“Accepting help is not my forte,” I admitted, albeit begrudgingly.
“We’re going to have to work to change that. Everyone needs help sometimes, and there ain’t nothing wrong with asking. It takes a strong person to ask for help when they need it, and there ain’t no shame in that.”
He was right.
I reached into my bag and pulled out my bottle of water. Taking a quick sip, I extended the bottle to Talon.
“Thanks,” he said, the corner of his mouth lifted into a small grin.
His smile was damn near knee weakening even as I was sitting down. It was stunning. His teeth were white, not that fake bleached shit either, and perfectly straight. His lips were full and pouty. I watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed while he downed the bottle’s contents. How could he make something so mundane sexy as hell?
Capping the bottle and handing it back to me, Talon looked at me. I mean he really looked at me. There was a sizzle in his stare that hadn’t been there before. Our gazes locked, and neither of us seemed to be able to break the hold. His eyes were a light greenish gold color that I’d never seen before. My palms had begun to sweat despite the cold, and my heart was pounding in my chest. I was the first one to avert my gaze. I turned my face toward the trees, unable to take his intense stare any longer.
Talon seemed like he was about to say something, but then he thought better of it and changed course altogether.
“I’ll be right back. This shouldn’t take very long.”
“Thanks,” I said as he stopped just past me and leaned down to tie his shoe.
I tried to ignore how close he’d stopped to me, forcing myself to not look at him. If our gazes locked again, I’d be done for and just like Alice, I’d tumble down the rabbit hole that was Talon Becker.
Hearing a small inhalation a little closer than I was comfortable with, I turned my head toward Talon, who was crouched and only an inch away from my face.
“Did you just sniff me?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Yeah, I did. What kind of perfume are you wearing?”
“I believe they call it soap? Maybe you’re familiar with it?”
His lips pressed into a thin line as if he wasn’t amused. After a second, the tiny lines near his eyes deepened with his amusement, but his mouth didn’t so much as twitch.
Stoic damn man.
Talon stood, not averting his gaze as he rose to tower over me. He looked like an avenging angel with the snow falling around him. With a quick nod, he strode away from me and left me in the cold with a whole new level of infatuation.
He set to work right away. The wind was picking up, pelting me with white pellets of ice.
No longer on the move, I felt the cold begin to seep into me, chilling me to the bone. Talon had the tent pitched and staked to the semi frozen ground. I watched everything he did with more interest than I even knew was possible for such a mundane task, but he still somehow made it interesting. Not once did he make a sound as he moved over the landscape. He moved like a hunting predator. Silent. Deadly.
As soon as the tent was staked and up, Talon came back for me. Bending down, he scooped me up into his arms like I weighed nothing at all and carried me gently back to the new campsite. I held my boot against my stomach, while the ache in my foot intensified. Talon’s solid form was quickly making me forget about it though. His body was warm, like a heater compared to the vicious wind that felt as though it had begun to cut right through my clothes. Everything was damp, but Talon’s solid warmth chased all thoughts of that away.
He crouched and put me down at the opening of the tent, shrugging out of his coat and wrapping it around my shoulders snugly.
“What the hell are you doing? You’ll freeze! Put this back on!”
He just grunted and zipped the coat half way up me.
“Aren’t you worried about the cold? Do you have any sense at all?”
“Trust me; I run warm, and I’ll be just fine. You’re practically blue and shivering so hard your muscles will cramp up on you later. You need it more than I do.”
“You’re crazy,” I said, secretly grateful for his thoughtfulness, but I sure as hell wasn’t about to admit that aloud.
“Maybe just a little. Be right back; I’m grabbing some wood so I can get started on a fire and get you warmed up. Shouldn’t be more than ten minutes. Do you need anything first?” he called from where he stood in front of the single tent.
I shook my head, trying not to let my teeth chatter together. The ground was still somewhat damp, and it had begun to seep through my double layer of pants. My eyes were fixated on the small interior of the one lone tent he’d pitched. Two people, one tent. That could get interesting, and yet I didn’t seem to mind the idea of sharing the space with him. It was cozy, and the space would be tight. Contact would be unavoidable, and bum ankle or not, I wanted Talon Becker badly. It was a level of lust I’d never experienced before. We had a chemistry that was hard to find, and even from our limited interactions, I knew that he was a man I could fall for if I wasn’t careful. I had to tone that shit down before I did something the both of us could regret. Would I regret sleeping with him? No, but I would regret leaving after having him. Anything that happened had an expiration date stamped on it. As soon as the poaching and animal trade problem was gone, so was I. My thoughts turned darker as I contemplated my task at hand. I had failed to capture these guys several times already. If I failed again, I could kiss my job goodbye, and I didn’t have a backup plan or a special set of skills to fall back on if everything went to shit. Moving back in with my parent’s didn’t even seem like an option. Don’t get me wrong; I loved them, but I needed my independence and privacy. The sprained ankle made my short term goals that much harder.
How was I going to find these guys if I was laid up with a bum ankle? I was fucked on so many different levels. Just the thought of failure and its ramifications had my stomach churning with anxiety.
