Before she even saw him move, Hunter was down there with her. His hand shot past her and grabbed the snake and he tossed it toward her living room window. The damn thing was longer than her couch.
Hunter scooped her into his arms then and carried her to the top of her staircase. She knew her mouth was hanging open like a fish, but she couldn’t help it. It was too much. She gave into that mental crack and fell apart. And let Hunter catch her.
19
Hunter’s heart was still pounding when he pulled Evie into his lap at the top of the staircase and wrapped his arms around her. It would take him a good year to get over the shock of seeing that water moccasin rear up behind her. The damn thing had been over six feet long.
Hunter had been so distracted by her body he’d failed to notice the entire Mississippi River had been making her way inside the house.
Evie’s whole body trembled and shook. He recognized the signs of shock. He’d seen it plenty of times in soldiers in battle. But he’d never felt the need to offer comfort.
Until today.
“Listen, it’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay. This house is just a house. A rental, no less. You can get another one. Hell, I’ll build you another one.” His voice was raw. He’d almost lost her. Twice. The sheriff had been easy to ward off. After all, he was familiar with his kind of evil. But the water flooding her house…he was no match for Mother Nature.
Hunter held her at arms length and peered into her eyes. Her pupils were slightly dilated. Her mouth slack. “Evie, I need you to focus. We have to get moving.”
She didn’t even blink. “Snap out of it, honey. If I have to, I’ll throw you over my shoulder, but we gotta leave now.” The river kept moving, still rising, and if it got much higher, her house would tear from its foundation. Whether they were inside or not.
Evie’s bright blue eyes were dull and vacant. He needed to snap her out of it. He shook her, but her head flopped back and forth on her shoulder, disjointed. The way you wrested a soldier from shock was to slap him. But he couldn’t do that to her, particularly not when the swelling bruise on her cheek reminded him of another man who’d hit her.
Hunter gritted his teeth. Now wasn’t the time to think about taking revenge. He had to get them to safety first.
Not knowing what else to do, he sealed his lips over hers. He put every bit of longing, of worry, of need into that kiss. He hadn’t lied to her today. He couldn’t get enough of her. Knew now he never would.
Evie’s lips remained slack at first. Unresponsive. Hunter wrapped his hand in her drenched hair and brought her closer. Finally, he felt the tentative touch of her tongue to his and groaned in relief. But he didn’t pull back. Didn’t stop. His need for her surpassed everything else. His world had narrowed to the woman in his arms. His woman.
The possible terrorist.
Hunter pulled back and Evie touched her lips.
“You okay now?”
“I…I think so.” Her voice was still shaky.
“Can you stand?”
“Yes,” Evie said.
Hunter helped her to her feet and tugged her down the hall to her bedroom. He pulled the wet T-shirt over her head, ran to the bathroom, and returned with a towel. Evie collapsed onto the bed, her body deflating like a flat tire. Her hair hung in long, wet strings down her back. Some of the color had returned to her cheeks, but they were still nowhere near normal.
Even so, they had to move. Now. Hunter knelt before her, his wet jeans constricting. “I need you to get dressed. Then we’re going to gather up a few things and look for a way out. Can you do that?”
Evie nodded but didn’t move. Hunter pulled her hands from the edge of the towel. “Can you do that?” he repeated.
She blew out a sigh. “Okay. I can do that.”
She stood, her legs unstable at first, and then crossed to her dresser. Once Hunter was satisfied she could complete the simple task without falling over, he went to the bathroom to dry himself off.
When he returned, Evie had pulled on a pair of low-slung jeans and a white tank top. Her wet hair was in a ponytail. But most importantly, she seemed to have overcome the worst of her shock. “What do we need to do?”
Pride swelled in him. She wasn’t hysterical or breaking down and sobbing. He knew grown men who wouldn’t have handled the situation with this much strength.
“Do you have a backpack or bag of anything up here?”
