AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She didn’t want to hurt him, but if forcing their relationship back to an antagonistic repartee was the fastest departure from romance, then she would do it.
Ryan’s jaw ticked as he stared at her. “You’re impossible. I’m not usually off when it comes to gauging people, but, man, did I miss the mark on this one. I didn’t think you wanted to be alone. Thought maybe you were shy, maybe you needed someone to go the extra distance—to meet you more than halfway, but you’re emotionally closed off. Here I am, stuck in a blizzard with a bona fide ice queen. It’ll take weeks to chip the frost off me.”
Her temper flared. “Screw you, Ryan.” Who the hell did he think he was to presume he knew her so well? “I told you what I wanted last night, and you seemed to be on board. Now today, your fragile ego is about the most pathetic spectacle I’ve ever seen.”
“Let’s stop. Call this a mistake before we draw blood. I’m going to the rock wall to work it off.”
Bethany cringed and shook her head. “Of course you are.” Go do something risky while you’re angry and unfocused. Smart guy. Definitely the man I want on my side. In my bed. Leaving me when he’s too damn excited to use good sense and getting himself killed. Right, let’s go bond.
—
Bethany stalked around the lounge, moving from window to window like a caged animal. No one got under her skin like Ryan. She was furious. Scared? To hell with him. She could almost feel the heat of her anger steaming off her skin. Damn it, she should have laid into him about his expectations, his flaws. She should have told him exactly why he wasn’t someone she wanted to bond with, get to know better. Why the simmer in her belly every time she saw him was such a damn mistake. He was the ultimate risk taker, and she’d had more than enough experience with that kind of man. Losing that kind of man.
Damn it, it was hot. Wasn’t there any circulation through this place?
She should have told him off, but then she would have shared more of herself than she wante
d. She already did too much of that where he was concerned.
Would a thermostat be too much to ask for?
She tried to harness her frustration with a deep pull of air through her nose, wishing she could blow out the resentment in one giant breath. No good. She was over the top. The cabin seemed to close in on her. Claustrophobia had never been a problem for her in the past, but now no place inside was far enough away from Ryan, the memory of what he did to her the night before, and the potential of what he could do to her resistance if she gave him another chance.
There wouldn’t be another chance.
She had to get outside and cool off. Sure, it was a dozen degrees below freezing, but she had a sheen of sweat across her brow. She needed a minute to be alone, to get her emotions tamped down. As much as she wanted to scream in his face right now, Ryan was still the man she worked with every day.
A little fresh air would clear her head. She huffed to the couch, grabbed the throw from over the arm, and wrapped it around her shoulders. In the foyer coat closet there were several pairs of wool-lined boots and a few coats. The boots were a necessity, but the blanket would be enough around her shoulders since she’d only be out for a minute.
The boots nearly slipped off her feet at every step. She stomped out the door, cursing herself for not going the way of a cold shower the night before. Well, a cold shower instead of sex, rather than when the hot ran out while Ryan had her back pressed against the tile wall and her legs wrapped around his hips.
Pacing back and forth, she frothed over her own ineptitude, alternately fuming at Ryan for calling her out on her intimacy issues and raging at herself for being everything he accused her of.
Finally, she’d gotten enough anger worked out for the cold of the heavy, drifting snow to permeate her heated state. It was freezing, and she had half an inch of accumulation on her shoulders. She studied the vague outline of the trees, the mishmash of footprints from her pacing, and no cabin.
She turned around and realized that beyond about ten feet, she couldn’t see a thing, and she didn’t know which way she’d come. With all her stomping and turning and juvenile antics, she’d become completely disoriented. The tracks around her had softened in definition as the new layers of flakes settled over them. A stiff wind blew, pulling at the blanket wrapped around her, and a chill settled deep within her frame. She shivered and ran a few feet to her right. Still nothing but trees. The ground was all but unreadable. Suddenly, Ryan’s intuitive knack didn’t seem like such a bad thing to have.
No, screw that. She’d be methodical. She’d been outside for ten minutes. How hard could it be to reason her way back to the cabin?
Chapter Four
“Beth? Look, I’m sorry. I’ve been a jackass today…. Beth?” Ryan walked back through the open lounge. Empty. He frowned. She hadn’t been in the gym or her room. He needed to find her and apologize for pushing, for passing judgment on what was none of his business. He’d wanted her for so long, he thought it would be different between them. After last night, her rejection was a tough blow to his ego. Not an excuse for being an asshole, though. Shit, he had to make it right.
Raking his hair back with one hand, he walked through to the kitchen.
Where did he miss her?
Turning to check the bedrooms again, his gaze caught at the window. The trees in front of the house were barely visible. He stopped to stare at the grayish glow cast from the blowing storm and felt the stillness of the cabin around him.
There was no one else inside these walls.
He rushed through to the entranceway and pulled open the closet. One pair of boots was missing, but the two coats were still hung. The wind whistled against the wood frame, and a cold sweat washed over him. How long had he been stewing before he bucked up to come out and apologize? Ten, twenty minutes? Shit, she didn’t even have a coat.
Throwing his jacket around him, he pushed out the door before he’d even gotten it buttoned.
Visibility was worse than he’d thought, and the temperature had plummeted. Icy wind bit at his skin and ears as he pulled the fur-lined hood over his head and ran a quick circle around the lodge. There was no sign of her. Damn it, what was she thinking wandering off in weather like this? Where was her good sense and fucking reason now?
He checked the compass on his watch, moving quickly as he marked off paces and turned.
