Alex (BIG Northwest Book 2) Read online

  “He probably had something in his eye.” Alex shoved in a bite of grilled cheese, trying to force an end to the conversation.

  Frankie shook her head, eyes locked right on Alex. “You’re screwed.” She pointed to Danny. “Just like that one.”

  Danny scoffed. “How am I screwed?”

  Frankie chewed her sandwich, talking around the bite. “Same dick forever.” She pointed to Danny. “And you’ve only seen one other one.”

  “I don’t know what the number of dicks I’ve seen has to do with anything.” Danny sat a little straighter. “It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality.”

  Frankie held one hand up. “I don’t need to know about Craiger’s bedroom skills.” She swallowed her mouthful. “I’m trying to eat.”

  “You’re the one who started it.” Danny eyed Frankie. “And how many dicks have you seen?”

  Frankie smirked. “Lots.” She thumbed Alex’s way. “More than this one.”

  “Only because you have a never-ending supply of loggers at your beck and call.” Alex wrinkled her nose. “Have you seen most of the men in finance?”

  “I’ve seen one of them.” Frankie shook her head as she went in for the other half of her sandwich. “And I’m not mad at it.”

  “Edward is the exception to the rule, I can promise you that.”

  “So you do have a thing with Edward.” Frankie nodded her head. “I knew it.”

  “We do not have a thing. We have a working relationship.”

  A working relationship that might have involved one night of accidental, but unbelievably hot, sex.

  And a little necking in her office.

  But that would be it.

  Probably.

  “Working.” Frankie winked. “I get it.”

  “I mean working.” They’d worked. A lot actually. So far they’d worked on the website, had an amazing logo created, sifted through a few advertising options, set up a Facebook page, and paid all the outstanding bills for the month.

  Frankie gave her a sly smile. “You should put him to work, that’s for sure.”

  “What about you?” Alex leaned close to her younger sister. “Have you gotten laid recently?”

  “We’re not talking about me.” Frankie focused on what was left of her lunch. “We’re talking about you.”

  “Um-hmm.” Alex smirked. “Sounds to me like maybe you’re only interested in my sex life because you don’t currently have one.”

  “I could.” Frankie scooped up a spoonful of soup, shoving it in her mouth. “If I wanted.”

  “Then do it and leave me alone.” Alex glanced up as Craig and Edward came back through the door. She forced her eyes from him, not wanting to give her sisters anymore ammunition to come at her with. “Isn’t there a hot logger you could bang or something?”

  “Meh.” Frankie shrugged. “They’re too eager. It’s no fun anymore.”

  “So you want a man to play hard to get?” Danny leaned to peek at where Jude sat with Vanessa and Kari at the peninsula.

  “I don’t know. They just aren’t doing it for me anymore.” Frankie huffed out a sigh. “I’m probably just in a shitty mood because of all the crap going on.” She glanced around. “Have either of you heard anything strange going on at night?”

  She and her sisters used to go out together almost every night, walking the woods around Shadow Pine, but since Sam’s kidnapping they’d started sticking closer to home, spending less time in the dark.

  Except last night apparently.

  Alex snorted. “Yeah. I forgot to tell you. Edward saw one of you guys last night.”

  Danny glanced to Frankie. “It wasn’t me. I stayed in last night.”

  Frankie’s spoon hovered in front of her mouth. “Me too. I was exhausted.”

  “Must have been Charlie then.” Alex shifted in her seat.

  “Charlie doesn’t go out alone.” Frankie dropped her spoon into the bowl in front of her. “Are you sure he saw someone?”

  “He says he heard them outside his camper.” Alex glanced from Frankie to Danny. “Then he saw them walk along the side of my house.”

  “If it was one of us he wouldn’t have heard anything.” Frankie dropped her head back. “Shit.”

  “It had to be Charlie.” No one would be walking around Shadow Pine at night besides them.

  Frankie shook her head. “It was him.” Her nostrils flared. “Son of a bitch thinks he can just come in here and take whatever he wants.”

