a concept in his head of snowy cabins and forests, but it was more like Soviet-era bloc housing on a wind-scrubbed plains.

There was, however… “Is that snow?!”

“The snow dumps often don’t melt out until July,” the driver explained as they drove past dirty piles of white.

“I should call Sandra,” Alex said when they finally arrived at their hotel, past the gate to Prudhoe Bay, which was the company town for the oilfield itself.

That was what was bothering her. She wasn’t just rattled from the crash, she was devastated that Sandra might have betrayed her and tried to kill her.

Orson still had her hand and had no desire to let it go. “Don’t call her yet,” he advised. “Let’s think about what we want to do. In fact, let’s put this on my personal card so she doesn’t see the expense on the business account.”

The hotel was surprisingly nice, very modern, and provided all amenities. Did people often arrive with no luggage or clothing? The desk attendant was nothing but professional.

There was only one thing Orson could think of doing with no luggage or clothing, and now that the danger had passed, he was on fire. He wanted to remind Alex of what she meant to him, and being so close to losing her made everything keener.

They had two rooms, but she didn’t hesitate to drag Orson into hers, kicking the door shut behind them as she peeled him out of the undersized rain gear.

Orson tore her shirt getting it off of her, growling in need and desire. She wasn’t afraid, growling back in a way that sent shivers down his back.

Part of him knew that this was a natural response to nearly dying, but the rest of him just wanted her. She was his destiny . His gorgeous, glorious, strong, sexy partner, and every part of her he uncovered was perfect.

They stank of smoke, oil, and sweat, but she was still beautiful. Her skin was hot under his fingers as he lay her down on the bed and she wrapped her legs around him to draw him in. He was as hard as he’d ever been in his life and desperate for the heat and heart of her. Deeper and faster he thrust into her, until she was crying out in release and Orson was clawing for control again.

He slowed and rode out her aftershocks, then rolled over to draw her on top of him, reveling in the swing of her petite breasts and the feeling of her straddling him.

“Alex…” he said gruffly. “Alex, my love…”

She said she loved him when she thought she would die, but it didn’t mean as much as it did now when she bent to kiss him and whisper, “I love you.”

He held her close, stroking deeper inside her as he reveled in her words and the feeling of her skin all along his. His release was not an explosion, but a submission as he gave all of himself to all of her and they were one at last.