Chapter Six
As if his life wasn’t fucked up enough, the little forest lunatic ended up being the one woman with the power to catch his attention.
He couldn’t recall the last time he’d laughed.
Didn’t think he had it in him after so long.
Here he was though, naked as the day he was born, arms around a woman whose petite, curvy body was the stuff of a wet dream, laughing at her stupid quips.
His cock didn’t seem to care he was on the verge of tears and hypothermia.
He felt like a teenager with a never-ending hard-on.
Her little gasps as she tried to regain her composure weren’t helping in the least. All he could think of was eliciting the same sound but from pleasure rather than laughter.
“You better get that blood pumping somewhere besides, you know, or you might freeze to death and then I’ll have to explain why. That would be embarrassing for both of us.”
“I’d be dead. My problems would be over.”
He felt the moment she started to shift, and he tightened his arms around her. “Don’t turn.” Of course she didn’t listen. That shouldn’t surprise him at all, given the events of the past few hours.
“It might help with your problem.”
Her breasts brushed over his chest as she turned to face him. He’d been a gentleman earlier, but he’d still caught a glimpse of those perfect handfuls. “Having your gorgeous tits pressed into my chest, feeling how tight your nipples are, is absolutely not going to help the problem.”
“Oh.” She immediately flipped, then hissed in pain. “I was having so much fun I forgot about my shoulder.”
Her pain quickly sobered him. “Fun? You’re having fun right now?”
“It could certainly be worse.”
He wasn’t sure if she had a naturally positive outlook or something had happened in her past to give her perspective. “How did you know to manipulate your shoulder like that?” The question had been on his mind since she’d lain on the ground and expertly forced it back into position.
“Growing up, Ash had a difficult time managing his emotions. He’d lose control, not because he was mean or trying to hurt anyone, but because he was no longer aware of what was happening around him.
Once, my parents had to run an errand and we were home alone.
I was microwaving popcorn and put it in too long.
The fire alarms went off, and Ash grabbed my arm in fright.
I knew the pain meant it was either broken or dislocated, so I googled how to reset it.
I was so worried about Ash getting in trouble, I just kind of did it. ”
Something tightened in his chest. She was a kind child who’d grown into an equally kind woman, then stumbled into something she shouldn’t have while trying to earn a living. He warred between curiosity about the woman in his arms and keeping his distance. He shouldn’t want to know more about her.
“Why home inspections?” he blurted out.
“At first, learning a trade was more about practicality and the lifestyle I wanted to build. College wasn’t the path for me, especially after watching my parents grapple with paying off their own lingering student debts while supporting two kids.
It never made sense to me to start adulthood owing money when I could be making it, you know? ”
“Yeah, I do.” Going to college hadn’t been in the cards for him either. When he was spit out of the foster system at eighteen, he was on his own. The military made the most sense.
She paused, as though waiting for him to elaborate, then cleared her throat when it was obvious he wasn’t going to say anything else.
“I’d watched my dad spend ten years at the same company, only to be laid off, and I hated that for him.
It solidified the idea that I wanted to be my own boss.
Not have to answer to anyone but myself.
Instead of attending the local high school, I went to a trade school and became an HVAC tech.
I like fixing things. Figuring out how the smallest detail can either make a system work or cause a major failure. ”
“When did you switch to inspections, or do you do both?” And why the fuck was he still asking this woman questions? It shouldn’t matter to him. He wasn’t even sure what it was about her that sparked the desperate curiosity to know more.
“I wanted more predictable hours. Late-night emergency calls suck, as does crawling around an attic in the dead of night. I’d already learned the ins and outs of one system, so it made sense to evaluate the whole house.
I know it’s not like I’m saving the world out there, but when I’m inspecting a home for a family, it feels like I’m giving them something valuable—the peace of mind knowing they’re making a sound decision on a major purchase. ”
“Don’t sell yourself short. It is important. You’re making sure those homes are safe places for people to build their lives.”
“Thanks.” She gave his arm a little squeeze and a jolt speared straight through him.
“Over time, I became certified in mold inspection, radon testing, and energy auditing. I’ve been able to join some volunteer trips for the Disaster Relief Guild following major weather events.
Following a hurricane or earthquake, we make sure people’s homes are safe to return to and help them get the information needed for insurance claims.”
“That explains why you were so steady during the landslide. What does Ash do when you’re volunteering?” Dammit. The fucking questions just kept flowing. Last. One. He gritted his teeth, annoyed that he seemed to have so little control of his mouth at the moment.
“Ash is pretty capable of living on his own with a bit of outside assistance—either from me or my parents. If I get called away, I know I can count on my parents to do some extra check-ins. His girlfriend’s parents are also very involved.
Jess and Ash met at a day program they used to attend.
They just clicked. Our families are good friends now. ”
He clenched his jaw to stop from asking if there was anyone special in her life.
Any close friends that she met through her volunteer work.
He wanted to know what she was like as a kid, although he had a picture in his mind—a mini version of the spunky adult.
He doubted she would’ve been into dolls or frilly dresses.
She struck him as the type who would wade knee-deep in a pond to catch a frog with her bare hands.
He bet she’d spent time with her legs dangling over the curve of a tree branch or watching an ant colony, just to observe the inner workings.
In short, she was interesting as fuck. Like no one he’d ever met, and that was dangerous.
“You need rest.” The softness of his voice surprised him. “Close your eyes and try to sleep. Once we’re warm, I’ll get some food into you.”
Her stomach growled loudly at the mention of food, and he hated that their priority had to be staying warm right now. “Think DoorDash comes out this way?”
“Not a fucking chance, babe.” He had no idea where the endearment came from.
He’d never once called a woman babe, sweetheart, or anything else for that matter.
He was always good about maintaining his distance.
At keeping his emotional walls in place.
Maybe it was the intense situation they’d shared, but he didn’t think so.
He’d saved women before and never felt a sliver of emotional attachment. In this case, though, she’d saved him.
If she hadn’t been so quick to think, to wrap her legs around the sapling to hold her in place, he most likely would’ve been killed by the boulder or the landslide itself.
He’d known he was too heavy for her to hold, and he had no intention of using her as a human rope.
Ivy was intuitive, though. Somehow, she sensed that he was going to let go of her and she dug her short nails into his skin, doing her damnedest to hang on to him.
Small crescents marked his arm, and he hated to admit he liked the way they looked there.
No one, aside from his brothers in arms, had ever done anything so selfless for him.
As her breathing deepened, he pulled the emergency blanket more tightly around them.
Despite their differences in height, she fit up against him like her body had been made for him alone.
He closed his eyes, knowing he wouldn’t fall asleep.
He’d struggled with insomnia since he left the SEALS.
With the storm continuing at full force outside, their small cave felt especially warm.
The arm that was wrapped tightly around her waist rose and fell with her breaths.
He absently nestled closer to her, the sleek strands of her hair brushing against his cheek.
With the scent of her shampoo in his nostrils, something fruity like mandarin oranges and cranberries, he fell into a deep sleep.
*
Hours later, Jude woke disoriented. Something wasn’t right.
He kept his eyes closed and took stock of his surroundings.
It was light out, and for some reason, that seemed wrong.
The surface he slept on was hard, but the body curled into him was so damn soft.
Ivy. Everything came rushing back. His trip to the cabin.
Drowning his anguish in alcohol. Finding the woman and learning how she came to be lying unconscious in the woods.
Then there was the landslide. The laughter.
The last thing he remembered was coating his lungs in her fruit punch scent.
Nothing was wrong, but something was different.