Page 111 of Opposites (Never) Attract
Tag pulled Diablo to a hard stop and lifted me off the saddle, and with a small jump I was once again on solid ground.
My knees felt weak and I was breathing heavily, even though Diablo had done all the work.
“Carter!” Tag bellowed over the storm. “Take Diablo!”
Carter grabbed Diablo’s reins at the same time Tag wrapped his hand around my upper arm and practically dragged me toward one of the ATVs situated just outside the paddock.
“I can drive myself back to the Lodge if you need to see to the horses!” I was still shouting over the torrential rain that was falling all around us in sheets, even as I climbed on to the back of the machine behind him.
He didn’t say anything. Just started the engine and accelerated, while the wheels spun for a second in the grass and dirt that had turned into mud. Eventually, the tire treads grabbed hold and we jerked forward and took off at a speed way faster than anything I’d attempted on my own.
Tag pulled up to his cabin and it was all I could do to hold onto him. I was soaked to the skin and shaking from the cold. He shut down the four wheeler and pulled me off the back, holding me against him as he ran up his front steps.
“Pop?” I said, through numb lips.
“He’s not home,” Tag growled. “He flew back to Florida this morning. Some plumbing problem with his condo.”
“Oh, no. I hope it’s nothing serious,” I said inanely, shivering and dripping in the middle of his living room.
“Shower! Now!”
I turned abruptly, thinking that was the first timeI’d heard Tag shout at me. Well, at least inside. He’d shouted at me plenty when I hopped off Shirley to get my hat.
I took my hat off and saw how thoroughly drenched it was, too. I wondered if this material dried properly. But it had to, right? Or, what was the point?
I didn’t have much time to think on it before Tag had his hand wrapped around my arm again, firmly, but not too hard, and was pulling me to his bedroom.
“I know where the shower is,” I said.
He wasn’t having it. He took me into the bathroom and turned the water on in the shower and cranked the heat on. He pushed me down onto the toilet seat and dropped to his knees to work my boots off.
The scowl on his face was real.
“Arrre you maddd?” I asked, through chattering teeth.
He looked up at me, all dark and broody. “You risked your life for a fucking hat.”
“It was haarrrdly rrrisking my lllife,” I said. “Annddd, ittt wasn’ttt abouttt the hattt.”
“What was it about, then?”
I didn’t know how to answer him. It was like that hat represented my place in Last Hope Gulch, and when it flew off my head, my chance of belonging here went with it. It was ridiculous. I knew that. But I liked that hat.
He stood me up and unbuckled my belt, unsnapped my jeans, his hands were hot against my icy skin as he yanked them off my body.
“If you’d seen how close that fucking lightning strike came to you,” he barked at me as he pulled my shirt and bra off. Naked, he pushed me into the shower and the steamy hot water was a wonderful release.
“I haddd toooo gettt ittt,” I said, letting the hot water do its thing.
“This is Wyoming, princess, not fucking New York,” Tag said, stripping his own soaked clothes. “A flash storm comes on you like that, you take it seriously.”
He got into the shower with me, but still made sure I was directly under the stream of hot water. He rubbed my arms and my legs, and after a few minutes, my teeth chattering eased.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” I said, tilting my head back as he worked shampoo into my hair. Giving me possibly the best scalp massage I’d ever had.
“You’re going to pay for it,” he said, his tone low and menacing.
So dark a tingle shot down my spine. “Really?”
