Page 7 of Phoenix


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“Especially after one night.”

“Fine. Go sulk in your whiskey.” His laugh was a reminder of all the things I was missing, but women weren’t on my radar.

He ended the call, and I immediately dialed another number. The smart thing to do was to hunker down for the night.

At least there was some small town I’d already forgotten the name of only ten miles away. After turning up the heat in my truck, I slowly made it around a curve. The Ram could usually get through anything, but the icy mixture made for treacherous driving for anyone. At least she answered on the first ring. “Betty. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m going to get back tonight.”

I could tell she was irritated, but she knew the time spent for my job wasn’t controllable.

“The roads are getting slick. Don’t worry. Everything is fine here.”

Sighing, I had a sense of relief. “How did tonight go?”

“As well as can be expected. Stop worrying. I’ll be right here until you get back,” Betty said, obviously trying to convince me.

“You’re an amazing woman.”

“I know,” she said, half laughing just before ending the call. At least one thing was under control.

With the snow falling rapidly, it was tough to see outside the windshield. God help anyone in a small car. Huffing, I was determined to make the best of it. Maybe I could finally get a good night’s sleep. I rounded another bend on the hilly road, the headlights illuminating a car up ahead. I slowed to a crawl as I neared, craning my neck to determine the problem. What in the hell was some idiot doing out in an old Trans Am in this kind of weather? They were either a danger junkie with a death wish, or a damn tourist who’d underestimated the ever-changing weather conditions.

I rolled down my window as I slowed to a stop. There was no one nearby. Maybe they’d realized the error of their ways. Snickering, I continued on, traveling about a mile and a half when I noticed a blip in the distance. “You have to be kidding me?” As I looked closer, I realized I was witnessing a train wreck, the idiot from the muscle car making an insane attempt to seek help.

Oh, fuck me. The driver was obviously trying to make it to a house or a commercial business to get help. The guy would need to walk another eight miles to find a single soul. While the last thing I wanted to do was have this kind of interruption on top of dealing with the icy conditions, I couldn’t allow the poor soul to continue walking.

Whoever was walking noticed my headlights and turned around. Just as I caught a single glimpse of the guy’s face, he collapsed onto the pavement. “Shit.” I glanced into the rearview mirror, passing the poor guy then pulling to a stop just a few feet away. I was no damn hero, but I couldn’t in good conscience let a man die on the side of the road.

As I climbed out, grabbing my flashlight from my gear bag, ice pellets hitting me in the face, I cursed Mother Nature for a second time. Damn, I didn’t like the cold. I yanked the hood of my jacket over my head then trudged through the snow, the crunching sound another reminder the late winter blast was perilous.

As I approached, shining the light just off to the side, I realized there was no movement, not a single sound or flinch. Jesus. If the guy had died on me, it was really going to fuck up things. I crouched down, slowly rolling him over and shining the low beam over his face.

Only the person with a death wish wasn’t a man.

The lone figure who’d fallen into unconsciousness was a woman, her face reminding me of an angel. I was momentarily mesmerized until I realized her lips were already turning blue. What the hell? She was dressed in jeans, a light parka with a thin hood, certainly not attire meant for this kind of weather. She wore no gloves and instead of boots she wore shoes without socks. What in God’s name had this girl been thinking? I pressed my fingers against her pulse. It was thready. I had to get her warmed up or she’d go into hypothermia. She was already unconscious.

What in the hell was she doing all the way out here? The road wasn’t a thoroughfare for a single major tourist destination, and it was clear she wasn’t a local.

There was no way I could leave her here to die in the wilderness. Grumbling, I scooped her up into my arms, holding her tightly against me. She seemed so frail, as if the life was draining from her small body. When she moaned, her eyes opening briefly, I cursed the day I’d returned to Montana. I preferred sun and surf, not mountains and snowstorms. At least that’s what I’d kept telling myself. As I eased her into the passenger seat, I shook my head. This was going to turn out to be a very interesting night.

When she moaned again, her fingers falling across my hand, a rocket fire of electricity shot through me. I shifted my gaze, once against captured by her eyes. While the light on the cab was dingy as hell, there was no doubt she was staring back at me with stunning lavender eyes. My cock twitched, a stark ache appearing out of nowhere. I could easily fuck her.

What the hell are you thinking?

“You’re going to be just fine,” I told her, driving my raging libido back into the darkness, as I grabbed the fire blanket from my bag. Maybe it would help keep her warm until I found a place to land. I shoved it around her shivering body, taking a few seconds to brush wet hair from her face. When my cock hardened even more, I chastised my body’s reaction. So she was beautiful. So the hell what? I had no room for romance, especially from a wayward stray on the side of the road.

As I eased onto the driver’s seat, I took a deep breath, shooting her one last look before pulling onto the road. She had no idea how lucky she was I’d found her.

She remained still, her breathing ragged as I continued on the road, the conditions becoming more treacherous with every mile. When I finally saw lights up ahead, all I could do was hope there was some sign of life, a single motel in the small town. After driving another mile, I noticed a half-lit neon sign just up ahead. The marquis reminded me of the old ones that I used to see when my parents had driven through whatever secluded location they had to get through in order to fulfill their need for adventure.

As I pulled in, I debated getting two rooms. Nah. I’d need to watch over her for a few hours to make certain her condition didn’t worsen. There was something ominous about the crackling sound the sign made as my boots hit the snow-laden pavement.

Half laughing, as I walked directly under it, I half expected the damn piece of glass tubing, metal, and plastic to come crashing down, shattering all around my feet. When I reached the door of the small office, I threw another look toward the truck, shaking my head.

The dude behind the counter was obviously surprised to see anyone in this weather. I’d been forced to rouse him from snoozing in front of whatever game show he was watching on Nickelodeon.

Then I had no choice but to carry her plus my gear bag up two flights, struggling to slide the old-fashioned key into the lock given her dead weight pushed against my chest. Before I walked inside, I gathered another whiff of her perfume, which turned my balls hard as rocks. It had been a long time since I’d held a woman in my arms. I kicked in the door, struggling to turn on a light.

The room was nothing special, but it appeared clean, and the heat was working. That’s all I gave a damn about. After yanking down the sheet and tattered comforter, I put her down. She was still trembling, the wet clothes part of the problem. Christ. The last thing I wanted to do was invade her privacy, but I had to get the wet clothes off her body, or she’d never start to warm up.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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