Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
The two of us are the unlikeliest of partners when we find ourselves stranded in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness. My hockey playing skills are of no use here, where the bitter cold is my new opponent. And Trinity Lorenzo? She’s about as warm as a block of ice. I get it, she’s fleeing an abusive boyfriend and she and I are strangers. But I always keep my word, and I promised Dalton I’d keep his prickly sister safe. If we want to live, the two of us will have to find a way to get along and work together.
Our ordeal draws Trinity and me closer, and fighting the pull between us becomes harder than anything we face while hoping for rescue. Whether we make it out or not, I need her. More than water or shelter—more than anything. Dalton will never forgive me if I cross the line with her, but surviving means something different now. Surviving means making her mine.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER ONE
Trinity
“And influencer samples will be mailed by Friday?” Meeting with my team virtually via Zoom, I look up from my checklist. When I’m met by silence, I prompt, “Kelsie?”
“Yes.” She smiles brightly. “Sorry, I just got the preprinted notecards that I’m putting in the boxes today and I paused when you asked because the order was short, but I can go to a print shop and get more made next week.”
“Okay, what else?”
We’re twenty-three days from the launch of Allura, the first drugstore line for Kiss My Sass, the cosmetics company I work for. And as a vice president of Allura’s marketing department, I’m in charge of the team planning the launch. It wasn’t a great time to take a couple of days away from the office to come see my older brother’s pro hockey exhibition game in Fairbanks, Alaska, but here I am. Zooming from a gloomy hotel room.
As my team members detail the status of launch preparations, I glance between their faces on my laptop screen and the door to my hotel room. I know Ronan, the guy I went on two dates with a few months ago, isn’t going to charge into the room because he doesn’t have a key. Still, he figured out I was coming here and followed me. I’m panicking inside about what else he’s capable of.
“Legal is still negotiating the Ella London deal,” Jack says. “She wants more money.”
“Dammit.” His comment brings my mind back to the meeting. “What about all the videos we already had produced with her?”
“Hopefully we’ll be able to use them. But legal says for now, we can’t use her name, her likeness or any materials with her in them.”
My heart pounds and I get the buzzing sensation in my head my anxiety always brings on. Ella London is an actress and model who’s the backbone of Allura’s marketing. Without her, we’re screwed.
“When will this be resolved?” I ask Jack.
“I’ve tried to pin legal down, but—”
The sound of my hotel room door’s lock clicking open makes my pulse pound nervously. It’s not Ronan, but still...I can’t stop fearing it might be until the door is pushed open and I see my brother Dalton walking inside.
And from his expression, I can tell he’s pissed.
“Why aren’t you at the police station like I told you?”
I glare at him. “I’m in the middle of a meeting.”
In four seconds flat, he’s already stomped all the way across my hotel room, where he looks at my computer screen and barks, “She’ll call you back,” before shutting it.
“Dalton! I’m their boss! That was so unprofessional.” Dalton is a pro hockey player who intimidates people for a living, but I don’t take shit like this from him.
He scowls down at me, hands on his hips. “Why the fuck am I just finding out some asshole is stalking you? How long has this been going on?”
I sigh heavily, the buzzing sensation returning. “I went on two dates with him in October. He’s been calling and texting since. He’s shown up at my apartment a few times. But nothing like this has happened before.”
I don’t tell my brother that Ronan has probably been looking for me at my apartment a lot more than I’m aware of because I often sleep on the couch in my downtown Chicago office. The building security there is tight.
“So tell me what happened. Did he come up to you at the game, or did you just happen to see him?”
“I saw him walking toward me, waving like we knew each other. But the usher stopped him because I was in the VIP section. And then I told an usher what was going on and they had someone from security get me to a cab after the game so I could get back here.”
My brother’s eyes are blazing with fury. “I told you to go to the police station. What the hell were you thinking coming back here by yourself when some psycho is after you?”
My face is hot and I’m suddenly sweaty. Dalton is making this stressful situation even worse.
“I had a meeting.” I reach for the bottle of medication in my bag, my hands trembling as I open the bottle.
He looks up at the ceiling. “You had a meeting.” When he looks at me again, he pinches the bridge of his nose. “You are the most incredible combination of smart and stupid I’ve ever known.”
“I flew seven fucking hours to watch your game in a place where it gets dark before four p.m. Don’t be an asshole. I have a launch in twenty-three days and that might not mean anything to you, but it means everything to me. I’m incredibly busy at work right now.”
He puts a palm out. “You’re right, I’m sorry. But Trin, this guy following you from Chicago to fucking Alaska has me on edge. If I could find him right now, I’d probably kill him.”