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  Winter Flame

  By

  Aliyah Burke

  Blurb for Winter Flame

  Brittany Morton was enjoying her winter with Henson in the Arctic doing her job when suddenly a man from her not so distant past, showed up at her door. His reason, to protect her. Question was, who would protect him from her? And did he want that protection?

  Curt Blackwell never hesitated when he heard Britt was in danger. He would go to the coldest spot on earth to keep the woman who’d given him a week of the hottest nights he’d ever experienced. While this spot wasn’t the coldest, the nights would definitely be better curled up against this little spitfire.

  All they have to do now, is survive to see if they have a chance at a future with one another.

  Dedication

  Thank you again to Elle James for allowing me to play in her world. To the readers, thank you for the amazing support.

  To DH…I love you more every day. Thank you for being you.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  About the Author

  Additional Books by Aliyah Burke

  Brotherhood Protector Series by Elle James

  Chapter One

  Brittany “Britt” Morton paused and looked around the majestic view surrounding her current position. Snow fell, dusting her cheeks and lashes. She tipped her head back and stuck out her tongue, smiling as the cold, fat flakes bit her tongue.

  This was her season. The cold. The snow. The layers. The polar plunges.

  Haven’t done one of those in a while. Maybe I can get my girls to come up for a visit and we can do this together. She snorted. Her best friends in the world. Geri Britton, Trina Scholl, and Ribbon Lachey.

  Geri was engaged but may be convinced to leave her fiancé, Simon Frederick for a weekend of just girl time. Even if she did come there wasn’t any way Geri would be jumping into icy water.

  “I could always push her in.” Britt shook her head. “Trina will come in.” Out of the quartet, it was her and Trina who were the most adventurous.

  She wasn’t sure she’d be able to convince Geri for a girl’s weekend. They’d just been to see Geri for her engagement party. It had been a wild and crazy week of drinking, partying, and celebrations. Geri’s friends as well as the men that Simon served with, former and current as he was part of a group called The Brotherhood Protectors.

  Hot guys for sure and she’d taken the opportunity to hook up with one for a no-strings week of mind-blowing sex. He had been on board with her so she and Curt Blackwell had spent their nights sharing each other’s tents as they slept outside in the Crazy Mountains of Montana.

  Some of her favorite nights.

  Suddenly a polar plunge at the moment didn’t seem like such a bad idea as her body temperature kicked to the stratosphere.

  After she checked her watch for her heading, she dusted off her hands and struck out once more. Her cabin was still a couple miles out and there was a storm inbound. As she broke into a shuffle jog, she ignored the burn she always “enjoyed” when moving at faster speeds in her snow shoes. As she grew closer, she shook her head as the flakes grew fatter and fell faster.

  She’d broken a sweat by the time her cabin had come into view. Modest cabin with two bedrooms, one that she used as her office-lab area. Movement to her left had a smile crossing her face.

  Her Canadian Eskimo Dog, Henson, appeared, loping easily to her side.

  “Sure,” she muttered. “Now you show up. Where were you a while ago when I could have used a sled?”

  He snorted and shook his head, sending more snow flying.

  “Figures. You know Henson, as the only man in my life you might try to be a bit more concerned with my well-being.”

  True to form, he didn’t appear the least bit concerned by her vocal complaint. Unless the massive yawn was his way of displaying such matters.

  She rolled her eyes and struck out again, determined to ignore how much easier the trek would be on a dog sled, snowmobile, Sno-Cat, hell, even skijoring.

  “No,” she bemoaned. “I wanted to go snow shoeing since I hadn’t been in a while.” Normally it would have been fine but she had been feeling herself this morning. She’d had a great night of sleep and energy. So she’d gone farther. Now, she was paying for it.

  Henson’s low growl surprised her and she stepped on herself before heading face first into the snow. For a moment, Britt just lay there as the snow snuck past the coat collar and traveled down her shirt.

  “Shit.”

  Falling in the snow had the tendency to suck anyway but when it was coupled with snow shoes, it took on an entirely new level of crappy situation.

  Henson nudged her and she fumbled around like a foal for a moment before she took a deep breath and got back to her feet. With a huff, she glanced about, grateful no one was witness to that humiliating incident.

  “Let’s never do that again, Henson. It ain’t easy to bounce back up.”

  Her dog wasn’t watching her like usual, with his easy-going expression. No right now, she saw where some mistook the breed for wolves. He stood, head low, ears perked, the only part moving on him courtesy of the wind ruffling his thick coat.

  Fear struck as she gazed around once more. Heart cavorting in her chest had her swinging the rifle from her back into her hands. Whatever made Henson that way in her mind couldn’t be anything good.

  Gliding her fingers along the stock, she took a third glance about. This time all the more attentive to what may be out of place.

