Against the Sky by Kat Martin Page B

open. “I’m from San Francisco. We don’t open our doors to strangers.” Especially not when there were murder suspects roaming the area.
    â€œBetter to be safe than sorry,” the man said, wiping his feet on the mat before he stepped into the living room. “I’m Cord Reeves. Nick and I worked together in Anchorage. He was one helluva detective—before he decided to quit and go on holiday.”
    She smiled. “I’m not sure Nick thinks of it quite that way. I’m Samantha Hollis. I’m here for a visit.”
    He glanced around the house. “Where is he?”
    â€œHe . . . umm . . . he’s running an errand. He shouldn’t be too long. Would you like a cup of coffee, or a Coke or something while you wait?”
    â€œHow about a beer?”
    â€œSure.” She turned and started for the kitchen.
    â€œI’ll get it. I know where the fridge is.” Cord disappeared into the other room, then walked back into the living room with a bottle of Bud Light in his hand.
    He was even better-looking than she had first thought, with dark blond hair, hazel eyes, and masculine features. He shrugged out of the lightweight jacket he was wearing, leaving him in jeans, hiking boots, and a dark brown T-shirt, filled out very nicely by a set of wide shoulders and a muscular chest. He was shorter than Nick by a couple of inches, but just as well-built.
    â€œSo you’re the lady Nick met in Las Vegas.” Cord tipped up his beer bottle and took a drink.
    â€œThat’s right.”
    â€œHe talked about you after he got back, said how much fun the two of you had. I’m not really surprised to see you here.”
    â€œI’m just here for a couple of weeks. I . . . always wanted to see Alaska.” Not even close to the truth, though now that she was here, she was at least enjoying the scenery.
    The front door swung open and Nick walked into the living room. He took one look at Cord, sitting next to her on the sofa casually drinking a beer, and a scowl darkened his face.
    â€œHey, man,” Cord said, coming to his feet. “I didn’t know you had company.” He tossed Samantha a smile. “And very pretty company at that.”
    Nick walked over, tugged her up off the sofa, and straight into his arms. Bending his head, he very thoroughly kissed her. When he looked back at Cord, the warning was clear. Hands off. She belongs to me.
    Samantha would never have believed she’d be attracted to a man with such a ridiculous macho attitude, and yet when she saw the possessive gleam in Nick’s eyes, an embarrassing wave of lust rolled through her.
    Cord flashed a look at Nick and grinned. Message received loud and clear.
    â€œSo what brings you all the way out here?” Nick asked as they all sat back down, Cord in the chair this time, Nick on the sofa beside her.
    â€œBoredom, I guess you could say.” He turned to Samantha. “I’ve got a cabin up near Hatcher’s Pass. Friday night, I drove up there for the weekend, did some hiking yesterday, just kind of relaxed. Thought I might as well drop by before I head back to the city.”
    â€œI should have gotten out more while the weather was nicer,” Nick said. “Looks like it’s going to be getting colder during the week.”
    â€œBe snowing before you know it,” Cord said. They talked for a while about the protection job Nick would be taking at the end of Samantha’s visit.
    â€œIt’s something to do,” Nick said. “Beats watching TV.”
    â€œYou’ll be protecting the family this time,” Cord said. “That should make it interesting.”
    â€œYeah, listen, since you’re here, maybe you can help me with something. A friend of mine had some trouble with a couple of lowlifes the other day—one big, shaggy brown hair, the other one skinny with a long, hooked nose. One of them was named Virgil, not sure which one. I