Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Then he was back and helping me sit up.
“Come on,” he said, as he swept me up into his arms yet again. I wanted to protest, to tell him that I could walk, but being in his arms sent warmth racing through my entire body, and I decided to just let him carry me.
“It’s just a short walk to the house,” he said quietly, as I nestled my face closer to his throat.
And he was right. Because it couldn’t have been more than a minute or two before he spoke again.
“Here we are.”
He walked through a back door that led into a small mudroom, gently sitting me on another bench. He took off his jacket and hung it up before bending down to pull off my sneakers.
“Why in the hell are you wearing sneakers?”
I shivered. “I wasn’t…I wasn’t expecting…to go riding,” I said. “Or to get stuck…in a…storm.” My teeth were chattering as I tried to speak.
“Fuck, your socks are soaking wet.”
He took them off as well, then pulled me to my feet. He took off my jacket and hung it next to his, along with his scarf. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he led me through the house and to his bedroom. He urged me to sit on the side of the bed, then he quickly got a fire going. When flames were crackling in the hearth, he turned to face me…and pulled off his shirt, dropping it to the floor.
My eyes took in his hard muscles and perfect abs as he stripped down to his boxers.
He walked over, took my hand, and helped me to stand. “We have to get you out of those wet clothes, Lilibeth.”
I was so tired, and I had one hell of a headache, but I understood his words and knew he was right. I raised my arms, and he pulled my long-sleeved shirt over my head, then worked on my jeans. My legs felt weak, so I held his shoulders while lifting each leg so he could peel the wet fabric off. Finally, I stood there in nothing but my bra and panties, which had managed to remain dry.
Caden pulled the heavy quilt and sheet back and motioned for me to get in. I did so without hesitation. He climbed in after me.
“Roll onto your side, facing away from me.”
I did as he said, and felt his strong arms pull me close. Caden Wilde was spooning me, and the warmth of his body was nothing short of heavenly. The more I shivered, the closer he held me, until my body slowly stopped shaking and his heat engulfed me.
“Is that better?” he asked. His voice sounded both strained and husky.
“Yes.”
My own voice sounded brittle, and my eyes felt heavy, but I forced myself to stay awake. My headache slowly began to ease as I warmed up.
“Thank you, Caden. For looking for me.”
He held me a bit tighter. “You’re welcome, Lilibeth.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to ignore the way my name sounded on his lips.
I wasn’t sure how long we’d lain there in his bed, but the sound of Caden’s slow breathing started to relax me completely, and before I knew it, I’d drifted off to sleep.
Opening my eyes, I felt Caden’s arm still around my waist, but it was heavy now. The feel of his warm breath hitting my neck sent goose bumps over my skin, and I shivered involuntarily.
He jolted awake.
“Lilibeth?” he whispered.
“Yes?” I whispered back, not sure why.
“Are you still cold?”
“No, I’m warm now. I guess I dozed off.”
A soft chuckle came from him, and I smiled. When he laughed, it was a beautiful sound. How I wished he would do it more often.
“Do you feel like telling me what happened?”
Now that my mind wasn’t foggy and my head wasn’t pounding, the realization that his almost naked body was plastered to mine had my lower stomach coiling with want. I needed to move away, or I was going to go insane.
I rolled onto my back, and he removed his arm. I turned my head on the pillow, and our eyes met. He had the most beautiful eyes. Most of the time, they were a beautiful blue, but now they looked like brushed silver with flecks of gold. They were so unique and so stunning that for a moment, I was lost in them.
He blinked, and I snapped out of my trance.
“Lyra and I were on the trail when a clap of thunder came out of nowhere. She took off running into the pasture, and then something else seemed to spook her from our right. It might have been an animal running past us, but I didn’t see anything. She just kind of jumped to the left, then reared up, and I wasn’t ready for it and fell off her back. By the time I got up, she was a speck in the distance, and she didn’t go back toward the trail. I wish she had, because I could have followed her tracks. Instead, I found my own way back, but obviously went in the wrong direction.”