Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense February 2017 - Box Set 2 of 2 by Christy Barritt Maggie K. Black & Angela Ruth Strong

Author:Christy Barritt, Maggie K. Black & Angela Ruth Strong
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488018961
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Published: 2017-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

He lay on his stomach on the ice and felt her full weight pull back against the scarf. Alex gritted his teeth and pulled as hard as he could. His arms strained. His muscles ached. For a moment he felt the scarf slipping in his grasp and thought it was going to tear. Then he heard a gasp leave her lips as her body slid out onto the ice.

“Thank You, God.”

“Amen.” He pulled her body toward him across the ice. Slowly she came closer, until finally her fingers touched his. He dropped the scarf. He grabbed her hands and squeezed them as hard as he dared. She squeezed him back. He crawled backward, keeping one of her hands clenched tightly in his, until he was confident they were close enough to shore. Then he stood, carefully took the backpack and slid it over his shoulders. “Can you stand?”

“I think so,” she said. He helped her to her feet. She took one step and fell against him. Tears caught in her voice even as she struggled to smile. “Maybe not.”

“It’s okay. I’ve got you.” He looped one hand under her knees and the other under her shoulders. She slid her arms around his neck. He lifted her up into his arms and cradled her against his chest. The movement was so instinctual, it was as if she’d always been there. His throat felt tight. “The biggest danger right now is the cold. We don’t want hypothermia to set in. We’ve got to get you somewhere warm, and fast.”

She didn’t answer. Her head fell into the crook of his neck. He pulled her tighter into his arms and looked up at the steep snow bank ahead of him. Thick woods filled his view. He ran up the hill. The sky grew darker. His legs sank deep into the snow. He stumbled over hidden rocks and buried roots. Branches pressed against them. He felt Theresa’s body shudder against his. Then her arms slipped off his neck.

“Hey, Theresa. You stay awake for me. Okay?” He tilted her face toward him. He brushed his lips against her cheek. It was as cold as ice. She murmured something softly. He held her tighter. His mouth brushed hers, feeling for the heat of her breath. Then her arms slid up around his neck again and he felt her kiss him back. The kiss deepened as he cradled her body against him, like two survivors clinging to each other for warmth and life.

Then she pulled back, her eyes fluttered open and he realized with a jolt that he’d just kissed her.

“Hey, you just focus on staying awake and alive for me, okay?” he said. His voice choked in his throat. “Hold on to me tight. I need you to stay with me.”

His eyes scanned the trees as the blowing snow whitewashed the world around him into a series of unfamiliar shapes. He clenched his jaw, turned right, and followed the shoreline, praying with every step he’d see something he recognized.

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