Page 80 of Playing My Rivals

Dammit!

Did they drive off the side of a cliff?

I’m in a full-blown panic. I’ve got to do something now because they both could be dead.

CHAPTER 19

DORI

My heart thunders as I try to stay calm, but I’m anything but that. I’ve never seen anything like what Jamison just went through.

His screams for his mom and dad echo in my ears. Snippets of him running around the car, pulling at the doors, and ramming his shoulder into the dashboard play on repeat against the screen of my mind.

He must have been reliving his parent’s death, and it has me shaken to the core. My adrenaline has me out of my body as if I’m in a dream. If I’m this affected, I can only imagine what’s going on with him.

“We were in a car accident.” I turn my head toward the car. “I hit a deer.”

His eyes wander to the rental car. “Shit. Are you hurt?”

He jumps to his feet and circles me as he inspects me for injuries.

Standing and taking his arm in my hand, I stop him. “Jami, I’m fine. You’re the one I’m worried about.”

His eyes flit across my face. Rain gets caught in his eyelashes, so he blinks it away. He runs his hand over his cheek and shakes away whatever thought he was having. His mouth goes in a straight line as the raindrops cascade over his lips.

“I’ve got to get you warm.” He grabs my hand and pulls me to the car.

He stops and flexes his entire body as we approach the front. His eyes sweep over the damage. I wiggle free and step to the side. I work myself back into my body.

“Jami, the windshield is shattered. I can’t get this down the mountain without driving us off a cliff. At least not in this storm. It's too dark out now.” I wipe the water from my eyes.

“Just get in. We’ll figure something out.” He stares at me as he trudges through puddles to the side of the car.

I open my door and slide in. Once he’s in the car, he turns to me. He’s not the Jami I’m used to, so I don’t know how to act or what to say. He’s clearly responding with his defense mechanism running the show, so I wait.

He climbs over the seat and grabs a towel from the back. “Use this to get warm.”

I take it and dry off my face as I sit quietly. He rummages through his bag and pulls out his phone. He swipes it and checks something on the screen.

“We have zero reception here.” He glances out the window. “This wouldn’t have happened if I?—”

“Don’t you dare say what I think you’re going to say. If you think for one minute this was your fault, you’re going to be dealing with a very hostile bitch. What you just went through out there will feel like a walk in the park.” My chest rumbles with the threat of an explosion.

He glances my way. His face pales as he assesses me and realizes how serious I am. He’s tempted to argue, so I shake my head to warn him. I’m back in my body now and my nerves stand at attention, just waiting to be fired off. I’m ready to fight if I have to.

His mouth opens, then snaps shut. He works his jaw from side to side as his lips press together, then lowers his head and darts his gaze along the dashboard.

He forces a huff of air from his lungs. “Dori, what if?—”

“No. What if nothing. I was driving. I was the one who wasn’t paying attention and hit the deer. You had nothing to do with it.” I assess the crumbled front end. “Sorry about the car. I’m sure my insurance will cover it.”

“You think I give two fucks about the car?”

“Well, you should. It’s kind of put us in a shitty situation,” I say dryly.

“If something would’ve happened to you, I don’t know how I could ever live with myself.” He chokes on his words.

I face him and place my palm on his cheek. “Hey. Nothing happened to me. I’m perfect.”

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