Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 119597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
It’s a miserable contrast to the warmth I crave. I’m tempted to be the girl who sits in the back seat and asks repeatedly, “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”
I can’t, even if I wanted to. Mounted behind him, with the roar of the engine and wind tearing past us, I can’t voice my complaints, see his expression, or look into his eyes for comfort.
Despite the discomfort, the pain, and the cold, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. With each mile we cover, it’s a journey of us.
Us against the wild.
He maintains a steady clip all the way back. Eventually, the snow machine bucks forward with a sudden surge of speed, and I straighten against him, my hackles bristling with alarm.
The hills stretch out before us like sleeping giants. If they’re that close, so is the cabin.
And the wolves.
The wind howls across the snowdrifts, drowning out any approaching sound. I can’t see in the dark. A critical disadvantage to the snarling beasts that prowl this land.
I reach for the rifle strapped to my back, squinting, straining, trying to interpret Leo’s stiff posture and his urgent need to double our speed.
In the distance, maybe a mile away, a huge, smudgy silhouette takes shape.
Desolate and ominous, the cabin emerges, seemingly darker than the shadows surrounding it.
And closer, only a few hundred yards from our speeding approach, looms its brooding overseer.
Warmth blooms in my chest.
Kody stands on the crest of a slope, his jet-black hair caught in a fervent tango with the wind. Cloaked in furs and holding a crossbow, he’s the quintessence of the untamed Alaskan wilderness.
Despite the distance, I feel the weight of his gaze, intense and feral. He’s been waiting for us, fearing for our safety, just as I expected.
I can’t help the grin that splits my face, knowing the news we carry will light up his world. We have meat and coal and, the most thrilling of all, the flight manual.
The thought of kissing the scowl from his beautiful, pouty lips makes my heart race.
The snow machine growls between my legs, pounding with the heartbeat of a steel stallion as we fly across the tundra. The urge to leap off and run to Kody overwhelms my senses, a reckless impulse that Leo, ever vigilant, quickly stifles by clamping a hand on my thigh.
His touch is a silent command, one that I begrudgingly obey.
As we draw closer, every cell of my body tunes into Kody.
He doesn’t move, his stillness not a sign of indifference, but a demonstration of his patience and stoic nature. A trait that once scared me. Now it draws me in.
Leo brings the machine to a crashing halt, and without a moment’s hesitation, I leap from it because, unlike Kody, I’m not one to hold back.
“I missed you.” I collide with his unmoving bulk, wrap him up in a hug, and shower his scowly, scruffy face with kisses. A kiss for every day we were separated. “We have so much to tell you.”
He catches my mouth with his, sealing our lips together and lapping at my tongue until we’re both breathing hard.
When he leans back, a maelstrom churns in his eyes, turbulent and suspicious, as they dart back and forth between mine. Then they lower, scanning me up and down, looking for something.
Something he thought he lost forever.
“I’m healthy. Unharmed.” I touch his clenched jaw, drawing his attention back to my face. “We’re both good.”
He grips my shoulders and backs me against the snow machine.
What is he doing? Why isn’t he talking? Did a week of isolation steal his voice?
His hand sweeps to my neck, his fingers twisting in my knotted hair, holding me in place as he surveys his brother.
Emotion creeps into his black eyes, slowly, subtly. If I didn’t know him, I wouldn’t notice it. But it’s there, his relief softening his face and relaxing his shoulders.
His free hand catches Leo by the nape, and he pulls us both against him. As he holds us tight, we melt together, the tension of the past week sluicing away.
“Christ, it’s good to have you back.” All the worry and anger and love in the world bleeds into Kody’s voice.
Then he releases us, tosses me over his shoulder, and charges off toward the cabin.
I guess he’s going to carry me back? Not the most comfortable way to go, but sensing that he needs this, I loosen my limbs and hang like a sack of coal.
Behind us, the engine roars to life, and Leo catches up. Rather than zooming ahead, he keeps pace beside us all the way back.
Together.
The crackle of the fire and the low hum of male voices float around me in a calming harmonic of warmth. After reacquainting myself with the luxuries of a hot shower, I’m back where I belong, nestled between Leo and Kody.