Left for Wild - Harloe Rae Page 0,39
away with a muted snarl, forcing the animal inside of me to submit and behave. The last thing I want to do is scare Blakely. My need for her is reaching levels I won’t be able to return from. Not without releasing this aching tension first.
“Fuck,” I pant against her moist pout. “You’re too much. I can’t continue without ripping your clothes off. You win this round.”
There’s an unmistakable glaze shrouding her eyes. She combs through my hair with a trembling hand. “We’re definitely even, Boy Scout.”
A ripple of satisfaction skips down my spine. “Not sure that’ll ever be the case, but I won’t argue.”
“Smart man.” Blakely winks and lets a giggle loose to emphasize her good mood.
I stare into her baby blues while counting the blessings I’m not worthy of. She returns my gaze, imploring me with an overflowing amount of honesty and kindness. Mutual affection hovers between us as we hang in the balance. I almost glance away to savor the fortune before my luck runs out. But we remain suspended in these electric clutches until the demands of our situation present themselves.
A frigid blast rolls over us at a speed to cause concern. That wind gains momentum, sending a howl swirling across each corner. The sudden drop in temperature has Blakely’s teeth chattering and my instincts kicking into survivor mode. I glance at the smoldering cinders and consider rejuvenating the flames. But our protection in this area is limited to the walls of evergreens. There isn’t a decent space to build a shelter.
A shiver moves through her limbs, stealing a fraction of our shared heat. “Talk about spoiling the romance. Thanks a lot, climate change.”
I laugh at her disgruntled tone. “We can cuddle by the fire later.”
Blakely bounces her brows at me. “You have a deal, mister.”
Another gust has me looking up. The sky was clear and blue when we’d been parked in the tree. Now the view overhead is becoming angry with gray clouds and afternoon shadows sweeping in.
“Looks like a system is heading our way.” I jut my chin at the rapidly approaching danger above us. While stuck out in the elements with no shelter, we’re no better off than an open target waving a flag.
She follows my gaze, hers widening at the sight. “A storm? But we just survived a wolf attack.”
“I’m not sure nature is keeping score, sweetheart.”
“Well, it might be nice to maintain an even distribution of catastrophes. Yesterday was so calm.”
I spread my arms out to the side. “Welcome to the Canadian wilderness. You never know what to expect.”
Blakely claps a palm to her cheek. “Did I jinx us? I totally knocked on wood. This isn’t fair.”
“Hey,” I grip her wrist in a gentle hold. “We’ll be okay. It might just be an aggressive overcast.”
She blinks at me, her expression flat. “No way. Not with the breeze ready to snap branches in half. And it got really cold super fast.”
I nod while scrutinizing the assault on a few nearby pines. Windstorms can be disastrous on their own, but tornados aren’t common in these parts. The whistling in my ears rises several decibels. “My hunch is that we’re definitely getting some snow.”
“Okay, we’re wasting time. What should we do? We need a plan, boss.” Blakely reaches for her hat and gloves, shoving them on with an urgency I feel roiling in my gut.
I smirk at the nickname we’ve coined each other. “There isn’t an ideal spot to build a shelter, with all these trees. They’ll block some of the weather, but we could search for a clearing. Should we wander farther southeast and see what we find? We can follow the river downstream.”
She studies our crowded surroundings. A dense collection of dark green creates a cocoon that swaddles us from all directions. “I’ve never been in such a thick forest. From a quick drive-by view, they always seem like an inaccessible fortress. No wonder people get lost or left behind.”
“Or choose to stay away in general.”
“They’re the wise ones.”
“So, you’re not interested in visiting again?” I barely conceal the humor from my voice. There’s no doubt she sees the crinkles framing my eyes.
Blakely pops out a hip. “Let’s see how this trip wraps up first, huh?”
“Fair enough.” After grabbing our bags, I point straight ahead into a vast expanse of uncharted territory. “Do you want to lead?”
Her slender neck quivers with a laugh. “I think you already know the answer to that.”
I’m transfixed by the column of her throat. “How about we