Page 16 of The Hotshot's Prize
My face goes warm, and I bite back a smile, trying not to squirm.
He touched me like I was something precious. Like he knew what I needed before I even said it. I still feel the echo of his hands, his mouth, his voice in my ear. It wasn’t just physical…it was consuming, terrifying, and exciting all at once.
Because…I don’t do this. I don’t get this vulnerable with people. My anxiety doesn’t let me.
Normally, I keep everything locked up. I keep people out. It’s just easier that way…safer. No expectations. No fear of screwing things up or being too much or not enough. I’m good at building walls and even better at pretending I’m okay behind them.
But with Zack?
It’s like the walls never even stood a chance.
I sink into him a little more, letting myself feel how tightly he holds me, even in his sleep. Like his body refuses to let mine go. And somehow, for the first time in forever…I don’t feel panicked. I’m not bracing for rejection or overthinking every breath.
I feel safe.
Not just physically—though yeah, the guy did save me from plummeting to my death—but emotionally. There’s this quiet calm around him, like nothing can touch us in this little cocoon of rock and warmth and blanket.
My fingers trail lightly over the arm around me, my heart swelling in my chest.
How did everything change so fast? It’s not even been twenty-four hours.
Yesterday, I was just a girl with a camera and a dream. Nervous. Lonely. Trying so hard to prove I was brave enough to be out here, even if I didn’t always believe it myself.
And now…I’m here. Wrapped up in a man who makes me feel brave just by looking at me.
I sigh, staring at the cave wall ahead. As much as I want to live in this moment, I can’t help the creeping thought that this bubble will eventually burst.
Tessa.
My eyes flutter shut as guilt hits me like a small wave. She’s definitely freaking out right now after not hearing from me overnight. No texts. No calls back. No sign of life.
I reach for my phone and of course, there’s no signal. It’s been that way since the storm started. Tessa probably thinks I’ve been eaten by a mountain lion. Or carted off by some canyon serial killer. Or that I tripped and broke my neck.
She’s got a crazy imagination, that girl.
Well, any of that could’ve happened if the universe hadn’t thrown Zack my path.
What are the chances that a hot hotshot walks by just when I’m deep in a ditch?
I stare up at the curve of the cave ceiling, biting my lip as excitement curls in the pit of my stomach.
I’ll call Tessa the second we’re out of here.
Maybe she’ll forgive me if I tell her about Zack? She’ll probably forget her anger and pester me until I give her every detail.
Tessa will be fine. I need to focus on this moment. With Zack. I need to absorb this feeling of being in his arms, his steady heartbeat pressed against my spine…
It feels like a dream. One I don’t want to wake up from.
And maybe I don’t have to. Not yet.
The storm’s still raging. The day is still young. There’s nowhere to be, no pressure, no audience. Just us.
Just this.
I must have drifted off to sleep because when I open my eyes again, Zack’s watching me, softly, lazily…like he’s been doing it for a while. His brown eyes are impossibly clear in the low light, framed by long, thick lashes no man has any business having. The faintest smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth as he watches me watch him.
How can a man be so…beautiful?
