The Eligible Suspect(46)

                Afterward, Korbin held her against him as he lay on his back. She curled on her side and sleep eluded her for hours. She would not be the same after this night. All those things she used to say in her motivational speeches about relationships gone bad zeroed in on her. What was positive about sleeping with a hacker wanted for a hit-and-run and murder?

                * * *

                The next morning, Korbin led the way to the lodge. The blizzard had moved on last night. The yurt had been half buried and he’d had to shovel to clear the front door. It had kept him busy and that had spared him from facing Savanna. He’d woken before her, having not slept much. Neither had Savanna. He’d listened to her toss and turn as much as him.

                Getting ready to leave the yurt, they’d exchanged brief, sheepish glances. He marveled that she felt like him. Both of them struggled with the consequences of sex. It had meant more than he’d anticipated, and he was sure Savanna felt the same. Although he felt more guilt-ridden. She probably felt regret.

                What had made him think he could sleep with Savanna and not feel he’d betrayed his wife? He hadn’t thought. That’s what had happened. Now he was angry with himself.

                He kept a fast pace all the way to Lost Trail Lodge, a log structure bigger than Savanna’s but just as tucked away in the forest. There was little activity outside. The sun had peeked out from behind clouds on and off all morning. And at nearly two in the afternoon, they were beginning to thicken again.

                He loved the snow, but he wished it would lighten up for a day or two. He couldn’t afford to be stuck at Savanna’s house—or anywhere else with her. His desire for her only added to his anxiety over clearing his name. That and all the thinking he’d done about Niya, both before he’d slept with Savanna and now, the morning after, had taken its toll.

                “Boy, am I glad to take these off,” Savanna said as she stuck her skis into the snow near some others. He could hear the tension in her voice. Was it because she suspected he regretted sleeping with her? Regret wasn’t the word to describe how he felt. No, that was pure guilt and remorse. He didn’t regret the phenomenal sex he’d had with her. He just felt like a dishonorable ass for giving in to the temptation when he wasn’t ready.

                He stuck his skis into the snow beside hers. “Are we going to be able to get a ride out of here?” He walked beside her toward the entrance.

                “Why? Are you in a hurry to get away from here?”

                What she really meant was from her. He stopped and faced her. “I’m in a hurry to stop Damen from killing us both.”

                She studied him closely, not believing him. “Hurley will let us use his truck.” She pointed to a parked Chevy crew cab and started walking again.

                Hurley opened one of the thick, wood double doors. He had on tan Carhartt overalls and a long-sleeved thermal ivory shirt.

                “I sure am glad to see you,” he said to Savanna, then shifted a look to Korbin.

                Hurley was around six-one and sinewy with muscle. He must have given a lot of ski tours, and the lodge must have required constant maintenance. He worked hard and his body showed it.

                “Sheriff said you had some trouble over at your place,” Hurley said.

                Korbin stepped up to the door with Savanna. “How did the police know there was trouble at Savanna’s?”

                Hurley held the door to allow them to pass. “Someone tried to pay you a visit.”