63. Grady
GRADY
My heart catapults into my throat as I thrust my hand forward and just manage to snatch her wrist.
She’s still screaming, and I swear I think her mind is tricking her into believing she’s falling to her death.
“Blake!” I shout, ignoring the strain on my arm. My iron grip on her wrist is locked in place, but I need her to stop struggling. “Blake! Look at me!”
She stills, her blue eyes wild with fear as she glances up.
“I’ve got you,” I assure her. “I’ve got you, baby. See?”
I squeeze her wrist and notice the cloud of terror starting to clear from her eyes.
“That’s it.” I smile down at her, the strain on my arm starting to hurt, but like fuck I’m showing her that. Trying to keep my voice as smooth and easy as possible, I keep talking her out of this panic. “I know you’re scared, but I’m not letting you go. You’re not gonna fall, okay? I’ve got you.”
She starts to nod .
“All I need you to do is stay calm and help me pull you up, okay?”
She nods again, her vision obviously clear enough to see and understand everything I’m saying.
“Gimme your other hand. Reach up. That’s it. Reach, reach, reach.” I snag her other hand and grunt, using all my strength to drag her up the rock face.
She digs her knees in, half climbing as I tug and wrestle her out of this precarious position. As soon as she’s beside me, I grip her hips and lift her up the steep incline, pushing her up the last part until she’s crawling onto the flat ground above us.
Ragged sobs are punching out of her, and I quickly scramble up, crawling behind her until I can reach her again. My hand lands on her back and she quickly spins to face me, launching herself at me with such speed that I lose my balance and topple onto my butt.
Wrapping her legs around me, she clings tight, whimpering against my neck. “I thought I was gonna die.”
I hold her tight, wanting to promise that I’d never let that happen, but I can’t find my voice.
For a split second there, I thought I’d lost her, and my heart is still trying to find its way back into my chest cavity.
Cupping the back of her head, I close my eyes and fight the surge of emotion powering through me.
“I don’t want to die,” she rasps, her lips resting against my neck.
“You’re not allowed to, Bee.” I squeeze her tighter. “You have to stay with me.”
My words take a second to sink in, but I can tell the moment they do, because she eases away from me, her tearstained face coming into view as she takes me in with a surprised blink.
My fingers are dirty, but I touch her face anyway, resting my digits lightly on her pale skin and smiling at her. She’s so beautiful. I just want time to stand still for a minute so I can drink her in.
“You’re my cosmic…” My smile grows as I try to find the right words to erase that confused look on her face and explain what I mean. “You’re my… you’re…” Her frown only gets deeper, and I end up just saying it, because it’s what I fucking mean. “I love you, Blake.”
She jerks back a little farther, and I reach for her waist, worried she’s about to take off on me. She looks like a scared jackrabbit.
Shit. Does she not feel the same way?
That cosmic thing. I thought we were on the same page here.
Pain rockets through me before I can talk myself out of it, and I end up saying in a whisper, “Why did you take off? I was looking for you all night. I’ve been worried sick.”
“But…” She shakes her head, trying to speak past her chattering teeth. “Y-you didn’t want me at the h-hospital.”
“When did I say that?” I frown. “I came out to find you and?—”
“You’re s-still in love with Teah.” Her voice is so sure, so resigned as a shudder ripples through her. “There’s no r-room for me, so I-I left.”
“No, baby. No.” Reaching for her face again, I rush to clear the air between us. “I love you , and talking to Teah last night made me realize how much I do. ”
Her lips part, her blue eyes wide with surprise as she gapes at me.
“She’s always gonna be part of my history. And yeah, she owns a little piece of my heart, but Bee… you own the biggest chunk by far. I’m gone for you, baby. I’m yours…”
Her expression crumples like she’s about to start crying.
And now the nerves are kicking in as I lamely mumble, “I mean, if you want me. I’m yours if you want me.” Shit, I hate this stab of insecurity.
