I decided I needed to know more about her, so I opened the pack she was carrying and looked for a wallet or anything that would give me an indication of who she was. I found a worn leather wallet in her equally worn leather Coach bag. Imogen Grant. She had a child psychologists license and an ID from Minneapolis Children’s Health Network. I couldn’t help but fall a little deeper for the sleeping beauty, she was in the medical arts… a woman after my own heart.
I tried to power up her iPhone, but couldn’t unlock it. I figured that was a bit deeper level of privacy invasion, but I needed to let whoever might be waiting for her know she was here.
Chapter 8
Jeni
I remember being bitterly cold, so cold I couldn’t feel my fingers or toes. I knew I was going to die in that hole. I just kept talking into the walkie-talkie until I couldn’t talk anymore. My throat was scratchy and dry, and I craved water. Everything was going fuzzy and I no longer cared. There was no way out of the hole, no way off the mountain and my head was throbbing. I’d hurt my ankle really badly and must’ve hit my head on a rock or something because I was fading fast.
I guessed freezing to death was going to be easier than dying in other ways I hadn’t the strength to imagine. I wanted to cry and mourn for my life, but I was too shattered to think clearly. The numbness was taking over my body and the hazy fog my brain was floating in only got thicker. In the midst of this strange inertia, I had a peculiar vision. The sun had already started to set, and was glaring in my eyes. As I moved to turn my head from it a human form blocked its brightness. It was a face haloed by the rays of the sun. A man with thick curls of long hair and a scruffy beard blocked my view. He reminded me of Jesus for some reason.
Jesus Christ himself had come to rescue me and take me to heaven. This all wasn’t so bad after all. And holy hell, I mean… heaven, was Jesus HOT! Wow, he was even more handsome than he looked on crucifixes. I mean, I knew Jesus was in a tight spot when he was on the cross, it wasn’t one of his best days, so he wasn’t looking as fucking gorgeous as he did when he came down from heaven to rescue me.
I wasn’t much of a churchgoer, but I promised myself if I didn’t go to heaven and god forbid anywhere else, I was gonna start attending church because Jesus was the most gorgeous man I’d ever laid eyes on. He was sexy and manly, with his crazy mountain man hair and his big strong arms which lifted me effortlessly out of my tomb.
He even had a deep husky voice. I think he said something, something really nice, but I couldn’t really make out what it was, I just stared at those deep blue eyes… oh yes, heaven, heaven, heaven. I hoped my eternity was going to be spent in hot Jesus’ arms and seriously, the only thing which would’ve made the vision better would be if Jesus made sweet love to me… and gave me a glass of water, I really needed both of those things.
I couldn’t believe I was thinking about Jesus’ cock when he placed me on a cold plastic sled, but sure enough it was at my eye level and while Jesus was wearing thick winter pants and a heavy jacket, I could see the bulge of his manhood as he bent over me and his jacket opened a little. Holy hell, did Jesus have a nice thick package all bundled up neatly in wool trousers.
Here I was almost dying and thinking of sucking Jesus’ dick; perhaps I wasn’t going to heaven after all. I closed my eyes and tried not to think of Jesus or anything else and just bumped along the uneven earth for what felt like an eternity. I looked up to the sky after a few moments and thought God was pretty much a rock star sending hot Jesus down to get me and all, but I would have been just a tiny bit happier in a warm soft bed.
I closed my eyes again and let the bumping and dragging lull me into a cold and uncomfortable sleep. When I woke up from that sleep, I was in fact in a warm and comfortable bed. I gave God a mental high five for a move well played. Hot Jesus came back, looking more corporeal and like a sexy mountain man than Jesus and gave me warm water and two little blue pills… and out I went again.
I woke up sometime later to hot Jesus/not Jesus undressing me… HALLELUJAH! I watched him as he gently removed my wet things. His face was wind-kissed and red around his cheeks. His skin was tanned under a thick overlay of beard but looked soft and touchable. His subtle lips poked through the scruffy beard and looked so kissable, but it was his piercing blue eyes which gripped my heart. I couldn’t take my gaze off them.
