“You were worried about me,” I said, touched.
“I was out of my fucking mind.” He wrapped the bandage gingerly, being careful not to move my sore ankle.
“Can you help me, um…pee?” I asked, my cheeks warming. “I mean, I can handle the peeing part, but I can’t seem to get…positioned for it with my ankle so sore.”
His lips quirked a little as he nodded. He held on to me and even graciously looked away as I finally peed. It felt almost as good as being rescued did.
When I finished, Aiden reached into his bag again.
“All right. I’ve got a harness on.” He gestured to the straps around his chest and shoulders. “I’m gonna put you in one, too. It’ll let me carry you out of here like a backpack. When I’m climbing the hill, you’ll have to squeeze your thighs around my waist because I won’t be able to hold you.”
“Good thing I have experience squeezing my thighs around your waist.”
He smiled, enough light breaking through the canopy of trees that I could see his face well now.
“You’re talking about sex right now?” he quipped.
I shrugged. “I can’t help it. You’re rescuing me, and it’s hot.”
He eased the harness straps over my head.
“Aiden,” I said, meeting his eyes, “promise me you’ll make time for me when we’re back in Lipton. After this, if you don’t—”
“I will. I want this, Drew. You and me. I meant every word I said when I got here. I want a real relationship with you. We’ll go on dates and spend holidays together and…whatever else it is people in relationships do.”
“You’ll let me cut your hair?”
“Anytime you want, baby.”
“Can I wax your junk?”
He groaned. “If you really want to…I’d let you.”
“I don’t.”
“Thank God.”
I leaned forward and kissed him. When his lips brushed across mine, the tenderness I’d been missing was back.
He finished putting on my harness and gave me a serious look.
“If the pain’s too much, tell me and we’ll get a medic back here to give you something.”
“Okay.”
He lifted me by the waist and I let all my weight rest on my right foot. The left one hurt no matter what, so I gritted my teeth and forced a smile.
“Ready?” Aiden asked, bending down in front of me.
“Yes.”
“Okay, you see the clip-ons for your harness?”
“I think so.” I secured the clips and wrapped my arms around his neck.
When he stood and started walking, a new wave of pain shot through my ankle. I wrapped one arm around his chest so I could bury my face in his neck. His woodsy scent and the salty taste of his sweat on my lips anchored me as he made the climb up the hill.
“Okay?” he asked when he got to the top, breathing heavily.
I murmured a yes against his skin and squeezed him tighter.
He untied his rope and stuffed it into the backpack he was carrying on one shoulder now. Between me and the bag, he had to be carrying more than 150 pounds.
Aiden maneuvered carefully, turning and slowing to keep my ankle from touching any trees or branches. He was in his element, knowing the way without even using his compass or GPS.
I realized as he carried me that he’d found his perfect calling. He was meant to save people. He didn’t just save them himself, but also by teaching others how to go into dangerous places and rescue others.
He’d found his calling in a heartbreaking way—from the loss of his family. It was like the way we’d found each other after Colby’s death—proof that sometimes loss and grief lead us to a new path. Neither path was wrong, but what we’d both lost made us appreciate what we had even more. Aiden was in no way my second choice. He’d brought me back to life, setting my desire for him on fire while filling me with a grounded sense of certainty and safety.
I didn’t let myself moan and groan from the pain. Instead I focused on every step he took getting us out of these woods and closer to our new beginning.
Chapter 30
Drew
It was dark when I woke up with Drew’s warm body nestled against mine. I could tell from the daze I was in that we’d been asleep a long time.
I tried to slide out of bed quietly, but she reached for me as soon as my feet hit the floor. Her sleepy mumble was unintelligible.
“Just getting a drink and going to the bathroom,” I said, leaning over to kiss her forehead.
“Will you bring me some water?”
“Yeah.”
“Aiden,” she said softly. My heart stirred from the smile in her tone.
“Hmm?” I sat down on the edge of the bed and she took my big hand in her two small ones.
“Thanks for washing my hair. You’ve got great technique.”
My cock responded to her fingertips stroking my knuckles. I tamped down my desire, knowing she wasn’t in any shape for sex right now.
“Anytime,” I said. “That offer applies to the rest of you, too.”
An ambulance had taken us to the hospital, where X-rays had shown that Drew’s ankle wasn’t broken. It was a bad sprain, though, and her foot was immobilized in a boot now.
The hospital trip had taken a few hours, and when we’d gotten back she’d wanted a shower so I’d carried her into the women’s showers and Millie had stood guard outside the door. I’d washed her gently while her boot was propped on a chair.
I’d tell her later, when she was well rested, that it had been the most sensual experience of my life. I’d stripped down and gotten into the shower with her, washing the bits of leaves and sticks from her hair and cleansing the dirt from her soft skin with my soapy hands.
She’d put a hand on my chest as I washed her hair, her eyes warm and sleepy. I’d never had such a sense of another person surrendering to me so completely.
“I want to wash you back,” she’d murmured, running her fingers over my wet chest.
“Next time, baby. You’re exhausted and about to pass out from that medicine they gave you. I promise we’ll have many more showers together.”
