Jill Shalvis - Out of This World

“You said I’d never possessed any of that before the lightning bolt,” he said thickly. He hadn’t moved toward me again, though the water was hitting him at chest level, running down his body, soaking into the sweats, which had to be damned uncomfortable now.

“I didn’t mean-”

“Yes, you did.” Shaking his head, he stayed just out of reach. “This…this heat between us.” He shoved his fingers through his hair, and turned away. “It’s because of what happened here. The lightning, or whatever it was.”

“You are not walking away from me in this shower for the second time.”

But he didn’t come back. The water sluiced over his broad shoulders and back, down all that sleek sinew, and then he stepped out of the shower, dripping bad attitude and water everywhere as he went.

“You are,” I said in shock. “You’re walking away from me in the shower for the second time.”

But I was talking to myself. I dried off and dressed, then with no small amount of bad attitude myself, I entered the living room. Kellan was dressed in his beloved old Levi’s and a T-shirt, and was pacing by the broken front door.

“Finally,” he groused. “Let’s get a move on.” Then he walked out the door.

Gee, sorry, Rach. Sorry that I didn’t trust you. Sorry that I hurt your feelings. Sorry I left you hot and bothered.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“What, you can’t see the thoughts in my brain?”

Okay, he was definitely still attitude-ridden. “No. But actually…” I forced him to a stop, and pulled him around to face me, having to tip my head way up to look into his eyes, because he was trying to avoid me. “We should talk about this.”

“Which part? The weird tendency you have for X-ray vision, mine to put my hands through things or your temporarily lusting after me?”

I swallowed. “That last one. You’re…lusting, too.”

“But my lusting isn’t anything new, Rach.”

Oh boy. I had no idea what to say to that.

Kellan waited, one hundred eighty pounds of edgy, unhappy, sexy-as-hell male.

“Kel-”

“You know what?” he interrupted. “Let’s not talk.” Turning, he headed toward the big house, where lo and behold, the back door wasn’t locked. “Of course not,” he muttered, and glanced back at me. “Stay close.”

Oh yeah, I planned on staying close.

We entered the kitchen. Axel was sitting on the counter in the same pose we’d found him in yesterday, chanting “ohhhmmm” and occasionally stopping to reach for a steaming mug near his hip.

We hadn’t been particularly quiet when entering, so he had to know we were there, but he didn’t stop his chant.

“Dude,” Kellan finally said.

Axel turned, the tassels from his hat smacking him in the face as he smiled broadly. “Dudes.”

The normal Kellan would have smiled back, patient and easygoing, but this Kellan had run out of patience. “What’s going on?”

Axel blinked. “Well, I was just about to come and get the two of you to take you fly-fishing. You can’t come to Alaska and not go fly-fishing.”

Fly-fishing? I pictured guts on a hook, and shuddered. “I really don’t think-”

“Go with that.” Axel hopped off the counter. “That’s the beauty of fly-fishing. You don’t think; you clear your mind. It brings you peace, and all that.”

“What we want is answers,” Kellan said.

Axel nodded. “Yep. And answers. Fishing can get you all kinds of answers, trust me. Stay there. I’ll be right back.”

And he walked off.

I looked at Kellan.

He looked at me.

“This is crazy,” I said. “I don’t know how to fish. Do you?”

“You wanted to learn new things.”

“Yes, but I was thinking spa-treatment new things.”

“He said there are answers out there. I intend to get them,” Kel said grimly. “And I’d really like it if you were with me so I wouldn’t have to worry about what you were getting into while I was gone.”

Before I could retort to that, Axel came back into the kitchen, now sporting a khaki vest with a ton of pockets and carrying three fishing rods and a small case.

Thanks to my super vision, I could see all sorts of things in that case, including hooks and, ick, something that looked like it might be…flies.

Double-ick.

“Let’s go.” Axel pulled open the back door. We followed him, right up to the woods, and stopped.

Axel looked back at us. “It’s not far. Just back where Jack left you off.”

That quarter-mile trek had seemed like at least two hundred miles. And then there was the lightning problem. I looked up. No clouds.

Marilee stuck her head out the back door. “Where are you guys going?”

“Fly-fishing,” Axel said.

A long glance was exchanged between Axel and Marilee.

“Stay on the trail,” Marilee said firmly, mostly to Axel. “You have your map?”

Axel slapped his hip pocket, frowned, then slapped his back pockets and frowned some more.

