Melting His Alaskan Heart Read Online Free Page B

She needed to stick to business. “How old were you when you started skating?”
    “Listen. I’m hungry, too. Heck, I can always eat. I was going to order room service later, but that doesn’t make sense when there’s food we’ve already paid for here.” He stood up. “Come on, let’s go. You can still ask me questions over dinner.”
    He extended his hand. She hesitated only a second before placing her hand in his. “When you put it like that, how can I refuse?”
    That woozy off-balance feeling came over her again. She really did need food, but her unsteady equilibrium was more from Dane’s hand wrapped around hers than it was from her empty stomach. No, she would not fall for this guy, not today, not any day. He was a player, literally and by reputation.
    She had no interest in getting to know him, only getting the interview.
    That’s what she kept telling herself as they moved toward the buffet line with his hand pressed at the small of her back. The warmth of his fingers seeped to other parts of her body too, including her very core. Other women approached them, but it was as if Dane sent out a covert signal warning them away before they stepped closer. He was so tall and dark, and…well, he was a knight and she felt like a princess.
    It seemed to Carly as though he walked beside her not as a journalist and star athlete bound for an interview, but like they were a couple. The idea of it startled her so much, she stumbled.
    Dane caught her easily. “Are you okay?”
    “Yeah, sure.” She glanced at him, snatched a dinner plate, and extended it to the servers. The smell of prime rib, halibut, and vegetables wafted around them, but she only smelled the masculine scent of Dane. “The food smells good.”
    “Sure does.” He guided her through the line. Her belly did a somersault, but it had little to do with the food and everything to do with him.
    White linen tablecloths covered square tables interspersed throughout the room. A band played on the opposite end of the room from the buffet. Dane expertly moved her to a darkened corner away from both. A spicy scented cinnamon candle illuminated the small table for two. He set down his plate. “May I get you a glass of wine?”
    She really shouldn’t drink more, but wine would go nicely with halibut. “That would be great. Chardonnay, please.”
    A waitress approached them.
    “Chardonnay for the angel and I’ll have a Bud.”
    Carly unfurled her blue linen napkin and smoothed it on her lap. She must remain polite, but professional. This wasn’t a date, it was an interview. Nothing more. But it was hard to remember with the way his forearm bunched when he fisted his hands and gazed at her with intensity from behind that mask. She wasn’t immune to the aura that was Dane Forrester.
    How she’d managed to maneuver him into this position after all she’d heard about how difficult he could be was completely unknown to her, but why question it? For once in her life, she’d been given a break. Time to run with it.
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    E THAN SHOULD HAVE STAYED in his room like he’d planned, but guilt wore him down. He’d have to maneuver around Carly’s questions because he’d given her his word. He wasn’t backing out of a deal.
    They both ate in silence for a time.
    The waitress returned with their wine and beer.
    “So tell me about your family.” She bit down on a steamed carrot and twirled her fork in the air. “I read you have three older brothers and a younger sister. Is that correct?”
    Ethan sliced into his prime rib before he answered. How was he going to manage to talk about Dane in the first person? Or himself in the third person? This was crazy. “Yes.”
    “And what are their names and what kind of work do they do?” Carly prompted him.
    Just stick to the facts, no extra information needed. “Fiona, my sister, she’s a student at Alaska State in Fairbanks. My brothers and I own a fly-in fishing and hunting lodge in Gold Creek. It’s about an