Nope. I was just going to have to figure it out and find these guys one way or another. Maybe Talon actually knew more about the town’s newcomers than he had let on when he slammed the door in my face. I shifted my weight around as my tailbone began to ache. My ankle protested fiercely to the strained movement. I hissed through clenched teeth. I needed to stabilize the joint so I didn’t cause any more irritation and inflammation. I thought about the contents of my bag. I didn’t have the bandage, but I did have gauze and tape.
Years of playing sports taught me that tape was everything. It could immobilize the injury, make it semi-functional, and keep swelling to a minimum as long as I didn’t overdo it. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get the rest of the way down the mountain when the storm finally broke, but I’d just have to cross that bridge when I got to it.
I pulled my bag over to me and began rifling through it to find everything I needed to tape the joint into place. Just as I carefully unlaced my boot, I felt a presence. Scanning the area, I didn’t see anyone, yet somehow I knew I was no longer alone. I abandoned the bandaging and tried not to seem alarmed.
My gun was heavy in its holster on my hip. The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I kept going about my business as if nothing was amiss, but with each movement, my hand drew closer to the weapon.
I kept my eyes peeled, constantly scanning for movement amongst the forest shadows. There was no more noise. No birds chirping, no squirrels chattering and chasing each other. It had fallen completely silent besides the wind whipping by my ears like an angry howl.
Something passed between the trees to the left of the tent, drawing my attention. My fingers closed around the grip of my gun, and slowly, I withdrew it from the holster. With a quick flick of my fingers, the safety was off, and I kept it trained at the ground as I searched for whatever was out there stalking me. I was wounded and an easy meal for a hungry cougar. There were far more than just mountain lions to worry about though. Bears, wolves, even the men I was hunting wouldn’t think twice about polishing me of
f.
A low rumble, like a growl, sounded from the darkness of the trees. I squinted, trying to make out the shape of whatever was stalking me. From the opposite side of the clearing, a stick snapped. I swung my head in its direction, hoping to catch a glimpse of something.
Everything was still, nothing noticeably out of place. In my periphery, I saw a shadow move between the trees. Slowly, I wrapped my other hand around the bottom of the gun to support its weight. I kept the gun aimed at the ground and my sight trained on the approaching threat. It didn’t move toward be like an animal. The snow was whipping by me, making it near impossible to make out definitively who or what it was. It strode toward me, seeming to be no more than a shadow.
It was a man.
The large figure strode forward through the trees, his features becoming easier to make out. Talon was back.
I holstered my weapon before he saw that I’d been spooked enough to damn near shoot him.
Talon walked out of the thick trees like a ghost with his arms loaded up with wood, not making a sound. Did the man even actually touch the ground when he walked?
“Thank God it’s you!” I gasped, trying to calm my racing pulse.
“Who else would it be?”
“Poachers, cougar, bear, wolves, any number of animals that could maim me without too much effort…the list goes on.”
“You’re a little paranoid aren’t you?”
I lifted a shoulder and let it fall. It was what it was. If I was paranoid, it was because I’d seen just what these guys were capable of. I’d also been on the scene of a bear attack. It wasn’t pretty, and I had no desire to meet my end in such a way.
Talon didn’t pay me much attention as he set out on his task of building a fire.
He worked fast as he stacked the wood into something that resembled a log cabin without a roof. The middle of it was filled with kindling.
He withdrew a lighter from his pocket and began the harrowing task of getting the sticks to light.
“What about grabbing some pine needles? The dead ones will go up in no time,” I suggested, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears.
What was it about taking some solid advice from a woman that guys objected to so much? I couldn’t understand it. Struggling to my feet, I limped through the snow to the nearest pine tree. The lower branches had died from the lack of sunlight to nourish them. I snapped the tiny branches off and slowly but surely made my way back to where he was working.
“Don’t say I never gave you anything,” I uttered as I bent over and stuffed the dry needles into the pile of sticks.
Talon grunted.
I took it as his way of saying how overwhelmingly grateful he was for my genius idea he had so callously disregarded.
“You’re welcome,” I remarked as I lowered myself to the ground, looking a whole lot like a tripod.
I fell the last four or five inches, but it didn’t jar my foot, so while my ass was complaining, my poor ankle was praising my skill in avoiding disaster.
“You shouldn’t be up and moving around on that,” Talon remarked, motioning to my leg.
“No, I shouldn’t, but you wouldn’t listen to me, and I’m cold. I wanted to get warm at some point tonight, and with how hard it’s snowing, it would have taken all night.”
“Are you always this bullheaded and difficult? Or are you being particularly wonderful just for me?” he said as he rounded on me and hooked his hands on his hips.
“Why does it bother you so much? And as for the bullheaded comment, I’m stubborn and damn proud of it. No one can force me into shit I want no part of, and I get it from my dad, so you can thank him for that.”
Talon shook his head with a frustrated and amused grin plastered on his handsome face.
“You’re unbelievable,” he said almost under his breath but barely loud enough for me to hear it.
“I’m going to take that as a compliment, so thank you.”
