Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Sierra moved toward it like a zombie.
The bed wasn’t made—who had time for that?—but I shoved the rumpled covers to one side, clearing a spot. She sat on the edge of the bed, looking like she was seconds from passing out.
Quickly, I knelt down and pulled the tattered remains of the ridiculous slipper boots off her freezing feet. “I’ll get you some socks.” It took me less than ten seconds to locate a clean pair in the small dresser, but when I turned back, Sierra had all but disappeared under the covers. Only her reddened face peeked out.
Tristan appeared with a thick blanket, which he placed over the quilt Sierra had burrowed under. Zeus followed him and was about to jump onto the bed when Carter called him back. “Let’s let her sleep,” he said gruffly.
I patted what might have been her shoulder under all those covers and turned out the light.
I still had no idea who this beautiful young woman was, or what we were going to do now that she was here, but one thing was clear.
She definitely needed sleep.
5
SIERRA
I awoke smothered in covers. At some point, I’d even pulled them over my head. The feeling of the blankets weighing me down felt familiar, but I couldn’t quite remember why.
After peeling the covers away from my face, I blinked at the light at the edges of the window shade. Where the hell was I?
The room was small and rustic, but the bed was big and comfortable and clearly not my bed.
Then it all came back to me, hitting me like a migraine. The tree that crashed through my roof. Being pinned down for so long. And the three men who came to rescue me.
This must be one of their rooms. As soon as I had that thought, I felt something next to me move. Biting back a shriek, I scrambled out of bed. Just because they rescued me, they thought they could sleep with me? No man had that right, not even one who’d helped me when I needed it most.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve, you piece of—”
The collie looked up at me with a questioning gaze.
“Oh.” Feeling shaky, I sat down, looking at the handsome dog. He’d been lying against my side. I probably hadn’t felt him due to all the blankets. “Sorry,” I told the dog. He looked at me with a mixture of guilt and offense. “But you still should’ve asked.”
He lifted his snout almost as if nodding, and I rubbed his head. His soft fur felt good against my hands, especially since they’d been so numb yesterday. More details were coming back, including how horrible the climb had been. Climbing up that hill had been like trying to traverse an ice-skating rink raised to a forty-five-degree angle—while wearing socks. My slippers had made everything worse, but it wasn’t like I could go barefoot.
Too bad I hadn’t been wearing my boots. Basically, everything else I’d had with me—my laptop, my coat, all my clothes—were buried under the downed tree. At least I had my phone. I sent a quick text to Alyssa to let her know that I was all right and that I’d call her later.
“I’m sorry, I can’t remember your name,” I told the collie. I couldn’t remember the men’s names, either, except for Drew. “You all need to wear collars with your names on them.” My hand stilled as I thought about the other men. There hadn’t been a lot of time to chat with them, not like I had with Drew. But the big man with the dark hair, he’d been super strong. I still couldn’t believe he’d carried me for the last leg of the trip. Normally, a strange man touching me would send my anxiety sky-high, but yesterday I’d been half dead by the time he lifted me onto his back.
The dog pawed at my leg after my hands stilled, as if reminding me that I was supposed to be petting him. So, I resumed rubbing behind his ears while I tried to figure out what came next. Finding the bathroom in this place was probably a good idea, but I didn’t relish seeing the men again. They were strangers to me, except perhaps for Drew. He’d talked to me so much yesterday when I was trapped that it kind of felt like I knew him a little. Or maybe it was because he wasn’t that much older than me, and he had a good-natured expression and twinkling eyes. He, at least, wasn’t a threat.
And neither was my new furry best friend. I definitely needed to find out what his name was. I needed to get out of this bedroom, too, but for a moment I stayed here, warm and safe. Who knew what I’d find when I ventured out of my little den.