Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

RHETT

A short while ago I feared she was dead, now I’m itching to kill her with my own bare hands for putting herself in danger. It’s wild how the mind works.

I close the door behind me, and slowly face her, praying that I can control myself. But as soon as my eyes drink her in, I know it’s just wishful thinking on my behalf. Drenched head to toe, teeth shattering, she looks like hell.

A beautiful hell I don’t ever want to escape.

“Bathroom is down the hall. Don’t got any power, but the water should still be hot enough for a shower,” I say gruffly, tossing my keys onto the table next to the door.

Her brown eyes stay latched onto mine, as she stands in the middle of my tiny living room, making a mess of my wooden floors. From the moment she announced she was getting married, I tried not to picture her in a wedding gown. Told myself it was sight I never wanted to see because she didn’t belong to me. Now, I can’t unsee it. For the rest of my life, every time I close my eyes, I’ll picture her just as she is now.

All dressed in white.

A big glittery diamond on her left hand.

And I’ll fucking hate it.

My jaw clenches. “I’ll find something for you to change into. Clothes will be big on you, but at least they’ll be dry.”

I tear my gaze away from her and focus on the fireplace. I had a nice fire going before Cade called, and I put it out to go join the search for her, figuring I’d be gone for hours, never thinking I’d find her a mile down the road from my cabin.

“Are we going to talk about it?” she says softly, jarring my thoughts.

My gaze cuts back to her.

“Don’t really feel up to talking about how you could’ve killed yourself out there.” I cross my arms against my chest and lift my chin. “I’ll call your brother and let him know you’re here. That your safe.”

“Rhett.”

“What?”

“I’m standing in the middle of your living room, wearing a wedding dress.”

“Noticed that,” I snap.

“Aren’t you going to ask me why?”

I consider the question for a moment, then shake my head. As much as I want to know why she’s here, and not with her husband, I know deep down I’m not prepared. There are two bottles of bourbon sitting on my counter, and I’m going to consume them both before that happens. Liquid courage and all that.

Her face falls, and I swear to God, even in the dark of night, I watch her eyes go dim as they fill with tears. Regret slashes through me, and I struggle to control myself. I remind myself this ain’t about me, and my shit. She’s safe, and that’s all I care about.

Eventually the adrenaline high is going to wear off and she’ll come crashing down. The weight of what she’s done will slam into her and with the weather only bound to get worse, we’ll likely be trapped here when that happens.

She’s going to need support.

Someone to lend an ear and offer a shoulder to cry on.

“Got all night,” I rasp, jutting my chin toward the hallway. “We’ll talk after your shower.”

I wait for her to make her way toward the bathroom, but she remains perfectly still. Knowing I’m moments from pulling her into my arms, I make the first move and head for the stairs. One of the selling points to the A-frame cabin was the loft above. I converted it into my bedroom.

I take the stairs two at a time and make a beeline for my dresser. Ignoring my shaking hands, I pull open the drawers, and rummage through them. It’s slim pickings. I’m a giant compared to Paisleigh, anything I give her to wear will be entirely too big for her little frame. I settle for a long sleeve flannel shirt, and a pair of sweatpants. If she ties them tightly around her waist, they might work. I grab a pair of wool socks too.

When I make my way back down the stairs, she’s exactly where I left her.

“There are towels under the sink,” I say, holding out the clothes for her to take. “I think these will do.”

She glances at the clothes. “Thank you.”

Not trusting my voice, I simply nod. She finally takes them from me, and our fingers brush slightly, an electric current shooting between us. I don’t remember the last time I touched her, but I know I felt it then too. I take a step back, my eyes involuntarily moving to her mouth. Back at the church they were painted red, but the color has worn since, revealing her plump lips in all their natural glory. I don’t remember the last time I let myself stare at her mouth. I’ve been terrified to do so, knowing that if I did, I’d spend hours wondering how it’d feel to kiss her. She pulls her lower lip between her teeth, and the simple move sends my body into a tailspin.

