Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
He nodded sharply at me. “Of course, you can. You’re El Diablo’s daughter.” He raised his chin looking proud. Of me? Then he turned his back so I could have some privacy.
There were a pair of basketball shorts and a dark T-shirt, as well as some socks and a pair of shoes that were all slightly too big but were a thousand times better than anything I had on. A couple minutes later, I tapped him on the shoulder.
“OK. Your turn.”
“Eat while I dress. I don’t want to take too much time in case we miss a window to get out of here.”
He tossed me an MRE -- Meal Ready to Eat -- before he tugged off his wet shirt and wrung it out.
Any hope I had of doing anything other than staring at the magnificent torso on display in front of me fled in an instant. My mouth went dry and I dropped the meal packet at his feet. Not that he seemed to notice. Even as he rummaged through his pack for a dry shirt, he didn’t take his eyes off our surroundings, looking for a threat or any sign of danger.
When he glanced back at me, I knew my face went beet red because I felt the blood rise to my cheeks. He must have realized I was staring at him because he smirked.
“Much as I love that look on your face, I’m gonna need you to focus, honey. We still have to get out of here and the wind isn’t slowing down.”
“Oh, my God,” I gasped out. “I’m so sorry.”
Ice actually burst out laughing as he tugged the shirt on over his head. The cotton material stuck to his wet skin and, though he got one side of it down, the other side stuck to his abdomen so there was still a fair amount of skin exposed, along with several slabs of muscle.
He stuffed our wet clothes into another bag, then snagged a couple bottles of water and the MRE I’d dropped before gently moving me out of the way so he could shut the gate to the Bronco.
“You ready to get the hell outta here?” He gave me a cocky grin. If the situation were any different, I’d have smiled back at him. Hell, I’d have done more than that. I’d probably have made a fool of myself trying to seduce him.
“Yeah. You think we can make it?”
He shrugged. “Not sure. The wind’s picked up, but not as much as I’d feared. Then again, I’m from Kentucky. Don’t know a Goddamned thing about hurricanes. Twisters, on the other hand…”
“Well, if I’m ever in a situation where there could be a tornado, you’ll be the first one I call.”
“Come on. I’ll contact Ripper and see what the next move is.”
He walked me around to the passenger’s side of the vehicle and opened the door, giving me a tight smile. “Make sure you fasten your seat belt. No matter what happens next, I feel pretty sure it’ll be a bit of a bumpy ride.”
Chapter Three
Ice
Trouble. I was in so much fucking trouble. As I shut the door and started the car, I wanted to pound my head against the steering wheel. The few times I’d been in the same room with Dawn, I remember her being a skinny teenager. Cute but definitely not my type. But sometime during the last eight months or so, Dawn had turned into the most stunningly beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
Even soaking wet and scared, she called to me on more levels than I cared to admit. She was out of her element, but she’d done exactly what I’d told her to do without complaint after I’d found her. I wasn’t sure any other woman I knew would have followed me as willingly and easily as Dawn had. Also, I was pretty sure El Diablo pampered and spoiled his oldest daughter to within an inch of her life. Though she was proving to be pretty resilient in hard times, I knew it was only a matter of time before she broke. I just hoped I got us to safety before she did. The very last thing I wanted to do was bring a traumatized young woman back to El Diablo. He’d kill me and I wouldn’t be able to protest much.
Dawn trembled in the seat next to me. Her gaze was focused on the area around us. I’d moved us to the interior so that, even though the wind was still fierce, we were buffered somewhat. Debris blew around the garage, banging into the truck. She whimpered, but her face was set into a hard mask.
“Do you think it’s safe to go out in that?”
“That’s why we’re going to check in with Ripper. If the weather’s getting too bad to move, we’ll find a safer place to hole up than here.”