Page 95 of Wicked Rush

“What is it?”

“I’m having a baby,” she confessed. As the words left her lips, she held her breath, terrified of his response. She’d only discovered the pregnancy a few days ago.

“You clearly need more lessons, sweetheart.” He laughed, pressing his lips to her head.

“You’re okay?” she asked.

“I’m more than okay. Was this expected? Hell no, but Jesus, Brae. Don’t you get how much I love you?” He kissed her again.

“I love hearing you say those words.”

“But you know, my little fox,” Braelynn giggled as he flipped her onto her belly, and caressed her bottom, “I’m going to look forward to more of these lessons.”

“Are you now?” she purred, arching her back. “You know I can’t be tamed?”

“I’m not looking to tame you, sweetheart. Enjoy you. Love you. But never tame you. You’re the best adventure I’ve ever had. That rush?”

“Yes,” she smiled.

“You’re it.”

Epilogue

His body burned hot with fever, every muscle in his body aching. Seth’s swollen eyes cracked open, and he saw the flames of a fire dancing in the corner. His vision blurred, as a figure brushed past him.

“You’re okay,” he heard the voice tell him. His dry lips parted, but no words would come. Who are you?

Squinting, his eyes adjusted to the dim light. His adrenaline surged as the dancing shadows came into focus. Rows of military grade weapons hung from neatly organized racks of the log cabin walls. Where the fuck am I?

He moaned, and the figure returned to his side. “Hey, here.” A sharp object probed his mouth and he coughed. “It’s a straw. Can you get any? Shit. Sorry…you need to try to drink something.”

Seth concentrated, attempting to seal his swollen lips around it. As the cool liquid coated his tongue, tears ran down his face.

“Hey, now. You’re going to be okay. You took a beating going down that cliff, but I don’t think anything’s broken. You got shot, too. Clean through. The bleeding’s stopped.”

Drowning under monster waves, he’d never allowed fear to creep into the recesses of his mind. Live or die, what was meant to be would happen. The struggle, the fight for life, however, that was a choice that every individual at one point in their life made. It didn’t guarantee you’d live but rather increased the probability. Risk. Chance. No one was safe. You could die on the top of a mountain or sitting on your sofa watching TV.

At a loss for control, Seth fought the dark emotion. Fear was a demon he’d conquered many a time, but as he lay immobile, it tormented him, dancing in his head. Training his mind, he focused, forcing thoughts of riding the waves as a spectacular California sunset shined down onto the Pacific.

“That’s better. Smile, baby. I don’t know what you’re thinking about but keep it there. Keep it strong.” As relaxation set in, and Seth registered the feminine nature of her voice, he wondered who she was.

Hazy memories of his attack played like a show on the television, static breaking up the channel. The gunshot blasted through him as he stepped into the line of fire. He lost balance, the pain searing through his arm. The hard shove sent him hurtling over the edge of the cliff. Falling, falling, falling. Bouncing off the rocks, his life had flashed before him, and he’d accepted his fate.

Who is this woman?His eyes darted again to the weapons. Sniper and automatic rifles. Submachine guns. Ammo belts. Dangerous.

By the light of the fire, his rescuer unzipped the tight neoprene. As the black wetsuit peeled away, it revealed her creamy skin. Tiny but fierce, she stripped it off. Bared to him, she turned to meet his gaze. Seth knew that what seemed like an eternity was mere seconds. As she broke eye contact, and tended to the blazing embers, he noted how her long blonde hair hung in a thick braid down her back.

A load roar sounded, and Seth clutched the sides of the metal cot. Unable to move, he groaned in pain.

“Shhh,” she told him. He watched in fascination as she threw on a robe, and grabbed a rifle off a rack.

“You’re going to be fine. I’m going to leave you for just a minute now. You can’t walk so don’t even try to come after me, understand?” she instructed.

Seth attempted to nod but his head pounded as he bent his neck. A chill rolled through him as she opened the door. As his warrior princess turned back to him, she gave a warm smile.

The sound of a gunshot blasting rocked through the cabin. Seth jolted in his bed, agony tearing through every cell of his body. Unable to speak or cry out for help, he lay helpless, the fire crackling to his right. Staring at the door, he counted through the searing pain. For whatever reason, fate saw fit that he’d survived a three-hundred-foot plunge over a cliff. Although these might be the last minutes of his life on Earth, Seth swore he wasn’t going down without a fight.