  “He’s not taking anything.” Danny’s tone was calm and even, but the look in her eyes was deadly. “He won’t get close to any of us. Not again.”

  It was the agreement they all came to.

  For all intents and purposes, their father was dead. No one knew he still walked on this earth.

  That meant no one would know if that stopped.

  No one would ever think twice about a dead man. No one would ever consider he might have to be killed twice.

  “We need to go out.” Danny’s voice was nearly silent, barely audible even for Alex’s sensitive ears. “Tonight. See if we can find where he’s been.”

  “I can’t.” She pointed down at her injured ankle. “I need at least a couple more days.”

  Danny gave her a single nod. “I’ll go out with Frankie and Charlie then. We’ll find out what’s going on.”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea for just the three of you to go out.” Alex’s skin itched, crawling with the impending danger her sisters could be putting themselves in. “What about tomorrow? Just give me another day.”

  Danny shook her head. “No. Now.”

  Alex scrambled to come up with another idea. Something that might make her sister reconsider. “What about Lance? He could go with you.”

  Danny’s head dipped to the side. “Are you being serious right now?” She shook her head. “He’s like a freaking bull in a china shop.”

  “I don’t know that I’d take it that far.” Most people would never hear their brother coming. Never see the signs that he’d passed through.

  But they weren’t dealing with most people.

  “No one can know that we are watching.” Danny’s chin lifted. “I want to catch him.”

  The blue of her eyes turned to ice. “And then I want to kill him.”

  ****

  “HOW YOU DOING, Al?”

  Alex slumped a little deeper into the soft cushion of her sofa. “Why do you always ask me that?”

  “Partly because I genuinely want to know.” He grinned out at her over the peninsula. “Partly because I know it aggravates the hell out of you.”

  “And you think aggravating me is fun?” She crossed her arms over her chest, scowling at the wall across from her.

  Edward’s eyes lingered on her a second before he slowly walked around the counter separating the kitchen from the rest of the living space. “You want to watch a movie?”

  “No.” She wanted to sit and stare at the damn wall.

  “You want some ice cream?”

  She snorted. “That’s pretty freaking cliché, Eddie. Give the pissy woman ice cream and everything will be fine.”

  “So you admit to being pissy?” He dropped to the other part of the sectional, stretching his arms out along the back. “What’s got you pissy?”

  She turned her head to glare at him, intending to keep her mouth shut.

  “Everything.”

  “That narrows it down.” He crossed one leg over the other, resting his ankle on the top of the opposite knee. “Would it make you feel better to kick someone’s ass?”

  “You volunteering?”

  Edward chuckled low and deep. “I’m sure we could find someone more deserving than me.”

  “I’m positive we could.”

  “Maybe your father?”

  Alex jerked her head toward him. “My father is dead.”

  “Is he?” Edward didn’t seem to believe her. “Don’t forget I’m friends with your brother, Al.”

  “Wh
y would he tell you that?” She and her sisters held their secrets close. It was what kept them safe all these years.

  And the first time they let one out something terrible happened.

  “Because he trusts me.” Edward dropped his arms from the back of the sofa and leaned forward. “Because I needed to know so I could help keep you and your sisters safe.”

  “You think you are what will keep me and my sisters safe?” It was a little funny that Edward believed he was the thing that would protect the women of Shadow Pine.

  A little cute that he didn’t realize how capable they were of protecting themselves.

  Each other.

  “I think we’ll be just fine, Eddie.”

  He sighed. “Can you call me something else? Something besides Eddie or Ed?”

  “What else would I call you?” If he was hoping for a cute pet name then Edward was about to be real disappointed.

  “I don’t know.” He relaxed back against the couch. “You can call me Edward. Anything is better than Ed or Eddie.”

  “Why?”

  Edward shifted a little in his seat. It was a barely-noticeable movement, but there all the same.