“Mmm.” She’d smiled widely at that. I’d thought about the huge walk-in shower I was tiling in the master bath of the cabin. Never had I considered using it until right now.
After I’d washed and dried Drew and done a cursory scrub of myself, I’d dressed her, taking time to kiss her exposed skin before I covered it. I loved the way her eyes had roamed my naked body, even though she didn’t have any energy to follow through. I’d thrown my own clothes on and brushed her hair, imagining what my Army buddies would say if they could see me.
They’d say I’d fallen hard for Drew, though they’d be obnoxious dicks about it. And despite their coarseness, they’d be right.
“I think that was longer than strictly necessary,” Millie had snapped as I carried Drew out of the bathroom.
“You were looking in the window, you perv?” I said gruffly.
Her cheeks reddened. “No!”
“How the hell do you know how long I am, then?” I’d challenged, keeping a serious expression for a few seconds.
Millie’s mouth had dropped open in horror as she shook her head. When I cracked a smile, she realized she’d been had by a very rare joke from me.
Back in the camper, Drew let go of my hand and I went to the bathroom and got two bottles of water from the fridge. When I got back to the tiny bedroom, she was hobbling through the doorway to go to the bathroom herself.
“Let me help,” I said, tossing the bottles on the bed.
“No, I can do it. I have to wear this boot for a while, I’ve got to learn to get around in it.”
She went into the bathroom and I picked up my cellphone from a shelf beside the bed. It was midnight. We’d slept almost twelve hours.
Drew came back in, sat down on the edge of the bed and swung her booted foot up.
“Pretty sexy, right?” she cracked.
“You’re always sexy,” I said, propping myself up on my elbow. As soon as her head hit the pillow, I leaned down and kissed her.
“We’re all rested and it’s the middle of the night,” she said against my lips. “How can we pass the time?”
I groaned lightly. “I don’t know if you’re up for sex yet, babe.”
“I’m definitely up for it.” She reached between my legs and stroked me. “Are you up for it?”
Careful not to touch her injured ankle, I moved on top of her and kissed her neck. “I’m always up for you. Always. Night or day, awake or asleep.”
I felt a moan vibrating in her throat as I kissed it. She wrapped her arms around my back and worked my shirt up and off over my head.
I undressed myself the rest of the way and then took her clothes off, too. When I moved on top of her and eased myself inside her, I made love to the dream woman who was now my reality. Before, I hadn’t understood what making love even was. But I knew it now. It was about what I felt inside feeling even better than the physical sensations.
She overwhelmed me in the best possible way. And even though her past wasn’t mine, her present was and her future sure as hell would be, too.
Chapter 31
Drew
Later that day, I gave Murph, Tex, and Millie a sheepish smile when I arrived at our morning meeting.
“You guys, I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused with getting lost. I know you guys looked for me through the night, and that means a lot to me. It’ll be a long time before I pee in the woods again.”
“Drew, we’re just glad you’re okay,” Murph said, pushing up his glasses.
Millie launched herself at me and hugged me tight. “All that matters is that you’re safe,” she said.
Tex gave me a lopsided grin. “One of the paramedics was a hot blonde and I got her number, so you actually did me a favor.”
I laughed as Aiden joined us, his hair still damp from the shower. He put a hand on my lower back.
“I got stung by a bee one year, you guys remember that?” Murph said. “My first year leading my own team.”
“Millie wasn’t with us that year, but me and Tex were,” Aiden said, shaking his head. “Your face swelled up like a balloon.”
“I thought you were gonna croak,” Tex said. “We all sat in that emergency room in Missouri and talked about how shitty it would be if you did. That guy Morgan who only came with us that first year said we should throw your ashes into a tornado.”
Murph gave Tex a horrified look. “Uh, no. If I die chasing, please don’t do that.”
“See, you’re not the only one who got the whole team worried about you, Drew,” Tex said. “One year I took a dump in the woods and wiped with some leaves, and—”
Aiden and Murph were already laughing.
“It’s not funny, you assholes,” Tex said, lowering his eyebrows. “I had poison ivy on my bunghole and balls. It itched like a mother.”
“You didn’t hold back about scratching it,” Murph said.
“I wouldn’t wish that shit on my worst enemy.” Tex shook his head, looking harrowed by the memory.
Murph cleared his throat and started our meeting. “There’s nothing worth chasing today, guys. We’ll just hang around here. I’ve still got my sights on a big one for tomorrow.”
We talked a little more about the cell Murph was tracking, and Aiden and I were about to go back into the camper when Dot walked up to us, carrying a foil-covered casserole dish.
“Thank heavens,” she said, handing Aiden the dish and squeezing me to her in a hug. “I was worried sick when I heard you were missing. Is your foot broken?”
We both looked down at my boot.
“No, just a sprained ankle,” I said.
“Well you take it easy and get better.”
“It’s okay for me to walk around as long as I’ve got the boot on. The doctor said so.”
She gave me a skeptical look. “Rest, Drew, and let G.I. Joe wait on you.”
Aiden grinned at her and reached out a hand, still holding her dish in his other one.