“Are you in any pain?” he asked.
I seem to remember him asking me that before. Was I in pain? I wasn’t sure; his face had me so mesmerized I had no clue what was going on with me and my body. I wiggled a little to assess the damage and the minute I moved, rockets of sharp biting pain sliced through me. Oh, that was uncomfortable. I tried to nod my head, but I think all I did was blink. I wanted to say something, but my mouth wasn’t working properly, and I couldn’t find my voice. All I could do was stare. What a mess. Nice first impression, Jeni.
His strong hand rounded behind my head and lifted it up to the water to drink again. As soon as he brought my head to the cup I realized I was wearing a bandage across my temple. When did he bandage my head? I was so fixated on the answer I let the water dribble down the front of me. Seriously? I was so embarrassed, I tried to smile, but it came out more of a crooked grimace. I was really losing at this flirting thing, which I shouldn’t have even been trying to do while completely munched up in the first place, but Mountain Man Jesus was just so yummy.
“I’m Dash,” Mountain Man Jesus said.
I wondered if was short for Dashing… wow. Again, I tried to speak, but all I was able to get out was a grunt.
“It doesn’t look like you’ve broken any bones, but you’ve got a pretty nasty sprain on your left foot and a bit of a knock on the head. I’m sure you’ll feel better in the morning, so try and get some rest. I can give you something to sleep if you’d like?” he offered, but I hoped he knew I wasn’t going to be able to give him much of an answer.
I garbled out something unintelligible.
“Maybe I should give you something,” he said it out loud, but I think he was talking to himself as I was proving to be not much of a conversationalist.
Then it hit me. Gramps and Lydia, they had to be worried sick. I needed to get to my phone, I had to let them know I was okay. Oh my god, they’d die if I didn’t get back home in time
A look of panic crossed my face and luckily Dash/Dashing Mountain Man Jesus picked up the facial cues.
“Are you okay?” his face knotted with concern.
I concentrated all my effort on my mouth, I had to make it move.
“I… I…” I was able to bark out.
“Yes,” he encouraged.
“I have to call…” that was about all I could muster, and boy did it take everything I had to rasp out those few words.
Since I wasn’t going to be able to say it, I decided to flail my arms out in the distance hoping he’d understand that to be the universal sign for “get my backpack.” He looked at me with a bewildered frown and then a light went off in his brain and he stood up from the chair he’d moved next to my bedside.
“Oh, yes, your bag is in the living room, let me get it. I’ll be right back,” he stood up and went to retrieve my bag.
ON MY GOD. He was a mind reader too.
Chapter 9
Dash
I left her for a moment to retrieve her backpack. I was riddled with conflict. I knew I needed to tell the authorities where she was, but I didn’t want to face any unwanted suspicion. Doing so would put my own life in jeopardy. She had to have people waiting for her; no one goes mountain climbing by themselves without someone knowing unless they had a death wish.
She clearly didn’t, she’d just made a massive error in judgment. My heart was also conflicted. She was remarkable, such an incredible beauty and brave. The lovely goddess in my bed was crazy enough to hike up a mountain by herself with a storm front brewing. She had to either be the most insane person in the world or one of the bravest. I opted for bravest. As I reflected on her beauty and b
ravery, my attraction mounted, and I found myself swelling with need.
My cock had been so long neglected it stood at attention the moment it came in contact with anything even remotely desirable. I had to settle my wild imaginings as all I could do was see myself lapping at her soft succulent skin. I wanted nothing more than to dive into her and feel the warmth of her core constricting against mine. I tried to shake away the visions of fucking her in every way imaginable, but they were hard to overcome.
I pulled her phone out of her backpack and looked at it. There were two small reception bars on the left side. It was more than I expected her to have up here. We only had a short window of time before she lost reception again. I should have offered my satellite, but I couldn’t take the risk.
I returned to the bedroom, where she lay peacefully like an angel in a light slumber. I dreaded waking her, but she’d made such a great effort to communicate her need to call whoever was waiting for her, I couldn’t let her down.
