Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
After easing the jacket back off her to drape it over the windowsill, he reached for her. “Twist toward me, Little one.”
As soon as she did, he grasped her biceps and carefully pulled her out of the window. A few seconds later, he had her in his arms.
What he wanted to do was bury his face in her hair and inhale her scent, never letting her go after scaring him half to death like this, but that wasn’t reasonable. She didn’t know him at all, so he eased her to her feet, keeping her trembling body against his.
With one hand on the small of her back, he cupped her face with the other and tipped her head back. “Are you okay?” His hands ran over her spinal cord as he watched for any discomfort.
“I think so,” she said softly. “Thank you so much. I had my seatbelt on.”
“Good girl. I’m going to brush this glass off you with my gloves.”
With that warning, he kept his touch very professional. The shattered glass clung to her clothing. Focusing his brain on helping her rather than enjoying her sweet curves, Phoenix removed the dangerous bits.
“You have some glass in your hair. Lean over and let me shoo it away,” Phoenix directed.
He loved that she followed his instructions without question. A short while later, Phoenix helped her ease back to standing. “No dizziness?” he asked, trying not to notice how adorable she was with rumpled hair framing her face.
“No. I’m okay. Really. It was just a stupid accident at the worst time.”
“These roads can be tricky in the dark. We need to see about getting some more reflectors on this section.”
She bit her lip and looked down.
“Hey…” He lifted her chin again with a finger. “The important thing is you’re safe now.”
“It wasn’t the road or even driving on the wrong side of the road that was the problem,” she whispered.
He lifted his brows.
Her pretty face was better illuminated now by the SUV's headlights. If he wasn’t mistaken, her cheeks turned a darker shade of pink. “There was a spider. He jumped out of nowhere and landed on my face. I panicked, which made me swerve and hit the railing. I’m so embarrassed.”
Phoenix shuddered. Though he was loath to admit it out loud, he hated spiders. He would have reacted just as violently. “No reason to be embarrassed. I understand.” He glanced at the car. “I hope you aren’t particularly attached to this car. It’s totaled.”
She winced. “It’s a rental. I picked it up this morning.”
“Thank goodness for insurance then. Let’s get you out of the cold,” he said as he grabbed his jacket and shook it out to ensure there was no glass on it. He draped it around her shoulders. “The SUV is warm. Caesar can grab your bags so we can get you to Danger Bluff and settled in a room. In the morning, I’ll bring a few men to come see about your car.”
When he set a hand on the small of her back to guide her toward the embankment, she stiffened, not moving. He looked at her to find her staring at the car. “What’s wrong?”
Chapter Two
“My cello.” She pointed toward the back seat and then dropped his jacket entirely to rush over and stick her head back through the driver’s window. “Oh, God.” She reached an arm through the opening as far as she could. “Shit. Shit, shit, shit.”
Phoenix came to her side, cringing at the way she was reaching through the opening. He thought he’d gotten all the glass out of the way, but there still could be some lingering shards. “Lyra.” He set his hands on her shoulders. “I promise I’ll get it in the morning.”
She pulled her arm out and twisted to look at him, eyes wide. “I can’t leave it here.” Tears formed and rolled down her cheeks. She hadn’t cried yet, not about the accident or the car, but the cello…
“Cellos are replaceable, Little one,” he said soothingly. “What’s important is that you’re not injured.”
She gasped as though he’d told her to run and jump off a cliff. Her head started shaking. “No. You don’t understand. That’s my life.”
He was starting to understand. “I’m sorry. I’m not familiar with musical instruments. Is a cello really expensive?”
“Well, yes. Very. But that’s not what matters. It’s like my baby. I’ve had it since I was fourteen.” She looked back into the car. “I hope it’s not damaged. Do you think it might be?” Her voice was frantic now.
Phoenix was beginning to realize how important this instrument was to her. He needed to be sensitive. He stuck his head into the car to get a view of the back seat. As far as he could tell, the case was sitting on the seat unharmed. “It looks okay, but I can’t tell for sure, Little one.”