Page 16 of Gorgeous

“I’m fine,” I lie, waving off her concern, but it sounds like “Ifiiime.” My words slur together and I feel like it’s time to get the hell out of here before I scare her even more. I attempt to put pressure on my stiff legs, but a searing pain shoots through them, and I groan. With reluctance, I lay back down on the hard ground and just wait. This is going to take me a minute.

“You’re not fine,” the angel admonishes, giving me a look as though it’s pointless to argue with her.

Lying down feels so good.

If she would just give me a few more minutes, I could rest up enough and have the energy to endure another few miles in the cold. My eyes drift closed just as she startles me awake by yelling, “Do not fall asleep!”

I can’t deal with this right now. I’m so tired. Dragging my heavy arm over my eyes, blocking out the sun and her beautiful face, I act like a complete asshole. “Leave me alone, lady.”

“I’m calling an ambulance,” she argues.

Damn it. Do the people in this town really have nothing better to do than to chase off the homeless?

“No,” I mumble against my arm, clarifying, just in case the “no” wasn’t clear enough. “I won’t go.”

I lower my arm from my face and force open an eye just in time to see her roll hers, giving me a look that I’m sure makes men bow at her feet. Lucky for her, I don’t care.

“I’m not leaving you here to die,” she explains, growing more agitated with my blunt answers.

I try not to show my emotions. It’s a matter of life or death in the military, but for some reason, this woman makes me want to argue. Who does she think she is ordering me around? I’m not a Marine anymore. I’m a civilian, and not even a contributing one at that. I narrow my eyes and meet the defiant set of her jaw.

She’s stubborn, I’ll give her that, but so am I.

“Go away,” I repeat as firmly as I can, but it comes out slower than usual and more muffled.

With a resigned huff, she rolls her eyes at me and reaches for my arm, wrapping her tiny hands around me. “Come on, dude. Let me get you warmed up, then. I promise to let you go so you can die another day.”

Am I in the twilight zone? Is this chick for real? Is she really trying to manhandle me up and help me?

For a moment all I can do is just stare at her, my gaze tracking back and forth from her hand on my forearm to her determined eyes. And then she pulls as hard as she can. She doesn’t even jostle me. I may be boxing below my class right now, but at six-foot-two, I’m no lightweight. And this angel here, as determined as she might be, isn’t going to move me from this spot unless I allow her.

“We can do this my way or the hard way. Either way, You. Will. Do. It. Now. Come on!”

If I wasn’t nearly hypothermic, I think that bossy statement would have made my dick hard. A few years ago, I would have loved to break a little firecracker like her, but that’s not who I am anymore. The angel, adorned in running gear, gives me another pull, and against my better judgement, I let her pull me up. My legs feel like jelly when I finally struggle to my feet, and she quickly nudges her body under my shoulder, supporting my weight as best as she can, and we start taking slow steps. I try really hard to keep from leaning on her since the smell of coconut seeps out from her pores as she struggles to walk with me. It’s obvious this girl has no self- preservation. Helping a stranger out of a ditch … where is her husband? Or boyfriend? Someone should be looking out for this crazy, selfless girl.

One foot in front of the other, I drag my frozen feet across the grass, unconsciously deciding that I’ll indulge her and see her home safely before leaving. Fuck! My gear. I’ll have to go back and get it. Not that I had much, but I definitely need my blanket. It’s not often you find one of those.

We stumble several more times before finding a good rhythm and balance to our weighted steps.

“What’s your name?” She tries to make conversation as our steps crunch along the frozen ground.

Maybe I’m tired of being rude or maybe I feel guilty for not using my manners—my mama would be horrified—but I decide to indulge her curiosity and tell her my name. It comes out broken like I have a stutter. “C-C-Cade.”

My guardian angel, who has no sense at all, takes a sharp breath and holds it a few seconds before looking me straight in the eye, like whatever is in that beautiful head of hers is now decided.

“It’s nice to meet you, Cade. I’m Anniston McCallister.”

My life changed forever on that freezing February morning. Anniston McCallister took a scrawny, half-dead man who didn’t care whether he lived or died in that ditch, brought him to her house, forced food down his throat, and commanded him to be the man he is today. There isn’t a single day that goes by that I don’t try to be the man she believes me to be. She’s made sacrifices for me and the guys to have a second chance at life, and I want to make her proud.

“Come dance with me, Gorgeous!” The beauty in a dress that enhances her angelic nature waves me over, shoving a scowling Theo to the side.

I wave her off and shake my head. I’m not dealing with a grumpy Theo this evening.

“She won’t stop until you do it.” Thad, Theo’s twin brother and former manager, quietly tells me what I already know. I know she’ll come pull me out of the chair if I don’t come dance with her. But I try to keep my newfound friendship with Von Bremen intact by keeping my hands off his woman. It’s taken us a while to get to this point so I have to make sure he sees that Anniston is forcing me to dance.

Never looking at Thad, I say over the top of my beer, “I know, but your brother looks about ready to explode. I don’t need his drama right now.”

Thad chuckles, confirming that I’m accurate in my assessment of his brother’s state of mind. “You’re right. He’s liable to cut you.”

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