"Huh?" he asked, drawing his gaze up from her breasts.

"Want a beer? There are a few in our mini fridge."

"You're asking me in?" he asked, not wanting to mistake the gesture. She could be asking to go to the cafeteria.

"Unless you have some other reason for being at my door?" she said cheekily, stepping aside to let him in. As he walked by, her breath hitched. He couldn't help but grin. She was just as affected as he was. Hannah went over to the minifridge and leaned down to open it, causing her shorts to ride dangerously high.

"Hot damn," he murmured, as he ran a hand through his hair. He ached to reach out and see how firm her ass was, to run his hand between her thighs and feel her warm, wet heat.

Tearing his eyes away from her juicy delectables, he cleared his throat. "Are you enjoying your stay so far?" That question seemed pretty safe to ask, and he hoped it would bring his mind back around to the proper side of things.

"It's interesting to say the least. I've never worked on anything like this before," she said, handing him a beer.

He popped the cap and took a seat on the couch, resting his arm along the back. His other rested across his lap with his beer. If they could keep the work topic going then his dick should go back to sleep, as long as he didn't keep checking her out, which was a little hard to do with her standing across from him.

Opening her beer, she bent down to sit on the chair across from him, her collar dipping enough for him to see the swell of her breasts. Either she was purposely trying to be provocative or she was naive innocent. Her eyes, at the moment, were telling him nothing. He was tempted to ask her, but then she'd likely call his own security to kick him out. And they would never let him live it down.

"Any plans for the evening?" he asked.

"Well, it turns out that I'm entertaining company," she said, popping the top of her beer and taking a swig. Xavier expected her to make a face from the taste as many did, but nothing happened.

A girl that drinks beer was his type of lady. "I wouldn't have pegged you for a beer drinker."

"I'm not normally, but you don't have much of a selection up here."

She was right about that. Every three months they receive a fresh supply of liquor, mostly beer and wine. Their chef would sometimes use them while cooking, so it only made sense to have it on hand. The Director allowed them to pull it out for celebrations and stuff, but getting blackout drunk while stationed here was not allowed because it caused too many problems. People were here to work, not party. They did relax the rules every now and then, but they kept a pretty close watch on it. There was one person who couldn't hold his alcohol so they kept a pretty close eye on it all around. The guy made things miserable when he drank, roughed up a few of his guards the last time they tried to take him to the holding tank.

This was usually a great place to work. There were very few, if any, illegal activities that took place. Most of the time, their duties were to patrol and occasionally attend to a situation if workers weren't getting along. The biggest issue that they'd ever had was when a plane went down nearby and the survivors stumbled across their station. The Director decided to let them in, but the survivors turned out to be smugglers and it didn't end well.

Xavier had the two men and one lady in their jail for about a month. A police transport was supposed to come and pick them up but a wicked storm stuck around for weeks, preventing any flights to the area.

"I'd have a vodka and pepsi if we had it. That's my go to drink."

"You like the sweeter stuff it sounds like."

"Yep," she said, curling her sexy legs underneath her. She then reached for a blanket to throw over them.

He barely stopped a complaint from popping out of his mouth. If he said something now it would wreck the lighter air in the room, so instead he asked, "Cold?"

"I love the weight of the blanket, makes me feel safe and comfortable."

Her words alarmed him slightly. "I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?" That was the last thing he wanted to do. But he could understand if he was. They were alone and she probably had no idea what to expect from him, especially when she had so few clothes on.

"Um..." Hannah wasn't sure how to respond. She couldn't exactly tell him why she covered herself with the blanket. Her parts were having their very own party, and she could smell herself already. It didn't help knowing that he was trying to hide his own hard-on.

"I could leave if I am?" he offered softly.

There it was. He was offering her a way out, but as she opened her mouth to say that that was probably a good idea, she couldn't get the words passed her lips. The woman-side of her wanted him to stay, but the sensible side told her it was a bad idea. But kicking someone out after they just opened up a drink was also a rude thing to do. It wasn't his fault that she couldn't control her own body's response to him.

"No, it's okay."

A slow smile crossed his face, his eyes brightening. He was incredibly sexy when he smiled, especially when those dimples appeared. She'd always been a sucker for dimples. Averting her gaze to the blanket on her lap, she traced the dolphin's body. If she kept looking at him, she'd do something stupid like throw herself at him again.

"So do you have, like, family at home?" she asked him.

"I live alone, but my mom lives just across town in Prince George. My brother is in Alberta and my sister went all the way to Ontario."

"What does your mom think of you being way out here?" Hannah asked, taking a sip of her drink.

Xavier grinned. "She doesn't think it's healthy, but I like it. What about you, family?"

