Cold Foot Komodo (Wreck’s Mountains Book 2)

“I didn’t even know they made king-sized sleeper sofas.” Sasha stared in disbelief at how enormous the bed was as Timber scampered around it tucking in sheets. That entire king-sized bed had unfolded right out of the couch.

“Fancy, huh?” Timber asked, standing up with a grin. “The fireplace has a timer, so you can set it for an hour and fall asleep with the fireplace on.”

“Timber, you live in a vacation home.”

“Right?” her sister exclaimed excitedly. “I’ve never felt so at home in a place.”

That part took the teasing right out of Sasha. What a beautiful admission. “Yeah?” she asked softly.

Timber’s smile softened, and she cocked her head and nodded. “Really.” She looked around and inhaled deeply. “I know this isn’t supposed to be easy. I’m a new shifter and learning to manage both sides of myself, and I’ve moved away from everything that is familiar, and I’m newly-married and learning about myself as a wife. Not to mention, putting together the Crew was absolute chaos, but now? I’m soaking up every second of peace. Every day that is a good day, I’m grateful for it.”

Sasha sank onto the bed, and rubbed the soft sheets with the palm of her hand. “Do you ever wait for the other shoe to drop?”

“You mean do I expect something bad to happen?”

Sasha nodded.

“Every day I have at least one moment where I think, ‘This can’t be real. It’s too good to be true.’ It’s like I can hear Mom in my head telling me I don’t deserve this, or it’ll all fall apart because I will fail.”

“How do you get through that feeling?”

“I say it out loud to Wreck, and he reminds me that he is real, and that he won’t let anything take this away from me. Or anyone. He would burn the world to the ground to give me peace. I know he would.”

“I want that,” Sasha admitted low.

“Mmm, speaking of, what’s up with you and Reed?”

“What do you mean, speaking of? We weren’t talking about Reed.”

“You’re avoiding my question,” Timber said, sitting on the fold-out bed beside her.

Sasha scooched to the middle and sighed, stalling for time as she waded through her thoughts. “He’s nice.”

“And hot.”

“You aren’t supposed to notice that stuff because you are married now. Err…mated? What do you call it?”

“Either way. Sometimes the shifters here call us paired. And I didn’t notice until he was looking at you all soft tonight. What I have noticed is that he is solid. He’s been quietly backing Wreck as he settles into being Alpha, and even backing King when he’s having trouble with his animal. He never seeks credit. He just takes care of stuff, and doesn’t want the attention for it. Looks aside, that adds a hell of a lot of value to a man.” Timber grinned. “But you do make a hot couple, just saying.”

“Oh my God, why are you pushing this? I have known him for thirty seconds. I don’t know how I feel about him.”

“Did you know that shifters can sense lies?” she asked, and damn Timber’s stupid grin. “Plus your cheeks are bright red right now.”

“Shut up, Timber.”

“Like the shade of a cherry. Your ears are getting red, too.”

“Timber!”

A knock sounded on the door, and Sasha startled hard.

Timber frowned and log-rolled off the bed, then padded over to open the door. It wouldn’t be Wreck. He was talking to his mom outside, but he wouldn’t knock on his own door.

Timber was blocking whoever it was, and no matter how much Sasha craned her neck to look around her, she couldn’t see who was talking low to her sister.

“Oh Sashaaaa,” Timber sang. “It’s for youuuu.” She opened the door wider, and Sasha could tell exactly who it was by the dumb smile on Timber’s lips.

Reed nodded a greeting. “Can we talk real quick?”

Sasha had frozen like a little ice sculpture depicting mortification. She was wearing blue-and-white flannel pajama pants that were a size too big, and a tank top that was a size too small. She cast a quick glance at the robe Timber had gifted her, that lay draped across the dining table.

“Won’t take long,” he said.

“You can come in!” Timber told him.

“Oh, I don’t want to bother you ladies.”

“I insist. In fact, I command it. As the mate of the Alpha.”

“Mmm, I don’t think that’s how it works, but okay,” Reed said with a small smile curving the very corners of his lips as he stomped snow from his boots on the welcome mat.

“I’ve got to go…pluck my eyebrows,” Timber said.

“What?” Sasha asked.

“I have to get a drink of water,” she said, backing toward the loft stairs.

“Water is in the kitchen?” Sasha pointed out, confused.

“I’ve got to make my bed.”

“It’s nighttime!” Gah, she knew what Timber was doing. She was trying to give her and Reed alone time, but she was being so damn awkward about it.

“Is she on crack?” Reed guessed, and a laugh escaped Sasha.

“I heard that!” Timber called from above them in the loft. “I’ll be doing the crack for at least ten minutes!”

Reed called back, “I don’t think people say it like that. ‘The crack’.”

Sasha didn’t even try to hide her smile. Reed was quiet, sure, but he was funny. Currently, he was taking a seat on the bench by the door. She thought he would unlace his boots and kick them off so he could come in all the way, but he seemed content to stay there.

