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I hate seeing her like this, the fearless spark she usually exudes snuffed out, replaced by a dull, haunted look.
The part that I’m really struggling to wrap my head around is that Kody, the guy who’s been my little brother my entire life, is actually my uncle.
I don’t trust Monty, and he shouldn’t trust me. Yet the dumbass left the car running.
What have we gained by leaving Hoss? We traded starvation and cold for what? A monster worse than Denver?
I run a hand along the soft, luxurious material. It may have come from an animal, but it’s been crafted into an unrecognizable pelt meant to shield me from the cold in a way that seems too gentle for the life I’ve lived.
I make a mental note to find her something warmer, something that feels more like us. Something less like this new, polished existence and more like the survival and warmth we’ve found in each other against the raw cold of the Arctic.
she’s a far cry from the woman I know, the woman I love.
She certainly didn’t ask my permission before stealing my snow machine and crashing it into a hill.
“Keep your enemies close,” I grumble. “Your logic is terrifying.”
Kody’s our hunter, the silent predator. His watchful strength and feral intuition, honed by a lifetime of survival, reassures me, even as I grapple with my swirling doubts about what lies ahead.
Frankie’s our healer. Her intelligence and medical skills saved us more times than I can count, and now she faces an even greater challenge. We need her to keep us intact through the psychological scars we bear. Her ability to see the best in us, to push us toward healing even when it’s the last thing we think we need, is more critical than ever.
I’m the brawler, the fucking enforcer. In the wild, my boiling temper and leadership often made the diff...
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My protection isn’t passive.
I grit my teeth, biting back the fuck you that surges, resenting how keenly he sees her, how intimately he understands her.
“I need to go home.” Home. Fuck if that doesn’t punch me in the gut. Kody and I are her home.
Did she just manipulate him to get what she wanted? I don’t know whether to be impressed or pissed off.
“We’ll hold you to that. Our priority is Frankie’s safety and happiness.” “And my priority”—she grabs my hand—“is them.”
The importance of our unity can’t be understated. In the hills, where the world tried to crush us with ice and starvation and hungry beasts, our trust in one another kept us alive.
“You don’t have a mean bone in your body.”
“I love you.” “My forever.”
“You need anything, you call for me.” “Yep.” “Keep her safe.” “Always.”
“Give me one good reason not to throw you over my shoulder and haul you out of here like a caveman.” “Because I secretly enjoy the caveman act and might start thinking it’s the only way to travel.” “Woman, I’ll always be your caveman.”
“The chance of crashing twice in three days is extraordinarily rare, verging on statistically improbable. For once, the odds are in our favor.” “Good answer, handsome.”
“I know what you’re doing, you wicked man.” “Tell me.” I shift forward, wedging my hips between her legs. “You’re trying to make this less terrifying.” “Tell me it’s working.” “You know it is.”
“My name is Tanya. Can I get you anything to drink?” “Bourbon for her. Vodka for me.” “Please and thank you,” Frankie adds. I grunt. Tanya nods and moves on. “We need to work on your manners, caveman.”
“Trying to tame me already?” “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Taking a leak.” He’s already unzipping. “Outside?” Tanya gasps. “There’s a lavatory on board.” She points to the rear. “Fine.” He ambles toward us, pausing to caress Frankie’s cheek. “Want to hold my cock while I pee?” I catch Tanya’s wide-eyed stare. “We found him in the wild. He’s not potty trained.”
“The bathroom is a no-go, but that divan is the perfect place to fuck like animals.” He glances at the cockpit. “We have a few minutes before—” “You’re a barbarian.” She smacks his abs, grinning. “Get out of here.”
“Brave, beautiful thing.”
“Monty watched me kiss you.” I move to the seat facing hers. “Pretty sure he wants to disembowel me.”
“We’ll make it through this, just like we always do.” I squeeze her thighs gently. “Focus on me.” “That part’s easy. You’re really nice to look at.”
“Fear is just…it’s like the cold we faced in the hills. You acknowledge it. You respect it. But you don’t let it stop you. You taught me that. We adapt. We survive.”
“You taught me how to be with a woman. Not just sex. But the truest form of love I’ve ever known. A woman’s love.” “Your mother loved you.”
“Ladies and feral men, welcome to cruising altitude. If anyone’s thinking of joining the Mile High Club—I’m looking at you, Frankie—give me the signal.” He laughs. “The pilot doesn’t like that. You should see his face right now.”
“Just a reminder,” Monty cuts in. “My plane, my rules. This is a family flight. Keep it PG.”
“You’ve always been beautiful to me. Not because of how you look but because of who you are. Even when things were at their worst, it didn’t change how I saw you.” I reach out, grazing a thumb along her jawline. “You are strength and courage in a world that was falling apart. You’re the fire that warmed the coldest nights and the light in the darkest times. Your beauty isn’t just in your appearance. It’s in your spirit, your resilience.”
“Every time I looked at you, even when you were struggling, I saw the woman who challenged the wilderness with me, who fought through every day with a heart full of hope. Do you know how attractive that is? You’re hot as fuck, and I will keep saying it as long as I live because it’s the truth.”
“Thank you,” she whispers, “for seeing me like that.” “Why are you thanking me? Resting my eyes on you is a goddamn privilege.”
“Makes me feel small.” “Small but not powerless. Part of something bigger.”
I want to see her not just surviving but thriving, laughing, and lively, her soul as nourished as her body. To see her more freely, without the shadow of hunger darkening her eyes, fuels a deep, burning hope inside me.
That tenderness in his gaze is new, a softness that didn’t surface until he met Frankie. Whenever I look at her, I know my face does that melty thing, too.
“Hi, love,”
Suspicion, protest, and a million ways to say fuck no pound through my head.
“Why would he help me?” I put my mouth at her ear. “I’m fucking his wife.”
“Diving into this spread like he won a Willy Wonka golden ticket.” “Let’s hope he doesn’t turn into a blueberry or get mauled by squirrels.”
“His island will give us a place to figure things out, but we can’t forget that behind that smile is a…” “Murderous CEO in a top hat?” I lift a brow. “I was going to say a man hellbent on reclaiming his wife.” “That, too.”
“We’re not captives anymore. No one will trap us, imprison us, or chain us down. Never again.”
He’s still the master of the game. A man who refuses to be beaten, even by his own mistakes.
“I’m a mess.” “Messy like a river crashing through the mountains. Like a bonfire, flickering wildly, sparking into the night. Like the rain—”
“You’re making me cry.” “Every tear is a sign of your infinite worth.” He runs his thumb across my wet cheek. “In you, my universe lies.”
