Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 104037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 520(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 520(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
My shoulders fall with the last of the hope I had left. It might be best to settle into the back and call it a night. But then hope springs eternal when I see reverse lights outshining the taillights as the truck backs its way around the corner, returning in my direction.
I scramble to grab a knife from my kit. The boning knife is the first available, so I slip it free, gripping the handle like my life depends on it. It just might . . .
The truck stops ahead of my car, then slowly backs the rest of the way. “You’ve got to be kidding me?” I say as soon as our eyes meet through the open window on the passenger’s side.
Jerkface sits with a grin befitting his earlier behavior—cocky and egotistical. “It’s tempting to leave you out here for the night and let the bears get you.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “I’d choose a bear over you any day.”
Chuckling, he shifts his gearstick, redirecting his attention through the windshield. When he turns back to me, he says, “Guess we’re all good here, then. Good luck with the fuel pump.” The truck starts rolling forward before I have time to process what he means by that.
I jog to close the distance, grabbing hold of the door through the open window. “What do you mean by that?”
Stretching his arm over the back of the seat, he leans toward me, but his eyes volley between me and the road ahead. I cling to the side of his vehicle. At least he has the courtesy to slow the pace so I can walk next to it. “You haven’t said a damn word about us. It’s like we never existed.”
“We existed alright, but I’m trying to forget.”
A click of his tongue accompanies his gaze shifting forward again. I hope he’s not expecting me to apologize to him for tonight. He’s the one who was out of line. More importantly, I don’t want to talk about what happened back at the cabin. If he wants to fixate on it, I’ll let him, but I didn’t catch the last part. “I wasn’t talking about us. I was asking what you meant regarding my car.”
When his gaze returns to me, the light blue of his eyes is icier, an emotion frozen in the pupils as he glares at me before turning away. Shaking his head, he exhales, and then says, “Your fuel pump is broken. I heard it sputter when you pulled away from the cabin. You need to replace it.”
“How?”
“Mechanic, but you’re not getting anyone out here tonight.”
“There’s no one?”
“You can try a car service, but I doubt you’ll have much luck.”
“My luck has definitely run out.” I’ve given up chasing this man because my legs are too tired. I stop and look back at my car before looking at the back of the truck that stopped with me. It’s slim pickings in opportunities out here. Has it really come down to him or the bears?
He rolls the truck in reverse, resting forward on the steering wheel and grinning like he’s won some prize. He apparently has in the looks department. Figures. Remaining silent, he just stares at me like I know what he wants. I don’t. “What?” I finally ask, popping my shoulders.
“You sleeping out here?”
“Not if I have another option.” Hint. Hint. Hint. I hate that I just batted my eyelashes. All it takes is an ungodly handsome face, great eyes with excessively dark lashes, and an absurdly hard and perfectly muscular body to make me consider going anywhere with this man. Throwing my arms out wide, here I am, choosing him, a victim to his stupidly perfect everything.
“I’ll give you a ride into town on one condition.”
I knew it couldn’t be a simple favor from one human to another. “Which is?”
“Leave the knife in the back with your other stuff.”
The moonlight reflects off the blade, causing me to laugh. I’d forgotten I was holding it. Guess I’m more intimidating than I thought after all. “I can do that.”
He backs up and grabs my stuff from the trunk, loading it into the back of his truck without so much as a word shared between us. What’s there to say anyway? There seems to be a mutual dislike.
No small talk needed. What a relief.
No fake pleasantries. I’m good with that.
I’ll find a room tonight, and tomorrow, I’ll be on my way. Awesome.
I climb into the cab of the truck and slam the door closed. “Will my car be okay out here? I couldn’t get the window closed because the battery died.”
He puts his seat belt on but stays parked. “Tell me something. How were you planning to survive the night on a dead battery and broken fuel pump?”
“I didn’t know I needed to worry about my car breaking down. I was just happy to leave.”