already tell that this place was magnificent. The white, snow-capped mountains had instantly won her heart, and the soft whites and blues of the snow-covered landscape would be a fun challenge to photograph. From her barebones initial assessment, she was pretty damn happy with her choice to take a leap of faith and move north.
But what she wasn’t happy with was the nervous feeling in her stomach every time Chance came within two feet of her. And, since he was her traveling companion, he was often standing or sitting close to her. The plane ride over had been alternatively wonderful and torturous. She loved the thrill of being in seat 18A while he sat inches away from her in 18B. But she didn’t love the constant flip-flopping in her stomach that came from wondering whether he was ever going to admit that there was a growing spark of passion between them. He often looked at her with such heat in his eyes that she was sure he was about to kiss her. But then he would look away.
Honestly, Emily wasn’t sure whether she should be happy or pissed off that he wasn’t making a move. Sure, she was desperately attracted to him. But was she really ready for another relationship? Weren’t there rules or something about how long you were supposed to wait and let your heart heal between relationships—especially a relationship that had ended in a spectacularly awful way like the one between Scott and her had?
Emily sighed and chewed her bottom lip even harder as she watched Chance reaching into the shuttle to pull their suitcases out and load them on a luggage cart. His tall, muscular body handled the large bags with ease, and Emily wondered what it would feel like to lie in bed with those strong arms around her. Rules be damned, she wanted to take things with Chance to the next level. But he seemed determined to hold back for some reason.
Emily smiled as Chance wheeled the luggage cart in her direction. She tried to keep a calm expression on her face, despite the fact that her stomach started flip-flopping once again as he walked closer to her.
“Ready?” he asked. She nodded, and then followed him into the hotel. She held back in the lobby while he got their room keys from the front desk. She’d thought of telling him that they didn’t need separate rooms. After all, if they just got one room with two beds it would be much cheaper. But Emily couldn’t quite figure out how to word the suggestion without sounding like she was suggesting something more, so she’d simply nodded a few days ago when he said he’d reserved two rooms in a hotel near the airport. The plan was to stay here tonight, and then in the morning one of Chance’s buddies who was also a pilot would fly in on a small aircraft owned by the tour company Chance used to work for. Emily would be conveniently dropped off in Kodiak, Alaska—her new home—and Chance would continue on to Frost Peak.
A few minutes later, Chance returned with their keys and a big grin on his face.
“I got a recommendation for a good dinner place,” he said. “Do you like seafood?”
“I love seafood,” Emily replied.
“Good, because you’ll be eating a lot of it in Alaska,” Chance said with a wink. They boarded the elevator to their second floor rooms, and found themselves crowded into a small space that forced them to stand mere inches from each other. Emily could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and she prayed that Chance couldn’t tell how much he was affecting her just by being close to her. She forced herself to stare straight ahead at the elevator buttons, not daring to look over at Chance and give away her feelings. The elevator was slow, creaking its way toward the second floor at its own leisurely pace. Every second of standing next to Chance was the most delicious kind of torture. Emily was going to miss the way he made her lose track of everything except the sound of his breathing.
When they finally made it to the second floor, Chance led them to two
But what she wasn’t happy with was the nervous feeling in her stomach every time Chance came within two feet of her. And, since he was her traveling companion, he was often standing or sitting close to her. The plane ride over had been alternatively wonderful and torturous. She loved the thrill of being in seat 18A while he sat inches away from her in 18B. But she didn’t love the constant flip-flopping in her stomach that came from wondering whether he was ever going to admit that there was a growing spark of passion between them. He often looked at her with such heat in his eyes that she was sure he was about to kiss her. But then he would look away.
Honestly, Emily wasn’t sure whether she should be happy or pissed off that he wasn’t making a move. Sure, she was desperately attracted to him. But was she really ready for another relationship? Weren’t there rules or something about how long you were supposed to wait and let your heart heal between relationships—especially a relationship that had ended in a spectacularly awful way like the one between Scott and her had?
Emily sighed and chewed her bottom lip even harder as she watched Chance reaching into the shuttle to pull their suitcases out and load them on a luggage cart. His tall, muscular body handled the large bags with ease, and Emily wondered what it would feel like to lie in bed with those strong arms around her. Rules be damned, she wanted to take things with Chance to the next level. But he seemed determined to hold back for some reason.
Emily smiled as Chance wheeled the luggage cart in her direction. She tried to keep a calm expression on her face, despite the fact that her stomach started flip-flopping once again as he walked closer to her.
“Ready?” he asked. She nodded, and then followed him into the hotel. She held back in the lobby while he got their room keys from the front desk. She’d thought of telling him that they didn’t need separate rooms. After all, if they just got one room with two beds it would be much cheaper. But Emily couldn’t quite figure out how to word the suggestion without sounding like she was suggesting something more, so she’d simply nodded a few days ago when he said he’d reserved two rooms in a hotel near the airport. The plan was to stay here tonight, and then in the morning one of Chance’s buddies who was also a pilot would fly in on a small aircraft owned by the tour company Chance used to work for. Emily would be conveniently dropped off in Kodiak, Alaska—her new home—and Chance would continue on to Frost Peak.
A few minutes later, Chance returned with their keys and a big grin on his face.
“I got a recommendation for a good dinner place,” he said. “Do you like seafood?”
“I love seafood,” Emily replied.
“Good, because you’ll be eating a lot of it in Alaska,” Chance said with a wink. They boarded the elevator to their second floor rooms, and found themselves crowded into a small space that forced them to stand mere inches from each other. Emily could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and she prayed that Chance couldn’t tell how much he was affecting her just by being close to her. She forced herself to stare straight ahead at the elevator buttons, not daring to look over at Chance and give away her feelings. The elevator was slow, creaking its way toward the second floor at its own leisurely pace. Every second of standing next to Chance was the most delicious kind of torture. Emily was going to miss the way he made her lose track of everything except the sound of his breathing.
When they finally made it to the second floor, Chance led them to two
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