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“I’ll keep that in mind.” I scrambled to try to get my feet to latch onto anything, clawing my other hand into the muck as he continued to pull.
“I bet you’re a mushroom girl.”
“Pepperoni and sausage, the spicier the better,” I managed to grit out, gasping for air as the rush of adrenaline pushed my heartrate even higher. When I was able to grab the edge, his massive hand slapped onto my arm, his grip tighter than anything I’d experienced before.
Suddenly, I was in his arms, tears springing from both eyes. As we both heard a light crashing sound, I clung to his shirt, pressing my face against his chest. I sobbed for a few seconds, doing what I could to control my breathing.
“Ssshhh…” he whispered.
“I almost… You and…”
“I’ve got you. I will never let you go. Never.” He took several deep and ragged breaths, pulling me even closer.
I could hear and feel how rapidly his heart was beating, but the warmth of his body against mine was all I could concentrate on. “Recent rains?”
He chuckled, the strain in his voice increasing. “Over the past couple of seasons, or so I was told. I had no idea how bad it was. I shouldn’t have brought you here. Are you hurt?”
I lifted my head, still trying to catch my breath. “Just my pride. It’s beautiful here and I was the idiot who decided to make it a game and run.”
“Come to think of it, I did tell you to stop, and you didn’t. Hmmm…” While he was teasing, the sound of his voice indicated he was still rattled.
“Oops.” I’d never felt so much relief before. He’d been my hero.
He cradled me in his arms for another few minutes then helped me stand. “Do you want me to take you home?”
“And waste the last of this beautiful day? Not a chance,” I whispered, fighting the intense emotions as he rubbed his thumb through my tears, collecting every single one.
“I can tell you’re going to continue to be hardheaded. Aren’t you?”
“Maybe.”
His grin was a clear indication he had something up his sleeve.
When he tossed me over his shoulder as if I weighed nothing, I squealed, wiggling in his hold. He simply took long strides through the forest, the fallen limbs nothing of a bother to him. As he brought me out of the shadows toward the blanket, every tingling sensation I’d had before was magnified. He said nothing, but his hold was firm. I doubted he’d allow me another chance of getting away, if only because he’d made himself my protector. Game or no game, he was taking the situation with Drake far too seriously.
When he placed me on my feet, he only backed away long enough to wrangle the jacket off my shoulders.
“What are you doing?” I asked as he tossed it aside.
“Fucking you.”
He deadpanned his reaction, which amused me. I didn’t think he had it in him, his frank answer making me laugh. “Here?” I glanced around the secluded location as a quick sliver of embarrassment coursed through me.
“Yes.”
He kept a smirk on his face as he grabbed my shirt with both hands, yanking the hem from my jeans.
“So you’re giving me the silent treatment?”
“Yup.” The man was having far too much fun with this. When he jerked it over my head, he took a sharp breath, the rumble of sound coming from his chest leaving me breathless.
“Fine. Then two people can play the game.” I tugged at his Henley shirt until I was able to slide my hands underneath, taking sharp breaths at the way my fingers tingled. When I lifted it halfway up his chest, he stared down at me, the look in his eyes unfamiliar. Almost as if he didn’t know me. They were unfocused, his pupils slightly dilated, and I could swear he was lost in a vision or dream.
For a few seconds, the ugliness surrounding the thought scared me. Was it possible my thinking held some amount of truth? There was a small pang in my heart as if I was already losing what didn’t belong to me. At least not in any traditional sense. No matter his he-man claims.
“Did you forget about me, cowboy?” I asked, a series of knots forming in my stomach.
It took him a few seconds to blink three times in rapid succession but as soon as he did, he lifted a single eyebrow. “Do you think it’s possible to ignore a wild child like you?”