  Everything appeared normal to her, however, she trusted Henson over her own puny human senses. Part of her wanted to run and hide but she wasn’t abandoning her research to whomever or whatever hung around her cabin.

  “Let’s go.”

  He remained right beside her the entire rest of the way. Again, not typical behavior from him. Henson paced with her, nearly in front of her but not as he stayed off the snow shoes.

  Small favors.

  The chimney pushed out smoke alerting her to the fact at least her place would be warm. It wasn’t the dead drop day for supplies, so why the fuck was she staring at some man’s size twelve boot prints in the snow?

  No one hung outside and that meant they could be lying in wait. Inside. She paused outside the door and unfastened the tennis rackets from her feet before leaning them against the wall.

  She slowly turned the knob and pushed inside. The warmth hit her at once and she smiled. It didn’t last long for to the left she spied the silhouette. Henson rolled a low growl and Britt held the rifle and cleared her throat.

  Her unexpected visitor turned and grip on the rifle slipped a tiny bit. Stormy blue eyes raked over her, igniting places that had been on ice for the past couple of months.

  “You,” she blurted.

  Right before her, tall and proud, in the small Arctic cabin was none other than the man with who she’d spent the nights under the stars.

  Curt Blackwell.

  He reached out and plucked the rifle from her hand.

  “Rule one, if you’re not going to shoot it, don’t point it at someone.”
>
  She rested a hand atop Henson’s head, reassured by his presence.

  “What the three hells are you doing here?”

  Curt set the rifle on the small clean counter. He wasn’t sure she was going to be receptive of his news, better she not be holding a rifle meant to, if necessary, take down a grizzly. Or a polar bear.

  Personally, he’d always found a woman who properly used a weapon, sexy as fuck. Add to that his attraction for Britt and it was better than any poster he had ever put up on the wall.

  “Hello again, Britt.”

  He held still while her massive dog sniffed him. The silver-gray coat had some black tips and the muzzle was black. Dark intelligent eyes held him for a bit before the dog wandered off. The ears were also lined in black. Beautiful dog.

  “Dispense with the pleasantries. Why are you here? How did you get here and when are you leaving?”

  He didn’t understand why she didn’t want him here. Hell, he’d not even told her why. As she spoke, her questions coming in rapid fire succession, she removed the outer layers, revealing the brighter colored attire beneath. She would have fit right in at Woodstock. Style reminiscent of such.

  Flower child.

  With a toss of her dark hair, she glared at him before scoping up some food and placing it on the floor for the dog.

  “I asked questions and I’m waiting for an answer.” She cleared her throat. “Answers.”

  She pursed her plump lips. Not long but long enough he recalled those lips trailing down his fevered skin. How she looked when she plucked at his nipples, or sucking his cock as he plunged three fingers deep in her needy pussy or his tongue as they sixty-nined.

  He barely managed to stay away, not easy because all he longed to do was haul her flush to him and say hello how it should have been done.

  “Simon contacted me.”

  Her head snapped up and she stared at him, concern leeching into her green hazel eyes.

  “What’s wrong with Geri?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing. Why would you think that?”

  “Why else would you be here and mention Simon? Geri is one of my best friends.” She approached him, eyes wide and swirling with uncertainty.

  He reached for her, grasping her forearms, halting her a short distance away from himself. “Geri’s fine. That’s not why he called me.”

  Now it was confusion owning her expression. “So she’s fine?”

  “Last I checked, blissfully happy.”

  “Good. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer couple. They deserve to be happy.”

  “Sure they do. He called because she was notified that you’re in danger.”

  She stared at him for a moment, blank faced. Then the corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled and her full lips turned up. His heartbeat kicked up a few notches. Did she even understand how beautiful he thought she was right then?

  Probably not. Knowing Britt, she didn’t give a damn.

  “Of course I am. I’m living in the Arctic for months, doing research. It’s dangerous here. Polar bears, wolves, hypothermia and more.”

  He tightened his grip on her when she began to back away.

  “What are you researching?”

  Any and all amusement left her face and she tugged free to cross her arms. “You’re scaring me.”

  “Good. You should be scared. There are men after you for whatever the hell you’re after up here. So tell me what it is. You’re here under the guise of research but what is it? Gold? Oil? What?”

  “There’s no guise, Curt. I’m honestly up here doing research. It has to do with the effects of global warming. I’m not hunting for oil, gold, or anything of the like. I’m taking permafrost core samples. Cataloging the depth and the mineral composite within them, trying to see how fast it’s all melting up here.”

  “Who would be interested in things like this?”

  “Other than my boss, I haven’t a clue. Is that why you’re here? You think someone is actually going to come up here in the winter and try to take my research?”

  “I know they are. How many, I haven’t a clue. All I know for certain is we need to go.”

