by Maira Dawn
Dylan stared at Skye, gauging her reaction to the news before shaking his head and studying the pavement. “No.”
With wide eyes, Skye looked at Dylan unable to believe what he told her. Her gaze turned to the forest-covered hills, over the valley and back to Dylan as she thought about the situation. Then she asked, “What was he doing?”
Dylan pressed his lips together a couple times. “Followin us. Probably trying to see where we live.”
“Oh, no! Dylan, what if he finds us? I was hoping... Well, I know it’s horrible, but I was hoping he’d gotten the AgFlu.”
Dylan’s mouth twisted. “Weren’t we all?”
“How did he look?”
“Healthy, but still beat up. Think he’d learn.”
Skye waved toward the fire. “What happened there?”
Dylan pointed to the edge of the roadway. “He ran down the side of the mountain, and we pushed his car over.”
Skye raised her eyebrows. “You threw a car at him?” When Dylan looked down and scraped his foot along the road, she asked, “You couldn’t have just taken the keys?”
A bit of pink colored Dylan’s cheeks. “Wade’s way was more fun.”
Skye blinked a couple times and crossed her arms. “Figures we have him to thank for this.”
“Hey, I was all for it too.”
Skye frowned. “Why was it that big of explosion?”
“Seems like he had a surprise for us in the trunk.”
Skye started walking again. “This is horrible! I don’t like this, I really don’t. I thought he’d just give up.”
Dylan laid a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Skye. He will now.”
Skye stared up at Dylan. “I don’t want anything happening to Jesse, to any of us.”
Dylan gave her a solemn nod. “I know. Me either, and to get Jesse away from Wade would be like wrestling a bear.”
Skye chuckled even as tears flooded her eyes. She glanced down.
“Hey.” Dylan put a finger to Skye’s jaw and tipped her face to his. “Jesse’s okay. We’re okay, and we’re stayin that way. Frankie’s got a long walk back, and that’s if he’s in decent condition. I’ll radio Tom, and he can keep an eye open for him.”
His callused thumb wiped away an escaped tear. Skye caught Dylan’s hand and laid her cheek to it. “Thank you.”
Dylan’s gaze met Skye’s and held hers, refusing to let go. He raised his other hand and lightly ran it down her hair only to tangle his fingers at its edge.
Skye’s heart thumped. Almost all rational thought left her as she held Dylan’s intense dark-blue gaze. The world around them disappeared as Skye set her palm on Dylan’s chest and felt the hard strum of his heart beneath it.
With a gentle tug on the hair he held, Dylan drew Skye to him. Her knees weakened, but she managed a tiny step forward. It was enough.
Her eyes locked on his, Skye slowly gathered his t-shirt into her fist. Dylan’s heart quickened beneath her hand, and Skye’s throat went dry for a moment. She swallowed.
Dylan’s gaze questioned Skye. He gave her time, and she took it, still returning his intense gaze. Then she wavered.
Skye looked at the trees, Dylan's face, the road, Dylan’s lips—soon anywhere but him.
Dylan tugged on Skye’s hair again, and her gaze shot back to him. “Hey, it’s okay,” he whispered. “Come here.”
Skye fell into Dylan’s arms. A kiss she couldn’t do yet, but this… this was perfect. “I’m sorry. I’m just not ready yet.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be here.”
And he would be. When Dylan said he’d do something, he would do it. He’d be there for her, not rushing, not pushing, letting her have the time she needed.
Skye nodded and closed her eyes listening to his steady heart, as Dylan’s powerful arms sheltered her. The blare of the truck’s horn startled Skye, and Dylan chuckled when she jumped. He looked down at her. “I guess they’re getting impatient.”
Skye looked up at him. “Hungry more like it. Neither one can go more than a couple hours without eating.”
“Well, a couple hours is a long time,” Dylan said as he pinched a little of Skye’s hair between two fingers, followed it down to her shoulder and let go. “Come on.”
Dylan ran a palm down Skye’s arm and folded his calloused fingers around her smooth ones. She squeezed Dylan’s hand and gave him a shy smile.
When they reached the pickup, Dylan opened the door. “Get on up there, woman.”
“Yeah, what took you so long?” Jesse said, “We’re hungry. We need you to make us food.”
Skye let out a sharp laugh. “Everyone in this truck is more than capable of making their own food. I’m not the maid. I don’t take orders.”
Dylan settled himself into the driver’s seat. “Yeah, you could work on that a bit.”
Skye’s amusement grew. “I could work on that?”
With a serious frown, Dylan nodded. “Yeah, like when I say something, you hop to it.”
“Pfft, I’m not a rabbit! The only place I’ll hop to anything is in your dreams!” Skye shoved back in her seat and watched Dylan’s eyes track her.
“Yeah, apparently. You’ve made that clear.” Dylan held his tough demeanor for a moment before letting a slight smile curve the side of his mouth. “Somethin else to add to them.”
Skye giggled and held Dylan’s gaze in the mirror, a twinkle in her eye. “How about you listen to me for once?” Skye smirked. “Take me home, tough guy.”
Dylan winked at Skye. “Yes, ma’am.”
The End
Excerpt from The Climb: Sanctuary’s Aggression Book 3
Calvin had no doubt they would find the woman and boy. From the moment he’d watched them pull away from the side of the road with those two men he’d known it wouldn’t be a problem.
Both the Jeep and truck had the county name on the license plate, and it wasn’t like there were many towns in that small area. If he and the boys had to go town by town, they’d track them down.
Someone would remember a sky-blue Jeep and that huge black truck. They’d find them, it was just a matter of time.
And time was different now. With no TV or computers, no work or families, it was all they had left. The trick was finding ways to fill it, and Calvin was very good at doing that.
To order The Climb: Sanctuary’s Aggression 3 click here.
From the Author
If you liked the book, I’d love to hear about it. You can leave a review at Amazon or Goodreads.
To hear of upcoming releases, a mailing list sign-up is available at my website, www.mairadawn.com. I don’t email often, maybe one a month, mostly to let you know how I’m coming along with those new books.
You can leave me a comment on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mairadawn.writer/. I’m always happy to hears from readers.
About the Author
Maira Dawn lives in Ohio with her loving family and big imagination. More often than not, you can find her deep in a world of her creation, typing away so that she can share the story with others.
Maira first wrote on Wattpad and quickly gathered over 5,000 followers. Sanctuary's Aggression, the first book in her series, rose to #1 in Science Fiction, Pandemic and other categories. That series is now being released on Kindle.
An avid reader from a very young age, Maira turned writer after raising her children. Her books often mix genre no matter how hard she tries to keep them in line. So you can find science fiction, fantasy, and light romance in her series. Maria writes clean romance with kisses only, and her work is suitable for both adults and young adults.
Maira hopes that all of you enjoy reading her books as much as she enjoyed writing them.
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