Page 40 of Hard Rain

Axel suddenly couldn’t tell if the roaring in his ears belonged to the storm or himself.

His attention dropped before he could stop it.

Whip’s mouth.

Rain running down his throat.

The hard rise and fall of his breathing.

Fuck.

Another crack thundered through the woods.

He jerked to his senses.

Fear was all that was.

His hands slid hard down Whip’s sides automatically, checking for injuries before his brain caught up with what he was doing.

Still too close.

Still holding him.

Still not letting go.

SHELTER

Rain hammered Whip’s face hard enough to sting while another groan rolled through the timber above them.

The sound seemed to come from everywhere at once as the mountainside settled beneath tons of saturated earth. Somewhere uphill, roots shifted. Branches scraped together in the darkness. Another tree deciding whether tonight was the night it gave up and came down.

Axel finally let go.

Then stepped back.

Not much.

Just enough to put a little distance between them.

Whip noticed because he’d expected him to run.

After what had almost happened beside the SUV, he’d expected Axel to put half the mountain between them. Instead, the man stopped a foot away and stayed there. His attention shifted back toward the slope above the road, but he never moved any farther away.

Whip followed Axel’s gaze uphill.

Axel had seen it too.

The mountain wasn’t done moving.

The fallen pine still blocked both lanes. Mud continued sliding across the pavement beneath it. Every few seconds, another groan rolled through the timber, followed by the uneasy creak of trees carrying more weight than they wanted.

Lightning flashed again.

For a second, Axel stood outlined against the storm, shoulders squared toward the hillside like he was personally considering arguing with it.

The sight tugged loose a memory Whip hadn’t thought about in years. A muddy football field. Cold rain. Friday night lights reflecting off standing water while Axel Bain stared across the line of scrimmage wearing that same stubborn expression.

Different storm.