then the best sex of his life, and now it was all turning upside down. How in the hell had that happened? He’d never understand women, or how they operated. They made absolutely zero sense half of the time, and the other half he just went along for the ride. Men didn’t come to irrational conclusions like women did. He was smart enough not to tell her that, though.
“Erin, please don’t run, this trail is dangerous, I don’t want you to get hurt. There’s so much deadfall, these branches can be tricky, please just walk,” he said, quickly catching up to her.
“Go to hell,” she said as she jumped over a fallen tree and picked up her speed.
Brackish was about to grab her arm and stop her, knowing she was going to be ticked, but caring more about her safety than her temper at the moment. But he was too late. With a cry, Erin tripped over the next branch and went flying into the brush, slipping past Brackish as she landed hard, then let out a scream of pain.
“Erin!” he called out. His stomach turned as he saw blood on her leg. “Where does it hurt?” He dropped to his knees as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Don’t touch me,” she said on a sob as she grabbed her leg.
Brackish had been on many missions in his career, and he’d seen his share of blood and gore — even being the tech guy. But he hadn’t been prepared to see the woman he cared about with a torn branch punctured through her upper leg. He might actually get sick for the first time in his life from the sight of blood.
“You’re going to be okay, Erin. I’m not going to lie, though, this is going to hurt like hell.” She reached for the branch and he grabbed her hand. “You can’t take the branch out. I don’t like the position it’s in, it’s far too close to your femoral artery.”
“Let’s just pull it out so I can get out of here,” she said, her tears stopping as her stubbornness took over. She was trying to stay mad at him, but it wasn’t as easy when she was in pain. He knew how she felt. There had been times in his life he’d wanted to hold a grudge, but couldn’t. Pain had a tendency to take over all other emotion.
“Erin, you have to listen to me. I’ve served many years in the military. I know wounds,” he told her. “You can be mad at me all you want, but let’s do it when your life isn’t in danger.”
“My life isn’t in danger from a little branch,” she said. But much to his relief she’d moved her hand away and was no longer trying to remove the branch.
“Let’s just be overly cautious,” he said. “I’m going to have to carry you the rest of the way out of here.”
She shook her head. “No way, no how. I’m going to walk,” she said, her lips clamping shut at the end of her words.
“Erin, we don’t have time to argue about this. You can be ticked at me later.” He was done talking. He lifted her up and began walking. She let out a huff and slammed her fists into his chest. Once she realized it was useless she crossed her arms over her chest and stared out in front of her, refusing to hold on to his neck and refusing to look at him.
The weight of her in his arms was nothing at all, and he moved swiftly and carefully through the trail, knowing the route well, since he’d memorized it a few days earlier. He’d only been looking at his phone to make sure the devices had been working properly, and because, hell, he loved technology. He was sure as hell wishing he hadn’t been doing that now.
He reached the truck and while holding her, laid her seat all of the way back, then gently set her inside. He pulled out the blanket in the back of the truck and rolled it, then carefully placed it beneath her knee to keep her leg elevated.
“The closest hospital is thirty miles. I’ll get us there in about twenty minutes,” he assured her before rushing around to the driver’s side of the vehicle and starting it up. She looked out the side window the entire drive, refusing to talk to him. He knew she had to be in pain, but she was a champ, not