Page 21 of The Healer

“Great. Next time, buy two pairs of boots, dumbass.” She cranked the heater. If she didn’t lose her fingers over this foolishness, it would be a miracle.

With the grizzly bear no longer a threat and her appendages thawing, she thought on her lunacy, climbing out the car in the middle of nowhere, frolicking in the snow like a child. She smiled. Excitement bubbled up like a slow-boiling kettle, and she let the warmth rise through her. A new beginning, an adventure hovered on the horizon.

As she took one last peek in the mirror, the squeal of the skidding brakes drowned out her scream. Standing in the middle of the road was a naked man…holding her boot.

She closed her eyes, questioning her sanity.

“No way would there be a naked man out in this weather.” Chewing on her bottom lip, she stared at him. “Fuck me, James.”

Evie’s saying slipped from Ilona’s lips, and the intense longing for her friend to be there gripped Ilona. Sliding into gear, she reversed, slowly, half expecting the man to be a mirage. He waited until she stopped the car before strolling balls to the wind to the passenger side.

When the door opened, she gaped. Tall, broad-shouldered with brown hair to his collarbone, his muscles rippled across his massive chest, catching the light.

He settled his blue gaze on her with the frame of the door hiding a certain part of his anatomy she shouldn’t be eager to see. “Your boot, ma’am.”

His voice, like liquid caramel, brushed over her senses, setting them ablaze. Something hot slithered into her core. She shifted her ass, trying to ease the dense ache. “Um, thanks?”

He placed the boot on the seat then closed the door.

She blinked, then leaped from the car, limping to where he walked away. Trying not to focus on his tight gluteus maximus or the tense and release of his bicep femoris muscles in his thighs, she hurried after him like a groupie. Shit, if Evie could see her now.

“Sir?” Ilona called after him, wincing as snow seeped into her sock. “You can’t be out in this…as you are. May I take you somewhere?” Spinning on the spot, she squinted at their surroundings, seeing no broken down vehicles, no footprints other than the bear’s. Where the hell was it? She peered into the distant forests hoping to catch a brown smear galumphing between the trees.

The man paused and stared at her. “You want to rescue me?” He arched a brow then chuckled. His good humor hit her innards like a shot of whisky. “That’s a first.”

“You’ll catch hypothermia out here.” Willing her gaze not to dip lower than his shoulders, she shrugged off her jacket and shivered, but offered him the too-small garment anyway. “I don’t have a blanket, but I do have a heater. Please. I’m going to Coedwig. Someone there will be able to help you…” She scanned the rolling white hills. “Find your car.”

“I’m not cold.”

Shit. Looking past his…um, penis, she focused on his unfidgeting hands. He was in the late stages of hypothermia. If he curled up now, he would die. “Do you feel tired?” He wasn’t shivering, either. “Do you know who you are?”

He laughed, leaning his head back to do so. His deep rumble washed over her, filling her with unexpected warmth again. She had to fight to hold back a smile.

“I know who I am, and no, I’m not tired.”

She closed the distance between them, taking cautious steps to not alarm him. “I…can’t abandon you. Please don’t ask me to.” If he fainted, there was no way she could lift him into the rental.

He studied her, his gaze like a caress, resting for a while on her eyebrows. “You have red hair?”

She nodded. Was he delirious?

He strolled toward her, unphased by his manly attributes so on display, which were textbook perfect if not on the big side. “And green eyes?”

She shrugged. “More hazel than emerald, but yes.”

He caught her chin in a gentle pinch and tilted her face.

Heat stung her wind-chapped cheeks. He couldn’t miss her scar, and he didn’t, his focus shifting. Pinching his lips, he released her. “I’m sorry.”

Tears stung her eyes. “Sorry?” She was breathless, her lungs struggling to deal with the freezing air and the rising wave of sorrow.

“For the pain you’ve endured.” His voice cut through to her heart.

She blinked, forcing the tears back. Such understanding and kindness from a stranger? “Life is pain, isn’t it?” She willed herself to shut up. “Please.” Shivering, she gestured to the car. “Come with me, and take my woolen hat too.” Whipping it off, she offered it to him.

He ignored her outstretched cap and jacket and caught a curl between his fingers. His gaze locked onto hers and dark blue swirled in his eyes. “I’ll find you in Coedwig.” With a grip on her elbow, he ushered her to the car.

Stunned, she allowed him to slip her inside and shut the door. Her heart pounded in her ears, and where he touched, tingled. Spinning in her seat, she searched for him, finding him crossing the snow-covered fields…barefoot.

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