Left for Wild - Harloe Rae Page 0,49

said.” Blakey dips her head to hide a giggle, but her words register regardless.

“Don’t be mistaken, boss. There will never be anything quick about that with us.”

I stride to the river while she’s left sputtering behind me. And yeah, there might be some swagger in my step.

Survival tip #17: Giving voice to panic will drown out sound reason.

Irrational fear is a thief, dashing off with my sensible reasoning the moment Halder is out of sight. He leaves me in the lurch for too long. The need for oxygen singes through my lungs. I didn’t realize my last breath was still trapped inside of me. That burning ache brews until I release a gasping exhale that almost doubles me over. But my entire focus is on the man exiting the chaotic stream mere feet from me. A rush of heightened emotions pummel me, thrashing for the front row.

Halder walks toward me with four fish skewered on his rod. That last word has me glancing at what he’s packing below the waist. I have no doubt he could melt the polar ice caps with that blowtorch. Good grief, I’m spiraling down the gutter again. When did I become such a sexual deviant?

Those ponderings vanish into a poof of smoke when the crotch in question greets me at eye-level. “Are you ready to eat?”

“Uh-huh. I’m practically famished.” He told me I shouldn’t apologize for my lewd stares. A girl might as well take advantage, right? I peek up from underneath my lashes, concentrating on the shadows lining his face.

His Adam’s apple twitches with a heavy gulp. “I hope this will satisfy you.”

“You curbed my appetite earlier. I’m sure this will be no different.”

A low noise resembling a growl rolls out of him. “You’re trouble, Blakely.”

Why is that hint of a scold so damn arousing? Because it’s coming from him.

“Thank you.” And yes, my voice is one thread away from being porno material.

The relief propelling me is strong enough to forget my stirrings of mortification. By this point, humiliating myself in front of this man is common practice.

Halder doesn’t comment further on my bold actions. He prepares our dinner and hovers the spit over a section of lower flames. His focus should be on cooking the fish, but those emerald depths never leave me. He mutters a string of statements under his breath. The words are too jumbled to comprehend, but I swear he mentions needing to split more wood and burn off some energy. I cock my head toward the pile of logs stacked behind the pit before dragging my gaze back to him.

Drops of water dribble off his short beard to race down the column of his throat. The shaggy hair beneath his cap is wet and sticking to his skin in disarray. He’s not drenched by any means, so there’s no threat to his health. Other than catching a fever from being so sexy, of course. Hidden in winter gear and drenched in mud, he looks better than any superhero I’ve previously bothered to idolize with an immature crush. Such a foolish waste of fantasies.

A ferocious gust of wind carries the scent of grilling fish. He risked himself to feed us. The amount of selfless regard flowing through him isn’t naturally ingrained in many. I guarantee holding onto those qualities is even more rare after being wrongfully accused and incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit.

Before I can hop to my feet and shower him with gratitude, Halder reclaims his spot beside me. I snuggle into his side without hesitation. He curls an arm around my shoulders and passes me a bowl of fish. The steaming food has my mouth watering in less than a second. The man sharing this meal with me isn’t innocent of blame, though.

Is this the point we’re at? My comfort with him should be raising a fistful of red flags, but the opposite holds true. All I feel is an unconditional sense of belonging. This is where I’m meant to be, crazy as that sounds. Nothing about this situation is moral or planned or within the realm of feasible possibilities. But the bricks being laid from this journey belong to us. Those blocks are ours alone. After everything we’ve already experienced together, I can tell he will be an irreplaceable entity in my life.

We eat in silence, allowing the songs of nature to serenade us. Hoots and yips from wild animals compete with the snapping wind. Snow is falling in fluffy flakes that speckle every visible