Oh, he’s serious. Offhandedly, I added, “I bet Kane could get you some sort of animal head for your walls or take you hunting to get your own.”
His eyes lit up like Christmas lights. Kane might kill me. Ha! There was no might about it; he was going to kill me for suggesting this.
Drake’s smile grew bigger. “I bet Kane would love that. I’ll let him know.”
“Now we’re talking.” Hollis replied. “He’d probably prefer to leave me out in the woods, tied to a tree. But killing the only doctor in town would not be good. I’ll take those odds to get some beast up on my wall.”
I gave Hollis a sideways hug. My friend knew how to keep things light. “Very Alaskan.”
“I thought so.”
I picked up a different book of fabric. “We can look at these swatches. They’re probably more like what you’re looking for.”
“I think you have plans to be somewhere right now.”
Wait. I do? I thought back to my plans for the day—I’d cleared my calendar to finish tidying up this clinic. “No, I don’t.”
“Yeah, you do.”
Is he seriously arguing with me about my schedule? “No, I really don’t.”
“Yes, you really, really, really do. Top three reallys.”
What’s wrong with him? With a smug smile, he inclined his head toward Drake. On cue, Drake picked me up, and I squealed. “I’m kidnapping you for the day. See you guys tomorrow.”
Hollis called after me, “See, I was really, really, really, really right.”
“I guess you were,” I called back. As Drake carried me to the car, I swung my legs ever so lightly, feeling more carefree by the second. “Where are we going? What do you mean you’re kidnapping me?”
“You’ll see.” Drake looked at me with love and happiness. It was as if no time had passed between us. I wanted him. And by the hunger in his eyes, he wanted me, too.
He leaned down, and his lips grazed mine. “You’re mine for the night.”
Those words held a lot of promise. Tingles erupted over my skin, and anticipation pooled in my stomach. He was kidnapping me so we could spend some time alone together. Drake’s eyes darkened with desire and I knew it meant I would have the closeness I craved from him soon.
He set me in the passenger seat of his truck, and I looked over to see mine still in the clinic driveway. “What about my truck?”
“We’ll be back tomorrow. Hollis is sleeping here tonight. My parents are going to help him bring in an extra bed from the shop along with a few other pieces until Dad can make his furniture.”
I felt guilty leaving my friend, but Drake shook his head. “It’s okay. I asked Hollis if he wanted us to stay. He’s good. Promise. And Hayden is getting back today. He’s going to help out.”
“Looks like you’ve thought of everything.”
“Let’s hope.”
There was so much promise in those words.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alexa
Drake went around the front of his truck. He looked at the ground as he walked, the look on his face intense, as if he were thinking hard about something.
When he got in the truck, his eyes met mine. He was definitely nervous about something; his breaths were deeper and slower than usual.
I wondered where he was taking me, but I knew he’d never tell.
We needed this time alone. There were moments when it felt like we still tiptoed around each other without saying what we meant. But then another part of me was afraid we were moving too fast. No, we’re not. Fate was correcting a wrong—we should never have been apart. Our souls were meant to be entwined together.