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“Come on.” He pressed his body against me. “I’ll take you.”

Chapter Six

Redirection

Eli

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“STAY CLOSE.”

A stark blanket of snow had carpeted the ground in only a few minutes, soaking the bottom half of her body with icy water. If I didn’t get her close to a fire soon, hypothermia would follow rapidly.

I won’t let that happen.

I wasn’t prepared to lose someone else.

“How much farther?” She sounded exhausted as I tugged her against my body. “This pack weighs a ton.”

“Let me take it.” I reached for the nearest strap.

“No.” Dodging my grasp, she almost stumbled on the uneven ground. “That’s not what I meant.”

“It wasn’t a discussion.”

As the only remaining member of my original party, and the one who was by far the cutest to begin with, I was growing fond of Erin, but there were things about me she just didn’t know.

I was a brute, used to getting what I wanted.

If we were going to be thrust into each other’s company in the short term, she’d do well to learn those lessons fast.

Pausing, I tugged at the strap to prevent her from walking away. “Give it to me.”

A crease appeared in her brow as she glanced back at me. “I can cope.”

“You’re my responsibility.” I pressed closer to her body. “And that means I take care of you.”

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