Chapter 3
SAGE
I should be terrified. This is how all the horror movies go. Girl falls down in the woods, handsome mountain man appears to rescue her. Then takes her back to his cabin and chops her into little pieces with his axe.
Right?
But I don't feel afraid. In fact, I feel safe. Safer than I have in a long time.
He's a big man, but his decisive actions spoke of a competence well earned, and the fact that he asked for my consent every step of the way speaks to his character.
And it's not like I have a lot of other choices available to me right now. If it weren't for this burly guy, I'd still be sitting there, hugging a tree and trying not to get washed away as the water pouring down the hill turns into a flood.
"What's your name?" I burrow into his chest, clinging to him as much as I can, trying to support myself as much as possible so his arms don't have to completely support my weight on his own.
"You can relax," he grumbles, his fingers flexing beneath my knees. "I can carry you just fine. I'm not going to drop you."
I lean back in his arms, meeting his gaze. "Of course you're strong. You dead lifted me off the ground like it was just part of your regular workout routine. Doesn't mean I don't want to do my part."
"Your part is to relax and let me do the work. And for the record, lifting you is nothing like my regular workout. It's more like the warmup."
My lips twitch against my own attempt at restraint as I shake my head. "Fine. Point taken. But you still haven't told me your name."
"Barrett." It comes out as an almost growl.
He frowns as the rain picks up around us and I don't force more conversation, feeling like I should give him the chance to focus on our trek to shelter rather than maintaining a steady stream of small talk with me.
It's not easy. My normal mode is to talk, to fill the silences that can too easily get awkward.
Especially among people you've just met.
But with this giant of a man, it doesn't feel necessary.
I do as he says, keeping my arms loosely wrapped around his neck and letting myself just be.
It's not easy. I'm used to being the one in control, pushing myself forward to the next opportunity, the next challenge, the next new place, that even this brief moment in time where I need to rely on someone else feels weird.
It also feels really nice to have someone who can handle it.
Thunder rolls above us and the rain pours even harder.
The only indication that Barrett might notice the rain is when he curls me in even closer against his chest. He's walking through the forest, carrying me in his arms, without a shirt.
I lay my head against his shoulder, trying to block some small part of him from the rain, hoping he doesn't get too cold.
"We'll be there soon," he huffs out, and I blink, realizing that I dozed for a moment. It was odd, but there was something about the rhythm of his stride and the rain pattering around us that had a soothing effect on me.
"Where are we going?" I look around, but all the trees appear the same, and I wouldn't be able to retrace our steps back to where I'd fallen if I needed to.
He looks down at me, and I'm caught by the depth of his brown eyes. They're framed by lashes most women would happily pay to have.
"I'm taking you somewhere safe." His gaze tracks the forest around us, and it feels like he's scanning our surroundings for any potential threats. When his attention returns to me, his gravelly voice sends an unexpected thrill through me.
"I'm taking you home."