Evie disappeared into her closet and emerged with a yellow and blue backpack. Hunter cringed, but at least it wasn’t pink. He checked his watch. Five-thirty. A whole hour had passed in what seemed like a minute. Dark would hit sometime in the next hour and a half, which meant they would be camping outside tonight.
“You got a lighter?”
“I’ve got matches. And a lantern.”
“How about a flashlight?” Hunter said.
Evie opened the top drawer on her nightstand and pulled out a flashlight. Hunter reached past her and pulled out her pistol. “You have a license for this?”
Evie gave him a pointed look, her annoyance clear. “Actually I do. It just happens to be in my purse. Downstairs. In the kitchen. You’re welcome to go check.”
“I like it when you get angry. Your cheeks get all flushed and sexy.” Hunter tucked her pistol into his waistband at his back. Evie scowled, her face turning even redder. Before he could check himself, he placed a quick kiss on her lips and was rewarded by the disappearance of her frown.
They gathered more items, gathering anything useful they could find upstairs. Unfortunately, her house wasn’t military stocked, but they were able to scrounge up matches, some old rope and tarp from the attic, and extra socks. Hunter rolled Evie’s quilt up with the rope and affixed it to the top of the backpack. She grabbed a nearly full bottle of water off her nightstand. Hunter risked swimming back to the kitchen for a knife, can opener, and some canned goods. It wasn’t going to be a gourmet supper, but it would be a hell of a lot better than nothing.
He was satisfied they could get by for at least one night in the woods. His wallet and phone were sunk, right along with Evie’s. There would be no calling for help.
He opened the upstairs hall window over the front porch, and looked out, hardly able to process his surroundings.
Her entire property was underwater. The only things visible were treetops, raging water, and debris. The sky was grey, and it looked like the clouds were ready to deliver another deluge of rain. Thunder rumbled downriver. The shit storm wasn’t over.
The closest house had to be a few miles away, so running into someone else was unlikely.
A loud clank echoed across the water, drawing Hunter’s attention. He almost fell over in relief. An old aluminum fishing boat had gotten tangled in a small patch of cypress trees to his left. If he could swim to it, he could literally dock at Evie’s front porch and pick her up.
“What do you see?” Evie crowded his side and slipped in between him and the window. Hunter wrapped his arms around her, unable to resist the temptation.
“I’m going to swim out to that boat.” Hunter pointed over her shoulder and leaned down, using the opportunity to nuzzle her neck.
“Can you carry the backpack over head so it doesn’t get wet?”
“No.” Hunter lifted his hands to the underside of her breasts, his eyes locked on the nipples hardening under her shirt. “I’m going to leave it here with you. I’ll get the boat and bring it back.”
Evie stiffened and pushed his hands down. “I’m coming with you.”
She turned and he braced for a fight, but what he saw in her eyes wasn’t anger. It was fear.
Hunter’s hands covered her shoulders. “Listen, there are some really strong currents out there. It’s too dangerous. I can go faster if I don’t have to worry about a rip current pulling you under.”
Evie bit her lip before nodding her head.
“Okay. You’re right.”
Hunter placed a quick kiss on her lips. “Thank you. I’ll be right
back.”
He folded his body through the open window and stood for a moment on the back porch roof. The water flowed by a few feet below him. Sticks, trees, and other debris were carried by the swift river current. The boat was about fifty yards downriver. Perfect.
He dove into the water and swam, not breaking the surface again until he needed oxygen. Hunter did a quick assessment of his immediate area and kept swimming, careful to keep an eye out for debris.
He was halfway to the boat when Evie called out. “Hunter, watch out!”
He turned and saw the end of a log racing toward his head. He ducked down and dodged left, kicking the water with all his strength. Something sharp scraped his calf and knocked his legs back, but when Hunter broke the surface again, the log was past him. Evie stood on the porch roof, hands pressed to her lips. He ignored the pain and waved at her before continuing on toward the boat. Of course, the damn log had hit his bad leg.
