Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 119597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
We eat our fill, taking turns feeding each other and grinning through every bite, licking our fingers, licking each other’s fingers. We’re a pair of gluttonous, hedonistic animals until every juicy piece is picked clean from the bone.
The visceral warmth and protein the meal provides is so comforting it’s overwhelming. Together, we lie back on the sleeping bag, rubbing our bellies and moaning between bouts of laughter, drunk on our fullness.
“We shouldn’t have done that.” She angles her face toward mine, swiping her tongue across grease-slicked lips. “Our digestive systems need to readjust after going so long without. We’re probably going to puke.”
“No regrets.” I clasp her hand, lacing our fingers. “I love seeing you happy.”
Beyond the physical relief, there’s an integral, emotional significance in experiencing this with her. The meal signifies survival, resourcefulness, and overcoming extreme adversity.
The act of taking down a bear, preparing it, and finally eating it feels deeply symbolic. It’s an ego stroke, for sure. But my emotions run the gamut from gratitude and relief to awe and respect for the bear that provided our sustenance.
“Come on.” I crawl beneath the blankets of our makeshift bed and pull her in after me.
With the fire blazing in a bed of coal, our bellies stuffed, and my beautiful girl tucked safely into the cradle of my body, I release my first contented sigh in weeks.
“Do you think there are more bears out there?” she whispers.
“They’re asleep, deep in their caves. Strange that one roused early. Not unheard of but…” Guilt stabs my chest. “I should’ve—”
“Don’t say it.” She flips over to face me, pressing her palms to my cheeks. “Don’t you dare apologize. I forced that decision on you, and when we return to the cabin, to Kody, we’ll be carrying not just the coal but the bear’s meat and the promise of escape, of a future beyond this frozen prison.”
“I almost lost you.” I touch her face, mapping her sweet, angelic features. “I regret—”
“No. I was taken from my house, my husband, and my career. Should I regret that?” Her hand moves to my jaw and squeezes. “I fell in love in an endless night, in the heart of hell, where evil reigned. I lost my baby. We lost Wolf. But we found each other. No regrets, got it?”
“Give me your mouth.”
She leans up, closing her lips over mine, and the moment of remorse is gone. She’s alive and safe. With the coal, bear meat, pemmican, and flight manual, it’s enough to keep her that way.
We’re going to make it off the ground. After that? Well, I need to learn how to fly and land a plane.
“I feel bad.” She threads her hand through my hair. “My pants are bursting from overeating, and Kody is alone, counting his ration of beans and worrying himself sick because we haven’t returned. He’s probably imagining the worst, and in two days, he’ll think we’ve run out of food.”
“Kody is the toughest bastard I know. He doesn’t worry. He understands the numerous ways we can be delayed out here. He can probably see the blizzard on the horizon if it hasn’t already reached him. He also knows you’re in safe hands. He trusts me to protect you.”
“Do you trust him? With me?”
“Absolutely.”
“Good.” She nestles closer against my chest. “Maybe that plane came back, and they’ll be waiting for us when we return.”
This woman. I wish I had her optimism. She’s an unsinkable buoy, no matter how rough it gets.
“Kody should be here,” she says, “feasting and snuggling with us. I miss him.”
“I know.” I try to push down the rising jealousy.
“Does that bother you?”
I pause, struggling to find the right words. “I would be lying if I said no.”
It bothers me more than I care to admit. It isn’t just about sharing her with my brother. It’s about sharing so much of her that he’ll steal her away.
I know I need to get over that. After all, he makes her happy. We both do. Yet, deep down, I can’t shake the possessiveness.
Maybe it’s because I can’t imagine loving two women. She’s it for me. My forever. I will never want another, even if she stops wanting me.
Perhaps another part of it stems from my twisted history with Gretchen. My first and only relationship was forced on me, butchering me with scars that run far deeper than the one on my stomach. It robbed me of control, leaving me broken and wounded. The memory of it still haunts, making me cling to the need for dominance in every aspect of my life.
Unlike me, Kody doesn’t carry the weight of such baggage. Frankie is his first female connection. First love. First kiss. First sexual encounter. She represents tenderness and benevolence, untainted by the shadows of the past. Despite his broody, rough exterior, my brother is innocent at heart. And eager. Of course, he is.