“Long day,” he started.

“Tell me about it. I feel like I’ve been awake for three days. Travel days kick my butt.”

“You wouldn’t know you spent the morning driving or getting all that stuff done with the house. You seemed…” He let the words fade off as he watched her.

“Seemed what?”

He cleared his throat and averted his gaze to the fire in the fireplace. “You seemed happy and energetic tonight. Not dragging at all. I can sense that kind of stuff. Sometimes it’s heavy, but with you, I think you’re a person who stays up. An optimistic one.”

The unexpected compliment caught her off guard. “Th-thank you. I…” She frowned. “I feel lighter here, maybe.” She had definitely not expected anyone to notice the thing she’d actually been working on lately. She’d been trying to be less negative, because of a fear of ending up like her mother.

He scratched the short scruff on his jawline and swung his bi-colored gaze back to her. “I meant to be smooth about this, and just come to the door and ask you for your number.”

“My phone number?”

He sat up straighter and rested his hands on his knees, looking tense as he nodded curtly. “I mean, I probably need it to touch base with you in the morning. Maybe text you and see if you’re awake…so we can leave on time. I have to start work early.”

“Oh. If you tell me the time you need me to be out there, I can meet you at your truck. I’m a very punctual person. You won’t have to worry about me making you late.”

He pursed his lips and nodded. “Yep. Yep. I was going to pick up some supplies for your house after I get off work tomorrow. Do you just want me to show up? Unannounced?”

“So you just want my phone number for professional reasons.”

He didn’t nod or shake his head no. Reed just sat there frozen. When he unfroze, he scratched his beard again and then stood. “You’re right. I’m sorry to interrupt girls’ night. This was…” He hung his head for a two-count, and then smiled up at her. “Does five in the morning work for you?”

“Absolutely.”

“I can stop at a coffee place I think you’ll like if we leave that early.”

She couldn’t help her shy smile. “That is very thoughtful of you. You’re going to hate the type of coffee I order. It has more sugar than caffeine, and will smell up your truck like holiday cookies.”

He cracked a smile. “I won’t hate it.” He swallowed hard and looked like he wanted to say more, but changed his mind and turned to leave.

“I don’t really give my number out for just professional reasons,” she called. Yeah, she knew she was fishing, but she couldn’t help it. She hadn’t done this in a long time, and she wanted a man to be clear with her.

“I totally get it,” he rushed out, and then told her, “Goodnight, Sasha,” and left, closing the door after himself.

Crap. Crap, shit, dung beetle. Farfignewton!

Sasha stood and rushed toward the front window to see if she could see him leaving, but the front door swung open and she yelped in startlement.

He seemed just as startled as her to find her standing right in front of him.

“I want to text you.”

He didn’t say anything else, and all intelligent thought had left Sasha. “Okay,” she said lamely.

He stepped back inside, and his eyes sparked with intensity. “I want to text you in case I have questions about what to get from the hardware store, but I also just like the idea of being able to send you a text. And I’m not pressuring you to respond. Fuck, I don’t know how to do this,” he said, doing an about-face and leaving the house again. He got to the porch stairs, and then turned back around and came back. “I’m a felon. I’ve been in prison. I barely remember how to talk to a woman, and I haven’t asked for a woman’s number in I-don’t-know-how-many years. I’m so acutely aware that I’m fucking this up and will be shot down, and I don’t blame you. I would shoot me down too. I just…” He inhaled deeply and looked up at the sky as if for inspiration, hands on his hips. He looked back at her and blew out a steadying breath. “Sasha, I would like your number so I can text you sometime, and maybe if I’m around your place on a lunch break, ask you to go to that 406 place for some wings.”

“Oh,” she said softly, the butterflies in her stomach rampaging. He was asking for her number, and potentially a date? Her…Sasha. “You like me?”

“I find you interesting, yes.”

She pursed her lips, and checked behind her to make sure Timber wasn’t watching them from the loft like some creeper. She twisted back around and crossed her arms over her chest, considering it.

“You can say no, and I’ll never ask for it again,” Reed said softly. “No harm, no foul. You barely know me.”

She pursed her lips, stalling, just to mess with him. He hung his head and smiled, shook his head, and then backed onto the porch. “Five o’clock sharp. I’ll have the truck warming up, you can just get straight in if I’m not already out there. Goodnight, Sasha.”

“Three zero seven,” she called after him.

Reed froze at the porch stairs, and turned just enough that she could see his cheek swell with his smile. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and typed in the number she recited.

Then he turned and held up the phone in a silent thank-you, and without another word, he jogged down the stairs and into the yard, headed in the direction of his cabin across the clearing.

She twisted around to find Timber standing exactly where she knew she would be, leaning against the railing of the loft above.

“That was so farting cute,” Timber said.

“Ew, farting?”

“I’ve been working on my F-words for when Raynah’s baby arrives.”

“Did I do that okay?” she asked, needing reassurance.

“Hell yeah! You should go kiss him. Hug him tight. Get your titties involved.”

