by Jewel E. Ann
I grabbed out a towel and all extra pieces of clothing we had in our packs and covered him as best I could. Two other climbers had heard me screaming and finally made it to where we were.
“Help, we need to get help right away!” I cried as they approached.
“Quinn!” I yelled determinedly, “don’t you dare close your eyes. Stay with me, babe, please!”
“We’ll get help. There’s no cell signal here but down near our camp area we have it,” one of them explained.
Both guys looked to be in their twenties and I assumed they were experienced climbers, so when I saw the grave looks on their faces after looking over Quinn, I knew we didn’t have much time.
I grabbed my phone out of my pack and searched for a signal even though I knew it was unlikely. I heard Quinn’s weak voice. “Addy—”
Turning back around, I knelt beside him. “Shh, they’re going to get help. You’re going to be fine, okay, just stay awake,” I begged through chattering teeth.
Please, God … I’ll do anything.
He reached for my arm. “I love—”
“Don’t … don’t say it, you’re not leaving me, do you understand?” I sobbed uncontrollably, clasping his hand and bringing it to my lips. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. “Never goodbye, remember, never goodbye.”
He gave me a slow nod as he winced in pain. Every minute that passed felt like an eternity. I looked up at the massive rock formation and saw the spot where he hit. There was blood on a sharp protruded area. Quinn was a skilled climber. I was certain he knew how to properly take a fall. So why did he not get his arms and legs in front of him? I knew why, he lost all concentration when I slipped up about my past. I was the reason he didn’t get clipped in, I was the reason he fell, I was the reason he was lying on the ground fighting for his life.
The tears wouldn’t stop. “Quinn, I’m so sorry. I love you so much, please hold on.” As I wiped my eyes and nose with the back of my hand I tried to clear my throat. It was sore from my desperate pleas.
He moaned in such pain it tore me up inside. I hated the sound of it, but I hated the silence that surrounded us even more. I was desperate to hear sirens from rescue vehicles or a helicopter nearing us, but we were enveloped in silence laced with agony.
He kept one hand clutching his stomach but reached for my arm with his other hand. He attempted to whisper something but I couldn’t make out what he was trying to say.
“I can’t understand you, but don’t try and talk, babe, help will be here soon.”
I held his hand and leaned into him as he insistently tried to say something again.
“Wh—wh—why?” he finally managed.
Why what?
My mind raced and I couldn’t respond. I didn’t know for sure what the question was, but I knew the answer had everything to do with me. I’d spent so much time protecting myself from my past I never considered the possibility that Quinn needed protection too. He had hurt me, more than once, but I always had the option to walk away. But within a matter of seconds, I broke him emotionally and physically. I wondered if he would ever forgive me. I wondered if his family would forgive me. It really didn’t matter though, because I knew I would never forgive myself.
All time was lost to my thoughts and concern for Quinn. I had no idea how long it took, but eventually my ears detected the distant sound of a helicopter.
“Quinn?” I held his face in my hands.
It was still contorted into the most excruciating painful grimace, and his moans turned to screams when he tried to move.
“Quinn, open your eyes, they’re coming. Do you hear that?” I pleaded. He was leaving me and I was slipping away too.
He didn’t respond and then everything for me became a blurred line between my past and the present.
*
“Malcolm! The fire alarm, oh my God the house is on fire! I’ve got to go get—”
“No, Addy, you get out. I mean it, get out of the house right now!”
“Ma’am, can you tell us what happened? Did he fall all the way to the ground?”
“I’m coming with you, Malcolm.”
“Addy, I said get out of the house. I’ll go, you just get out!”
“Ma’am are you hurt? Is the blood on you yours or his? You need to come with us.”
“Malcolm! Oh God, oh God … Malcolm, can you hear me? Hurry, you have to hurry!”
“His blood pressure’s dropping. Start an IV.”
“I’m coming back in, Malcolm, where are you? I can’t see anything. Ugh!” Cough “I can’t breathe.” Cough “Ma—” Cough “Mal—” Cough “ …colm?” Cough. Cough. Cough.
“We need to transit to the nearest hospital or he’s not going to make it.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie, they’re … they’re …” Sniffle, sniffle “ …They didn’t make it, they’re gone.”
Th-thump, th-thump, th-thump …
Releasing Me, the conclusion to Addy & Quinn’s story, coming May 2014
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to my village. Without you, Addy and Quinn’s story would not have come to fruition.
To my lifelong friend, Jyl, thank you for introducing me to the world of Adult Contemporary Romance Novels and encouraging me to turn my obsession into my passion.
To Dave, a special thank you for your “free” orthopedic and emergency medicine consults.
To my sister, Kambra, thank you for being my biggest cheerleader and my unofficial, underpaid, but hugely appreciated publicist. This smut’s for you!
To my mom, thank you for critiquing the love scenes and making the grueling first edits, and for keeping an open mind and showing me how to do the same.
To my beta readers: Sherri, Tricia, Jyl, Leslie, and Kambra, your input and kind reviews have given me the confidence to keep writing.
To my editor, Max Dobson of the Polished Pen, thank you for turning my chicken scratches into a publishable novel. You’ve been a great mentor.
To my three awesome boys, thank you for not killing each other over the past six months while I’ve been locked up writing, and for learning how to cook, clean, and navigate Netflix on your own.
Finally, to my amazing husband, thank you for getting up early and going to work everyday to pay the bills, while I sit in front of a computer and pursue my dreams. You are a true friend, father, husband, and lover. Eternity will not be long enough to show you how honored I am that you chose me.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor. After the completion of her first novel, she traded in her Dental Hygiene degree for an honorary degree in Multi-tasking from the University of Home. As a wife, mother of three, part-time homeschool teacher, secretary/accountant for her husband’s business, and lustrous LPPPC (Local Pet Poop Pick-up Coordinator) she easily finds time to barricade herself in her room and escape into the world of romantic fiction.
When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree at a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course …heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.
To learn more about Jewel E. Ann, visit her at:
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/authorjeweleann
Twitter
@JewelE_Ann
Author Website
www.JewelEAnn.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
&n
bsp; CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Acknowledgments
About the Author