Page 10 of A Secret Crush Valentine's

Julia looked at the clothes he’d given her and decided he had a point. “And second?”

He winked over his shoulder at her. “Well, youarestuck here with me.”

If her face got any hotter, it could start a campfire. Julia couldn’t tell if he was flirting or simply being himself. It was one of the things that had confused and excited her back then.

She glanced at his broad back as they walked and felt the knot tighten in her belly. Did he have any idea how big a crush she’d had on him all those years ago? Did he know how badly she’d hoped he would ask her to the dance when he offered to walk her home? Maybe the incident on the ice had saved her from embarrassment. It hadn’t saved her from disappointment or quelled her feelings for him. She hadn’t felt this way in so long; she’d almost forgotten what it was like to have a crush on a guy like Damon McLaurent, high school football quarterback and, now, a survivor on a mountain farther from home than anyone could imagine.

She wondered if he’d ever felt the same way toward her but discarded the thought as it appeared. Now wasn’t the time. There was too much to think about. She was stuck here on a mountain that was determined to turn her into a pillar of ice.

It was hard to believe all of this was really happening and not just a bad dream.

“What is this Capricorn place you’re taking me to anyway?” She’d been meaning to ask since they commenced their journey, but her curiosity about the mountain had taken precedence. “You haven’t told me anything about it.”

“It’sCaprichor,” he said. “It’s a village. We’ll get there in a week or two. Hopefully, we’ll be safe.”

“Safe from what?”

Damon didn’t reply, but his back stiffened. Julia picked up the pace with a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold, walking at his side.

Clearly, something was making Damon uneasy, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out what it was—just yet.

Chapter Four

“Call 911”

The cold didn’t bother him much anymore. His body had adapted to the weather over the weeks. It was the hunger that nearly drove him insane.

He leaned heavily against the nearest tree, struggling to keep his eyes open and his body from falling as he swept his gaze around. More trees. More snow.

More unanswered questions.

He knew that it had been weeks since he broke through the frozen surface of that lake and found himself here. What he didn’t know was whereherewas or how he’d ended up here. One second, he’d been crossing a presumed frozen lake, and the next thing he knew, he was on a behemoth of a mountain blanketed by snow.

Besides the trees and a few animals he’d spotted over the weeks, there hadn’t been any other sign of life.

Where is everyone,he found himself wondering for the thousandth time since he’d arrived here. Where is… she?

A scream echoed through his mind, and his heart clenched as the memory hit him: Julia’s eyes widened as the ice gave away beneath them, plunging them into the lake’s freezing depths.

Her arms flailing as she struggled for survival. Red hair billowing around her head as she sank out of his reach.

Up until a few weeks ago, he hadn’t realized that memories could also become nightmares. All that was needed was a catalyst like fear or tremendous guilt.

By now, Valentine’s Day had passed. No dance. No Julia. For all he knew, she could be dead. She wasn’t on this mountain. He would know if she were. She’d drowned in that lake. That was all on him. He should’ve known not to cross that lake with her. He should have known the ice wouldn’t support their weight.

I’m probably dreaming,he thought. It made no sense that there was no one else here. He had to be dreaming. For all he knew, he could be lying in a coma in some hospital right now, hooked up to a machine that beeped incessantly.

Do coma patients dream?

His stomach growled, providing a grim reminder that he was awake. Hunger was always a good indicator. It was a reminder to try to survive, like theCHECK ENGINElight that flashed on the dashboard of his father’s truck. Damon hadn’t eaten more than a few nuts and half-frozen berries since he’d got here. The hunger gnawed at the pit of his stomach, causing his vision to blur.

It also caused him to see other things. Dark shapes moved around in the corners of his vision. He couldn’t sense anyone around, which had to mean he was hallucinating. He’d never tripped before—a few guys on the football team were rumored to have LSD in their lockers, but he’d never been one to try that sort of thing.

As far as first experiences go,he thought, as he heard the sound of water trickling,this hallucination sucks.

But what if hewasn’thallucinating?

Another growl from his stomach decided for him, and he staggered northward through the woods, dragging his feet through the snow until he came across the source of the sound.

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