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“You’re freezing. Quite possibly going in shock. Tristan had several outposts built after he and June had gotten caught in a similar storm. There should be one nearby for us to take shelter.”
Shelter sounded like a bingo idea right now. Her fingers, sopping and covered in muck from the puddle, were beginning to feel like icicles. What an incredible climate shift. It had been balmy before, the air thick with heat and humidity. Now they were a few degrees away from an ice storm and lightning splintered out in all directions. The thunderous booms began to sound like cannon fire.
Orik shifted his grip to take her hand and pulled her faster along the terrain. Once they were under the thick forest canopy, the rain wasn’t so harsh. It rolled down the leaves like a million little waterfalls. Her teeth began to chatter.So cold. And now the wind began to pick up.
“Are w-we almost t-there?” she stuttered.
He paused to glance around, almost unsure, then exclaimed, “This way,” tugging her along once more. The chill in her bones was becoming painful, and she knew she couldn’t keep up with him much longer.
“Orik.” His name was a plea, and it was all she could muster as her jaw locked against the frigid temperature. The only warmth she felt now was from where their hands joined.
As if he understood her agony, he scooped her up in his arms to carry her. She instantly curled into his heat. It was only a small reprieve, but a blessed one.
Finally they came upon the outpost. It looked more like a cottage built from uneven stone bricks and a thatched roof. At the door, he punched numbers on a keypad and a lock whirred.
Inside, he rushed through the darkened room to lay her on a couch that faced an empty fireplace. Then he briefly disappeared into an adjacent room. He returned with a fleece blanket and wrapped her in it, rubbing her arms furiously to help warm her. Then he crossed to turn on a screen that was built into the wall. After maneuvering through a menu of options, the lights flared to life and a line of flames burst from the base of the fireplace, instantly giving off exquisite heat.
Now that she could see better, she canvassed the space. The cottage was quaint, with a small kitchenette built into one corner. The now-blazing hearth was the focal point of the room. A set of doors behind her led to two separate rooms. It was obvious no one lived here, even without the empty vibes. There were no pictures on the walls or decorative ornaments on the shelves.
Orik darted into one of the back rooms, and she heard the sound of water rushing from a faucet. He returned and knelt in front of her to slip off her sodden boots and placed them by the fire to dry. She was taken off guard by his caretaking and softened toward him.
Then he unclipped the Ka-Bar from her waist. At first she thought he was going to chastise her for taking it, but he merely gave her a peeved look and then set it on a nearby end table. After that, he removed her blanket, scooped her up once more, and then carried her into the bathroom, where steam was rising from a large round tub as it slowly filled with piping hot water.Want! Want!
“Is this for me?”
“There’s enough hot water for the tub to be filled once.”
“And that means…?”
At some point he had removed his own shoes, but he seemed unconcerned with the rest of their soaked clothes as he stepped into the tub.
16
Orik eased them both into the tub, fully clothed, and settled her sideways on her lap.
“What are you—” Jessie began to protest, but then the warm water hit her frigid flesh and she purred in response. The sound crawled through him like a caress, touching every nerve ending in his body. The tub was big enough for two, but he had to position her on his lap, her back to his chest, to fit comfortably. She didn’t seem to mind. Her head lulled and her eyes closed. Then, finally, her shivers began to wane. This storm had come in faster and fiercer than even he could have estimated, but he suspected her shivering was due to something more than the storm. Shock, perhaps. Either from her encounter with a witch or from seeing his dragon form, possibly both. The last time she’d seen a dragon, she hadn’t responded well.
“Is this normal?” she asked, her voice now soft and smooth. “Bathing with your clothes on?”
“No. But it was the quickest way to get us both warm.”
“Well, I’m not complaining.” She relaxed further, her body molding over his.
The chill in his own body began to dissipate. “Perhaps I should remember this little trick the next time I need to cool your ire.”
A light laugh slipped from her mouth. Her hand grazed the surface of the water as though she were petting it. It made him wonder what it might feel like, should she graze his flesh with those delicate fingers.
“With treatment like this, I might have been persuaded to stay in my cage a little longer,” she remarked.
He gritted his teeth. “Stop calling it that.”
“Sorry. The guest room in which I was confined.”
He growled low in his throat and muttered in her ear. “You try my patience.”
“I think I can feel yourpatienceall over my backside.” She wriggled that lush ass of hers over his lap. He tensed, a zing of lust shooting through his spine.
Sexy, infuriating woman. What was she playing at, teasing him like that? “You seem very unconcerned by my wrath.”
