CHAPTER 3
Marina
Istir and reach up to grab my head, wincing at the pain rippling through it like a freight train.
“Keep your hands off that bandage, Mari. I just got it fixed up. I don’t need you messing up my handiwork.”
The rough, husky growl washes over me and I squint my eyes shut harder.
No, no, no. There’s no way….
“You can stop wishing yourself somewhere else, baby. You know where you’re at.”
“I don’t know where I’m at. I’ve never been here.”
“I guess that’s true.”
Fabric rustles but I keep my eyes closed. If I don’t open them, surely this isn’t real. I’m having some horrendous nightmare where my car is trashed beyond belief and I’m still hanging onto the side of a mountain and praying for anyone to come by but him.
“Where’s my car?” I ask him, holding my breath and praying.
“Holding onto the side of a mountain and spinning its wheels.”
“Shit. I was really hoping you weren’t going to say that.”
He chuckles but it’s not a happy sound. It’s rough and angry. “What the hell were you doing up here on this mountain in the middle of the storm of the century?”
“My brother,” I hiss under my breath, feeling a wave of nausea wash over me. “Did I hit my head?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry but it’s gonna be an uncomfortable night because you can’t go to sleep. I need to keep an eye on you for a concussion.”
Nodding my head, I swallow roughly. But of course as soon as he says it all I want to do is go to sleep. I’m exhausted. This move is hell for me but it’s a new start since my whole life imploded.
Note to self: don’t ever get involved with someone you work with again.
Shaking myself free from stupid thoughts that won’t help a damn thing, I cautiously open my eyes, the light making me cringe.
But when I slowly let myself adjust, my eyebrows lift. The cabin is a lot nicer than I thought it might be when my brother said he was off-grid. This is no roughing it situation.
There’s a soft glow in the living room that I’m lying in and the couch I’m currently reclining on is a soft fabric that feels like butter on my aching body. My hand touches it, my lips twitching.
“Not exactly what you expected?”
And now I need to face the thing I’ve been dreading. Seeing him.
My eyes lift and I swear to god the jolt to my system feels like an electrical current running through my whole body.
“There she is,” he says softly, a soft smile on his lips. “I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to look at me.”
“Why would I want to look at your ugly mug when I can look at that?” The huge windows are dark except for a security light that shines on the huge back deck. I can see enough to know that that view is probably priceless.
“You can’t see a damn thing out there and you know it, baby. What are you doing up here?”
“I already told you that. My brother asked me to stop and check in on you since you’re bound and determined not to talk to anybody,” I huff, sitting up carefully, my whole body feeling like I went ten rounds with a boxer.
Assholes. The whole lot of them. My brother for asking me, actually begging me to do this damn check in. And Jeremiah for making it so damn hard to find him or contact him.
“You know you’re making him worry, right?” I ask, sitting back and rubbing at my sore ribs.
His eyes follow the movement, dark and full of something that I’m damn sure I don’t want to look too close at.
“Do you want something for the pain? I’ve got Tylenol or Advil?”
Shaking my head, I growl, “You know how I feel about unnecessary medications.”
He rolls his golden-hazel eyes, the green in them sparking with anger. “Yeah, I know how you feel about unnecessary medications but if something hurts they’re necessary.”
I lift my hand up and run it though my tangled hair, wincing when I jostle my wrist.
His eyes narrow in on the subtle flinch and he growls, “You hurt your wrist too?”
“No,” I mumble, moving it so that he can’t see where the hem has ridden up.
“I saw that. Give me your arm.”
“No,” I firm my jaw and ignore him, staring around at the room. It’s a huge open room with genuine wood logs and a smooth hardwood floor in oak. The golden glow of the wood is way more welcoming than its owner.
“Gimme your arm before I put you in a headlock and make you.”
“We’re not kids anymore, Jeremiah,” I huff. “You keep your damn hands to yourself.”
“Then give me your arm. I’ll give you to the count of three…one…two…” He reaches out and tugs at my arm before I’m ready and I huff angrily.
“You always were a cheater.”
“And you were always too stubborn for your own good, woman.” He holds my wrist gently and studies it quietly, his strong, calloused fingers stroking my sensitive skin and stoking a fire in my belly that I really hoped never to feel again.
At least not with him.
“Well, doctor,” I huff sardonically. “What do you think?”
“I think you sprained it and it’s swollen. I’ll get you an ice pack and then afterwards we’ll wrap it up. Give it some support.”l
“Fine. Just…leave me alone for a little bit. I’m tired.” And really hating how all my nerve ending are on fire around this man.
“I’ll get your ice pack and then Linc and I will head back out to your car to see if we can salvage any of your stuff tonight.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“Yeah it is, Mari. Yeah it fucking is.”
And with those harsh words hanging in the sudden chill of the air between us, he whistles for the dog who’s been sitting watching us quietly, his tongue lolling out.
The dog follows along behind his silent, grumpy master happily, a little skip in his step.
Both of them disappear after he tosses me an ice pack from the kitchen.
I look around me, my heart finally slowing to a normal beat and pain washing over me as I settle down on the couch cushions.
My eyes close on a hiss when I place the ice pack and then it slowly fades away as it numbs.
I wish I had an ice pack to numb my heart.
With a sigh, I let myself relax for the first time today. I told my brother this was a bad idea.
Looks like for once, I was right. I should have stayed the hell away from Jeremiah Long.
And told my brother to go to hell!