Page 8 of The Hotshot's Prize
His name tastes strange in my head. But it’s a nice kind of strange. Familiar already.
The butterflies return uninvited, fluttering low and hot in my belly. Now that I’m alone, my brain has room to fully obsess over how ridiculously attractive he is.
That jaw. Those arms. That voice.
I mean, sure, I was hanging off a cliff ten minutes ago, and he literally pulled me up like it was nothing, but even before the adrenaline wore off, my body noticed. And now, every time I close my eyes, I see him standing over me, all confidence and quiet strength, promising he’s got me.
Ugh.
Tessa would have a field day with this. My best friend has always said I’m too focused on work. That I need to live a little. Fall in love. Or at least fall into bed with someone ridiculously hot, just once.
Well, Tess. I may have skipped right over the falling part and gone straight to the almost dying, but you’d be pleased to know the guy who saved me is literal fire.
I can already picture her losing her mind.
Tess must be worried about me, especially with how I ended our call so abruptly earlier. She’s probably sent a million texts, wondering where I went, if I’m okay, if I got eaten by a mountain lion or abducted by UFOs.
I have to call her as soon as Zack gets back.
I adjust the flashlight to point upward and hug my knees, trying not to let the sound of the approaching storm mess with my head. I’m still shaking, less from the cold now, more from the lingering adrenaline.
But under all of that, under the fear and the nerves, there’s something new. A spark I’ve never felt before.
Zack…
He may be a stranger, but something about him feels…solid. Safe. And dangerous, in a way that makes my pulse race, but not because I’m scared.
I should be terrified, but I’m not.
The flashlight’s beam flickers as I hear boots crunching over gravel. I jolt upright.
“Zack?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” His voice is calm and deep, cutting through the rising wind like a warm blade. “Didn’t miss me too much, did you?”
Relief floods through me so fast I almost sag in place. I don’t say it, but I did miss him. More than I’d like to admit.
He ducks into the cave and straightens, his arms full. He has my backpack slung over one shoulder, his duffel in the other hand. He tosses both down gently against the far wall and unzips his pack in one fluid motion, pulling out a gray blanket and a compact first aid kit.
“Got your gear. Phone’s still intact, by the way,” he says, setting it beside me. “You might have fifty missed calls from the same number though.”
“Tessa,” I groan, rolling my eyes.
“Who’s that?”
“My best friend,” I answer with a small smile. “She’s probably organizing a search party.”
He flashes a smile that nearly knocks the breath out of me. “That’s good. Means someone’s looking out for you.”
He drops to a crouch beside me and gently unfolds the blanket, wrapping it around my shoulders like I’m some fragile thing. I go still, caught off guard by the careful way his fingers brush my arms, strong but not rough. Confident.
He looks up at me, just a little too long. “You warm enough?”
I nod, my throat constricting. “Yeah. Thanks.”
“Good. Let me take a look at you.”
Before I can protest, he’s already unzipping the first aid kit and patting the little shelflike ledge behind me. “Hop up here. Easier this way.”