“G.I. Joe,” he said. “Nice to meet you, Dot.”
“You, too. You’re taking good care of her, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Dot arched her brows and gave me a look. “I’d sprain my ankle any day if he’d take care of me.”
“It’s not too bad,” I said, slipping an arm around Aiden’s back.
“I made you a macaroni casserole. You need comfort food. You eat that up and rest today, sweetie.”
“Thanks, Dot. That was so sweet of you.”
“Herb and I are only here for a few more days. Will you two come by for dinner before we leave?”
“We’d love to.”
She sighed. “Best let you get back to…resting.”
My cheeks warmed.
“As long as you’re on your back and off that foot, it counts as rest,” she said, winking at us as she left.
“Smart lady right there,” Aiden said, his eyes dancing as he looked down at me. “Let’s get you inside and on your back.”
Chapter 32
Drew
“I’ll definitely need you to help me into the truck,” I said to Aiden as I poured two cups of coffee.
His brows shot up in alarm. “What are you talking about?”
“How I can’t get into the truck with this boot since the seat’s so high up.”
“You can’t go storm chasing with a sprained ankle, Drew. You need to be here resting it.”
I crossed my arms and met his eyes. “What’s more restful than sitting in a truck for hours on end?”
“Yeah, but when we get there…” He reached for his coffee and took a sip.
“I’ll be careful.”
His expression was stern. “Can’t be more careful than being here in bed. I’ve got movies here.”
“I’m not missing this. The storm sounds epic and we’re close to the end of this trip.”
He wrapped a hand around the back of his neck. “Drew…I just spent twelve hours searching for you, terrified about what I’d find when I got to you. That aged me about a decade. I’d feel the same way about you chasing storms with a busted-up ankle.”
“I can’t get far from the truck. Aiden, I can’t even get out of the truck without your help. Leave me in there if you want. Unless you need my help.”
“Look at you.” His eyes widened. “How can you help chase storms like this?”
“I can still be helpful. I can watch the radar or take video from the truck window.”
“Do you want me to stay here with you?”
“No! I want you to go take a shower so we can make the meeting on time.”
He shook his head. “You’re exasperating, woman.”
“Back at ya. I’m not a helpless child, Aiden.”
“I’m with you on the child part, but you are pretty helpless at this point.”
Now his arms were crossed, too. It felt like a standoff.
“I managed our sex marathon yesterday,” I said. “So I’m not completely helpless.”
He scrunched his face in reluctant agreement. “Yeah, I’ll give you that. But fucking isn’t facing danger you might need to run from at the drop of a hat.”
I wanted to step closer to him, but dragging my left leg behind me wouldn’t help my case. Instead I licked my lips and smiled.
“I thought my life might be in danger when you did that thing with your mouth and your fingers at the same time. I came so hard I thought I was about to pass out.”
“Don’t try to charm me by mentioning my sexual prowess. I know how hard you came.”
I glared at him. “Look, I’m coming with you. I’ll stay in the truck. How much more reasonable can I be?”
He blew out a breath. “All right.”
“Was that our first official argument as a couple?” I asked, grinning. “I think it went well.”
Aiden rolled his eyes. “I bet you do. Now
let’s go have makeup sex.”
I glanced at the clock on the microwave. “We’re due at the meeting in five minutes.”
“Damn.”
“Later,” I promised. “We’ll have so many nights together, Aiden. When you get back from your work trip, I mean.”
He approached me and wrapped his hands around my waist. The sparkle of affection in his eyes warmed me all over.
“I moved some dates around so I won’t be gone for three months straight. And I was thinking…if you want to…you might want to come with me for a couple of ’em. One’s on an island in Florida.”
“I’d love to. Anywhere I went with you would be amazing.”
“You ever been to Florida?”
My cheeks warmed. “I’ve never been anywhere. Just Illinois and…whatever states we’ve been to on this trip.”
“Oh, Drew.” Aiden kissed me softly. “We’re taking a vacation together. Someplace tropical. I’m thinking a hut on the beach.”
“I’m thinking that sounds expensive. We could just take the camper somewhere.”
“Didn’t I tell you money’s not an issue? My dad’s investment guy has done great stuff with the insurance money, and there was a lot.”
I put my hands on his biceps, loving the big, solid feel of them beneath my fingertips.
“All I want is to be with you,” I said.
“And all I want is to be with you and share everything I have with you. I’ve never been able to touch that money because it’s been painful. But I know my parents would love for us to explore the world with it.”
My throat burned from the emotion in his voice. It wasn’t because of me that he finally believed in something more, but because of us. And I felt the same way.
He cleared his throat. “Well, there went that five minutes. We’ve gotta go.”
I kissed him again. There wasn’t much of this trip left, and I wanted to savor every minute. This trip had brought us together. I knew memories from these weeks would be with me forever, but I still hoped to make a few more.
—
My stomach was in knots from the radio chatter from spotters and chasers about the storm we were approaching in Iowa. Aiden never turned on the radio in his truck when we were chasing. He hadn’t said anything when he’d switched it on, but I’d heard him loud and clear.
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