Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 105868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“Yeah.” Ace glanced up at a seaplane banking overhead. An unreadable expression crossed his face, gone almost as soon as it appeared.
She followed his gaze. “Are they using that for the grid search?”
“Yeah.” A muscle visibly clenched in his jaw.
“You want to be up there?”
“I’m… torn.” He dragged a hand through his wind-tossed hair and guided her toward his matte black Polaris Sportsman 570. The machine sat clean, as usual, dark and ready to go.
He lifted his helmet from the ATV rack. It was matte black with a faint gray osprey decal barely visible beneath a web of scratches. The finish had dulled with years of use, tiny scuffs catching the fading light like old scars. The distant thunder rolled again, low and steady, as the storm gathered strength over Knife’s Edge.
The helmet Ace handed her was white, glossy, and clearly newer than his. The surface was unmarked except for a thin silver stripe along the sides. The padding inside looked firm, barely broken in. “Passenger edition,” he said.
May turned it in her hands, eyeing him. “Why do I have a feeling a lot of women have worn this?”
Ace chuckled, the sound low and easy. “Not true. I’ll get you your own, May, if you want.”
She rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her mouth as she pulled the helmet on. The world softened once it settled into place, the clinic and gathering storm muted behind a layer of molded padding. She handed him the pack, and he secured it to the rear cargo rack with two practiced pulls of a bungee cord. The medical bag settled flat, tight enough not to shift.
Ace straddled the ATV and held an arm back for her without looking. The gesture was confident and way too familiar. May stepped closer and mounted behind him, settling onto the seat. For a brief second, she hesitated. The heat of his back radiated through his jacket, solid and steady. Then she wrapped both arms around his torso.
Before tightening her hold, she glanced down. A black gun rested against his right thigh, locked into a weather-scarred holster. She recognized the weapon instantly. Half the people in Knife’s Edge carried the same one. Bear country demanded respect, and there were other, quieter threats that lived beyond the tree line.
It made sense.
Ace’s hand closed over hers briefly where they circled his waist. A quick squeeze. Reassuring. Dangerous to her equilibrium. “Hold on, Doc.”
“As if I had a choice.”
The engine growled to life beneath them, vibrating through May’s legs and into her core. Ace guided the Polaris forward, the tires biting into the dirt as they left the clinic behind. Wind rushed past them, carrying the metallic scent of rain and the distant promise of lightning.
He felt warm and solid in front of her. Comforting somehow. They cut along the edge of town and onto Whisper Creek Trail. The landscape shifted quickly as the buildings gave way to dense spruce and birch. The sky above had darkened into layered gray, clouds rolling low over the jagged peaks. Thunder rumbled again, closer now, a deep warning that echoed through the valley.
May tightened her arms around Ace as the ATV picked up speed. The motion pressed her closer against him, her chest flush to his back. Every subtle shift of his body translated into hers. He leaned into a turn, and the flex of muscle against her warmed places inside her that needed to stay calm and in control.
The trail narrowed, winding through thick forest. Leaves trembled in the rising wind. Branches swayed overhead. The first cold drops of rain struck her jacket, then multiplied, tapping faster against her helmet.
Ace accelerated.
The machine responded instantly, powerful and smooth. Gravel spat behind them. Mud slicked beneath the tires. May’s pulse kicked harder, not entirely from the storm. The heat of him, the strength of him, the way her body fit against his, all curled low and tight inside her.
Lightning split the sky ahead, bright enough to turn the world white for a single breath.
Ace didn’t slow.
Another flash split the sky. White light exploded through the forest, blinding for half a second. Crap. The storm lived right above them. May panicked and plastered herself to him.
Ace reacted instantly. His shoulders tensed beneath her hands. “Hold on.” The words were barely out before another crack followed, this one violent and immediate. A lightning strike slammed into a tree somewhere ahead and to the right. The impact detonated like a gunshot, wood splintering with a sickening, explosive snap. Shards of bark and debris burst outward.
Ace jerked the handlebars.
The ATV fishtailed, back end kicking sideways as mud slicked beneath the tires. May’s breath tore from her lungs. Her helmet slammed lightly against Ace’s back as the Polaris skidded, then caught, then lurched again.
Another strike arced down. This one hit closer. The air itself seemed to shatter.