With a sigh, Marilee came down the steps and walked up to him. She barely came to his shoulder. She tapped a finger over his left pec.

Paper crinkled.

Axel grinned.

Marilee rolled her eyes and started to turn away, but Axel grabbed her hand, still smiling down into her face. “I knew it was there.”

“Sure you did.”

“Maybe,” he said, leaning in just a little, his gaze roaming over her face as if he wanted to memorize it, “maybe I just wanted you to touch me.”

Marilee laughed as she planted her hand on his chest and shoved, sending him staggering back a few feet. She whirled away to hide her smile, hair flying around her head like a halo of silk as her hips swayed with her graceful, feminine walk.

I wondered if my hips swayed like that, but I had to doubt it. When I was at work usually I wore a tool belt with paintbrushes hanging down, slapping against my butt and thighs. Hard to sway gracefully under those conditions.

“Stay safe,” Marilee called out.

“Yeah.” Axel rubbed his chest and watched her go. “You, too.”

“Why wouldn’t she be safe here at the inn?” I asked.

“Because it’s the in-between. Never all the way safe in the in-between.”

Kellan and I looked at each other. “Um, what?” I asked.

Axel jumped a little, as if realizing what he’d just said. Then he let out one of his low easy laughs. “Oh, listen to me rattle on. Keep up now.”

He started walking down that trail we’d trudged up only yesterday. That time, my biggest worry had been carrying our stuff. Now…I glanced up at the sky again. Still pure azure.

I hoped it stayed that way.

After a few minutes, Axel stopped, and pulled the map out of his breast pocket.

Uh-oh. Bad sign that he needed the map already.

“Marilee drew this for me,” Axel said. “And also this.” He flipped the map over and began to read. “Alaska is a land of immense beauty and diversity. Behind us, you’ll see dramatic capped mountains. Follow me for a morning of fly-fishing that will be an unforgettable experience.” He looked up. “Damn, I was supposed to read that part before we left the B &B.”

“How about info on other areas,” Kellan said.

“By the water,” Axel said, then began moving down the trail again. “It’s peaceful there.”

Kel’s expression said he’d find peace wringing Axel’s neck.

I had to admit, I felt the same way. “Axel-”

“Hang on. Almost there.”

Indeed, within another few moments, we were back on the banks of the river where Jack had left us yesterday. The water rushed over the rocks and sediment, glinting in the sun, steaming into the early air. If I hadn’t been so on edge with all that was happening, I might have actually stood there in awe of the beauty around us.

Axel handed Kel a fishing rod.

“I want answers, Axel.”

Axel patted him on the shoulder. “All in good time, dude.” He also handed me a rod, which might as well have been a power tool, for all I knew what to do with it.

“Now,” Axel said. “Putting on the flies.”

“No,” I said, and shook my head. “No torturing flies for me, thanks.”

Axel laughed, then pushed us down to sit on the rocks along the shore. “Not real ones. Look.” He pulled out handmade “flies,” and I had to admit, their colors and feathers and materials were interesting.

Kellan took a fly and copied Axel, his fingers working deftly, the tendons and cords of muscles on his forearms fascinating me as he applied the same easy concentration that he did to every task he took on.

I tried to do the same, and poked my finger. “Damn it.”

Axel laughed. “Don’t rush it, dudette.”

Easy for him to say. He never rushed anything. I tried again. Another stab into my finger. “Damn it!”

“Here.” Kellan took over, doing it the way Axel had showed us, his head bent, the material of his shirt stretched taut across his shoulders, his arm brushing mine. “See, like this.” He turned his head and caught me staring at him, caught me thinking, Even though you make me mad and sad and crazy, omigod I want you.

So much…

“Here.” He handed me back the rod.

I looked down at the feathery fly. “Pretty.”

Both men laughed, united for that one moment in my ridiculousness. Kellan was smiling at me in a way that started my heart beating faster, and when I dropped my gaze, I could see that his heart had sped up, too. In complete opposition to that, time seemed to come to a stop, and for that one lovely beat, I had the most inane thought.

It was going to be okay.

Somehow, despite everything and the insanity that went with it, it was going to be okay, because Kellan was here, and he would make it so.

Or so I could only hope.

“Okay, dude and dudette, it’s easy stuff. Angling is all in the flick of your wrist, see?” Axel demonstrated with his fishing rod, winging his pretty fly and line way out into the water. “Let’s get some dinner for tonight.”