Page 14 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Pilot
“Let’s take inventory,” he said, his deep voice resonating in the small space.
We laid out our meager supplies from the survival pack.It wasn’t much, but seeing everything organized gave me a fragile sense of control.
“If we’re careful, these rations will last three days,” Tanner said, organizing everything with military precision.His fingers moved with surprising dexterity for their size, sorting and arranging with practiced ease.“The cave provides shelter, and we have the means to make fire.”
“They’ll be looking for us,” I added.“The flight plan was filed.When we don’t check in—”
“The storm will ground search and rescue efforts,” Tanner interrupted, but his tone had lost its earlier sharpness.He was simply stating facts, not shutting me down.“And we’re off-course from where they’d expect to find us.”
I frowned, noting how his brow furrowed with genuine concern.This wasn’t the cold, dismissive businessman from the hangar.This was someone who cared whether we survived.Who cared whether I survived.
“Let me check your back,” I said suddenly.“You took the brunt of the impact from the explosion debris.”
Before he could protest, I moved behind him.“Lift up your shirt.”
He hesitated, then complied with obvious reluctance.I pushed up his shirt, expecting to find serious injuries.Instead, I saw only minor scratches and bruises where there should have been significant trauma.My fingertips traced the warm skin of his back, feeling the solid muscle beneath.My heart skipped oddly at the contact, and I quickly attributed it to professional concern.
“That’s impossible,” I murmured, unable to reconcile what I was seeing with what I knew about blast injuries.“These should be much worse.”
“I got lucky,” he said, pulling his shirt down and moving away from my touch.But not before I noticed how his muscles tensed under my fingers and how his breathing seemed to catch momentarily.“We need to discuss our next steps.”
“We should try to find civilization,” I said immediately, wrapping my arms around myself as a particularly vicious chill ran through me.“Staying put could mean freezing to death before they find us.”
Tanner shook his head, and I found myself distracted by the way a lock of dark hair fell across his forehead.“Moving through this terrain, in this weather, with your concussion is more likely to kill us.Our best chance is to wait for rescue.”
He was right.The cold had settled deep into my bones, making rational thought increasingly difficult.
“Come here,” he said, gesturing to the space beside him near the fire.His voice had dropped an octave, becoming something richer, more inviting.“Body heat is the most efficient way to prevent hypothermia.”
I hesitated only briefly before the practical reality of our situation won out.I moved beside him, and he wrapped an arm around me, pulling me against his side.The heat radiating from his body was shocking.It was like huddling next to a furnace.But more surprising than the warmth was how right it felt to be pressed against him, my body fitting perfectly into the space created by his arm and torso.
“How are you this warm?”I asked, unable to help myself.My voice came out breathier than intended, and I felt my cheeks flush.
“Good circulation,” he answered curtly, but his arm tightened fractionally around me, contradicting his brusque tone with a gesture that felt almost protective.
We sat in silence for several minutes.I couldn’t help but notice how Tanner occasionally tilted his head, nostrils flaring as if catching scents I couldn’t detect.His body would tense at sounds that never reached my ears.Up close, I noticed tiny details I’d missed before, like the small scar at his temple, the way his thick eyelashes cast shadows on his cheeks in the firelight, and the perfect symmetry of his lips.My gaze lingered there longer than it should have, and I quickly looked away when he caught me staring.
“What?”he asked, one eyebrow raised.
“Nothing,” I said quickly.“Just… trying to stay awake.”
His mouth quirked in what might have been a smile.“By studying my face?”
“It’s interesting,” I admitted, too exhausted for pretense.“Your expressions change when you think no one’s watching.You’re less stony gargoyle and more actual human.”
To my surprise, he chuckled, a low, rich sound that reverberated through his chest and into mine where we touched.“Stony gargoyle, huh?That’s a new one.”
“It fits,” I said, finding myself smiling back.“Or at least it did, back when we first met.Now you’re more…”
“More what?”he prompted when I trailed off.
“Real,” I finished simply.“Less like you’re wearing a people-repelling armor.”
His eyes met mine, and for a moment, the intensity in them stole my breath.“Maybe the armor’s necessary in my world.”
“And this isn’t your world?”I gestured to our sparse cave shelter.
“Strangely, this feels more comfortable than boardrooms and society,” he admitted, surprising me with his candor.
