Chapter Eight – Lilibeth
Lilibeth
I’d never been so cold in my entire life.
When Lyra threw me, I thought for sure I was on the right trail back to the barn, but it was pretty obvious I was turned around and going the wrong way.
I should have been back to the barn by now.
I glanced behind me and prayed the snow wouldn’t cover up my footprints.
Then I looked to my right and saw a giant pine.
I trekked through the snow and huddled under the tree, hoping it would keep the snow and wind at bay.
Sliding down until I was sitting on the ground, I pulled my coat up and tried to hide my face.
My hands were freezing, my feet were going numb, and I was starting to lose hope of being found.
Would Lyra return to the barn? God, I hoped so, especially since I’d also lost my phone at some point, probably when she threw me.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the tree, willing the wind and snow to stop long enough for me to get back up and try to find my way to the barn. But the wind only got louder and the snow only fell harder.
It didn’t take long for me to realize I was in a bad way. If someone didn’t find me soon, or if I couldn’t muster up the strength to keep walking, I would surely freeze to death.
Then through the howling wind, I could’ve sworn I heard my name.
It was Caden’s voice…but he sounded so far away.
I closed my eyes and tried to listen. If this was how I was going to die, dreaming of Caden calling to me, then so be it.
I tried to conjure an image of him, but my mind was foggy and I was so tired.
“Lilibeth!”
“I’m here!” I cried out as best I could. My throat was raw from all the cold air I’d breathed while walking. “I’m here!”
My voice sounded weak. Could it really be Caden or wishful thinking?
“I’m here,” I whispered.
My body was starting to feel hot, even though I was shivering, and my head was pounding.
“Lilibeth!”
What a cruel joke that the last voice I’d ever thought I heard was Caden’s. I felt myself drifting to sleep when someone grabbed my shoulders and started to shake me.
“Lilibeth!”
My eyes opened, and I saw Caden. I had to blink a few times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. It was really him. He’d found me.
I jerked awake when I felt Caden moving behind me. We were in a small barn. One I hadn’t been in before. Once he was on the ground, Caden reached up and helped me down, then carried me over to a bench. He walked away quickly, coming back with a blanket, which he wrapped around me.
“Th-thank…you.” My entire body was shaking.
“Let me get Orion settled, then I’ll get you to the house. The barn’s heated, so you should start to warm up.”
All I could do was nod as I slowly lay down on the bench and watched as Caden cared for Orion.
I closed my eyes but forced myself to stay awake.
I could hear him talking, telling Orion that he was a good horse, and he’d get extra oats and a few peppermints.
The animal softly neighed his response, and I felt myself smile.
Then he was back and helping me sit up.
“Come on,” he said, as he swept me up into his arms yet again. I wanted to protest, to tell him that I could walk, but being in his arms sent warmth racing through my entire body, and I decided to just let him carry me.
“It’s just a short walk to the house,” he said quietly, as I nestled my face closer to his throat.
And he was right. Because it couldn’t have been more than a minute or two before he spoke again.
“Here we are.”
He walked through a back door that led into a small mudroom, gently sitting me on another bench. He took off his jacket and hung it up before bending down to pull off my sneakers.
“Why in the hell are you wearing sneakers?”
I shivered. “I wasn’t…I wasn’t expecting…to go riding,” I said. “Or to get stuck…in a…storm.” My teeth were chattering as I tried to speak.
“Fuck, your socks are soaking wet.”
He took them off as well, then pulled me to my feet.
He took off my jacket and hung it next to his, along with his scarf.
Wrapping an arm around my waist, he led me through the house and to his bedroom.
He urged me to sit on the side of the bed, then he quickly got a fire going.
When flames were crackling in the hearth, he turned to face me…
and pulled off his shirt, dropping it to the floor.
My eyes took in his hard muscles and perfect abs as he stripped down to his boxers.
He walked over, took my hand, and helped me to stand. “We have to get you out of those wet clothes, Lilibeth.”
I was so tired, and I had one hell of a headache, but I understood his words and knew he was right.
I raised my arms, and he pulled my long-sleeved shirt over my head, then worked on my jeans.
My legs felt weak, so I held his shoulders while lifting each leg so he could peel the wet fabric off.
Finally, I stood there in nothing but my bra and panties, which had managed to remain dry.