Hunter closed the distance quickly and heaved himself over the edge of the aluminum boat. The old POS was definitely not Bass Pro quality, but damn if it wasn’t a gift from God. One paddle lay in the bottom. Hunter grabbed it and quickly rowed back to the house and grabbed hold of the porch roof. Evie tossed the backpack into the boat and he held it steady for her so she could climb aboard.
“Are we going to take the boat all the way to the Wharf?” Evie settled on the front bench, facing him.
“No. We don’t know how much more water is coming or if the dam has busted. We need to get to the levee and hike back to town.” Hunter pushed off, keeping a careful eye out for stray trees.
“That will take forever.” Evie stared at him like he’d lost his mind.
Hunter tamped down his frustration. “Would you rather risk dying in a flood? Look at the clouds, honey. What if it starts raining again and we’re stuck in the middle of the river?”
He could see she still didn’t believe him. “Can’t you just row to the edge if we see more water coming?”
Hunter shook his head, rowing toward the levee with long, sure strokes. “I’m not Superman. We’d get about halfway before being swallowed alive.”
Evie gripped the sides of the boat, her knuckles white. “But it’s a ten mile hike back to town…”
He picked up her thought and finished it. “We’ll have to spend the night outside.”
20
Evie would be stuck overnight with Hunter.
Again.
In the past twelve hours she’d not only slept with her ex, she’d had sex with him. Multiple times. And thinking about being in close quarters with him again got her all hot and bothered. Shit, she was acting worse than a horny teenager.
“You’re looking at me like you’re going to vomit.”
Evie focused on him. He’d taken off his wet shirt, revealing his bare chest, and his pecs popped out each time he rowed, their already large mass growing even bigger. His abs rippled, his biceps flexed, and her thighs clenched. His dog tags jangled, the long silver chain shifting with his movements, and she found herself jealous of its proximity to him. Jealous and guilty. Why wasn’t she more afraid of what would happen now that she’d missed her five o’clock appointment with Marcus? What if something happened to her mother?
She flushed and quickly glanced at the water, afraid Hunter would be able to read her thoughts. “Sorry. I’m just not fond of sleeping outside.”
“Who said anything about sleeping?”
Evie’s gaze bounced back to his and their stares locked. She recognized the look as the one he used to give her right before he kissed her. Oh god, he hadn’t forgotten that heavy-lidded look. If anything, he’d gotten better at it. Her insides turned to goo and little shots of pleasure pulsed through her core.
“You want to walk all night?” She knew that wasn’t what he meant. Not even close. But she could help baiting him.
“If that’s what you call sex, then yes, I want to walk all night long.” Hunter’s lips stretched into a slow, lazy grin, one that would have made her knees buckle if she hadn’t already been sitting. Thank the Lord they were stuck in this boat, otherwise she might have just attacked him.
She gave him her best scowl and averted her gaze. The bottom of the fishing boat had rusted and looked like one hard kick would knock a hole clear through the bottom. She pulled the backpack off the floor and hugged it to her.
After several minutes of tense silence passed, the boat rocked and slammed to a stop. Hunter rowed them onto a small ledge, covered in grass, on the slope of the levee. He hopped out and held the boat. “Your destination.”
Destination, her ass. More like a never-ending nightmare that stretched out for miles and miles. She loved the levee. Loved cruising down the long gravel road at the top. But right now all she could see were the hours and hours of uninterrupted time with a shirtless Hunter James. And no where to take advantage of him.
“Leave the backpack. I’ll get it. You get to the top.”
Hunter held out a hand and she took it, using the leverage to hop from the front of the boat onto the slope of the levee.
As she climbed to the top, Hunter held the backpack overhead and got off the boat, then pushed it away.
“Hey. Why did you do that? What if we need the boat?” Evie’s heart climbed into her throat as Hunter clambered up the side of the levee.
“We won’t need it. Besides, that bucket of tin wouldn’t have made it much farther.” Hunter talked so matter-of-factly. As if they hadn’t almost drowned in a ramshackle deathtrap.
