Savage Alpha (Alpha 8) by Carole Mortimer

and lay heavy on the shed she could see across what she was sure was normally a swath of grass.
    But this was England, and even though the snow seemed to have stopped falling for the moment, England wasn’t equipped to deal with anything more than a couple of inches snowfall. Even the main roads would be blocked until the snowplows were able to get to them, trains at a standstill, buses too. No one would be traveling very far in this weather.
    Including my stalker, so get over it.
    Every cloud—or snowfall—had its silver lining.
    A glance at her wristwatch showed Lily it was a little after eight o’clock in the morning, the time she normally woke.
    Except there was nothing normal about waking up in Jonas’s log mansion miles from any other civilization. The two of them had retired to their separate bedrooms last night shortly after they finished eating. It had taken a while for Lily to fall asleep, but once she had, she’d slept reasonably well. Perhaps courtesy of those three glasses of wine she had drunk with her meal last night? Whatever the reason, she felt refreshed this morning and ready to face whatever was thrown at her today.
    Although she would happily settle for that being only snowballs…
    She grinned at the thought of Jonas’s engaging in anything as juvenile as throwing snowballs.
    Jonas…
    Much as she hadn’t wanted to think about her feelings for him last night, the thoughts had intruded anyway and were the reason it had taken her some time to fall asleep.
    Jonas was very like her brothers in temperament: decisive, arrogant. The difference being that Jonas actually listened to her before he decided whether or not he was going to trample roughshod over any opinion she might care to voice.
    Whatever the reason, she felt able to be herself around him, to say what she thought, and know that he would at least take that opinion on board before making any decision. He might still go with his original decision, but he would at least hear what she had to say first.
    Talking of which…
    The house seemed unnaturally quiet this morning. Even more so than last night, if that were possible. No doubt that silence was added to by that blanket of snow outside. Normally, Lily woke up to the sound of the London traffic below her bedroom window and the noise of the other residents in her apartment building as they prepared to leave for work.
    Here, in the middle of nowhere, there was no sound. Only silence and stillness.
    Much like the man who lived here.
    Which brought her back full circle to Jonas.
    All her thoughts now led back to Jonas.
    Because she was already halfway in love with him?
    Jonas was strength and power, but in that silent and still way that had nothing to do with his physical size. There was watchful confidence in those piercing blue eyes. A predatory stealth to his physical presence. Both those things exuded a “don’t mess with me” message.
    Lily felt safe with him.
    In regard to other people, at least.
    Jonas had become temptation to her. Emotionally as well as physically.
    But once this was over, he would return to his world and she would return to hers.
    And most probably they would never meet again.
    Which meant Lily had to guard her heart from falling for him too deeply. Or risk it being broken when he walked away, without so much as a backward glance. As she knew he would. Jonas was in his midthirties, had never married, had no permanent girlfriend—perhaps never had?—and the physical attraction between the two of them was for here and now. It had no future.
    Which didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the here and now. And Jonas.
    Except once again Jonas was nowhere to be found in the house when Lily emerged fully dressed from her bedroom and went in search of him. There was fresh coffee made in the kitchen and a loaf of bread left on one of the work tops, no doubt for toast if she wanted breakfast.
    Instead, Lily bundled up against the cold in her winter coat and her ankle boots and went