She had to hurry. If she could make it across she could hidein the tree line and follow the road to whatever town it ran to. Doubling herefforts, Everly ignored the fire in her muscles and shimmied faster along theside of the bridge. Blindly feeling for another toehold, Everly shifted herweight to her feet so she could scoot further on the edge. The toe of her bootsslipped from the metal lattice. Unable to catch herself Everly’s legs dangledin the open archway of the bridge forcing all of her weight onto her hold alongthe edge. Screaming in shock Everly tightened her hold around the ledge.
“Everly!!” Zane’s voice was coming closer, she could hearthe rustling of the bushes nearby. “Where are you?” He yelled.
The strength in her arms was fading fast, she wasn’t strongenough to support her full body weight like this much longer. The icy wind waspicking up around her, beating at her back. Everly could hear the wavessloshing violently in the tunnel beneath her. Oh God, she couldn’t fall downthere, not into that deep icy water, the chaos of currents beneath her told herit would drag her right under.
Her grip was slipping.
Movement to her right caught her attention. Crashing throughthe trees, Zane stopped at the corner of the bridge with a shocked expression.“Everly! What the…Hold on!” He yelled.
Running over the bridge, she heard him curse as he quicklyhit the keypad. The large metal doors started to slowly open. The strength inher grip was vanishing, she was going to fall. Squeezing through the crack ofthe opening door Zane lunged for her.
“Hold on!” he yelled.
Terrified she felt it happening with no way to stop it,meeting his gaze head-on she slowly watched the angry determination melt fromhis face as his eyes widened in shock. Lunging forward just out of reach heroared her name, “EVERLY!!”
It was too late. Her scream bounced off the stone wall asshe fell backward into the icy waters below.
Chapter 11
Zane knew the moment he watched her walk away from him atthe greenhouse something was wrong. The shadow dancing in those beautiful browneyes of hers warned him, and like an idiot, he didn’t listen. Anxiously heworked on that damn greenhouse and with every minute she didn’t reappear hisinstincts went haywire.
Every time he called out to her and heard no reply, Zanefelt a little of his sanity slip away. Something was wrong, he knew that forcertain. He ran around the back of the house and she wasn’t anywhere in sight.He had his boot on the porch stairs when he heard the scream. Taking off in thedirection of the noise he barreled through the tangled shrubs until he stoppedcold at the sight.
Hanging from the side of the bridge, Everly struggled tohang on. Anger and panic swamped his senses, as he ran to open the gate. Pure,focused adrenaline kept his hands from shaking as he punched in the gate code.Not waiting for the gate to open any wider Zane forced himself through theslowly widening crack lunging forward he yelled for her to “hold on.”
The desperate command went unheeded.
No, God no!
Still reaching uselessly over the edge, Zane watched withcold unending agony as she submerged into the deep rushing water.
Ignoring the pain that spread through his body like veins,Zane turned on his heel to the other side of the bridge. Throwing off his heavyjacket, Zane rushed the four-foot wall and planted one hand on the ledge beforevaulting over the other side.
±
Kicking open the cabin door, Zane carried her inside. Theywere both drenched from head to toe. With her teeth chattering, Everly saggedagainst Zane’s soggy chest shivering all over. She couldn’t stop shaking.
With each thundering purposeful step, Zane’s soaked bootssloshed across the wooden floors. Reaching the bathroom, he walked directlyinto the shower setting her down on the tiled bench.
Not a word, Zane had not said one word since he pulled herfrom the water. Everly’s memory was hazy and segmented after she fell into thewater. She remembered the icy shock of the water jolting through her, she evenremembered fighting against the cold current, but that was all she couldremember at this moment. It must have happened fast because it seemed like Zanewas right there pulling her to the surface only seconds after she went under.
Turning on the hot spray, Zane began pulling at her clothes.Too cold to do anything, Everly sat stiffly as Zane yanked and pulled at herclothes tossing them into a big soaking pile in the corner of the shower. Thehot spray from the water hit her body like needles, she was so cold it feltlike they were just bouncing off of her. Pulling her knees up to her chest,Everly wrapped her arms around her legs and pressed her breast to her thighstrying to do anything to maintain her warmth and hide her nudity. With her bodystill trembling and teeth chattering, Everly could only sit numbly under thewater as Zane stepped back and began removing his own wet clothes. She wantedto say something, to turn away, to do anything but sit there shivering againstthe wall unable to move. The murderous expression on his face told her withoutwords not to even think of moving. Pulling off the last of his remainingclothes, Zane turned the second nozzle on the opposite wall, activating thesecond rain faucet overhead. Water cascaded down around them in a steamydownpour enveloping them in its warmth.
“Come here,” he ordered gruffly, grabbing her hand andtugging her to stand. Completely disregarding his own nudity, Zane forced herto stand inches away from him.
Reaching behind her for the shelf in the corner of theshower, Everly sucked in her breath at the feel of his wet chest brushingacross her shoulder. Water poured over her head and down her face as she triedto bow her head to the onslaught, but that only served to put her line of sightat the jutting protrusion between his legs. Embarrassed, Everly began to stepback, to retreat to the far side of the shower.
“Stand still,” the rough command froze her to the spot.Scooping up her pink loofah, Zane grabbed her by the shoulder as he began torun the scratchy soapy material over her body.
“I can…,” She clamored, she would much rather do it herself.
“Don’t,” Zane snapped, his voice icy with anger.
Chastised and hurt, Everly bit her trembling lips to keepfrom breaking out into sobs as Zane continued. Running the soapy loofah acrossher shoulders and breasts, Everly forced herself to focus on the mural of inkpermanently painted across his chest. The collage of dark images began toactually hold her focus and help her ignore his softening strokes across herbelly or his other hand bracing her to him sliding down her body to hold hersteady. Pulling her forward, Zane broke her trance forcing her cheek flatagainst his slick broad chest. The feeling of his firm muscular flesh pushingher breasts flat against him was mind-rendering, distracting her from her hurtfeelings and his anger.
“Zane?” She questioned, her heart pounding against hisstomach as she felt the brush of his turgid length against her thigh.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he began to wash her back huggingher close. Everly tensed as she felt him stop at the cleft of her ass. Pullingaway, Zane slid his bracing hand down her back and over the curve of her ass ashe kneeled before her, face-to-face with the apex of her thighs. Nervously shetried to back away, but the dangerous flash of his eyes and tight grip on her asscheek kept her firmly in place.
