Crashing Into Jake

by Sara Blackard

  She turned her head to Jake. He had conked out on the sleeping bag the instant he’d lain down. You’re so beautiful. Did he really think so, or was that the exhaustion talking?

  She definitely wasn’t up to par on her appearance this evening. She could only imagine how crazy her hair must stick up in all directions, with her sweating like a pig on the hike over to the cabin and the stocking cap keeping all that nastiness in.

  Still, the words had slid like hot fudge over ice cream into the frigid depths of her soul—that place where she’d buried her dreams of happily ever after. Jake didn’t seem the type to just throw words out there with his quiet demeanor and serious attitude. She’d never felt comfort like she did when he was near.

  Comfort wasn’t really the right word. She felt that when she curled up under her favorite blanket to read a book. More like serenity. She traced his profile with her eyes. His arm cradled his head in a pillow. She hardly noticed his scar anymore where it slashed across his cheek bone through his beard. She had been tempted to take off his prosthetic so he’d be more comfortable but hadn’t had the nerve to. Would he ever let down his guard enough to show her? Could she let down hers to reveal all her vulnerable bits she hid beneath the perky musician?

  She closed her eyes against the tears that blurred her vision. She wanted to. Needed to share what hid behind the brave front. Not that she wanted to go all weepy and weak on him, but having someone who’d gone through hell and back to lean on would be nice too.

  She opened her eyes. There was only one way to find out. With a set of her jaw and a fluttering in her chest, she scooted her sleeping bag over to Jake’s side. She filled her lungs with air and held it as she laid her head on his chest.

  Jake’s muscles tensed. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for him to push her away. His body relaxed with his exhale, and she copied the motion.

  “Chloe?” His voice sounded groggy.

  She tilted her face up, needing to see his reaction. “I … Can I lay with you? I guess I’m a little scared right now, and … you calm me.”

  His eyebrows rose before he schooled them. He wet his lips, his Adam’s apple moving in a hard, obvious swallow. Slowly, he nodded, and relief rushed through her in a swoop that left her lightheaded.

  “Okay.” His voice was soft.

  She’d take it. Chloe wrapped her arm around his chest and snuggled in closer. She closed her eyes and the worries racing through her head slowed. With a sigh, she relaxed even more into him.

  When Jake’s arm wound around her back and his other hand traced lazily up and down her arm, Chloe smiled as exhaustion finally dragged her toward sleep. Just before she nodded off, Jake’s whisper about taking care of her followed her into her dreams.

  Twelve

  Jake woke with a start and froze to assess the weight pinning his chest to the floor. The weight shifted, and he remembered falling asleep holding Chloe. He eased as recognition of her arm gripped in his and her faint snore hit him.

  He relaxed back onto the floor, surprised at how hard he’d slept. Even more astonishing was the fact that he hadn’t woken up screaming in terror and ready to fight. Did he have intense exhaustion to thank for that or the gorgeous woman whose words bolstered his heart?

  He shifted his legs and cringed as pain shot up his knee and into his thigh. He probably should have taken off his prosthetic. An ache built in the back of his throat. Would Chloe still want to snuggle up to him when she saw his stump? It was easy to forget he wasn’t whole when his pants covered the evidence. She didn’t seem like the type to run scared from his injury, but he’d seen enough heartbreak in the military hospital and rehab to know some couldn’t take reality.

  The storm continued its onslaught against the cabin with wind howling like an F-16 buzzing the tower. He needed to get up, stoke the fire, and check to make sure they hadn’t gotten snowed in. Chloe shifted, making a mewing noise almost like a kitten, then wrapped her hand over his shoulder. She nuzzled her nose into his neck, her soft breath raising his hair to stand at attention. He could get used to waking up like this every morning.

