Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 43540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 218(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 218(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
The door to the cabin suddenly opens. Startling, I jump back. Oh, thank God, the owner is still here. “Oh my god, thank you, my car—The fuck?”
“Cal?” Okay, maybe I did die on the walk, and now I’m having some out-of-body experience, wandering between realms because. . . no. “What are you doing here?” He looks at me, then behind me, then back at me. “Did you walk here in the blizzard?”
The fury thaws out my brain, and when I realize the situation I’m in, I’m still may half frozen, but I’m also fucking steaming. “I’m going to KILL THEM!” I scream at the top of my lungs, twist on my heels, and stomp back down the steps.
“Callie, wait.”
I do not wait. I trek back through the snow. “Dead. So fucking dead.”
“Callie, stop. It’s a fucking blizzard out here.”
“A measly blizzard isn’t going to stop me,” I say, my teeth chattering.
“Jesus, just stop.”
“NO! Go away, you nuisance.” How could they do this to me? Angry tears begin to fall, only to freeze on my cheeks. I continue to lift my legs over the pile of snow, but each step becomes heavier. I lift my right leg and my left cramps. I trip, falling forward.
“Hey, I got you,” Easton says, his arms hooking around my waist.
“Let me go! This was a misunderstanding. I have people to kill.”
“You can go on your murder spree once you get warm. Come on.” He carries me back up the steps into the warm and cozy cabin. He sets me down slowly, allowing me to test whether my legs work.
“I’m fine,” I snap and push him away.
“Sure, whatever.” He puts his hands up and allows me to gather my bearings.
“If I can just use your cell phone, I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Don’t have a cell.”
“Who doesn't have a cell—you know what, whatever, a landline then.”
“Phones are down. If you haven’t noticed, there’s a blizzard out there.”
“Yeah, thanks for the update. I noticed. I also noticed that you still seem to be an asshole. Thanks for the hospitality, not. Goodbye.” I turn and walk toward the door.
“And where exactly do you think you’re going?”
“The hell away from you.”
“Before you run away, want to explain how you got here?”
I whip around. Because I was half frozen and in shock before, I failed to notice that he’s shirtless, wearing only a pair of worn jeans. My eyes follow the trail of ink down his sculpted abs to the happy trail I used to love. “I—I. . .” God, I hate how beautiful he still is. But thankfully, that reminds me that I hate him. “No, I don’t.” I rush toward the door.
“And where exactly are you walking off to? You showed up looking like a snowball, frozen to the bone. It’s only getting worse out there.”
“I’ll be just fine.” I open the door, and a blast of cold slaps me in the face. I quickly shut the door.
“Cal.”
“Just don’t. I need a minute.” Or a lifetime to try and understand why they would do this to me. My teeth chatter, and my hands shake.
“You need to take your clothes off.”
I whip around. “Oh, don’t you dare think. . . You come near me, and I’ll stab your eyes out.”
Easton throws his hands up. “Wasn’t planning on it, babe.”
“And don’t you dare call me babe. I’m here for reasons I cannot say out loud because I might explode in a rage of fury. But I’ll be out of your hair soon, and we will never see each other again.”
He takes a step closer. “I was just going to offer to take your jacket. You’re defrosting and leaving a puddle in my living room.”
I look down, and I am, in fact, standing in a pool of water. “Oh, sorry.”
“I’m just gonna go get some towels. Please don’t bolt on me. I’m not in the mood to search for your frozen body in the woods tonight.” I open my mouth to yell something snarky, but he disappears down the hallway. I debate defying him, but the warmth of the fire holds me captive. When he returns, I’ve slid off my jacket and boots and placed them by the front door.
“Here.” He hands me a shirt and a pair of oversized sweatpants. “You can wear them until your clothes dry.” I want to take them and shove them down his throat, but I’m desperate to feel my toes again. I snatch them out of his hands and walk down the hall. I open three doors until he says, “You passed it. Second door on the left.” I storm back and disappear into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.
“What the hell?” This can’t be happening. I slap myself. “Ow!”
“Everything okay?”
“Yes. You open that door, and I will throat punch you.” I rest my palms on the sink and bow my head. I try to take a few breaths to calm my erratic heartbeat, but it doesn’t do anything. When I raise my eyes to the mirror, I groan in horror. My cheeks and nose are bright red, my lips are a pretty shade of blue, and my mascara is smeared down my face. “Oh my god, someone, just kill me right now. This is not happening to me right now!”