Page 15 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Pilot
Suddenly, the full weight of our situation crashed down on me.We were stranded in the wilderness with dwindling supplies, freezing temperatures, and little hope of immediate rescue.My breathing quickened, each inhale shallower than the last as panic clawed at my throat.
“Felicity.”Tanner’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.His hand found mine.Large and warm fingers intertwined with mine with surprising gentleness.“Look at me.”
I raised my eyes to his, finding them steady and impossibly calm in the firelight.This close, I could see golden flecks in his irises that caught the orange glow of the flames, like tiny constellations in dark brown skies.
“Breathe with me,” he instructed, his chest rising and falling in a deliberate rhythm against my side.“In through your nose, out through your mouth.”
I followed his lead, matching my breathing to his until the tightness in my chest eased.His thumb traced small, soothing circles on the back of my hand, and I found myself mesmerized by the motion.
“We’re going to survive this,” he said with such conviction that I almost believed him.The furrow between his brows deepened as he spoke, and I had the strangest urge to smooth it away with my fingertips.“Tell me what survival skills you have.”
The question pulled me back from the edge of panic, giving my mind something concrete to focus on.It also distracted me from how aware I was becoming of every point where our bodies connected.
“Wilderness first aid,” I answered, grateful for the practical topic.“Navigation by stars.Cold weather survival techniques.”I’d taken courses as part of my pilot training.“I can identify edible plants in most North American regions.”
Tanner nodded approvingly, and I felt an absurd flush of pleasure at his acknowledgment.“I can hunt.Build shelters.Track.”His lips curved slightly.“And I’ve never lost a fight with hypothermia.”
“Quite the rugged outdoorsman for a billionaire,” I observed, fighting the urge to lean further into his warmth.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”His eyes reflected the firelight, almost seeming to glow for a moment.Something in his gaze made my heart stutter in my chest, a strange intimacy forming between us that had nothing to do with our physical proximity.“Together, our skills improve our chances significantly.”
Despite my determination to stay awake, exhaustion washed over me like a wave dragging me under.My eyelids grew heavier with each passing moment, the concussion and stress of the day demanding their toll.I fought against it, not wanting to break this unexpected connection that had formed between us in the firelight.
“You should rest,” Tanner said.The vibration of his words traveled through me, oddly comforting.
“Concussion,” I mumbled, struggling to keep my eyes open.“Shouldn’t sleep.”
“I’ll wake you regularly to check,” he assured me.“You need rest to heal.”
I wanted to argue, but my body had other ideas.I slumped against him, my head finding the crook between his shoulder and chest as if it belonged there.His heartbeat drummed steadily beneath my ear, strong and slightly faster than I would have expected.The rhythm was hypnotic, lulling me further toward sleep.
“I haven’t thanked you properly,” I murmured against his chest, my words slurring slightly with fatigue.“For saving me from the plane.For finding shelter.For not being the complete jerk I thought you were.”
His chest rumbled with what might have been silent laughter.“Don’t worry.I’m still partly a jerk.”
“Only partly,” I agreed, a smile tugging at my lips.“The rest is surprisingly decent.”
As consciousness slipped away, I felt the whisper of fingers brushing hair from my face.The touch was so gentle I might have imagined it, yet so intimate it sent warmth cascading through me that had nothing to do with body heat.His fingertips lingered at my temple, tracing a path down to my jaw with exquisite care.
“Sleep, Felicity,” he whispered, his breath warm against my hair.“I’ll keep watch.”
My last coherent thought centered on the enigma that was Tanner Roberts.There was something not quite normal about him.His reflexes were too quick, his senses too sharp, and his body too warm in this freezing hell.And beneath it all, an inexplicable feeling that we were connected somehow, as if I’d known him in another life or been waiting to meet him without realizing it.
Or perhaps that was just the concussion talking.
But as I drifted into sleep, nestled against the solid warmth of his body, one thing became undeniably clear.The lines between survival partners and something more complicated were already beginning to blur, like footprints disappearing in freshly falling snow.
Chapter 6
TANNER
I woke before dawn, my senses heightened in the quiet darkness of our cave shelter.Felicity slept against me, her breathing deep and even, and her body curled trustingly into mine.The scent of her filled my nostrils, vanilla mixed with ozone, and beneath it all, something uniquely her that called to my wolf in ways I couldn’t explain.She disappeared beneath the layers of my jacket, and it only made me acutely aware of how tiny and humanly delicate she was in comparison to my lumbering form.
My arm had remained wrapped around her all night, and I found myself reluctant to move it.The primal part of me, the part I usually kept locked away behind cold detachment and expensive Italian suits, rumbled with satisfaction at having her so close.Mine.The thought rose unbidden, and I pushed it away with practiced discipline.
She wasn’t mine.She couldn’t be.Not with what I was.
I eased away carefully, making sure not to disturb her rest.The concussion worried me.I’d woken her several times during the night as promised, each time relieved when her responses grew more coherent.But she needed more rest to heal properly.