  As much as he didn’t want this moment to end—ever—he needed to check things. If he wanted the possibility of waking up with Chloe in his arms every morning for years to come, he had to keep them alive. His brain stumbled over that thought, and heat spread through his chest, amazed at the truth of the statement. Everything he’d ever hoped for in a wife had been bundled up in the pixie in his arms. He’d be an idiot to not at least consider seeing where this could go.

  He shifted to the side, trying to slide away without waking her up. She tensed, then threaded her fingers through his hair. Tingles spread from his scalp down his neck.

  “Jake?” Her deep husky voice had him debating getting up after all.

  His voice caught on the lump stuck in his throat and came out little more than a whisper. “I need to check things.”

  She huffed, and her shoulders rose and fell like Eva’s did when she pouted. She moved her face closer and pressed a lingering kiss to his neck. The tingles fired to a million bottle rockets and shot straight to his toes. Maybe the fire could wait. He glanced at the small lump in the fireplace. He growled. Nope, duty called.

  He rolled onto his side, easing her onto her back, and propped himself on his elbow. With only embers glowing, he could barely see Chloe’s face in the dark. The light reflected off of her wide eyes looking up at him. He ran the back of his fingers along her soft cheek. It was such a contrast to his rough fingers.

  She inhaled sharply and held her breath. What would it be like to wake up every morning with her? He rubbed his thumb on her neck in the place where she’d kissed him. Her pulse beat wildly against his skin. His mouth turned up on one side, knowing he caused just as much of an increase in her heart rate as she did to his.

  He bent down and kissed where her pulse thumped against her neck. “Good morning, Chloe,” he whispered and kissed her below the ear.

  He sat up before she distracted him any longer and stifled the moan of pain that threatened to ruin his image. Man, he hurt. Chloe grumbled low. Jake peeked at her. She’d thrown her arm over her eyes and her lips were turned down in a pout.

  “You sure know how to wake a girl up,” Chloe muttered. “And they call women teases.”

  Jake chuckled under his breath. He definitely had to get them through this because she was just too much fun to be around. He couldn’t resist her challenge and leaned down, brushing his lips softly against hers. When he backed away, she pulled him to her and kissed him deeply. The roar of the wind, the low burn of the embers, and the deep-seated fear that he’d fail her disappeared until all that existed was her and him.

  Her stomach growled loudly, causing her to laugh against his lips. “Well, that’s embarrassing.”

  He spread his hand over her flat stomach and kissed her softly one more time. “Right. Fire. Food.”

  She’d reduced his brain to one and two-syllable words like a caveman. He pulled himself away with a groan, half out of regret for leaving their little make-out session but mostly out of pain. Hopefully, she thought the former caused the groan rather than the latter. Though, by the way he limped to the firewood, he doubted he fooled her.

  He focused on getting the fire back up, not looking at her until he finished the job. He didn’t think he could stay away from the temptation of returning for more kisses. When a good flame burned and a camp pot they’d filled with snow the night before sat close to the fire to boil for coffee, he turned to get some food.

  Chloe sat crossed-legged in her sleeping bag like a bird in a nest. She fingered the tie strap, her bottom lip worried between her teeth. Was she still scared they wouldn’t be found?

  “Fire’s done. Now, to food.” He rubbed his hands together and smiled at her in encouragement.

  “Yeah, about that.” Chloe cringed and rubbed her fingers up her forehead as her eyes scrunched closed. “Do you happen to know how long this storm is supposed to last?”<
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  He scratched at his beard as unease set in. “The forecast said two or three days.”

  She glanced toward the ceiling as if calculating, then nodded her head. Maybe it was better when the fire burned low. Then he couldn’t see all the doubt and worry marring her beautiful face.

  “Chloe, you’re killing me.”

  She sighed dejectedly. “I went through the packs last night and organized things.”

  When her pause dragged on, he prompted her. “That’s good thinking.”

  “Well … you guys sure know how to prepare for an emergency.” Her forced smile negated the compliment.

  “But?”