Evie swallowed as Hunter put on the backpack and started walking, quickly outstripping her. She only stared after him. Dammit. She was starting to remember just how frustrating he could be. Evie took off behind him, gravel crunching beneath her boots, but Hunter didn’t slow down to wait. Which gave her ample opportunity to gaze at his wide shoulders.
A pair of black scorpion tattoos wrapped over his traps, their claws open and pointed toward his spine. Their sharp tails curved up his shoulders, poisonous tips level with his neck. The savage beasts seemed to embody the man. The thought nudged at her conscious. Telling her to keep her distance. He was a predator.
And she was in danger of being paralyzed by his venom.
She shook away the dark thought. “Nice tattoos.”
“Thanks.”
Evie picked up her pace, determined not to let him leave her behind. “What do they stand for?” As if to mock her, he flexed his back. The scorpions shifted and damn if butterflies didn’t tickle her insides.
He gave no response, just kept walking.
“Most people who get tattoos do it for a reason. Even if it is just to show off their muscles.” Bitterness crept into her voice, and she embraced the emotion—anything to camouflage the depth of her attraction to him.
Hunter stopped so fast she slammed into his back. He turned and she had to back up a step. “You talk more than I remember.”
“Why are you evading my question?”
“Why are you so curious?” Hunter countered.
Because she couldn’t stop thinking about him. She wanted to fill in all the gaps of lost time that stood between them.
“I’m just making conversation.” And wondering how many other women had seen those tats.
“Are you having second thoughts? About earlier?” Hunter’s voice went as quiet as still water.
Evie swallowed at the sight of the storm clouds in his gaze. “No. I’m not. I just wish I could erase the past and start over.”
Hunter wrapped his hands around her arms and pulled her close that she could feel the heat radiating off his skin. “I wish a lot of things. I remember a lot of things. Like how soft your hair is. How sweet your skin smells right here.” Hunter lifted her and inhaled deep from the area right below her ear.
Evie closed her eyes against her will as goosebumps skimmed down her spine.
“How your skin is softer than pure Egyptian cotton.” His voice dropped low and his breath was hot against her flesh. He yanked her
to his chest and her nipples hardened at the contact.
“That you have the most gorgeous mouth God ever created.”
Lust simmered in her, pushing her past warm to hot. She should be running to Mercy, trying to save her club. Her family. Trying to figure out what to do about Marcus. Instead her eyes slid shut and she let him take her mouth in a soul-obliterating kiss.
“That night should have never happened.” Hunter trailed kisses down her neck, her collarbone. Evie dug her fingers into his shoulders, holding on tight as tendrils of pleasure climbed her body like vines.
“When I saw you with him, I couldn’t handle it. I thought we were turning into my parents all over again.”
His words stabbed her in the chest, twisted the knife, and sucked the breath right out of her body. Shock gave way to the dawning realization that he had thought she might be like his mother. His cheating, lying mother.
“How could you think that?” Evie gasped out, struggling to find her breath under the onslaught of his lips.
Hunter nipped her neck, the small bit of pain sending a rush of desire through her body. “I just saw you two and I couldn’t think.”
“So you left rather than do to me what your father did to your mother?” Her words warped under the weight of her misery. The heartache from five years ago exploded in her chest. Hunter’s father had murdered his mother right in front of him and Ranger. And all because she’d had an affair.
Then he had taken a pistol to his own head.
It had almost ruined Hunter.
“I was scared I would turn into my dad. I knew I would die if I ever hurt you, but I couldn’t take the chance I’d do something I’d regret. His blood runs in my veins.” Hunter pulled back and held her away. The pain in his gaze was heartbreaking.
Evie reached up and cupped his cheek. “You are not your father. That man might have been your biological father, but Hank is your real dad. He raised you. He taught you to be a man. You would never hurt me. I know that.”
Hunter’s teeth clenched so tight the muscles in his jaw expanded an inch. His hands fisted at his sides.
Compassion ripped more bricks from the part of her self-protective wall that still stood. “You are not him. Do you hear me?”
Redemption River Page 14