Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 46257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
“I was gonna run us a bath on account of the weather,” I start to explain, letting her see and feel for herself how wild it might end up getting out here.
And nothing to do with us either. That’s a storm front rolling in, and I rethink my whole hot spring, floating candle idea.
Until I can see her heart is set on it.
Hugging her elbows and then me, she practically squeals with delight.
“How cool! Your very own little hot spring. We can sit out in it and enjoy the storm.”
I feel my brow cock.
Enjoy the storm?
“Did you just say enjoy the storm?” I ask her, almost gasping when she stabs a nod.
“Sure. Don’t you love a good storm? Look, we’ve got a shelter right above us and steaming hot water. It’ll be great.”
I feel my mouth widen to a smile, but I can’t share her enthusiasm.
I’m pushing seven feet tall and could lift the back end of my truck off the ground without straining.
But thunderstorms?
Not my go-to feel-good kind of thing. The one thing I actually don’t like and I have to use the scared word.
Not that I’d say that in front of Bridget.
Caveman Ash. Big…strong…ug. Right?
A sudden and loud crack of thunder right over us makes me jump, and Bridget hugs her elbows tighter before trotting out into the yard, opening her arms up and turning herself around.
“It’s starting to rain,” she giggles, making me wonder if something else came loose inside her when she came so hard.
Like maybe a screw or two?
But I can’t let her think I’m a big scaredy cat. It’s something the guys from the station know about. But they also know not to rib me about it.
My Achilles heel. My Kryptonite.
Damned thunder and lightning.
But seeing her. Seeing how happy and abandoned Bridget is to it all, I don’t feel the usual uneasiness with the rumbling thunder and the crack of lighting that follows it.
I’m not in love with it like she is, but her being here takes the edge off of it a bit. And before long, I join her in the rain.
Acting like a complete lunatic but just happy because she is.
Finally feeling some of the screws in myself that have been too tight for so long finally loosen.
Lifting my soaked sweater over my head, I can feel the chill in the air and figure it’s time for my girl to soak in our not-so-little outdoor tub of limestone and rock while I get our steaks sizzling.
“I don’t want you catching a cold,” I caution her, but she looks so damned cute in my shirt. Sopping wet with all her perfect curves shining in the blue glow of light from the hot spring.
She shivers a little and agrees, asking me to help her undress, which makes me chuckle.
Undoing just two buttons, her chest spills free.
Firm and proud, smooth and running with tiny streams of rain that I lean down to lap up before lifting her into my arms.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Bridget
I can’t remember the last time I was out in the country, standing in the rain feeling as happy as I do right now.
Probably because I never have. I always had Mom or Dad calling out to me, telling me not to get wet, to get outta the rain. But out here, with Ash, I feel freer than I’ve ever felt. I just hope I’m not scaring him by acting a little crazy.
He almost looks worried. But I doubt a big guy like Ash would be scared by a thunderstorm, surely not.
He helps me out of the shirt I borrowed and undresses himself to the waist before holding my hand as I ease down the steps cut into the edges of the natural spring.
“Oooh. It’s warm!” I gasp, only getting up to my toes, but Ash assures me it’s the perfect temperature, and my feet are just freezing from dancing around like a witch.
“You’re coming in too?” I pout, and he murmurs something about getting the food on and mumbling about the floating candles.
“Or I could just…,” he suddenly shrugs, his eyes fixed on my chest as the top half of me stands out of the water.
“Yeah, let’s just sit a while and enjoy the storm,” I tell him.
I’m pushing the thought about my parents as far to the back of my mind as I can, but the storm gathering over us is more than just nature at work.
It really does feel like the living metaphor of the storm that will break once my parents find out what I’ve been doing.
“Bridget?” Ash asks, giving me a quizzing look as he slides in next to me.
Damn. I wanted to see all of him before he got in…
“Sorry… Just thinking,” I murmur. Letting him shift me around a little so he can sit on the lowest step with me in front of him between his legs.