“Fine.” With a wince, he brought his left arm over his chest, then raised his right and grasped a handful of my jacket.
“Okay, I’m going to lift. Let me take your weight, and you shift your hips, so you’re sitting on your butt. Ready?”
“Yep.”
I tightened my grip, planted my boots and pulled.
He barely moved. All I got was more coat.
“I told you this wouldn’t work,” he growled. “I’m too heavy.”
“Oh, hush.” I wasn’t giving up that easily. “I’m just not holding you in the right place. This coat moves too much. Too much slack.” I let go and tunneled my hands under it. My fingers moved over soft fabric and tight flesh. In any other situation, I would probably take the time to savor the feeling of his hard torso beneath my hands. He was a fine-looking man who made my lady parts wake up and take notice, not to mention he made my heart beat a little faster. But in the cold and pouring rain while he laid here bruised and broken, I tamped any of those feelings down. We had bigger problems.
“Now what are you doing?”
My hands found the waistband of his pants, and I smiled. “Getting a better anchor. Let’s try again.”
“Lana—”
“Shut up and lift your hips, Toren. I want to get us out of the rain.” Maybe hehadhit his head. It was almost like he didn’t want to get out of this crevice.
His lips pressed together, and he glared at me, but didn’t argue.
“On three.” I adjusted my stance, taking his silence for acquiescence. “One… two… three.” Fingers tight around his belt, I heaved. His hips rose, then shifted, and his hand clutched my shoulder. With a moan, he sat on his rear and, holding onto me, managed to sit up.
I leaned back when his grip loosened. “See? Ye of little faith. I told you it would work.”
“I’m not out of this trench yet.”
“Nope, but with you on your butt, you just need to get that right foot under you, and I can roll you forward, so you can stand up. Are you ready, or do you need a breather?” This close, I could see the hints of lighter brown in his deep, dark eyes. They looked a little less like fathomless pits from this distance and more like a dark lake I could lose myself in. I tried not to do that as I studied his face for signs of pain. His features were a little pinched, but his teeth weren’t clenched, which was good.
“Let’s just get this over with.”
His low growl brought me out of my thoughts and back to the task at hand. “Same thing as before. Let me take most of your weight. Just don’t bowl me over and make us both crash into the rocks, all right?”
A small grin flitted with his mouth. “Deal.”
Curling his right leg, he brought his knee up and planted his foot. “Stagger your feet. Because with my height and weight, my momentum will carry us over if you don’t.”
I dropped my right leg back, then readjusted my grip, moving more to hug him than just hang onto his belt loops. “Okay, let’s do this.” I counted to three again and heaved.
Toren’s butt left the ground. He let out a quick grunt of pain as he moved from sitting to standing, and for a moment, we teetered on the edge of losing our balance. A quick shuffle from me kept us upright, and he was able to fully unfold.
“You okay?” I looked up at him. A paleness shone on his cheeks, battling for space with the redness brought on by the cold.
“As I can be, yes.” He glanced over his shoulder at the ground. “We need to figure out what we’re doing with that. I can’t carry it.”
I peered around him at his giant pack. “Leave it. I’ll come back for it.” I wasn’t sure how I’d lug it out of here, but I’d find a way. Maybe I could drag it.
“It’s got most of our medical supplies in it. We’ll need them for my ankle.”
“I know, but I can’t help you and carry both backpacks. Mine’s lighter. You’re heavy. It’s staying here for now.”
“Grab the trauma kit out of it, at least. I can bandage my ankle while you come back for the main pack, then.”
That was a good idea.
Making sure he was steady before I let go, I picked my way around him and unzipped the bag, digging through the contents. The kit was near the top and small enough I could tuck it into my backpack.
