“Bloody Josef,” Leif said, taking the small carving from her and stuffing it in his pocket. “Sorry about that. My brother carves them in his spare time. They’re all over the place. Are you all right?”
“No damage done.”
Leif opened the last door and led her into a huge bedroom. More rugs covered the floor and a king-size bed dominated the room. A huge window overlooked the tundra and would offer spectacular views during the day. Right now, she noted the pitch-black night sky with the faint dusting of stars.
Leif drew burgundy curtains across the windows. “The en suite is through there. Clean towels are in the cupboard. Take a shower while I get your bags.”
“It’s just a day pack. My main bag went missing en route. It’s unclear if someone stole it or if it failed to reach the baggage car or someone took it by mistake. They’re trying to track it down for me.”
Leif opened a door and strode inside without turning on the light. He came back out seconds later with a T-shirt. “You can change into this. If you give me your clothes, I’ll put them through the washer.”
“Ah…”
He smiled. “It’s no trouble. The washer and the drying room is right next-door. Don’t you want clean clothes for tomorrow?”
She stared at him a fraction longer, then nodded. “Thanks.” If he wished to wash her clothes and underwear, why should she object?
His warm smile held approval. “I’ll be back in a few minutes with your day pack. Leave your dirty clothes outside the bathroom door. I’ll take care of them for you.”
“Wow,” she whispered once he left. They bred them sexy in the far north.
Fiona dawdled in the shower, relishing the warmth and feeling clean again after hours on the road. When she finished, she dried herself on a fluffy towel and pulled Leif’s T-shirt over her head. As she suspected it dwarfed her, but she appreciated the thoughtfulness. She wandered out to the bedroom and came to an abrupt halt on seeing Leif in the bed, the covers pooling at his waist. Without giving herself permission, her gaze wandered his chest, lingering at his impressive pecs and the faint trail of hair that led downward. She licked her lips, his deep chuckle snapping her attention upward.
He held out a hand. “Come to bed, sweetheart.”
“Um, are you naked?”
He lifted the covers and peeked beneath, his brows rising as if in amazement. “You’re right. I forgot to put on clothes.”
Her throat dried, and her tongue darted out to lick her lips. Crazy! They’d just met…
She could touch, a little voice in her head whispered. Imagine, trailing her fingertips across that naked splendor. Her lips. Her tongue. Her belly swooped, and she swallowed in an attempt to lubricate her mouth. The temptation to follow his order and indulge her senses…
She inched closer.
“Sleeping, sweetheart. We have a spare bedroom but it’s full of boxes at present. We’ve been using it for storage. I’ll clear it for you tomorrow, so you’ll have your own bedroom.”
“Just sleeping?”
He cocked his head, his golden-brown eyes gleaming. “You sound disappointed.”
“N-no.” Oh, heck. Why not? She forced her shaky legs to motion, propelling herself toward sin.
Leif flipped back the covers in invitation, uncaring that this revealed more of his masculine perfection to her.
“Do you do this often?”
“What?”
“Invite strange women to share your bed.”
His lips curved, drawing her avid attention.
“You’re not a stranger, sweetheart. I asked Mr. Google about you. You’re separated from your husband with a divorce underway. You live in Florida, which is why you’re suffering from the cold. You don’t have many friends on your social media pages and your mother came from Boston. You never met your father and your mother and stepfather have both passed away. I’m so sorry you’ve been alone, sweetheart.”
“Are you after my money? Is that what this is about? Are there cameras and you intend to video me then use the tapes for blackmail material? Because if you intend doing something like that, I don’t care. No one else cares what I do.” Her lips twisted. “Apart from Robert, and his interest in me is purely monetary. So, are you intending to blackmail me?”
“That would be against the law, sweetheart.”