Then it hit me, what if her husband was waiting for her call? I nonchalantly glanced at her ring finger and felt a wave of relief as I didn’t see a wedding band. It still could’ve been a boyfriend though; my heart sank a little at the thought.
I shook her shoulder gently. “I have your phone,” I whispered, not wanting to startle her awake.
Her eyes drifted open. They were a misty green color, so lovely now that they were no longer lifeless and dazed with shock. Before handing her the phone, I sat down and took a deep breath. “I must tell you something important before you call anyone,” I tried not to scare her, but I had to be stern.
She nodded, her eyes wide and glossy. She was listening and growing more and more nervous as I spoke.
“I’m not at liberty to allow visitors here. I’ve never had any. It’s imperative my identity and whereabouts remain undisclosed. I have my reasons for this, reasons I’m not able to share with you. I promise, there’s nothing to fear. I’m not a wanted man, nor am I someone who’ll endanger your life, but my existence depends on your secrecy. I saved you because you would’ve died if I hadn’t. However, as soon as this storm lets up, I’ll drive you to a safe place where you can get a ride down the mountain. Do you understand? I can’t give you the phone until I know you understand how serious this situation is for me.”
Lending my voice to the words made me regret saying them.
So much could go wrong, I was giving her more power than I wanted over my life, but I just couldn’t figure another way around it.
“I promise,” she rasped, “I won’t mention you.”
She looked worried, even though I offered my assurances. I could tell by her expression that she was afraid. Well, good. If fear kept us safe, so be it. I gently handed her the phone and she called the first number on her contact list. For her sake, I hoped the reception would last long enough to let whoever she was calling know she was unharmed.
When an elderly woman answered the phone, I felt relief in a greater measure than I expected.
“Hi, Lydia!” I could tell she was making a great effort to sound happy, but her voice had a deep rasp, which was hard not to notice.
I could hear a loud frenzied pitch on the other end. I wasn’t sure what the woman was saying, as her voice was faint through the phone, but fear and stress were the impetus for her words. “I’m sorry, Lydia. The storm came in faster than I expected,” her voice was all but gone, “I was able to get an Airbnb up here on the mountain. It’s a cute little place and the owner lives on the property. There was no way I was going to make it back down before the storm hit. How are you? Are you okay?”
The woman on the other end of the phone talked for some time, however, all seemed to be well.
“I promise, Lydia when the storm lets up I’ll come back down. I love you too,” she said as she hung up and rested her head back on the pillow. “Thank you. My grandfather and his caregiver were worried sick. They live on the other side of the mountain,” she barely had a squeak left in her voice. “I’m glad you were able to get a hold of them. Now, you should rest,” I instructed as I gave her some more hot water.
I didn’t have to offer her water like a child, she was over the worst of the shock, but I suspected she was willful and if she didn’t continue to drink, she’d quickly become dehydrated. I took the phone out of her hands and laughed a little.
“Are there any Airbnbs up here?” I asked as I set the phone on the nightstand beside her.
“There are now,” she whispered and smiled.
What was I going to do with this woman? I had a car hidden in an underground bunker, so I could take her down the mountain when the storm let up, but the problem was, the weather report anticipated the storm to last the rest of the weekend if not longer. There wouldn’t be any way to get down the mountain in that kind of weather. So, Airbnb or no, she was going to be my guest for a while, whether I wanted one or not.
“Are you hungry?” I asked, sure she must have been starving.
She nodded her head but didn’t open her eyes. I took that as my cue to leave. Being a doctor, I knew her stomach shouldn’t handle any harsh foods, so cheeses and smoked meats were out, but I had a lot of canned soups I could warm. Sadly, my cooking skills were mostly relegated to chopping, arranging, opening, and boiling. She’d have to suffer with what I had to offer.
When I returned to her room, she was in a much deeper sleep, but I took the liberty to rouse her awake. Her body was trying to recoup the energy it lost staying alive in the hole, however, she needed nourishment and liquid before sleep.
“You have to eat some of this, then you can rest,” I said and set a tray in front of her.She took a groggy spoonful of soup, almost spilling it.