  She snorted. “Go? Go where and how do you propose we get gone? You were dropped off weren’t you? I have a cargo plane that dead drops supplies for me once a week. There’s no picking up a phone and asking them to come get me because I’m having a bad day or because I’m scared of the dark.”

  He looked outside. “It’s not dark yet.”

  “It will be and all day before long. I’m not going anywhere. It would be foolish and signing my own death warrant.”

  “They gave me that to bring.” Curt jabbed his finger to the left.

  “More food and supplies. You planning on staying until spring?”

  He hadn’t been. He’d hoped that she would have been ready to pack up her research and gone with him.

  “I should have known.”

  She made her way to the box he’d just humped in. Britt whipped out a knife he’d not seen on her and cut the safety straps ensuring it remained shut on its way down from the airplane. He stared at her ass as she bent over the container, muttering to herself as she unloaded it all.

  He cast a glance to his bag that sat in the small corner by the door. He doubted she even noticed his things. Her pet had for the dog sniffed all around it. He didn’t have enough clothing for months on end. This was going to be interesting. It wasn’t a big place and when he’d been there alone, he had taken a look around.

  The larger of the two bedrooms was her lab. She was sleeping in the smaller of the two. No cot, but a wooden frame, attached to the wall. A bit bigger than a twin but not much more room than a double.

  They’d stay warm at night for sure, all cuddled together.

  “So who is it?”

  Her question yanked him unmercifully from the loving visions he had of their nights together. He already knew they heated up the sheets from their week together in Montana.

  Down boy, he told his cock. He wasn’t here to fuck her until spring but to keep her alive.

  “Who’s who?”

  He took some of the canned provisions from her and carried them to the small kitchen area.

  “The one who is after me. Or ones?”

  “All the intel I have is they are working for some man name Grubler.”

  He kept an eye on her expression when he gave the name. nothing changed, no flicker of concern, no recognition. Nothing. Until the exasperation began.

  “Who is that?”

  “Figured you’d know.”

  Chapter Two

  She knew all right. And in the span of the few seconds it took Curt to tell her the name, she realized exactly why Geri had gone about it the way she had. She didn’t want to let them in on the fact this asswipe it was her ex. The one who had nearly beaten her to death and swore to kill her. Not without giving Britt a heads up first.

  God, she loved her friend.

  Turning from putting away some of the non-perishables, she inhaled sharply for Curt was directly behind her. Now, in front of her. Her sharp inhale wiped away the remnants of her sanity, replacing it with pure, unadulterated want.

  Curt smelled like every dream she’d ever had that made her happy. A masculine scent that sank deep into her and reminded her with explicit detail about their time together. A time she’d been even more uninhibited than usual—which for her was saying a lot—for the pure fact she didn’t think she would ever be seeing him again.

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  She blinked as she stared up at him. Beyond him, wind swirled the snow around the small window. The fire crackled and hissed, alerting her to the fact she had to check her wood amount. It was a daily habit and one she typically did when she got back from a trip. Today she’d not as he waited for her and she’d not been sure who was here.

  “Why do you assume I’m not telling you something?” Pushing against his chest, she had to run a mantra of ‘let him go’ through her min
d to remove her hands when he didn’t budge from her encouragement.

  “Because I’m not stupid. Your reaction was to composed.”

  She cocked an eyebrow. “There a playbook on how someone is supposed to act when told someone is out to kill them?”

  “Shock. Denial. Oh yeah, and fear.”

  She shrugged and maneuvered around him, careful not to touch him once more. Britt wasn’t sure about how much self-control she had left.

  “Is this where you want me to apologize for not being like all the other people who’ve had the pleasure of you delivering such stellar news to?”

  A smile kicked up the corners of that kissable mouth. “There’s the Britt I remember. Full of sass and vinegar.”

  “You sweet talker you. Still doesn’t change anything. I don’t need you here.”

  “Yes you do. And I’m not leaving until you do.”

  “How does this happen?”

  “Simple.” He swaggered closer. It wasn’t intentional, he just had this way about him. This inherent movement that made her panties wet and breathing become a chore. “I was hired to keep you safe. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

  “Geri?” I’m more willing to be nice if this was her idea.

  “I got the assignment from Hank at Brotherhood Protectors, but as it was Geri who brought it to Hank’s attention, I’ll go with a yes on that.”

  “And what did you bring?” She crossed her arms, for the mere point of having something to do other than reaching out and touching him. An act she longed to do more than she craved her next breath of air.

  “Food. Supplies. Me.”

  “I’m guessing I have no say in this then. You and Geri took the decision from me.”

  The amusement in his expression sobered. “I realize this is hard for you to hear, but she’s worried and death threats aren’t anything to take lightly.”

  “I’ve had them before and I’m sure I’ll have them again.”

  “I didn’t know environmental information was so dangerous.”

  “As you well know there are many who claim that global warming is nothing more than a myth.”