Free Branded by Keary Taylor Page B

followed by a chilling low chuckle.
    “Jessica?” the voice was quiet but frantic.
    I realized the shaking was coming from a pair of large hands on my shoulders. My heart was pounding and I felt like my body was trembling violently. I had to get my eyes open. I had to escape from the cold.
    “Jessica?” the voice called again, this time a little louder.
    The muscles in my eyelids finally started working again and I opened my eyes just slightly and gasped when a pair of blue eyes seemed to be only inches away from my own.
    “You’re awake!” Alex cried as he gathered me up in his arms and crushed me to his chest.
    “Can’t breathe,” I gasped as the air was forced out of my lungs.
    “Sorry,” he said as he immediately lay me back down.
    “Are you alright? Do you want me to take you to the hospital? I nearly called 911!”
    As his questions registered I had to think if I was actually alright. My scar burned as if it had been freshly branded but the rest of me felt only slightly shaky.
    “No,” I said after only a moment of hesitation. “I’m fine.” Doctors were to be avoided at all costs. They would ask questions I had no logical answers to when they saw my bare back.
    “Are you sure?” I could see the genuine concern in his eyes as he looked closely at my face. “I’m pretty sure my truck could make it through the snow if it has to.”
    “I’m fine, Alex,” I said again as I struggled to sit up.
    A thick quilt fell off me and with a horrified gasp I realized I was wearing nothing but my underwear and bra.
    “Alex!” I shrieked as I pulled the blanket back up to cover me. “Did you do this?”
    “Ya,” he said, no embarrassment in his voice. “After you passed out you started shaking like crazy, your teeth were chattering even. Your clothes were pretty well soaked, so when I brought you inside I thought it best to get them off before you froze to death.”
    His explanation, however embarrassing it was, made sense. I registered that he himself was down to one pair of partially wet jeans and a tee-shirt.
    “Oh, well, thanks, I guess,” I said as I realized I was in the living room on the couch. I noticed it had been pushed in front of the fireplace and a fire was roaring in it. Even though I knew the temperature had to be at least ten degrees above the normal of the house, it felt wonderful on my skin as the shaking started to die down.
    “What happened?” he asked as he took a seat on the couch down by my feet.
    I hadn’t thought up an explanation as to what had indeed occurred. I didn’t even know. So I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I got a little light headed all the sudden. I’m not really sure.”
    He looked at me sternly for a long moment but seemed to accept my answer after a moment.
    “How long was I out?” I couldn’t even begin to guess, it could have been seconds or hours as far as I could tell.
    “Only about five minutes or so,” he answered as he stood. He walked to the kitchen and a moment later walked back with a tall glass of water and a pink, heart-shaped box.
    “Drink this,” he said as he handed me the glass and sat back down. “I was going to wait till later to give this to you.
    I didn’t think it would actually be benefiting your health,” he said with a chuckle and handed me the small box that I knew would contain chocolate. Mercifully it didn’t have any chubby-cheeked cherubs on it.
    “If your blood-sugar was low, this will help,” he explained when I gave him a confused look. “Though that seems unlikely since we had just eaten. That could be the reason you passed out.”
    “Thanks,” I said before I downed half the glass in one breath. I tried to ignore the intuitive way Alex was staring at me as I opened the box and popped a chocolate in my mouth. I extended the box toward him and, never breaking his stare, he took one.
    “Alex,” I sighed as I leaned back on the couch. “I’m fine, really. I’m not sure why I passed out all