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)
“Yes.” Rain hammered down harder, drumming against them as if they’d pissed off the gods above. Thunder rolled continuously now in overlapping cracks that shook the air. The ditch filled slowly with runoff, and cold water crept along May’s side.
Ace finally lifted his head. Lightning flickered farther away this time. He shifted his weight, bracing one hand beside her shoulder. He didn’t rise fully, just enough to look down at her. Rain tracked along the sharp planes of his face, but his expression was hard, focused, and protective. “You good?”
May panted out a breath. “Yeah.” In that second, she became even more aware of the weight and heat of him. Of the steady thud of his heart against her. Her arms were still trapped between them, her fingers gripping his torso as if letting go might send her sliding back into danger.
His gaze dropped to her mouth, and something dark and hot shifted in his eyes. Then another crack of thunder split the sky, shattering the fragile, dangerous stillness. He pushed up. “The trail is washed out ahead of us. We need to call in and return to town.” He held a hand for her, and she took it, letting him pull her up.
She blinked, staggering. Had he just saved her life?
Chapter Fourteen
Rain pelted them without mercy, stinging Ace’s face and blinding his vision. Wind tore through the trees. Branches snapped and debris flew in front of the four-wheeler. The sky had gone nearly black with thick clouds choking out the day. Driving the bucking vehicle, he leaned into the storm, locking his muscles and trusting his instincts to get them to safety.
His cabin emerged through the sheets of rain.
He drove past the shop and jerked the machine to a halt as the wind shrieked around them. Sliding off, he immediately pulled May with him, lifting her straight into his arms. The cold had teeth now, biting through soaked fabric into skin. He curved his body around hers best he could, shielding her from the brutal wind. She was shaking. Hard. Not just from cold but maybe from shock. Or even fear.
His gut clenched. That lightning had been too damn close, and he’d taken her down hard. She was small and breakable, and he could’ve hurt her. He ran for the door, his boots splashing through mud and pooling water. He shoved it open, hauled her inside, and then kicked it shut against the storm’s violent howl.
“Whoa,” she said, shoving wet hair off her face.
“Hold on.” He set her down in the vestibule. His fingers were stiff and numb, but he forced speed into his movements. Shedding his coat, he kicked off his boots and hustled toward the fireplace in the center of the main room.
The cabin was dark. Much darker than it should’ve been.
He crouched, struck a match, and touched flame to the waiting kindling. Fire flared, small but alive. His tension started to ease. Moving to a lamp, he flicked it on. The light wavered, flickered, and then steadied. He turned back to the shivering woman watching him.
She blinked in the glow and shook out of her coat before nudging off her boots. Water dripped onto the floor. Her blonde hair matted to her head, and mud coated her skin, clothes, and face. Shuddering, she looked at the fire and then the small lamp. “You have a generator?”
“I do. It’s hooked up automatically. Don’t you have one?”
She shook her head. “Only at the clinic and not at home. My place is probably pitch black right now.” Her lips were turning blue.
A protective surge hit him low and hard.
She scrunched her nose, glancing toward the window where rain lashed the glass. “I have to tell you, I don’t think it’s been this dark all month, and it’s still the middle of the day.” She sounded more shell-shocked than thoughtful.
“It’s closer to dinnertime than you think,” Ace said. “But yeah. That’s a hell of a storm.”
Thunder cracked overhead, rattling the walls.
He closed the distance between them, lifting her chin gently. Mud smeared along her jaw, and bits of pine cone clung to her cheek. He brushed it away, his fingers lingering against skin that felt far too cold. “Did I hurt you?” He ran his hands carefully down her wet arms, checking for injuries without making it obvious. Her clothes were soaked, her skin icy, and alarming tremors rolled through her.
“Hurt me?” Her gaze lifted to his.
“Yeah. I tackled you pretty hard back there.”
She laughed softly. “No, I’m fine. I might have a couple of bruises, but I’m definitely better off than if we’d been struck by lightning.”
The thought dragged him back to the ditch and to the white flash that had filled the forest. The crack that rattled bone. The ground shuddering under his boots like it might give way.