Left for Wild - Harloe Rae Page 0,48
returning to those types of tech jobs?”
That question gives me reason to pause. “You mean the kind that got me arrested?”
“Even I’m not ridiculous enough to suspect that.” Her blue eyes roll skyward. “I just meant computer stuff in general.”
“Sure, why not?” I resume chopping at the branch. “It’s the only thing I’m decent at.”
Choked laughter twinkles from behind me. “Um, that’s horribly false. I don’t have a ton of knowledge about your previous life, but that’s a fat lie.”
My stomach sinks at the vindication in her voice. If she ever talks to my parents, they’ll give her a few reasons to doubt me. “Nah, my skills are best used behind a screen.”
“Your talents are endless.” She motions at the pile of discarded wood surrounding me in hacked bits. “Exterior design, remember?”
I shake my head with a chuckle. “Yeah, maybe there’s a second career waiting for me.”
“I’ll be the first client banging on your door.”
The idea of that is more humorous than exterior design. “You’ll never have to want for anything.”
“Oh?” Blakely’s features flicker with heat and light a match to any resolve I’m foolish enough to preserve. Regardless of her lust aligning with mine, we’re on an icy fringe of the Arctic Circle. My balls will freeze before I have the option to thrust.
I snag a few logs and strut to where she’s standing. “That’s a dangerous look to point at a starving man.”
She snaps her jaw shut with a gasp. “Sorry.”
“Never apologize. Especially not for that.” That’s another statement I can’t repeat enough. I skate a finger along the fiery blush covering her cheek.
“Okay,” she murmurs while leaning into my touch. Underneath the red splotches, a chill is blooming.
After gathering more logs and bark, I kneel on the ground. Blakely crouches beside me with a bundle of twigs and dry vines. I hammer into the mostly frozen dirt with the butt of the hatchet.
She watches my straining effort. “Damn. I guess we can’t have it too easy.”
“Almost like a rock.” I’m chiseling at the surface and barely leaving a dent.
Blakely finds a sharp stick and begins pounding at the solid floor. “Do we need a hole this bad?”
“Nah, we’ll be fine without a pit. Once the fire is going, a natural groove will form.”
She begins constructing a tripod with the precision I use. “Fingers crossed for a widespread thaw.”
“Not sure that ever happens this far north.”
“Again, why would anyone choose to live here?”
“For the thrill of it?”
“Damn daredevils,” she mutters and shoves a bunch of kindling between the tilted logs.
“Our names will be listed among them, for merely surviving.”
She hikes a slim shoulder. “It’s a rite of passage. We can accomplish anything after enduring this.”
I track her gaze to the whipping rapids crashing against the shore. Squeals of wind warn us to seek cover. Our little bubble is still being protected, but for how much longer?
“We better get this done so I can catch dinner. The weather is only going to get worse.”
I drop down beside her, leaving zero room for personal space. Blakely doesn’t seem to be bothered by my close proximity. If anything, she angles toward me to get a better position. That’s my assumption, at least.
After placing a piece of crispy bark in front of us, I reach for some crunchy brush and leaves. I remind her how to rub a twig against the flammable base. She’s a quick study. Her slender hands move with effortless ease and have smoke rising from the twisting sticks faster than any typical beginner. I bend to where the first flickers spark, giving them a soft exhale for fuel. Blakely joins my methods, and our breath mingles into a hotter accelerant than gasoline.
“We did it.” Her tone vibrates with awe as she watches the flames spread.
“That was all you.”
She pokes her tongue out between her teeth. “I prefer when we’re in the grind together.” Her eyes widen, and she blinks too fast. “I mean, work. That’s more appropriate for this context.”
I dust my lips across her tipped jaw. “I don’t mind being in the grind with you.”
“I would hope not. Otherwise I’m doing something seriously wrong. The competition around here is nonexistent.”
“It wouldn’t matter if there was, sweetheart. Trust me on that, if nothing else.” After laying a loud kiss on her cheek, I stand and begin searching for an adequate spear. “I’ll be right back.”
“Are you sure it’s safe?” Her gaze is a tad starry and gleaming from the glowing light.
“Just a quick in and out.”
“That’s what she