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“I don’t think so but I twisted it pretty badly. It hurts like a motherfucker.” She gazed up at the cabin and blew out a breath. “It’s going to be hell to make it up that hill on a bum ankle.”
“I’ve got you.” I already had an arm around her waist, so I bent at the knees, ready to scoop her up.
She batted my hand away. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to carry you the rest of the way.”
“No, thanks. I’ll manage.”
“Charlotte…”
“I said I’ll manage.”
She scrambled out of my hold and attempted to walk, but it didn’t work out. Her grunt of pain when she tentatively put pressure on her injured ankle sent guilt shooting through me. Her pain was my fault. If she hadn’t been looking back, checking on me, she wouldn’t have missed her step. If I hadn’t foolishly taken off into the woods alone, she wouldn’t have had to come and rescue me. I had a habit of causing women pain on my birthday it seemed. Maybe I was cursed…
Refusing to watch Charlotte stubbornly cause herself more pain, I swung her into my arms without warning so she couldn’t refuse.
“Jamie, put me down,” she demanded.
“Stop being so damn stubborn,” I chided. “You can barely walk, and we need to get inside fast.” I softened my tone because I understood her reluctance to be carried. She struck me as a tough-as-nails woman who could hold her own in any situation, and I liked that about her. However, if I didn’t intervene, we’d likely be swept away by the rising water. “Just relax, Wonder Woman, and let this city boy give you a hand. I owe you big for coming to save my ass.”
She peeked at me through her lashes and her cheeks tinged scarlett. Her frown then melted and a smile stretched her lips. “Fine.”
Wrapping her arms around my shoulders, she relaxed into my hold, and I continued the trek uphill.
16
CHARLOTTE
“The cabin’s door is unlocked,” I told Jamie as he hurried up the steps.
Instead of putting me down, he shifted me in his arms and reached for the handle.
I let out a laugh. “You can put me down now.”
“Not until we get inside…” He pushed the door open, angled his body to get us through it, and stepped in.
As he did a quick assessment of the place, I peeked up at him, taking in the determined set of his perfectly chiseled jaw. I was embarrassed about being carried when I was the one who was supposed to be doing the rescuing, but the longer I remained in his arms… goodness. It sure felt good to be held by a strong pair. It had been a while since I had that pleasure.
Despite his status as CEO of some huge empire where I was sure he was stationed behind a desk, he was fit. I was no tiny girl and he carried my weight uphill as if I was a feather, and he wasn’t even winded.
Realizing that I was getting carried away with my thoughts and that I was staring at him, I cleared my throat. “Thanks for the lift.”
His lips twisted upward. “You just can’t wait to get away from me, huh?”
“That’s not it.” Did I sound breathier than usual? “I’m sure you’re tired. It was a long walk.”
He shrugged and carefully set me on my feet. “There’s an entire row of these cabins up here. What’s the story about them?”
“They were a part of the resort that was here before Pacific Paradise,” I shared as I balanced on one foot while I stripped off my raincoat. “They were written off when the resort was bought and revamped. Now the staff use them to get away from the hotel.”
Jamie grunted his amusement and pushed his backpack off his shoulders. “Why would you guys want to get away from paradise?”
“Are you kidding? Being up here surrounded by the tranquility of nature is the real paradise.”
“You make a valid point. I never thought I’d enjoy a hike in the forest more than lounging in the hot tub in my suite.”
I smiled at that because maybe Jamie wasn’t a hardcore city boy after all. Glancing at him, I gathered that maybe we had more in common than I thought. I liked people who appreciated the simplicity and beauty of nature.
