Free Naughty in Norway by Christine Edwards Page A

name’s Titan.”
    I grin. “He’s lovely, and huge!”
    He nods in agreement but keeps his eyes riveted on the treacherous trail. “He was the largest puppy of his litter. He’s a good dog.”
    “You can tell he adores you by the way he gushed all over you back there.” My face grows hot again. I hadn’t meant to say that. It just sort of popped out before I thought to say anything else.
    Alreck grunts but gives me a thoughtful glance.
    “Isn’t he freezing?”
    “Woman, he’s a dog. They’ve survived for thousands of years with just their fur, far longer than we’ve ever had them as pets.”
    “Right,” I murmur, embarrassed. Why should I care if my kidnapper’s dog is cold?
    “So your closest neighbor is the old man several miles back?”
    “Edgard, yeah, and don’t get any ideas. He’s been instructed to ignore you should he see you.”
    I gape at him and whisper, “Why are you so mean?”
    “Because I have to be.”
    He didn’t miss a beat before he landed me with that sweet comment.
    What have I gotten myself into? Please let me find a way out of this complete disaster …
    Countless miles pass in darkness and silence when he suddenly announces, “We’re here.”
    I sit straight up and strain to see where “here” is. I can just make out a shadowed structure that seems to be supported on stilts, high off the ground. It’s an A-frame cabin like the old man’s but far larger. It looks to be the traditional red hue that is favored in this region, but it’s difficult to tell in the darkness with only the headlights of the Ford’s high beams bouncing off it. Once we’re closer I can see why it’s up on stilts. The trees on my right have given way to a vast body of water that the house hovers over within the mysterious shadows.
    We pull up in front and Alreck hops down to let Titan out of the back. I wait for him inside, uncertain of what to expect as he opens my door and offers me his hand.
    “Come.”
    I can’t read his expression. It’s too dark and he’s a master at not giving anything away, regardless. An unexpected nervous shiver creeps down my spine. I should be screaming and terrified but I’m far too exhausted to put up a fight tonight. I need time to rest and recoup so I can come up with a plan to get out of here, even if it means hiking down that desolate, snowy road. Who knows what this guy could have planned for me?
    After a moment’s hesitation, I reach across and place my cold hand in his as I allow him to help me down. I’m struck by the silence. The only sound around us is the relentless lapping of water against the shore just a few feet away.
    I watch as Alreck retrieves my huge bag from under a tarp in the back. He slings it over his shoulder with ease and reaches in to grab another duffle that must belong to him. Titan whines and rubs against his legs, looking for affection from his master.
    He trudges the fifteen feet or so toward the front door, not glancing back to see if I’m behind him. My choices are follow or freeze, so I head after him. As we step across the threshold into the large foreign space, I’m struck by how wide open it is. And cold. Impossibly, horridly cold.
    In a low, soft tone he says, “I’ll build us a fire.”
    He sets my bag down in the entryway and heads back out, Titan at his heels. I move farther into the dark cabin, uncertain where a light switch might be, and what I see locks me in place.
    The entire left wall is a pyramid-shaped grid of plate glass that starts at the wooden floor and continues to the ceiling. The window frames the most stunning work of art I’ve ever seen in my life. I gape at the sensual swirl of greens, violets and yellow hues that illuminate the darkness. It must be the Northern Lights.
    Transfixed by their beauty, I’m shocked by the delicate juxtaposition of whisper-light, translucent streaks of the most glorious colors one could ever view in nature. Unaware of my chill or how much time has passed, I’m