  He tapped the foot resting on the ground twice before taking a deep breath. “My ex-girlfriend called me Eddie.”

  Alex gave him an exaggerated nod. “That’s right. The one you were with for almost a decade before dumping her to move across the country.” She crossed her arms tighter over her chest as she rested her head back against the couch. “I’m sure she’s calling you way worse than Eddie now.”

  “She’s not calling me anything.” Edward’s response was immediate and a little sharp. “She’s already with someone else.”

  Alex slowly sat up, turning her head toward Edward. “What?”

  It was difficult to look at the man sitting on her couch and imagine happily moving on after he decided what you had was less than he wanted out of life.

  Edward lifted his shoulders. “Within a few weeks she was already with someone else. Posting pictures of them everywhere.”

  “Oh.” Alex flopped back to her place. “That’s different then.”

  “Different? From what?”

  “She was trying to make you jealous.” Alex rolled her head his way. “Hoping you’d come crawling back apologizing for making such a huge mistake.”

  “I don’t think so, Al.” Edward didn’t look jealous or upset over his ex’s ploy. “She really likes this guy from what I heard.”

  “Of course that’s what you heard. That’s what she wanted you to hear.” It was understandable how the woman would go to the lengths she had. Edward was attractive and funny and—

  “Fuck.” Alex dropped her feet to the ground and pushed up from the couch.

  “What?” Edward stood along with her. “You’re supposed to be elevating your ankle.”

  “Stop telling me what I’m supposed to be doing.” She turned to the man still trying to trick her into seeing something besides the truth.

  It was almost working.

  “Why don’t you go back to your camper and leave me alone?” She stood a little taller. “Better yet, why don’t you go back to Virginia?”

  Edward lifted one brow at her. “That’s an awful abrupt change in attitude you’ve got going on there.” He rested his hands on his hips. “What’s got you pissed now?”

  “You do.” How could he not realize how freaking frustrating he was being? “You come here looking all,” she waved one hand around his form, “like you do. Being all fake nice.” She bobbed her head to one side. “Let me carry you like we’re in a Jane Austin book, Al. Let me fix you breakfast, Al. Let me get you off three times in one night, Al.”

  Edward held up one hand, tucking his thumb against his palm. “Four.”

  “Oh shut up.”

  “So you’re mad that I didn’t make you crawl across a field in white pants, that I cooked food for you while I was cooking for myself.” He came closer. “And that I might be the kind of man who prides himself on over-delivering in the bedroom.” He glared down at her. “What the fuck do you want from a man, Al?” He reached behind her, fisting one hand in her hair. “You want a man who treats you like shit?” He pulled her hair tight, forcing her head back. “A man who expects you to wait on him?” His free arm came to wrap around her waist, pulling her body tight to his. “You want a man who fucks you until he comes and then leaves you wanting?” He leaned close, his lips against her ear. “Is that what you want, Al? For me to use you like you’re nothing and then walk away?” The bit of stubble peeking from his skin scraped across her jaw. “Is that what you want to happen? For me to live up to all your fucked-up expectations so you convince yourself I’m just like every other man? Or is it so you can feel like you saw it coming,” he leaned back, his dark eyes meeting hers, “because you’re not like your mother.”

  “I’m not like my mother.” The words came out through clenched teeth. “I will never let a man do to me what she let my father do to her.”

  “Your father’s not a man, Al.” Edward’s lips were so close they almost brushed hers as he spoke. “He’s a piece of shit.”

  Alex stared him down a second longer, the truth of all Edward knew trying to pull her closer to a man she was fighting not to trust.

  Not to want.

  “He’s worse than a piece of shit.” She didn’t want to give this much of what drove her to Edward.

  Didn’t want to show him the past she thought was behind her.

  “He won’t come here, Al. Won’t get near you again.” Edward’s hold on her hair eased. “I promise.”

  “Why? Because you’ll stop it from happening?” She snorted. “I don’t think you understand what you’re dealing with Edd—” Alex tripped over the last bit, unable to force out the shortened version she used to jab at him, “ward.”

