“This was once a high-end cabin rental for luxury guests at the zoo.” Liv pushed open the door.
She hurried inside, switching on one of her lanterns. Then she grabbed a blanket off the couch and threw it over the large pallet on the floor that was Freyja’s bed.
“Set her down here.”
Alexander gently set the wolf down on the blanket. Liv raced into the laundry room and found her vet bag. She dropped down beside her pet and gently stroked her best friend’s fur.
“You’ll be fine, beautiful girl.”
Liv quickly slipped into the zone, pulling out a scanner and administering a painkiller. She’d stockpiled all the meds she could when the zoo had been abandoned.
“Can I do anything?” Alexander asked.
Throat tight, she shook her head. He’d already done so much.
The scanner beeped and she blew out a breath of relief. “Her injuries are nowhere near as bad as I feared.”
“Good.” His voice was gruff. He rose and moved into one of the armchairs by the fireplace.
Liv carefully cleaned Freyja’s scratches and put some antibiotic ointment on them. The drugs hit the wolf’s system, and she slowly relaxed. By the time Liv was finished, Freyja was resting peacefully.
God, she was still in her jacket. Rising, she stripped it off and saw Alexander had started a fire. It crackled in the fireplace.
“Here.” He appeared and helped slide her coat off. He hung it on the hooks by the door with his own.
By now, the wind was howling outside, and the snow was coming down in a heavy blanket.
“We won’t be able to go anywhere until the storm stops,” she said.
“This wasn’t in my plan.”
“Are you hungry?” She turned and saw him slumped in an armchair close to the fire. Lines bracketed his mouth and his shirt was covered in Freyja’s blood.
Ice spread through Liv’s veins. The wolf’s blood would have been on his coat, not on his shirt underneath.
She knelt beside him. “Are you hurt?”
“Just a scratch.”
She studied the slash marks in his shirt. Then she unbuttoned his shirt, watching as his big body stilled. She pushed the fabric open and hissed in a breath. He had two ragged slashes across his stomach.
She made a sound. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Didn’t realize at first.”
She probed the wound and he sucked in a sharp breath.
“Needed to get Freyja to safety,” he added.
Liv paused. He’d carried her damn heavy wolf, injured, through worsening snowy conditions.
This man who gave everyone everything and asked so little for himself.
Well now, she was going to take care of him.
“Up,” she ordered.
She wrapped an arm around him and helped him to his feet. They hobbled to the adjoining room she used as her bedroom. It had once been a living area, but she’d struggled for hours and finally brought one of the beds downstairs. The heat of the fire kept the chill from the room.
He dropped heavily onto the bed and she stripped his shirt off completely. Then she urged him back on the pillows.
“Don’t move.” A moment later, she was back with some clean water and a cloth. She started cleaning his wounds and he grunted.
“Let me take care of you,” she murmured.
He blinked slowly and nodded.
She only had drugs designed for animals, but she knew they’d work fine on him. She gave him a painkiller, and then spread an ointment on the scratches.
“This salve is a special blend that will aid your healing. It’s dosed with technology similar to nanomeds, just not as strong or as fast-acting.”
“As long as I don’t grow any fur.”
Liv laughed and he smiled at her.
“I hope I’m a better patient than your usual clientele,” he said.
“Well, you are better looking.”
Something hot flared in his eyes.
God, that had just slipped out. She went to move, but he grabbed her hand.
“I think you’re warming up to me, Liv Bergen.”
She snorted. “Any woman would get warm just looking at you, Alexander Erickson.”
“Really? Is that what you think?”
Her cheeks burned. Her mouth was really getting away from her tonight. “You must know that you’re attractive.”
He lifted his hand, his fingers brushing her jaw in a featherlight caress. “I’m not sure you realize how attractive you are.”
She made a scoffing sound.
“Golden hair, fresh face, independent, smart, self-sufficient.”
She swallowed. “Alexander—”
“Do you find me attractive, Liv? Have you thought of me?”
She wanted to lie. She wanted to pull away and hide from the churning in her belly, but she couldn’t look away from his blue eyes. “Yes.”
“I thought of you, too. Naked in my bed.”
She quivered. “You’re seducing me.”
“Let me, Liv. Let me seduce you.”
“You need to rest. You’re hurt.” She pushed off the bed. “I’ll make you some food.”