“Um… I uh…” Her voice trails as she tucks the clothes under arm. She juts her thumb over her shoulder with her free hand and releases her lip. “I need help unbuttoning my dress.”

Fuck.

I force a swallow as she slowly turns around, revealing a line of tiny buttons that trail down her spine, stopping just above the curve of her ass. Pulling in a deep breath, I send up a silent prayer that she’s wearing something underneath the dress, then I close the distance between us, my large body looming over hers as my fingers go to work on the buttons. Each one I pop open reveals a little more skin, and my dick twitches at the sight.

The things I want to do to her…

My fingers skate over her spine and her breath hitches. I’ve dreamed of undressing her a thousand times, but never like this. I reach the final button, and a groan escapes the back of my throat when I unveil the thin scrap of lace that winds around her waist and dips between her ass cheeks. The urge to push the dress all the way down and take her thong between my teeth rips through me.

I don’t know how I’m supposed to control myself tonight.

Using her free hand, she holds the dress to her body, and glances at me from over her shoulder, her long, dark lashes fluttering as she drinks me in. “Thank you.”

I jerk my head in response, and let my hands fall to my sides. I need a reprieve. A minute without her sucking in all the air, consuming every square inch of my cabin. Time to gather my fucking senses and get my body under control.

Whether she senses that or not, she tears her gaze away from me and kicks off her heels. Then she pads her bare feet down the narrow hallway and locks herself in the bathroom. I blow out a ragged breath and lower my head. My eyes catch on her shoes— once all white and sparkly, they’re now caked with mud. I bend to retrieve them, then make my way into the kitchen and set them in the sink. Needing a distraction, I grab the scrub brush and run the bristles under the water. I’m about to begin cleaning them when my phone rings.

Abandoning the shoes, I turn the faucet off and reach for my phone. Cade’s name flashes across the screen, and I accept the call.

“Hey,” I answer. “I got Paisleigh. She’s safe.”

“What do you mean you have her?”

“After I hung up with you, I got in my truck with every intention of making my way to you to help find her.” I pause, crossing the kitchen to grab the bottle of bourbon. I prop the phone against my ear with my shoulder and unscrew the top. I waste no time lifting the bottle to my lips, taking the first swig. The alcohol works its way down my throat and settles in my gut. “Turns out I didn’t have to go all that far. Found her just down the road.”

Like a fucking gift from above.

Cade doesn’t respond right away, and I take the opportunity to take another shot.

Swallowing, I break the silence. “As far as the truck she was driving…well, I’d call it a loss.”

“Let me get this straight,” he finally says. “Paisleigh cut out of her wedding and ran straight to you.”

I lower the bottle back onto the counter, my hand tightening around the phone as I hold it to my ear. “I don’t know if she made any stops along the way, but it would appear that way, wouldn’t it?”

She called off her wedding and came to me.

Risked her life to do it too.

I don’t know what to do with that.

I clear my throat. “Don’t know when I’ll be able to get her back down the mountain. There’s a tree down on the main road, and my power is out. But she’s safe and that’s all you really need to know, isn’t it?”

The line stays silent as he mulls that over.

“Rhett…” His voice trails, and he sighs. “Just be careful with her.”

“You don’t have to worry. I know she’s vulnerable.”

“I think you’re missing the point. My sister left her fiancé at the altar, robbed his uncle’s truck and made her way to you. She blew up her entire life, Rhett. The ball is in your court now. Whatever happens next is on you. If you cross that line, you can’t walk it back. You can’t decide you’re not enough, when she believes you are.”

“Thanks for the advice, but I’m not looking to cross any lines. I’m just giving her shelter, and time to work things out in her head.”

“Seems to me she’s already worked out her shit, and now it’s your turn.”

I clench my jaw. “Are we done here?”

“I suppose we are. Good luck.”

Not sure luck has any place in what’s happening here tonight, but he is right about one thing. After tonight, there’s no turning back. Either I give in, or I lose her for good because a woman doesn’t walk out on a guaranteed happily ever after just to roll the dice.