Shit!I know I should be thinking about what bones I’ve broken, but all I’m thinking about is the look on Mom’s face when I tell her that the strongest memory she has of Dad, the one she’s held onto for ten years, is headed to the junkyard.
What was I thinking?How did I miss the ten-point buck in the middle of the road?
An oncoming truck shines lights through the pouring rain and pulls toward me before a man jumps out and hustles to my door.
I’ve never been more thankful to see another human being. Being that the sun hasn’t even woken up this morning, I figured I could be trapped up against this tree for a while. Except the closer the man gets, the harder my heart pounds.
The dark hair, the dark eyes, the owl tattoo on the inside of his forearm, the skull on the back of his hand, the disturbed look in his eyes when he sees me.
“Kelsi?” That voice. That deep, rasping voice.
I stare toward Brooks, unable to speak.
“Jesus.” He climbs his massive body up into the passenger door and stares toward me.God, he smells good.“Are you hurt? I’m going to palpate your body. You tell me if you feelpain. I already dialed my buddy down at the station to call an ambulance.”
My mouth hangs open as he moves his giant hand over my thighs, my arms, my shoulders, my neck, my face, and my hair.How is this happening? Maybe this is another dream. It has to be, because there’s no freaking way he’s actually here touching me.
Of course, I’m wearing sweatpants and a hoodie. I didn’t even bother with a brush this morning or a bra. My mother always told me to put on clean underwear in case I got into an accident, but I’m not even sure I did that.
“I don’t feel anything broken,” he says gruffly, his hands still lingering on the back of my neck. “Weren’t you watching the road?”
“I’m sorry?” I narrow my gaze toward him, pulling away from his touch. This isn’t how my dreams go. “I’m a victim here. A deer jumped in front of me, it’s pouring rain, and I’m in a vehicle I don’t usually drive.”
“You forgot how to drive up here? We’ve got animals and trees. It’s not like California.”
I laugh under my breath and crawl up out of the spot I’m trapped in. “Are you seriously going to make this about me moving? It’s been five years, Brooks. Come on.”
I see we’re picking up right where we left off.
“You shouldn’t be moving,” he barks. “The paramedics need to assess you.”
“You just did. I’m fine.”
“I don’t know what I’m doing. I was just—”
“Copping a feel?” I laugh sarcastically and crawl over him, lingering on the way it feels to be straddled over his thick frame. I’ve missed this spot. The place where I rubbed against his thick cock and lost my hands against his strong shoulders.The place I felt the safest.“You’re sick.”
“Ha! I’m sick?” He bites back the cutest grin. “You’re the one running off into the rain like some emotionally led psycho. I’m not the one out here causing accidents.”
I hop onto a soft pile of dead pine needles without glancing back. It was a mistake to come back to Rugged Mountain. I should’ve stayed holed up and never left the cabin. Hell, I should’ve hired a nurse to take care of my mom or flown her out to me. There are a million possibilities I should’ve considered, all of which would be better than being‘helped’by this big, growly, inked up man who thinks he knows it all.
Chapter Two
Brooks
“Get your ass back here.” I grip Kelsi’s arm and haul her back up into the truck, wondering if this entire encounter is a dream. It’s been ages since I’ve tossed her around like this. Her presence can’t be real. “You could have internal damage.”
“Oh, I have internal damage,” she snarks and rolls her eyes as she stares out the side window. “You have no idea.”
“If you’re implyingI’mthe internal damage you have, we’re about to fight.”
She snaps a gaze toward me, gorgeous as ever. “Yeah, I am.” She starts stammering as she says, “This isn’t… I…”
“I tried calling you.”
“Yeah, you called after you pushed me away.It was awesome.Sorry I didn’t feel like answering. I was busy making a living off the thing that I dreamt about my entire life.”
“You dreamt about moving to some dirty, shit city to write for someone else? I thought you dreamt of getting published.”