“What? No. That’s too fast.”

“It would make him think about you all night.”

Feeling bold, Sasha shoved her feet into her snow boots to the cheering of Timber and bolted out onto the porch. Clumsily, she made her way down the slick stairs and called out, “Reed!”

He halted in the middle of the clearing. She meant for her approach to look a lot smoother, but her snow boots were unlaced and she nearly fell three times before she made it anywhere close to him, chugging breath like a racehorse.

“Come to tell me to delete your number?” he guessed.

“No.” God, she hadn’t thought this far. Clumsily, she made her way to him, pushed up on her tiptoes to reach the giant man, and slid her arms around his neck. He froze, hands still shoved deep into his pockets.

Um, this wasn’t working how she thought. Regret filled every cell in her body.

“Right,” she said on a breath, releasing him. She backed away, eyes on his boots, because she was too cowardly to look into his eyes right now. She wrapped her arms around her chest like a shield, because it was hella cold and she was a titty-bit nipply right now in this too-tight tank top. “Okay, bye-bye. We can forget this part in the morning.”

“Want to do a re-do?” he asked, teasing in his voice.

“How about I will ignore how not-smooth you were, and you can ignore how not-smooth I was. Deal?”

“Deal,” he rumbled in that deep, gritty, sexy voice of his.

She dared a glance up, and his eyes were glowing a lighter color. The oval pupils still made him look more animal than man, especially when the color was glowing like this.

“Perfect. See you in the morning.” She turned to leave, but he was to her in two steps and picked her up, crushed her to him.

Instinctively, she lifted her legs and wrapped them around him, because he’d pulled her up off the ground. He held her tight, and after a few moments, buried his face against her shoulder.

“You’re freezing,” he said softly against her skin.

“It’s so cold here,” she whispered back. “How long does it take for humans to get frostbite? I think I’m dying. I’m feeling dramatic.”

His chuckle was deep and vibrated through her whole body. “Back to the fireplace, weakling.”

“I can’t feel my fingers. My vision is blurring,” she joked.

His arms were tight around her as he walked her back to Timber’s house. Right here, in the middle of the clearing, where anyone could see. Granted, everyone else was probably already asleep, and the clearing was empty other than Wreck, who was standing by his mom’s car chatting with her. They were both staring at them—Beth with a knowing smile on her face, and Wreck with a what-the-hell look on his face.

Reed didn’t seem to care. He hug-walked her straight back up the porch stairs and straight through the door she’d left open, after stomping off his boots. He took her right to the fireplace and sat her down on the stony ledge, gripped her shoulders, and knelt in front of her. “No more going outside without a jacket in this weather. You’re stressing me out.”

“Are you leaving?”

“Yes.”

“I have a story.”

He narrowed his eyes. “What kind of story.”

“A story that will make you stay. Once upon a time, there was a termite—”

“Oh my God, I’m leaving before Wreck throttles me. Tell me your termite story on the way into town tomorrow morning.”

“Her name was Taffy, and she had a crush on a big beefy anteater—”

She liked his chuckle as he pressed his lips to her forehead, and then stood. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“The anteater was big and strong, and had big muscles and an extra-large wiener.”

“Holy shit, woman,” he said, laughing as he left.

“Don’t go!”

“Are you a clinger?” he asked at the doorway.

“Yes.”

An even bigger smile stretched his lips. “Good.”

And then he left, but she knew shifters could hear well, so she called out, “The anteater’s name was Bruce, and he smelled like cologne, and had two different-colored eyes.”

“Goodnight,” she heard him call from somewhere outside.

Timber was already halfway down the stairs and bustled right past her, closed the door, pressed her hands against it, and twisted around to stare at Sasha with her mouth hanging open. “You are really good at flirting. What happened next?”

“With what?”

“With Taffy and Bruce!”

“Oh my gosh, I don’t even know. Crucial announcement, I just hugged Reed. I thought it was too soon for a kiss.”

“He kissed you on the forehead. I took a picture.” Timber turned her phone screen toward Sasha and sure enough, there was a picture—taken from the loft—of Reed kissing her on the forehead in front of the fireplace.

“Timber! Why are you a stalker? Also, can you send me that picture?”

“I already did. If you marry Reed—”

“Stop,” Sasha drawled.

“Hear me out! If you marry Reed, then you’ll never leave, and you’ll be close to me forever, and Mom will lose her absolute shit, and everything will be awesome.” Timber made her way into the kitchen, chattering on like they’d done when they were kids, with imaginings of futures that wouldn’t ever come to fruition, but Sasha smiled, because it had been so long since Timber had seemed this happy and chattery.

Earlier Sasha had told Reed that she felt lighter here, but just as importantly, her sister felt lighter here too.

Sasha looked toward the door, and felt excitement about a coming day for the first time in as long as she could remember. Tomorrow would be an early-morning coffee date and working on the house, and maybe wings for lunch at the 406 Saloon.

She couldn’t contain her smile even if she tried.