My instinct was to feed her, but I kept my hands to myself. If I fed her, most likely then I’d also kiss her, then how was I going to keep away from her? I stayed near her side as she ate careful spoonfuls of soup, throwing me a smile after every few bites. I knew she wanted to talk, but I didn’t want her ruining her voice.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Now eat up and get some sleep,” I encouraged as I touched her shoulder and stood up, “I’m going to get something for your ankle.”
It seemed she was through the worst it, but I needed to ice her ankle to help the swelling so, I left to find my medical kit. Truthfully, seeing her so vulnerable was too much. I wanted to offer her love and affection. It was almost a primal instinct, and it was getting the best of me. My hardened cock was so engorged and ready to explode, it ached. It was acting like a teenage cock and it was driving me nuts.
I found a few cold compresses in my emergency medical supplies, so I took the largest of them to wrap around her swollen ankle. When I returned, she’d set her bowl of soup aside and was sleeping soundly. I stood there watching her breathe in and out. I’d forgotten what it was like to be in the presence of another person, especially such a beautiful one.
I carefully wrapped her ankle and confirmed her injury was most likely only a hairline fracture or a sprain, nothing that wouldn’t heal with a little rest. I immobilized the ankle with a ruler set flush against the back of her foot and bandages. It was a crude setting, but at least it would discourage her from using it, which would hinder her healing. She didn’t stir while I bandaged her injury, she must’ve been exhausted to sleep so deeply in a stranger’s bed.
Prior to losing Michelle, I was a busy man. I wasn’t unkind, but I had little time for things I deemed unimportant. Now, I had nothing but time and my life seemed to have little value, so it was the tiny moments like these, just staring at a beautiful woman in my bed, that held meaning. Sitting besides her watching her body rest was the highlight of my year. I tried to return to my work but found myself too distracted by my guest. The rescue had also taken its toll on me physically, so I ate the rest of the soup in the pot with some fresh bread which had been delivered with my order the day before and contemplated sleeping on the couch.
The living room was much colder than the bedroom as I ha
d set the heating system to conserve energy. Especially now with the storm, the solar panels wouldn’t be as efficient as they were in full sunlight. I was going to have to go out and get us some firewood if the storm lasted as long as predicted. It was dangerous to light a fire under the usual circumstances as it would draw attention to the cabin and I preferred it be discrete. However, with thick storm clouds and dense snow, I was safe as long as there was a blizzard to hide in.
Since sleeping on the couch really wasn’t an option, and the Cal-king sized bed was plenty big enough for the both of us, I opted to sleep in my bed. It would take everything in my power to keep my distance from her as my raging cock was already scrambling my mind with passion. All I could think of was making love to her. I had to ignore my needs and focus on the fact I didn’t know the woman. I was already in so much danger having her here and I couldn’t forget that. I’d be warm, and I could keep an eye on her, that was of paramount importance. I needed to school my brain to remind myself she wasn’t a date, she was a lost traveler who needed to go. I’d explain everything to her in the morning, but as soon as the storm let up, she’d have to be on her way.
Chapter 10
Jeni
I woke up snuggled in Dash’s arms. His chest was bare and his skin hot as asphalt in the summertime. No wonder he only wore a pair of flannel pajama pants, if I ran that warm I’d wear nothing at all.
I should’ve been appalled at myself curled up into him like a wanton cat in heat, but I planned on pleading delusion if he asked. The fact was he felt nice and smelled delicious, like musk and cedar. Compared to the mind-stabbing cold that sliced through my body yesterday, this was heaven on earth. My reclusive, “You can’t tell anyone I’m here…” Jesus may have been no saint, but he was heavenly.
I could hear the storm whipping around outside. The wind was howling through the trees, but I couldn’t see it’s force as the windows were covered with metal overlays. I needed to assess the storm’s magnitude but the entire cabin was battened down like a fortress. The thick metal shutters completely blocked any natural light from coming in and it was pitch black inside but for the small amber arcs of brightness provided by night lights sporadically set about the room.
Damaged Love Page 5