He smiled that sexy smile of his. “You didn’t say no.”
She shot him a look. “Rest.”
As she headed toward her kitchen, she couldn’t quite get over the fact that Alexander Erickson was resting half naked in her bed.
She paused in the doorway. “Thank you, Alexander. For carrying Freyja out.”
“You’re welcome, Liv.”
She turned away and hurried out before the last shreds of her self-control disappeared and she climbed in the bed with him.
Alexander woke after a good night’s sleep. He felt much better.
He shoved down the sheet and checked the wounds on his abdomen. They were healing quickly, and no longer looked red and raw.
The night before, Liv had brought him a stew to eat in bed. She’d turned bossy and refused to let him sit at the table or stand.
He rose now, pulling on his cargo pants. His shirt was ruined, so he didn’t bother with that. Thankfully, with the fire, the temperature inside was pleasant.
Glancing at the window, he saw the day was gray, the snow still falling steadily. He headed into the living area and saw Freyja lying on her blanket near the door.
“Where’s your mistress?”
Golden eyes stared at him. He looked at the long bank of windows. It was a definite blizzard outside.
Then the door opened, letting in a rush of cold air and snow. Liv stepped in, stomping snow off her boots.
“What were you doing outside?” he demanded.
“We needed some more wood for the fire. What are you doing out of bed?”
Head still full of images of her lost in the blizzard or getting hurt out there, alone, he watched her drop the wood by the fire, then shed her outdoor gear.
“My scratches are much better.”
Liv’s gaze skated over his chest and abdomen, then she quickly fed some more wood into the hearth. “I have some bread and smoked fish, if you’re hungry.”
“I’m starving.”
She rose and set some food on the table, then motioned him over. They sat down beside each other and ate in silence. He watched the lantern light flicker over her face. Her cheeks were red from being outside.
Damn, he wanted her.
“The snow might scare the aliens away.” She took a bite of bread.
He hoped not. “If anything, I hope it keeps them in place until we can get out there to see what they’re up to.”
She pushed a loose strand of hair back off her face. “What if these aliens I saw don’t have this bomb?”
Alexander popped some bread in his mouth, chewed and swallowed. “I hope they have it. Then I can plan on how to destroy it.”
All three bombs had to be destroyed to give the human survivors any chance at life. A chance to rebuild their planet.
“I won’t lie,” he continued, “there is a part of me that hopes the damn bomb is nowhere near us.” Nowhere near his family, or Liv.
She fiddled with some of the food on her plate. “Even if we do drive the aliens away, the world will never be the same again.”
He grabbed her hand. “No, it won’t be the same, but we will rebuild something new. Maybe something better.”
“Are you an optimist, Alexander Erickson?”
“Don’t tell anyone.” He played with her fingers. Her nails were clipped short, and her hands weren’t soft. She was a hard worker, and it only made him like her more. “It’ll be tough work. We’ll need strong people to make it happen.”
She studied him. “It’s hard work leading the base?”
“I want everyone’s survival… But yes—” he turned to her, their knees bumping “—sometimes I feel the weight of all those lives, their well-being, resting on my shoulders.”
She touched his face, tracing his cheekbones. He held still and let her explore. Finally, she let her hand drop.
“We don’t match, Alexander. I’m older, I like my own company—”
“Excuses.” He grabbed her hand. “You want me, and I want you, but you won’t let yourself admit it.”
She tried to pull back. “I’m not what you need—”
He held on to her. “You have no idea what I need. That’s for me to decide.”
Alexander was tired of the fact that every minute of his day was dictated by others—the survivors, the soldiers, the aliens. He felt a spurt of anger and let her hand go. He rose from his chair.
“I still have some blood on me. I’m going to wash.”
She gave him a tight nod. “I think there are some clothes that will fit you in one of the guest rooms. I’ll find something for you.”
“Liv?”
She turned.
“If the invasion taught us anything, it’s that life is short and precious. We may not have more than today. Sometimes, I get caught up in running the base, catering to everyone there, and the fight against the aliens. I forget that we need to enjoy the time we have. I have to remind myself of that, and maybe you do too.”
She swallowed, but she didn’t look away.
“What we thought was right or customary, who was a good match, what was acceptable—that doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters is the here and now. All that matters is what makes us happy.” With a nod, he headed to the bathroom.