  She turned her gaze back to the fire, her quiet voice sounding hollow. “I divided the food into three piles. Food I can’t eat, food that could make me sick, and food that should be okay.”

  He scanned the organized gear along the wall. His stomach twisted when his gaze landed on the neatly stacked food. He stomped over and sat in front of them. She’d piled most of the food nicely in one section, food from the MREs he’d eaten more times than he cared to think. The next pile had a few of the plain packages from the MREs with the nutritional sheets set on top. The third pile didn’t even have enough for three days. Some food, she must’ve had in her purse. His pulse pounded in his ears. If they didn’t get found, he’d have to watch her starve.

  “I’m so sorry, Jake.” Her small voice turned his attention to where she still sat, her shoulders slouched and hands twisting in her lap.

  He scoffed. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

  “I should have been more prepared, carried more food with me.” She gazed back into the fire. “Or better yet, maybe my parents were right. I should just stay where it’s safe and not put such stress on everyone I come into contact with.”

  He hung his head, a pain in his throat he couldn’t swallow down. “Chloe, this isn’t your fault. I should have taken the storm more seriously, but I’ve been flying in weather like that my whole life. If we all would have just driven together, this wouldn’t have happened.”

  “You were just trying to keep me safe.”

  “Lot of good that did.” He scrubbed his hand over the back of his neck.

  She crawled over to him and grabbed his hand from where it clenched the back of his neck. She threaded her fingers through his and brought their hands under her chin. She smiled a shaky smile that made his stomach turned to stone.

  “Listen, there’s plenty there. I have enough bars and food I took from the MREs to last at least four days.”

  He glanced at the small pile of meal replacement bars and foil packages he’d seen a thousand times. The little amount made him sick to his stomach.

  “Chloe, that’s not enough for a bird.” He tried to pull away, but she held on tight.

  “Good thing I’m a pixie then.” She smiled a genuine smile and kissed his knuckles.

  He shook his head and stared at the meager food. His eyes stung, and he blinked to not add more insult to his stupidity. He should’ve thought the flight through instead of just reacting on emotion.

  She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Stop, Jake. Stop taking this all on your shoulders. We’ll make it. I know you’ll get us out of this.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I do. Because you almost killed yourself yesterday getting all this stuff here.” She motioned to the supplies lining the walls.

  He scoffed. “What a waste of time that turned out to be.”

  “No, it wasn’t.” Chloe slid her hand along his shoulders. “We have clothes and sleeping bags to keep us warm, tools and utensils we can use, and food to keep you strong so you can keep us alive. Without all of this, who knows if we’d have made it through the night.”

  Her confidence in him planted something primal in his heart. He would do whatever needed done—hike all the way back to Steamboat with her on his back if he had to—in order to keep her alive and get out of this mess. He leaned over, wrapped his arm around her back, and pulled her onto his lap. He buried his face into her neck and let her strength and courage seep into him.

  “I’m a survivor, Jake Silva,” she whispered against his ear as she tightened her arms around him. “And now I have even more to fight for. Mainly, this amazing man who’s a survivor, just like me.”

  She pushed back and peered intently into his eyes. He held perfectly still, not wanting to break whatever spell roped them together. She traced a finger along the scar on his cheek. His hands bunched in the back of her shirt as she followed the trail her finger went with soft kisses. He turned his head and captured her lips with his own, hoping it communicated his promise that they’d persevere.

  With a soft moan, she deepened the kiss. Jake’s muscles loosened as heat flooded to his fingers and toes. How could he have found a woman who embraced him so completely? He pulled her closer, wanting to hold her tight. He trailed his lips along her jaw and down her neck, sliding his hands up the back of her shirt. She tipped her head back with a sound that both ignited passion, blazing hot in his belly, and snapped his brain to attention.

  He needed to stop before this went too far. “Wait … time out.”

