Page 16 (1/2)

Holly locked eyes with hiht No news She slipped the phone back in her pocket and felt her chest tighten at the implications

"It’s only day four," Adaone five days Not that this made her feel any better Maybe the wolves had stalked hi could have happened out here "Let’s go," she ht Keep rabbed the back of her sweatshirt and redirected her one hundred and eighty degrees

"Right" She looked in the direction he’d pointed her in and realized that everything hite Without her contacts she had no depth perception, no sense of up or down, or right or left It was like being in a terrifying cloud of nothingness

This didn’t help the clamp on her heart She whirled around, panic a hot, hard ball in her throat, but two strong ar her hands in his jacket, pressing her face into his chest

He didn’t say a word, for which she was grateful He just held her, stroking a hand up and down her back while she took in his heartbeat, slow and steady It had a cal in even closer

"You breathing?" he asked

"Working on it" She let out a shaky breath "That anxiety is sohtly than she felt

She didn’t fool hiot to have a plan and then e was for hiht "The plan is to find hietting used to the fact that Ada hiain

But the only person who could give him that poas herself And she was older and dubiously wiser now Besides, with the exception of their one big ht, he’d clearlyher best to learn it as well "So what co your thoughts Panic is often triggered by negativity"

"So…think positive?" she asked doubtfully Nothing was ever that simple

"Like a Hall oing to be okay because it is going to be okay"

"What about last night?" she asked "Was that a way to refrahed softly and shook his head "Don’t confuse being positive with hot-as-hell sex"

She couldn’t believe it, but she laughed, too "Well, you can see how I got ht? Because as it turns out, hot-as-hell sex is pretty damn positive, at least in the moment" Some of her smile faded as she realized that’s exactly what he ht was ao" It didn’t help that he had to practically lead her out of the woods

But at least she found her glasses in her pack and could see again They ate breakfast, and when she was done, she looked up and found Ada her, expression hooded "What?" she asked

"Anyone ever tell you that with your hair up and those glasses on, you’re a walking hot-librarian fantasy?"

Soet you said that"

He flashed her a set it at all

They walked in silence back to the ATV Halfway there, her cell beeped with an inco text from Kate One word

Well?

Holly rolled her eyes and was typing LATER when Ada to hide the phone

He leveled her with a look "You kissing and telling, Holly?"

She felt herself flush "No!"

He just looked at her

"I’ her nose in It’s what friends do"

"And brothers," she thought he ear stowed and Milo settled before sliding behind the wheel He handed Holly the binoculars "Watch for signs while I drive"

She brought the binoculars to her eyes "Signs of what?"

"Sood but looking through the binoculars while the vehicle wasmade her feel nauseous "Let’s switch," she said after a while "I’ll drive, you keep a watch out"

He shook his head and kept driving

"Why?" she asked "Because I’irl No, scratch that That’s insulting"

"Yes," she said "Thank you It is insulting"

"Because you drive like a granny"

"What? I drive perfectly fine"

"Yes, for an eighty-year-old granny," he said

She choked "And how do you know that?"

"I’ve been behind you on the highith an entire lineup of other people all stuck because you were going like fifty-five"

"Which is the speed lihways," he said "Seventy-five on interstate highways, which is where you were" He paused "Driving like a granny"

"I do not drive like a…Oh, forget it" She went back to the binoculars, but she found she couldn’t let it go "I’ll have you know, I actually got a speeding ticket last year"

"For driving under the speed liht have smacked hi hi At least in this context "I want to drive, Ada since I was fourteen," she said "That’s how old I hen I stole my dad’s Bronco and took it for a joyride"

"Yeah, I’ve heard this story frolance "You had it in low instead of drive, and you dropped the engine out on Highway 47"

"One tiny little ain

"Seriously" She held out the binoculars "You’re the tracker Pull over"

"Christ" But to her utter shock, he pulled over "You’ve got to baby it in the turns," he said, notfrom the driver’s seat "Don’t slide into the ditch"

"I’ to slide into the ditch"

"And the clutch is a little sticky, so you have to--"

"I kno to do it" She slid over the console against hiht to how her body loved the contact with his big, warave him a shove out the driver’s door