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)
Even the clothing we wear was subjected to my over-preparation. I checked and double-checked the insulation, waterproofing, and stitching, making sure Frankie’s gear would offer her the utmost protection against the vicious wind. If she’s shivering in the cold, or if frostbite claims her fingers or toes, that’s on me. I won’t fucking allow it.
So I made lists. Checked them numerous times. Still, I’m not ready.
Have I forgotten something? Missed a vital detail?
If it were just Leo and me, we would already be on our way. But traveling with Frankie? It changes everything.
With her, I have zero tolerance for error.
In the glow of her ingenious tin lights, we linger at the door in the workshop, the time for saying goodbye hanging heavy among us.
A sense of foreboding mingles with the warmth from the coal stove, creating an atmosphere thick with emotion.
Leo breaks the silence first, his voice rough. “Take care of each other out there.”
His mercurial eyes linger on her, tinged with uncharacteristic vulnerability.
We share the same mind, he and I. A mind that spins with strategies and contingencies, each one centered around a single, unyielding priority.
Keeping Frankie safe.
Our love for her transcends the bounds of romance. It’s a fierce, protective force that drives us to extremes. Every step we take, every decision made, is filtered through this lens to the point of obsession.
In the nights leading up to our departure, with our woman asleep between us, Leo and I lay awake, going over every detail, ensuring nothing had been overlooked.
We became students of survival, poring over books and manuals, gleaning every tip, every trick to keep her alive. We went over the route a thousand times, recalling landmarks and potential shelters, should a blizzard overtake us. We argued about what-ifs, each scenario darker than the last, but we planned for them all the same.
Her medical training is invaluable. She already saved my life once. But if she becomes critically injured or unconscious, she can’t save herself.
So I practiced and rehearsed first aid, familiarizing myself with treatments for frostbite, hypothermia, and injuries from animal attacks. My mind is a catalog of survival techniques, each one earmarked for a possible future where her safety is threatened.
We weighed the merits of Leo going with us but decided against it. Someone needs to maintain the SOS signal when it snows. If that plane returns, we need someone here. There’s so much to do before the thaw. He needs to memorize the flight manual until he can recite it in his sleep. He also needs to hot-wire the plane. We never found the key.
She thinks we’re crazy, claiming that all our planning is over the top, the product of overactive imaginations. But out there, in the unforgiving Arctic, there’s a fine line between caution and recklessness, between survival and demise. Every extra bullet, every additional ounce of food, every redundant piece of gear is a parachute to keep her safe.
I’ll spend the rest of my life planning, preparing, and protecting her with a single-minded focus. Her safety is my responsibility, my burden, and my honor. I will do everything to ensure she returns from this journey unscathed.
Leo knows this. He trusts me with her life.
Stepping forward, he wraps his arms around me, his hug firm, the grip of a brother who’s seen too much, lost too much.
“Keep her safe, Kody.” A command sheathed in a plea.
I nod, the weight of his trust settling on my shoulders. “Always.”
Then it’s Frankie’s turn, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she faces him. The distance between them closes in a heartbeat, the rest of the world disappearing as she reaches up, her hands framing his face.
“We’ll come back to you.” A fierce whisper.
He pulls her into a tight embrace, his response too low for my ears. A private exchange that I pretend not to see. My heart twists at the intimacy of it. My stomach tightens with envy.
I don’t begrudge them or feel resentful, but I covet their familiarity, their closeness. I know Leo fucked her in that cave for five days. When they returned, his entire demeanor was calmer, lighter, glowing.
Not that I blame him. But I hate that I don’t know her in that way. It slithers into every thought and taunts me while I sleep.
I’ve waited months. Suffered her justified anger. Tried to earn back her trust. Bided my time.
When I think about how she was the one to kill Denver, I want to punch something. Like my own face.
I’ll never be a good man, but goddammit, I won’t stop trying to be a better one for her.
Still, my patience is fraying. I’m fucking starved for her.
While I’m not looking forward to this thirty-mile hike, I’m secretly, selfishly eager to have her alone for a month without my brother.
I haven’t stopped thinking about the shocking, squeezing heat of her cunt around my fingers. To sink my cock in that lush, slippery paradise…it’s unfathomable.