Page 10 of Married to Her Yeti
“Mari,” Nima said softly as he gently brushed scraped knuckles across her forehead. “Can you hear me? I need to pick you up.” He didn’t see any visibleblood, only the smearhe’dleft at her hairline.Dammit!The limbs he’d torn off the tree had cut up his hands worse than he realized.
The vehicle came to a stop with a squeal of brakes and what sounded like a skid in the snow. “Nima!”
Nima recognized Tseten’s voice immediately, and a measure of relief flooded through him. Tseten was smart, focused, and calm in an emergency. “Over here!” Nima yelled as he carefully scooped his arms under Mari, cradling her against his chest as he rose. “Mari’s injured,” he called in a wavering voice as he rushed toward Tseten’s truck. “The top of a spruce tree snapped in the earthquake and fell on her. Can you drive us to the clinic? Is Margie in town?” Margie was a yeti-friendly nurse and highly skilled in her trade. Nima trusted her implicitly.
Tseten swiftly ushered Nima towards the rear seats of his truck. “Climb in the back.”
Nima gingerly slid onto the bench seat as he held Mari close. Though he tried not to jostle her, she whimpered, gripping his shirt with her fist. It broke his heart to see her in pain. “It’s okay,” he said, knuckles gently brushing her cheek as Tseten carefully closed them in. “I’ve got you. You’re going to be okay.”
Mari’s chin moved as if she were nodding, but her eyes remained shut, her brows pinched as if in pain.
Tseten jumped into the driver’s seat and grabbed his phone. Nima wasn’t sure how such a large yeti texted so quickly with two giant blue thumbs, but in seconds he relayed, “Margie’s at the clinic and will look for us.”
As Tseten threw the truck in reverse and raced up the driveway, Nima relaxed a fraction and tried to make Mari as comfortable as possible, covering her with Tseten’s jacket.
But Nima could only relax so much. He didn’t know the extent of Mari’s injuries. And there were bound to be more fucking aftershocks.
All Mari had wantedthat evening was popcorn, cozy pajamas, and a cheesy holiday romance movie. Instead, she’d been stuck in a closet with her estranged yeti husband, he’d brought her to orgasm, and a rogue spruce tree had nearly killed her.
She fisted her hand tighter into Nima’s shirt as Tseten drove over a bump, jostling her and Nima,causing pain to radiate through her limbs. Nima protectively arched over her, his grip tightening as if to ease her discomfort, while Tseten called out, “Sorry, new crack in the road!”
Mari never would have pictured herself in Nima's arms again—especially not after asking him for a divorce. But honestly, he was the only person she’d want holding her right now. Her heart still might be in danger, but the rest of her wasn’t, not while Nima held her. With each inhale, his scent calmed and soothed.
As gentle fingers brushed stray hairs away from Mari’s face and Nima’s soft, deep baritone whispered, “I’ve got you,” she couldn’t help but think back to the moment before the earthquake. He’d looked shocked and bewildered when she’d demanded a divorce... as if... as if he hadn’t realized they’d been married all these years. She wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at the prospect.
Although unconventional, their Burning Man marriage ceremony had been real and legally binding. Had Nima misunderstood or not taken it as seriously as she had? It hurt to consider the possibility when it had meant so much to her.
He’d stayed away for so long and yet, he’d seemed distraught when he’d arrived at her housetonight, like he couldn’t wait another moment to speak with her. Picturing him jumping from the second-story window made her queasy. And then he’d run at least five miles through the dark, snowy woods, to apologize immediately when he’d been in town for months and could’ve talked to her at any time.
It was all so confusing. But Mari had other things to focus on, like the sharp ache that spiked in her chest with every breath or the shooting pain that licked up her leg when she shifted her left foot.
“Almost there,” Tseten called from the front seat. “Speed bump ahead,” he warned.
Nima tensed around her as if bracing to take any impact while holding her steady. She blinked up at the white-furred head hovering over her in the dark truck. “Hang in there,” he murmured. She picked up a faint piney scent as he tenderly stroked her brow. She had too many good Christmas memories not to still love the smell, despite the damage a spruce tree inflicted on her that night.
Mari winced when Nima touched a tender spot, and she squeezed her eyes shut again.
He sucked in a breath. “Sorry, I didn’t see the bruise forming.” His touch ghosted over her forehead. “You hit your head on the deck.” He pausedfor a moment, his voice thick with emotion as he said, “I didn’t reach you in time.”
Mari released his shirt, sliding her fingers around his. “Not your fault,” she managed weakly.
His hand, sticky with sap, clutched hers in return. She didn’t care about the resin, especially not when large soft lips pressed a kiss to her wrist. She hadn't received this type of affection in a very long time. And while Nima might have broken her heart, she would allow this comfort tonight, orgasm and all.
“Here we are,” Tseten called from the front of the truck as it came to a stop. She could hear him switch the gears into park. “I’m texting Margie.”
Nima popped the door open. “I’m not waiting,” he growled. “I’m taking her in.”
Mari clenched her fist in Nima’s shirt, and he paused. “Too risky,” she ground out.
Concerned eyes searched hers. “But?—”
She flattened her palm against his chest. “Thank you. Margie will be here soon.”
Mari could sense Nima’s indecision, but he finally relaxed a fraction and closed the door as Tseten said, “They think that was the big one. Seven point two on the Richter scale, centered near Sockeye Cove. Damage reports are still coming in.”
“Have you had word from anyone else?” Nima asked, possibly thinking of his family in Denali.
“Pema texted. She and Jack lost plates and bowls when the cupboards popped open, and their power is out. They’re sweeping up broken glass by headlamps and candlelight.”