"Alone mostly. I don't have contact with my dad anymore, but he lives with his wife and my half-brother," she said. "But it's okay. I like my solitude." She did use to be a people person, but after everything that happened, she preferred her own company more than anything else.

"I hear ya on that. That's kinda why I'm up here and not back in the city," he said, gesturing to the building around them.

"I can see why, although, personally, I'd prefer a lake and a cabin." Hannah leaned her head back and imagined what that would be like. The bushes, the trees, the sunset being reflected in the crystal clear water.

He cocked his head and studied her, resting his beer on his thigh. "Is that your dream vacation?"

"Nah, it's my life goal," she said. "I want to save up enough money to purchase land and set it up to be self-sufficient." That was one of the first things on her to do list if they came out on top with the project here.

"Prepper?" he asked.

"I'm not sure if I'd go that far. I just love the idea of not being dependent on anyone."

She learned from a young age that she couldn't rely on anyone but herself. If there was something she wanted, she had to go after it herself. No one else was going to do it for her. It was a good thing she was born stubborn and determined, never letting anything get in her way. She developed a solid work ethic, thanks to her father's abandonment.

Their discovery here could quite possibly pave the way for her to follow after her dream. She'd been scoping out areas where she'd love to build. Her hope was to find a spot that didn't get too hot or two cold, staying temperate all year around. That way it would be bearable, and she wouldn't get trapped on the property. Not that it would be a real hardship because she could always find things to do with her time.

"I can understand that. It's a neat idea actually. Were you thinking of using a solar power system?"

"Yep, and live out the rest of my days trouble free from the rest of the world." She couldn't prevent the bitterness that crept into her voice.

'Sounds like you've been through a lot," he observed. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry that whatever happened, happened."

Hannah wrapped her hands around the beer, staring into the top. "It was a long time ago," she whispered, not trusting herself to speak any louder should she burst into tears.

"Sometimes we carry things with us for a long time," he said, hurt evident in his tone.

"I'm sorry for whatever happened to you too."

"It's nothing."

"I highly doubt that," she said tenderly. "You're a handsome young man hiding up in the North Pole, with little to no women folk his age around." She bit her lip when she realized the word handsome had slipped out.

His eyes darkened with desire, and while he never called her out on it, she did note that he had recovered up his crotch again. And for some reason, satisfaction bloomed inside her at his heady reaction and the ache between her thighs intensified. She wanted him bad, but bad wasn't always good. However, her body was feeling more alive that it had in a long time.

After her partial hysterectomy, her ability to get aroused had almost ceased to exist. All that remained was a numb feeling. She wasn't sure if that was a result of the surgery or the fact that she couldn't really care about ever orgasming again. Because all it did was remind of what she'd lost by her lousy decisions...what she could, now, never give another man even if she wanted to.

The fact that he body was choosing right now to wake up was leaving her feeling perplexed. They all felt part of a world that didn't really exist. In fact, everything felt surreal. That's probably why she threw herself at him earlier in the day. There was something about this place that seemed otherworldly, different than anything back home. She almost felt like she was on a ship, sailing away to a far distant galaxy.

He took a sip of his drink, not removing his eyes from her. There was a range of emotions flitting across his face, his eyes like a lion waiting to devour his prey, remaining motionless until it was time. Her desires spread like wildfire inside her, flames so high that she could no longer snuff them out..

"We can't," she whispered.

"We shouldn't," was his response.

"But we are, aren't we." It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement. The minute she asked him inside, she knew it. The line in the sand had been crossed, and that was the threshold of her door. Their two worlds now blurred together. Nothing else existed. No past. No future. Just this moment. Right here. Right now she was just a woman. He just a guy.

Was that his heart thumping? Was it hers? Whatever it was, sounded like it was beating to a different drum. Xavier was no longer trying to hide his erection pressing against his work pants. He was still in his uniform, and it added to his allure, his strength, his sexiness. He was a man skilled with his hands. She could just imagine him running them over her body.

But neither moved as they played the sexual game of cat and mouse. She wasn't sure who was the cat and who was the mouse. It was a mating dance of the eyes, a masterful game played for centuries. Finally he moved.

Leaning forward, Xavier reached across the small coffee table that was situated between them and grabbed the edge of the blanket, slowly pulling it off her. She held onto it momentarily, chewing on her bottom lip. What if he could see that she wasn't a full woman anymore and just walked away?

"No!" she berated herself silently. She wasn't going to let her mind take this moment away from her. Not this time. If she ever expects to move forward with life, away from her past, this was what she had to do. This was a hurdle she had to jump, and she wanted to jump it with him. As she let the blanket go, a sexy smile spread across Xavier's face. Her insecurities be damned. He wanted her. She wanted him.