  Edward’s lips curved upward. “You’re awfully sure I’m exactly what you want me to be.” His dark eyes moved over her face. “When are you going to admit I’m surprising you?”

  “Not ever.” Alex rolled her lips inward, trying to cover the little smile she shouldn’t be fighting.

  She was supposed to be angry. Pissed that her father was still alive. Walking around like he deserved to still be breathing.

  But it was hard right now. With Edward looking at her the way he was.

  His arms holding her tight.

  Knowing he thought her father was a piece of shit too.

  “Why are you such a pain in the ass?” It was more of an observation than an actual question. A supposition at most.

  “I told you.” Edward’s easy smile turned devilish. “You bring out the best in me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “If this is the best, then maybe I know why your ex wasn’t too broken up when you ditched her.”

  “First of all.” Edward suddenly grabbed her, knocking her off her feet as he scooped her up. “I didn’t ditch Alicia.”

  “Alicia is a nice name.” Alex said it like she wasn’t oddly fighting the urge to hate a woman named Alicia.

  For no real reason.

  “She’s a nice person.” Edward walked down the hall. “Second, she wasn’t broken up.” His eyes came to hers. “She was clearly fine with it.”

  “We can agree to disagree on that one.” She wrapped one arm around his neck as Edward suddenly swung to one side, knocking her off-balance. “What was that about?”

  “I’m just a little shocked you want to agree with me.” Edward angled her through the door to her bedroom.

  “I agree to disagree. That’s completely different.”

  “I just heard that you agree with me.” Edward dropped her on the bed from a few feet off the mattress, letting her body bounce around. “Third, I wasn’t anything like this with her.”

  “Oh really?” Alex reached up to grab the front of his button-down shirt, pulling Edward down with a hard yank. “I find that hard to believe.”

  “Believe what you want, Al.” He fell against her. “
But It’s the truth.” His hand slid up the center of her chest to brace under the line of her jaw, holding her eyes in line with his. “You make me something I didn’t know I wanted to be.”

  “Don’t blame your personality shift on me.” She held tight to his shirt, wanting him closer even though all she should be doing was pushing him away. “That’s your own damn fault.”

  “It is.” Edward’s body pressed into hers. “I should have done this a long damn time ago.”

  “Done what?” She’d been following along until the last bit.

  “Admitted I wasn’t happy being fine.” Edward smiled as his lips brushed over hers. “I don’t want fine.”

  “What do you want?” It was a loaded question. One that would probably cause her even more problems than she currently had.

  The primary one being that Edward was once again in her bed and she had no intention of kicking him out of it anytime soon.

  “I want real.” Edward’s lips brushed hers again. “I want someone who tells me when they’re mad at me.” Another pass of his mouth. “I want someone who fights with me and tells me what I need to hear instead of what I want to hear.”

  “That sounds like a mess.” She tried not to imagine what something like he was describing would be like.

  “Sometimes real is messy, Al.” Edward’s gaze held hers. “But I’ll take real and messy over fine and fake any day.”

  TWELVE

  HE’D STRUGGLED TO put into words what he had with Alicia.

  Felt guilty because he couldn’t explain why he was unhappy.

  Why it wasn’t right. Why it wasn’t enough.

  It was because it wasn’t real.

  “I want someone who stands up to me, Al.” Edward settled against her even more, relaxing into something that felt more comfortable than anything he’d had with a woman before. “I want a woman who doesn’t give a shit what other people think. I want a woman who doesn’t give a shit what I think.”

  “Those are some pretty steep demands, Edward.” Alex’s chin lifted, the defiant nature of her personality on full display.

  As usual.

  “They’re not demands. They’re wants.” Edward caught one of her hands in his, lacing his fingers with hers as he pulled it up, pressing it into the mattress just above her head. “Just like you want a man who won’t control you, I want a woman who has opinions of her own.”