  He practically dumped her on the floor and scrambled to the other side of the cabin. His breath heaved like he’d just scaled Denali. Pressing his forehead to his hand, he leaned his arm against the log wall, wishing for more than the twelve feet that separated them so he wouldn’t have to look at her while he got himself under control.

  He glanced over his shoulder. Was she as affected as he was? Her back pressed against the opposite cabin wall like it was the only thing holding her up, and her chest surged with each choppy inhale. Her cheeks had pinked in a deep blush, and her swollen lips tempted him to cross the scant distance between them and dive into her again.

  He pushed off the wall and paced like a caged tiger. He didn’t want to give up kissing completely, but he needed to lay some ground rules before they continued. Above all else, he had to honor Chloe and God, and if that meant no more kissing, so be it. First, though, he’d try to come up with a compromise.

  “New rule.” He peeked at her, then slammed his gaze back at the floor in front of him. “Kissing only every three hours.”

  “What?” Her shocked exclamation puffed his chest up.

  Good. He wasn’t the only one affected by what was happening between them.

  “And only for five minutes.” There. That would keep him from crossing the line.

  “Seriously?” Chloe pushed off the wall and crossed to him. “We’re both adults. I think we can handle more than five minutes.”

  Her argument held merit. She stepped closer and pressed her petite hand against his pounding heart. He stilled, not trusting himself. She leaned closer, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief. Yep, fairies were definitely trouble.

  “No, Chloe, I can’t.” He stepped back to get some space but came up against the wall. “I keep forgetting myself when I’m with you. I’m not willing to chance dishonoring you or myself.”

  Her face softened, and her fingers rubbed her neck. “Okay, Jake. We’ll play by your rules.”

  Relief and regret warred within him as his shoulders relaxed.

  “So … our five minutes start now, right?” She stepped closer, her hand trailing up his stomach leaving a line of fire in its wake.

  She would be the death of him.

  “Have you ever played gin?” His voice strained from his throat.

  She tipped her head to the side, her forehead creasing in confusion. “No. I don’t think I have.”

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her to their spot in front of the fire. “Good. I have lots of card games to keep us distracted.”

  She plopped down on the sleeping bags, muttering something about a better way to stay busy. He rubbed over his heart that pounded furiously in his chest and rushed to his pack for his deck of cards.

  Chloe amazed him, and because of her, he no longer wanted to hide behind his scars, pushin
g people away. When they were found and this stalker issue was over, he wanted to discover the next adventure they’d get through together. The thought buoyed him through the next three hours.

  Thirteen

  The storm rattled the logs of the cabin, causing them to groan as if in pain. Supposedly a person could get used to noises and not notice them anymore, but Chloe didn’t think she’d ever get used to the wind as it assaulted the cabin. Would she forever hear the wind howling in her ears, like workers of factories who had the machines they worked with pounding in their heads even after they went home?

  She took another small bite of her dinner and chewed the energy bar with deliberate slowness. After scarfing her breakfast down so fast she couldn’t remember tasting it, she’d challenged herself to linger over each meal. If she drew it out and chewed until the food disintegrated completely, maybe she’d trick her body into thinking it got more than it actually did. She’d almost failed when the first bite hit her tongue, but she’d held back at the last moment.

  Jake scowled at his pasta, pushing it this way and that in the aluminum mug. His anguish at her lack of food had filled the cabin with thick tension all the way to each corner. She’d experienced pity and worry before from other people’s reactions to her. She’d never felt such intensity though, not even from Piper, who stayed with her the weeks she was in the hospital and months it took for her to recover.

  Chloe didn’t think his concern was just a deep-seated sense of duty either. Not with the way he looked at her that settled warm fuzzies in her stomach or the way he stole kisses that burst those warm fuzzies into atomic flames. Something definitely stretched between them she’d never had with anyone else.

  Jake’s glare at his food deepened, and she laughed. “Just eat it. Please. I’m used to others having food I don’t. It’s worse for me if you don’t eat. Makes me feel guilty.”