The next week flew past. Lana and Aaron planned for several appearances, drafting of press releases and other things Mark didn’t quite follow. After the workday was over they would all eat dinner together before Aaron would go up to his room, giving Mark and Lana a little privacy. Technically, Mark was working, but protecting the house and its occupants while Duke or one of the other guys Gage sent over slept in the spare room wasn’t a problem.
He and Lana would go up to bed when whoever was on duty got up to take over for him. They hadn’t been intimate again because she was far too shy to allow herself to lose control with others in the house, but it didn’t bother him. Sleeping next to her, holding her, was enough; he was content having her in his arms and in his life. It had been so long since he’d been that comfortable with a woman, he didn’t want to think about how quickly their time together would come to an end.
He’d already been here seventeen days and it occurred to him that his time taking over for Gage’s regular bodyguard was almost over. Worse than that, Lana and Aaron weren’t on any set schedule, so she might decide she was done with her PR duties and head home to New York any day now. She and Aaron had a couple of events coming up at the skating rink and a children’s hospital, but those were next week and something told him Lana was itching to get out of Alaska.
She was a city girl through and through, making it unlikely that she would be happy to just hang out here. If he wanted her, he would have to think hard about his new job and all the travel it entailed. Not to mention the home he owned in Washington, D.C. and a lot of other details of his life. Since they’d only officially been together a week, it was early to be thinking about those kinds of things, but he’d been waiting for a chance with her for a long time. Letting her go now that she was within reach wasn’t an option either.
“Hey, you ride?” Gage was asking him as they went over the day’s plans in Aaron’s kitchen, like they did every day.
“Ride?” Mark frowned.
“Snow mobiles.”
“Oh, not really. I mean, I’ve been on one a few times, but we don’t do a lot of that in D.C. and not much in the way of snow in the Middle East.”
“You up for it? You can’t visit Anchorage and not check it out.”
Mark shrugged. “I’m up for anything.”
“Lana?” Gage asked.
“Not me,” she murmured, not looking up from her computer.
“That’s what you said about skiing,” Mark pointed out, “and you had fun.”
“I did.” Lana glanced up. “But that was different. On a tiny little hill like that, what’s the worst thing that could’ve happened to me? Broken arm or leg? Maybe some bruised ribs? But on the back of a machine racing over the snow at breakneck speeds—that could go wrong in all kinds of ways. As clumsy as I am? No thanks. I’ll cheer you guys on, though.”
Mark mentally winced but decided not to push it. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.” He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “But maybe we could take a slow ride one day.”
She gave him a sweet smile before going back to whatever she was doing online.
“We could all go,” Aaron said lightly. “We barely leave the house, so a day outside would be kind of cool. You can stay inside, Lana…”
She nodded absently. “Sure. Whatever you guys want to do.”
“All right, let’s get going then.” Gage got to his feet.
Lana closed her laptop and immediately headed up to her room. Mark watched her for a moment before following, wondering about her odd behavior. She’d been quiet and her reaction to the snow mobiling idea had been strange even for her.
“I’ll just be a minute,” she said, pulling a pair of jeans out of the closet.
“What’s going on?” he asked softly, leaning against the wall.
She shrugged. “Just work stuff.”
“Lana.”
She met his gaze and took a deep breath. “Kate needs me to stay in New York.”
“What?”
“We had a conference call yesterday with a couple of our bigger clients and then she and I talked early this morning. It’s not feasible for me to become a partner if I’m going to be out west. The only way it works is if I’m on the East Coast.”
Mark thought carefully about what to say, though his gut churned with disappointment. “But isn’t that your home anyway?”
She nodded. “Yeah, but I’m ready for a change. Like I said before, I’ll never own a house in New York. I give up a lot to live in the greatest city in the world, and even though I love Manhattan, I don’t think I can stay forever.”
“So what happens with your job?”
“I don’t know.” She sank onto the bed, letting out a dejected little sigh. “I love working with Kate, but I think it’s time to get out of New York, explore the world a little. And honestly, if I’m ever going to have a family, it’s expensive as hell to raise kids there.”
Mark sat beside her, taking one of her hands in his. “You could find another job in PR, though, right?”
“Yeah, but I’d be working for someone else, and probably not making what I’d make as Kate’s partner.”
“That would balance out with cost of living, don’t you think?”
“Depending on where I lived, probably.”
She looked so miserable Mark couldn’t help but pull her close. “It’s going to be okay,” he said against her ear. “Whatever you decide will be what’s right for you.”
“I thought becoming Kate’s partner was what was right… Now I don’t know. I really never considered getting another job.”
“Then maybe it’s time. You can learn new ways of doing things, new skills, and work with different clients. Change isn’t a bad thing.”
“No, but I thought Kate and I would make this work even if I left New York. Our clients have different ideas, though, so now I have to choose between the job I love and my need to get out of New York.”
“I think maybe a day out in the fresh air and other stuff you’re not fond of, might be just the ticket.”
She chuckled. “I don’t know about that, but since we’re going anyway, it’ll be a good distraction.”
It turned out they went snow mobiling on the Gage’s property, so Lana stayed inside his house all day, working on press releases and social media for her clients. Through the window, she got occasional glimpses of everyone on the snow mobiles, laughing and having a good time. It felt a little silly sitting inside while everyone else was outside having fun, but she hadn’t lied about her reasons for not wanting to try, and she’d never been the type of woman to give in to peer pressure. Not that anyone was pressuring her, but she had a lot on her mind, so this was depressing on one hand but necessary for her sanity on another.
Being with Mark every night without making love had been almost cathartic, adding a depth to their relationship she hadn’t been expecting, especially now that she knew she either had to stay in New York or find another PR firm somewhere. While Mark hadn’t made any decisions long-term decision yet, she’d watched him take on this role as bodyguard. It was a good fit and she didn’t want to be the reason he decided not to move to Vegas and settle down there.
He was excited about trying something so new, but with each passing day, she realized being apart would probably destroy her emotionally. The hard part would be convincing Mark he had to do what was right for him even if it meant ending what they’d started. She could have gone to Washington, D.C., with him if he’d stayed in the military, but then she would have been in an unfamiliar town with a guy who was always going on missions or getting deployed, and in the end, he could get moved to another base at any time. There were no easy answers, which was what she’d been afraid of; things that seemed too good to be true usually were.
By lunch time she’d worked herself into a bad mood and wanted more than anything to be alone. Unfortunately, the group that included a handful of Gage’s friends was on the way in and everyone was chattering, hungry and talking over each other. She gathered up her things to get out of the way and had just put her bag in the living room when strong hands moved around her waist and down her hips. The shot of liquid fire that spread through her made her smile.
Even though she hadn’t turned to look at him, her body already knew who was touching it; Mark’s fingers had their own special kind of magic and she’d yearned for it these last few days despite all her reservations.
“Let’s go back to Aaron’s house,” he whispered against her ear. “Everyone will be busy here for at least an hour or two.”
She leaned back against him. “That sounds lovely.”
“I already told Hank we were going out for lunch.”
She smiled, letting him lead her out to the truck.