Page 18 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Pilot
“That’s why you’re so different from the corporate shark I expected,” she said finally.“You’re carrying guilt that isn’t yours.”
“It became mine the moment I inherited the company.”
“Is that why you keep everyone at a distance?”she asked, the question hitting uncomfortably close to home.“Because of the weight you’re carrying?”
I focused on turning the meat, avoiding her gaze.“I keep my distance because it’s safer for everyone that way.”
“Safer how?”she pressed, leaning forward.The firelight played across her features, highlighting the determination in her expression.
Something inside me wanted to tell her everything, to confess what I was, to explain the beast that lived beneath my skin.The urge was so powerful it momentarily stole my breath.No human had ever pulled such honesty from me before.
“There are parts of me that aren’t safe,” I said finally, the closest to truth I could manage.“Aspects of my nature that I keep controlled for good reason.”
Her eyes searched mine, and I felt stripped bare by her gaze.“You mean your temper?I’ve seen glimpses of it.It doesn’t scare me.”
If only it were that simple.I almost laughed at the irony.She thought she’d seen the dangerous parts of me, when in reality, she had no concept of what lurked beneath the surface.
“You’ve seen nothing,” I said quietly, the words carrying more weight than she could possibly understand.“And I intend to keep it that way.”
I turned away from her, ending the conversation.The rabbit was a good distraction, and I focused on turning it until it had cooked through evenly.I removed it from the fire and divided it, giving her the larger portion despite her protests.The savory aroma filled our small shelter, reminding me how long it had been since either of us had eaten properly.
As we ate in companionable silence, I caught Felicity shivering despite the fire’s warmth.Without hesitation, I moved beside her, warming her with my body heat.
“You’re like a furnace,” she murmured, unconsciously leaning into me.“Has anyone ever told you that’s not normal?Not that I’m complaining right now.”
The simple contact, her shoulder against mine, her knee occasionally brushing my thigh, sent shockwaves through me.My beast stirred restlessly, pleased by her proximity yet demanding more.I forced it down, focusing on the practical need to keep her warm rather than how right it felt to have her beside me.
“We need a plan,” I said, deliberately steering us to safer ground.“The snow’s too deep to attempt hiking out, especially with your injury.Our best option is to create signals visible from the air.”
Felicity nodded, her analytical mind engaging with the problem.“We can clear an area for a signal fire.If we gather enough green branches to add to the fire, the smoke would be visible to aircraft for miles.”
“We should also create ground signals.SOS markers large enough to be seen from above,” I added.“I can handle that tomorrow when there’s better light.”
“We’ll both handle it,” she corrected firmly.“I told you, I’m not sitting like a useless lump in this cave.”
I wanted to argue, to insist she rest, but the determination in her eyes told me it would be pointless.“Fine.But you work within your limits.If you push too hard and worsen your condition, we both suffer.”
She rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement.“Reasonable compromise.See?You can be civil after all.”
The teasing comment caught me off guard, drawing an unexpected laugh from me.The sound echoed in the small space, and I realized how foreign it felt, how long it had been since I’d laughed genuinely.Felicity looked startled, then pleased, her own smile widening in response.
“There’s hope for you yet, Roberts,” she said softly.
Night fell quickly in the mountains, darkness swallowing the landscape outside our shelter.The temperature dropped with the sun, cold seeping through stone despite our fire.Felicity’s shivering intensified, even as she tried to hide it by snuggling under my giant jacket.
“Don’t be stubborn,” I said, opening my arm in invitation.“Hypothermia isn’t something to risk out of pride.”
She hesitated only briefly before moving into the space I’d created, her body fitting against mine as naturally as if we’d done this countless times before.I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer to my heat.Her tension gradually melted away as my warmth enveloped her.
“This is just survival,” she murmured, though whether she was reminding me or herself remained unclear.“Nothing more.”
“Of course,” I agreed, ignoring how perfectly she fit against me, how her scent filled my senses, how my wolf purred with satisfaction at having her so close.
As the night deepened, Felicity’s breathing slowed and evened out, her body growing heavier against mine as sleep claimed her.Her head had found its way to my shoulder, then gradually slipped to rest against my chest.The simple trust in that unconscious gesture hit me with unexpected force.
My heightened hearing picked up the steady rhythm of her heart, a sound that had become oddly comforting, a metronome guiding the beat of my own heart.Outside, the wind whipped through pine branches, carrying whispers of the wolf pack I’d sensed earlier.They were moving closer to our position, drawn perhaps by the scent of our food or simple curiosity about the intruders in their territory.
I remained vigilant, keeping one arm securely around Felicity while my senses monitored our surroundings.The dual awareness was something I’d mastered long ago, being present in the moment while my wolf kept watch for threats.Right now, both sides of myself, wolf and man, were in rare agreement.We had to protect the woman sleeping trustingly against me.