She was acutely aware that she had less clothes on than he did. "Shirt," she said, before she lost the nerve to speak.

He pointed to his navy blue collared shirt that had the Finley Research Security emblem on the front. She nodded her head. Slowly, he undid the two top buttons and then pulled it out of his pants, then whisked it over his head. All her blood rushed through her body, pounding like a giant waterfall in her ears. His stomach muscles rippled as he threw it off to the side. Her eyes drifted to the biceps that could carry her for miles, and her insides tightened as a shiver engulfed her body.

"What's your next command, mi'lady?"

"Huh?" she asked, tearing her eyes away from his body, her mind not registering a single word he just said.

Xavier chuckled and stood up from the couch, placing his unfinished beer on the coffee table, having lost interest in drinking the rest of it. All he wanted was to be inside her. To feel her close around him on the brink of orgasm.

"Shall I take off my pants?" he asked, letting her take the lead. God, he hoped that she said yes because his cock ached to be released from the confines of his underwear. It wanted to be free. But he needed her to make the decision.

"No," she said, taking a shaky breath. "I will."

"Take off yours?"

Hannah shook her head as she placed her drink on the coffee table as well before standing up and walking to his side of the table. When she stopped in front of him, her sweet scent permeated the air, leaving him feeling like he'd died and gone to heaven. His erection grew painfully hard and he feared he'd take her where she stood if he reached out and touched her, or he'd come if she so much as touched him. It made him keep his hands to himself by clasping them behind his back, waiting to see what she would do.

Hannah reached for his belt and unsnapped the button, then pulled his zipper down, letting his pants fall to the floor, getting stuck around his boots. When she ran her knuckles over his erection, she purred like a satisfied kitten and it made him groan. He wanted to pick her up and take her to the bed, but if he tried, he'd trip over his feet. And he had a feeling she planned it that way by the grin on her face.

She pressed her hand firmly against his cock and squeezed, making his legs shake and pressure build. "Hannah," he warned, stilling her hand with his. "It's been a while for me."

Instead of relinquishing her hold, she held him firmly and slipped her other hand between his legs to play with his balls, and his head rolled back with pleasure before he cried, "Stop! I'm going to come in my underwear."

"So," she said cheekily.

His legs buckled when she ran her hand up the length of him, making him grab her shoulder to keep his balance. He squeezed his eyes closed, trying to hold on to his final thread of control. Xavier tried to picture a never ending thread, but somewhere along the way it got tangled. Bundling together like an explosion in his core.

Hannah ran her thumb over the head of his cock and he shivered. His pre-cum dampening his underwear. He should stop her, throw her on the bed, and claim her, but he couldn't seem to make his body move. The only part moving was his pulsating cock and it had a mind of its own.

He opened his eyes and looked down at her. She was focusing intently on his manhood. "You're enjoying torturing me, aren't you?" he groaned, struggling intensely with staying upright.

A girlie high school giggle escaped her lips, and that did it, taking him right back to his first time under the school bleachers, and he was coming despite a crowd sitting on the benches above. He fought hard to hold it, but it was like trying to hold back a flood after a dam breaks. Impossible. She gave him one final squeeze, and he emptied into his blue underwear as he moaned. A huge wet stain spread across it and the smirk on her face spread just as wide.

Unable to stay standing, he collapsed onto the couch with his heart racing as he struggled to catch his breath. "Damn, girl!" he whistled, his legs vibrating, knocking his knees together.

She giggled again, pointing to the stain. "No control, eh?"

"You!" he said, grabbing her hand and dragging her onto the couch with him. SHe was lying on her stomach with her ass across his lap. "My turn."

"Do you think you have what it takes?" she challenged, propping herself up on her elbows and glancing back at him, giving him a cheeky ass grin. Had they only had half a beer each? It felt like six.

"Oh, I know I do," he said with certainty as he pulled off both her shorts and her underwear in one swoop. And there her ass was, staring up at him, like a lighthouse beacon. She had a cute little birthmark on the left cheek in the shape of a four leaf clover. He found himself tracing it, thinking of exactly how lucky he was.

"Did you know you have a cute little freckle right here," he said, touching it with his index finger.

Hannah froze, and he meant literally froze. And then not a second later, she rolled off him in a flash, dropping to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I can't. I can't do this," she said, breathing hard and fast.

Baffled by her quick 180, but concerned by her panic, he picked up the blanket and wrapped it around her. She continued to repeat herself, tears filling her eyes before spilling onto her cheeks. "I can't. I can't."