Page 4 of Falling for the Recluse

“She’s required to check in at least once a day…” Thornwall’s voice fades as I turn and keep walking.

Josie scrambles to get her second travel bag and her backpack. I hear her behind me as I start back up the incline to the field house.

“My goodness, if this is summer, I don’t want to imagine winter,” she calls, hurrying to catch up and huffing in between her commentary. “But the flight in was incredibly beautiful. The sky was so blue it was like someone had spilled a bucket of paint over it, and the landscape of ice and snow was like something from another planet. I’ve never seen anything so stark and pristine. Most people haven’t, which is just one of the reasons I feel so fortunate to be able to experience this. Believe me, I intend to take advantage of every moment.”

Clenching my teeth, I shoulder through the door and dump her bags at the entrance. Though I still have no intention of being polite, I hold the door open for her.

“And would you believe we saw two humpback whales from the ship?” Josie continues, putting her travel bag down. “They took my breath away. That’s the first time I’ve really understood the meaning of the wordmajestic.”

She gives a happy sigh, like it’s all so miraculous, and takes off her sunglasses.

My heart slams against my ribs. The director of the Penguin Research Group sent me Josie’s file a few weeks ago, but I didn’t bother opening it. Now I wish I had. If it included a photo of her, at least I’d have been prepared.

As it is…I’m not.

I take a step back like I’ve just run into a force field.

Goddamn. The girl is beautiful.

Pale skin with smooth, rosy cheeks; warm, thick-lashed blue eyes brimming with intelligence and curiosity; full, bow-shaped lips, and a tiny birthmark right under her left eye like a pencil point. She’s still smiling, as if everything around her is so amazing she can’t contain her pleasure.

I swallow, flexing my fingers. I feel like someone just knocked the breath out of me. It doesn’t make any sense. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful girls in my time. Not one has made the earth shift under my feet.

Butsheis…otherworldly. Extraordinary. The way she’s looking at me with her bright blue eyes, it’s like she has the power to read my thoughts, slide inside me, and melt my frozen heart.

No fucking way, little girl.

I slam the locks and bolts into place.No one gets in. Not even you.

“The building next door is the lab,” I tell her sharply. “Then the power shed with the generator, the warehouse, food storage, and the garage. You won’t need those. These are the main living quarters.”

I take off my hat and parka and grab her bags again. When I straighten, I catch her staring at me, her perfect lips parted slightly.

I could kiss her right now. Haul her up against me, crush her lips with mine, slide my tongue into her pretty mouth…

I give her a dark scowl. She snaps her mouth shut.

I turn and stalk farther into the house.

She takes off her parka, then picks up her backpack and follows me. As we pass through to the bedrooms at the back, I point out the rec room—small and stuffed with an old sofa, a few upholstered chairs, an ancient TV, and shelves full of games and books—the communications station, and the small gym.

“It’s small, but it looks like you have everything you need,” Josie remarks, hurrying after me as I cross to the workroom. “I promise I’ll stay out of your way as much as possible. I know you have a reputation for being…um…kind of a…”

“Kind of awhat?” I snarl, stopping to fire her with another glower.

“An asshole,” she replies bluntly.

Her eyes widen, and she clamps a hand over her mouth.

ChapterFour

GAVIN

I stare at her.A chuckle pushes its way up my throat before bursting out in a rusty but genuine laugh. Josie blinks as if the sound surprises her as much as it does me.

“It’s okay if you are an asshole,” she adds hastily. “There are roses and thorns, right? Butterflies and mosquitos. Ice cream and low-fat…anything. It stands to reason that there are also good guys and…um, less good guys. I mean, I realize we’ve never met before, and I’m not saying you are an asshole, just that there’s gossip about you, which you probably already know. I personally prefer to meet people first and form my own opinions about them rather than believe whatever I hear, but it’s pretty clear that you like a great deal of solitude or you wouldn’t be living alone on an island in Antarctica. And I know you don’t want me here, so I want to assure you that I’ll mind my own business, do my work, and not interfere in your life. I’ll also shut up now.”

She presses her lips together. Two bright spots of pink appear on her cheeks.

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