Caden pulled the heavy quilt and sheet back and motioned for me to get in. I did so without hesitation. He climbed in after me.
“Roll onto your side, facing away from me.”
I did as he said, and felt his strong arms pull me close. Caden Wilde was spooning me, and the warmth of his body was nothing short of heavenly. The more I shivered, the closer he held me, until my body slowly stopped shaking and his heat engulfed me.
“Is that better?” he asked. His voice sounded both strained and husky.
“Yes.”
My own voice sounded brittle, and my eyes felt heavy, but I forced myself to stay awake. My headache slowly began to ease as I warmed up.
“Thank you, Caden. For looking for me.”
He held me a bit tighter. “You’re welcome, Lilibeth.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to ignore the way my name sounded on his lips.
I wasn’t sure how long we’d lain there in his bed, but the sound of Caden’s slow breathing started to relax me completely, and before I knew it, I’d drifted off to sleep.
Opening my eyes, I felt Caden’s arm still around my waist, but it was heavy now. The feel of his warm breath hitting my neck sent goose bumps over my skin, and I shivered involuntarily.
He jolted awake.
“Lilibeth?” he whispered.
“Yes?” I whispered back, not sure why.
“Are you still cold?”
“No, I’m warm now. I guess I dozed off.”
A soft chuckle came from him, and I smiled. When he laughed, it was a beautiful sound. How I wished he would do it more often.
“Do you feel like telling me what happened?”
Now that my mind wasn’t foggy and my head wasn’t pounding, the realization that his almost naked body was plastered to mine had my lower stomach coiling with want. I needed to move away, or I was going to go insane.
I rolled onto my back, and he removed his arm.
I turned my head on the pillow, and our eyes met.
He had the most beautiful eyes. Most of the time, they were a beautiful blue, but now they looked like brushed silver with flecks of gold.
They were so unique and so stunning that for a moment, I was lost in them.
He blinked, and I snapped out of my trance.
“Lyra and I were on the trail when a clap of thunder came out of nowhere. She took off running into the pasture, and then something else seemed to spook her from our right. It might have been an animal running past us, but I didn’t see anything.
She just kind of jumped to the left, then reared up, and I wasn’t ready for it and fell off her back.
By the time I got up, she was a speck in the distance, and she didn’t go back toward the trail.
I wish she had, because I could have followed her tracks.
Instead, I found my own way back, but obviously went in the wrong direction. ”
He nodded. “Yeah, I found your tracks heading away from the barn.”
“You probably think I’m a complete idiot.”
“I don’t think that at all,” he said, as he gently brushed a piece of my hair behind my ear. My stomach fluttered, and I tried not to let my breathing quicken.
His eyes moved to my mouth, and I instinctively licked my lips. When his gaze lifted to mine again, I swore his eyes were darker.
“This is twice you’ve come to my rescue, cowboy.” When he didn’t say anything, I added, “Thank you for warming me up.”
Caden smiled, and I swore it lit up the entire room. “That part was no hardship, trust me.”
A soft laugh slipped free…then faded away when he reached over and ran a finger down the side of my face as I held my breath.
“You’re so beautiful, Lilibeth. And I was so fucking terrified that something had happened to you.”
The fight to keep my breathing under control was becoming a losing battle. I longed for him to touch my body. Anywhere…everywhere. I felt like I was on fire. I’d never experienced such desire for a man before.
“You scare me,” he whispered.
My eyes went wide. Caden was letting his carefully placed mask slip. “Why?”
His gazed moved across my face before he said, “You make me feel again.”
“That’s a bad thing?”
He smiled again, softer now, and just a little sadly. “You don’t know how much I want to kiss you right now, Lilibeth. It’s taking every fucking ounce of self-control to keep from touching you.”
I swallowed hard. Could I say what I wanted to say? I might not ever get this chance again, and it was right in this moment that I realized I wanted Caden Wilde more than I wanted my next breath.
Drawing in a deep breath, I slowly let it out, then asked, “What if I want you to touch me?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Do you want me to touch you?”
I decided right then and there that it would be nothing but honesty with Caden. He wasn’t the type of guy who liked to play games, and I wasn’t into that either. “More than I’ve ever wanted anything.”
He leaned forward and brushed a soft kiss across my lips.