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Luck was on our side. For now.
Sophia had begun shivering again. I took off my coat and draped it around her shoulders, then positioned the flashlight in a way that illuminated half of the space in a dim golden glow.
Fisting my hands on my hips, I surveyed the room. It wasn’t much, but it would get us through the night.
28
Sophia
After checking every nook and cranny of the cabin, Justin made several trips to his vehicle while I sat like a bump on a log.
I’d offered to help but was immediately shut down. Not that I minded, considering I was half-naked (under a blanket, at least), and my body felt like it had been run over by a truck. Also, I was incredibly shaken. I knew that I would have died if Justin hadn’t found me.
As much as I hated to admit it, the uncertainty I’d felt for him in the beginning was quickly becoming overcome by desire. A longing, a thirst to learn more about him, and for him to want to learn more about me.
I was literally living the white-knight scenario. Me, the damsel in distress; him, my brooding, grumpy, scarred savior. As much as I tried to discount the feelings I was having, it was impossible to ignore what I was feeling. It was uncontrollable.
I wondered if this was what schoolgirls felt when the star quarterback walked by. All heady and giggly with little hearts in their eyes. I wouldn’t know. I was homeschooled because life outside my father’s control was too dangerous. I was a kidnap risk, I’d been told. A sitting duck for any one of his rivals.
It was at that moment that an epiphany hit me like a wrecking ball. All my life, I’d been waiting for someone to save me. I was sick of saving myself, over and over again, all alone.
I wanted someone towantto save me.
Tripping over these unsettling thoughts, I studied Justin as he cleared the chimney, plunging out the debris with a stick he’d found outside. He didn’t mind the black soot raining down on him, the spider webs, the dead leaves. He didn’t care much about anything other than the task at hand. He moved from one job to the next with a laser-like focus. He also had hearing like a cat, because the second I began to stand to help, he scolded me.
Once satisfied with the chimney, Justin got to work building a fire, using two starter logs he’d retrieved from his pack.
I watched him in awe. A mercenary, an outdoorsman, a survivalist—an incredibly gorgeous, mysterious creature.
It all felt so primal. Me, in nothing but a shirt and panties, my man building a fire, taking care of me while a storm raged outside.
It took a good twenty minutes for the logs to catch. Once the fire ignited, Justin shifted his focus to me, first aid kit in hand.
“Can you feel the heat?” he asked, kneeling in front of me.
“Yes, thank you. And this blanket helps too.”
“Yeah. It’s literally saved my life before.”
He examined the cut on my cheek. His jaw clenched.
Our eyes met. A shiver rippled through me, but this time, not because of the cold.
I could tell Justin wanted to say something, probably to ask for the umpteenth time who hurt me. I wish I knew.
“I need to clean it,” he said instead.
“Okay. Don’t worry about hurting me.”
His eyes flashed, locking onto mine with such intensity, I instinctively leaned back.
“Iwon’thurt you. Ever,” he snapped. “Now, be still.”
Justin gently ran his thumb along my swollen cheekbone, leaving a trail of heat over my skin. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach.
I was extremely attracted to him, yes, but I’d never, ever had such a physical reaction to a man’s touch. Most of the contact I’d had with men had been cruel and excruciatingly painful. Something about Justin Montgomery lit me from the inside out.
We didn’t speak as he cleaned the wound, then bandaged it with a Band-Aid the size of my fist. I felt embarrassed at how silly I must look, but quickly shook it off. An infection was the last thing I needed.