Reaching for my face, she cups my cheeks, her smile warming with tender affection and cooling the spray of hot nerves firing through me. “Y-you love me?”
I nod, trailing my hands back to her hips and giving them a light squeeze. “You make it too easy.”
She shakes her head. “I’m a tr-tr…train wreck, Grady.”
I shrug. “You’re my train wreck.”
Her watery laugh is music to my ears, but not as sweet as the sound that follows. “I love you too.” She sucks in a breath, giving me a watery smile. “Since the second I s-saw you shirtless in that b-bathroom… I’ve been f-falling, and you’ve just kept m-making it h-h-harder and h-harder not to.”
I pull her closer, rubbing her arms and trying to warm her up.
“I thought if we j-j-just had a mindless fling, I could get you out of my s-system. But I c-can’t. And I don’t even w-want to.”
My heart relaxes, letting out a contented sigh and finally sinking back behind my rib cage where it belongs.
She loves me. She fucking loves me.
Thank God for that .
“C’mere.” I coax her against me, cupping the back of her neck and melding out mouths together.
She sinks into the kiss on a sweet sigh, and I brush our tongues together, reveling in her touch, letting that mind-numbing fear eke out of me.
She’s in my arms.
She’s safe.
She loves me.
Shit, I never want to let her go. But as we sink a little deeper into the kiss, I become hyperaware of her quivering muscles.
She’s been out all night in these freezing-cold conditions, adrenaline pumping through her, and she’s gonna crash soon.
In fact, I think it’s already starting. I need to get her warm and hydrated. I need to check on her ankle.
So stop kissing her and do that!
Just one more.
I swipe my tongue against hers, holding her tight for one last squeeze before finding the willpower to do the right thing.
“I need to get you warm and hydrated, baby.”
“Yeah.” She keeps kissing me, peppering my chin with her shivering lips.
Pulling away from her, I wrestle out of my jacket and wrap it around her, rubbing some warmth back into her limbs.
Taking off my beanie, I nestle it over her curls, pulling it down past her ears.
“Now let me check out this ankle.” I ease her off my lap, keeping a firm hold on her arm until she’s settled safely on the ground beside me. Taking the time to do up the jacket and making sure she’s snug, I then take a quick look at her ankle.
Now that I’m out of my relieved haze, I’m starting to think logically and feeling that pressure of getting her back to my Jeep as fast as possible.
Gently pushing up Blake’s pant leg, I frown down at the swelling, shifting her sock so I can press the tender skin. She winces as I gently prod it and go through the first-aid checklist in my head. I keep an eye on her reaction, my stomach clenching at the obvious pain slicing through her.
“Yeah, it’s definitely busted,” I murmur, dragging my bag toward me and taking out the first-aid kit. Handing her a water bottle, I help her take a few sips before asking, “Can you wiggle your toes?”
She gives it a try, but I can’t see because I’ve chosen to keep her sneaker on. With the threat of hypothermia lingering, I need to keep her extremities as warm as possible.
“Yeah, I think so,” she squeaks, wincing again.
“Good, that means the chances of a breakage are slim. I’m guessing it’s a bad sprain.” Digging a bandage out of the kit, I wrap it around her ankle and sneaker, securing her foot as firmly as I can before checking out the rest of her.
She’s got a few nicks and bruises, her hands scratched up from her trek through the forest. I brush my fingers lightly over the superficial wounds and resist the urge to tell her off for being so reckless.
We can deal with that later, but I am making her promise to never do this to herself—or me—again .
“I know it was stupid,” she whispers, carefully watching my face.
I glance up, forcing a closed-mouth smile. She doesn’t need me adding to her regret right now, so I lean forward with a soft kiss and murmur, “You’re safe now. Let’s get you home.”
She lets out a soft snort. “Home? Where’s that?”
Resting my forearm on my bent leg, I give her a gentle smile and tell it to her straight. “It’s with me.”