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“I stand by my earlier statement, that I’ll kill you if you try to hurt me. But against my better judgment, I trust you. I just don’t know if I can make it another mile,” I hide my face in my hands, ashamed of my weakness and not able to watch him scrutinize me.
Before I can register his movements, my legs are swept out from under me and I’m cradled in his arms. A small squeak escapes me.
“I’m sorry if this is too much for you, but you’ve done enough and I meant what I said about getting you to safety. We can’t stay here, we’ve got to keep moving in case they decide to cross the river.” There is no question in his voice, he intends to carry me for a mile.
“You can’t do this, I’m too heavy and it’s too far. I can’t ask you to do this,” I insist.
“You didn’t ask, I’ve carried men twice as heavy as you farther distances, and I’m not giving you a choice,” he states bluntly. Leaving no room for argument. He seems to be much more comfortable giving orders than partaking in small talk.
I’m not sure how I feel, but I’m too tired to fight it. My weight doesn’t seem to be bothering him as he moves effortlessly through the overgrown trees. I’m 5’6” and have meat on my bones, but he is hardly breathing heavy and his footsteps are light, he’s not struggling at all. I let myself relax, and try not to worry so much.
Unfortunately, my brain doesn’t know how to completely shut off. I can’t believe this happened to me. I’m mad at those disgusting men, I’m mad that they took me so easily. I’m mad that I didn’t kill them for what they did. What if they go back out to the highway and find another girl to attack? What if they go back to my car and find my wallet, get my information, and come after me?
I squeeze my eyes shut, my head is still throbbing. At some point though, my head ends up resting on Nathan’s shoulder. My nose is pressed against the collar of his shirt. He smells good, not like a fragrance, just masculine. My ex always smelled like whatever cheap cologne his mom gave him for Christmas, I hated it. When I tried to gift him a scent that I preferred, he never even took it out of the box. Jerk.
I mentally shake off those thoughts, especially the ones about Nathan’s scent. I am losing my mind. I realize I still have my eyes closed, and peek out from between my lashes. His jawline is sharp, chiseled down to his chin. A dark dusting of stubble where a beard would be stands out against his light skin. I’m too nervous to look into his eyes, afraid the closeness of our faces would make my examination incredibly awkward. Instead, my eyes trail down his throat, the stubble almost reaches his Adam’s apple.
I can’t ever remember a time that I’ve felt this comfortable being carried by someone. I’ve always felt like I’m too big, that it’s too awkward because of my height, but I don’t feel like that at all right now. After the terrible day I’ve had, I let myself enjoy being held by strong, capable arms.
Chapter Eight
Nathan
I was being honest when I told her that carrying her wouldn’t be a problem. The only difficulty has been not being able to see the obstructions at my feet with her in my arms. Luckily, I’ve made quick work of any obstacles and haven’t stumbled. I don’t think she would take kindly to me accidentally dropping her.
After a few minutes of walking, I feel her relax in my arms, even laying her head against my shoulder making me think she might have fallen asleep. I knew she was exhausted, and I had a feeling she wasn’t going to let me carry her unless I insisted. I took a risk by swooping her up into my arms without permission. I could’ve earned a slap in the face for it. My gut keeps telling me to take care of this girl, and I learned a long time ago to trust my intuition in hairy situations. Sometimes it’s been the only thing to keep me alive.
I am hyper aware of how her body feels in my arms, she’s still shivering, or trembling, I can’t tell which. I tuck her tightly against my chest as I step over a fallen sapling laying across my path, her head nestling in under my chin. I don’t loosen my grip on her even after I clear the obstacle, convincing myself that sharing my body heat will ease her tremors. She either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care.
I glance down at the top of her head, making sure she isn’t looking up in the direction of my face. I use this opportunity to examine some of her features more closely. Her hair tickles my jaw at this angle, and the fresh scent of her shampoo lingers on my senses. A splatter of freckles across her nose draws my attention, they’d be hard to see if I wasn’t so close to her, making me aware of how unusual this proximity is for two strangers. She’s biting her lip, like she’s deep in thought, or worrying. My eyes are drawn to where her teeth drag across the pink skin.
“Are you okay?” I ask her softly, not trying to startle her since both of us have been silent for so long. A soft sigh escapes her, making me wonder if that’s the only response I’ll receive, but after a few seconds, she continues.
“Just wondering why this happened to me,” she whispers. It’s so faint, I can hardly hear her.
“Can I ask how it happened?” I don’t want to push her, but I am curious about the details.
“I got a flat tire. I pulled over to try to put on a spare when they pulled up behind me. I knew they were bad news right away, but they cornered me and knocked me out. The next thing I knew I was in the back of their shitty van. I’ve concluded that I’ve done something to piss the universe off.” Her whole body shudders, so I give her a reassuring squeeze where my hands cradle her leg and upper arm, not sure how to comfort someone in a situation like this.
“Do you remember the road you were on when you got your flat?” I asked, trying to figure out how far from her origin point they took her.
“I was on I-83, I’m not sure exactly where but there was no cell service and I hadn’t seen a gas station or any signs for miles,” she exhales.
“That’s probably an hour from here, less once you get on the main road, but cutting through the mountain on the access roads is risky. They must be familiar with the area.” I imagine they wanted to stay off the radar, but who knows where they were taking her.
“I wasn’t sure how long I was unconscious, I was terrified when I woke up. I just really hope I can get back to my car. I had all my stuff in it, my phone, wallet, and my laptop for work. What if they took my information? Try to track me down?” She buries her face further into my collar like she’s subconsciously trying to hide. The tip of her nose brushes against my neck sending a jolt down my spine. What the fuck was that?
“I won’t let that happen,” I state matter of factly, without a doubt in my mind that I’m going to see this through to the end. I’m not going to let her get hurt. I’m involved now and I don’t intend on abandoning her. She wipes her cheek across the collar of my jacket, and sniffles.
“Sorry,” she says softly. “It’s been a rough day.”
God damn, this woman is going to make me set fire to this whole fucking mountain to make sure those bastards suffer. I try to reign in my anger again, not needing her to interpret my aggression in the wrong way, but I want to put my fist through one of these tree trunks. In the same breath, I have to stop myself from leaning my forehead against hers to comfort her in some small way. A gesture way too intimate and not at all appropriate in this situation.
Not sure how my day ended up here, but I don’t mind that I was in the right place at the right time to help Callie. Who knows what would have happened to her out here, there is no one for miles. If I had packed up and left my hunting spot 10 minutes sooner than I did, I wouldn’t have had any clue that she was out there, I wouldn’t have been able to help her, and I surely wouldn’t be holding her right now.
We stay silent the remainder of the walk, both of us lost in our thoughts. I see my four-wheeler up ahead and close the remaining distance before setting Callie down on the back of it.
“The good news is there is no more walking, bad news is that we have to ride a couple of miles to get back to my house and it’s going to be cold, especially since your clothes are wet,” I say apologetically, shrugging off my jacket to offer her.