I hiked the leg of my pants up and tore off my sock, giving the boot a heave. Snatching up the gauze, I began wrapping it around my ankle and heel, making sure it was snug and wouldn’t wrinkle or roll up on me when I started taping it.
“Let me help you with that,” Talon said directly in front of me.
“It’s okay, I’ve got it.”
“Don’t be difficult about this. Just let me help you.”
I wanted to say no and show him that I had it under control, yet my damn traitorous mouth had other ideas.
“All right,” I uttered as I handed the tape and gauze over to Talon.
His hands were rough and warm against my flesh. His were the sort of hands that had seen years of hard work.
He wound the gauze around my ankle and foot, securing it with a tight knot. He followed with the tape, making the same motions and making sure it was tight enough to restrict movement but not so tight as to cut off circulation. It was a fine line between the two, but he seemed to know exactly what he was doing. In his line of work, I’d suspect he’d done this hundreds of times. Every few moments, he’d lift his gaze to meet mine.
His fingers would brush against my bare skin, sending jolts through my nerve endings wherever he touched. It was heavenly and made me wonder if he was doing it on purpose. His calloused hands worked like a skilled surgeon as he tore the tape and smoothed everything out.
“There. You should be all set, but let me know if it’s too tight or if it chafes against spots without the gauze.”
“Thanks,” I murmured, staring at the spot where his thumb was rubbing tender circles into the fleshy part of my calf.
His caress trailed up and down the length of exposed skin, leaving sensitive gooseflesh in his wake. I didn’t want him to stop. It was the best massage I’d ever had if you could even call it that. Drawing my lower lip into my mouth, I bit down and held it between my teeth.
Talon’s lips twitched into an almost smile before the expression faded away altogether. He glanced at the spot he was running his fingers over.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t…” he said, meeting my eyes.
My brows furrowed. I didn’t understand why he was apologizing. Had I given him the impression I wasn’t enjoying it?
He didn’t move to stand. Instead, he stayed crouched in front of me with his stare locked on mine. There was an electricity between us that made the air feel like it would sizzle at any moment. My gaze dipped to his lips before diving right back into his mesmerizing eyes. They were a bright ocean blue color that I could get lost in. They were unlike anyone’s I’d ever seen before. Special eyes for a special man.
He didn’t remove his touch though. Talon was keeping the pressure up as he kneaded the swollen joint. The pain was receding under his expert touch.
If I was a cat, his touch would’ve had me purring and practically rubbing myself all over him. He knew just the right amount of pressure to put exactly where I needed it most.
“I wasn’t complaining,” I whispered.
My words broke the tension and ultimately shattered the moment the two of us were sharing.
“It wasn’t my intention to make you uncomfortable or anything. I just…I don’t know,” he said as he rose to stand.
“I wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact, I’m probably more comfortable around you than I should be. I can’t really explain it.”
It was true. Being around Talon was easy. I could be myself and not care about whether he was judging me or not. He hadn’t even given me a reason to feel that way, but why would he hike all the way up there after me just to make sure I was okay?
“I know exactly what you mean,” Talon muttered, kneeling down to build the base of our fire.
Did he feel the same way I did? I couldn’t ask. Making things awkward was extremely low on my list of priorities. Feelings didn’t have any place in our situation. I needed to keep that in mind and remember that he was helping me to do my job. That needed to be the extent of whatever this was. Damn it if I couldn’t convince my damned neglected libido of that, thou
gh.
Talon made quick work of the base, building up the tiny stacked log cabin structure again, filled with kindling and pine needles.
“Are you going to start rubbing some sticks together?” I asked when he stood, looking at his work like the proud carpenter he was.
He glanced at me, giving me the Really? Don’t be ridiculous expression.
“Nope. I don’t see much point in wasting my time when I have a lighter and a small fire starter briquette,” he said, holding both up to show me.
“You must’ve been a pretty good Boy Scout. I bet you got that Preparedness Badge,” I joked.
He shook his head. “Nope, was never in Scouts. My dad taught me everything I know.”
Neither of us said more on the subject. Instead, Talon lit the fire. The way he’d built the structure ensured safety from the wind as the fire took hold, and with the fire starter, the snow didn’t seem to matter too much. And the trees were a big help with reducing what we were getting hit with. In a matter of minutes, the flame grew into a blaze and was kicking out heat like I had an outdoor furnace.
“Well done, Survival Man. I think that ought to burn for a while. Hell, it’ll probably keep the bears and cougars away for the night too.”
He nodded and came to sit next to me in the tent’s opening. It blocked the wind from circling around behind us, and it was catching the heat like a hot air balloon.
“Thanks,” he said with a half-smile. “It’ll be dark soon. You’ll want to get plenty of rest so that ankle has a chance to be of use tomorrow.”
Pulling my bag over to me, I rifled through it looking for my food stash. Reaching toward the bottom, I withdrew a handful of cereal bars and offered half to my rescuer.
He plucked them up with a nod. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Pulling his bag toward him from inside the tent, he opened a pocket and withdrew something. He tossed the bag back and eyed me speculatively.
Fly Me Home (Rescue Squad Shifters Book 1) Page 7
