Free Stranded but not Alone (Midnight Moanings Collection) by Cora Blu Page B

beautiful wolves waiting for me to fall so they can eat dinner.”
    He eyed her. “If I were closer, I’d break off one of these branches and bend you over my knee.”
    “Oh you can forget me sharing my granola bars with you.” Those intense eyes focused on her in the dim light of the forest before he spoke.
    “I didn’t mean to snap at you, Simone—a minute ago.”
    “I was just making conversation. Concentrate on getting us out of here,” she murmured under her breath. “I’ll reconsider sharing my granola.”
    He rubbed her shin through her pant leg. “Would you like to hear my other idea?”
    She licked her drying lips. “Sure, how bad can it be?” adjusting her hips on the branch.
    “Can you swim?”
    The branch shook after she smacked it. “I knew you had that nasty water in mind.”
    “You can’t swim?”
    “I can swim.” She fumbled through her bag, “Let me put my laptop in a Ziploc bag.”
    “You carry your laptop in a Ziploc bag?” He smirked and looked down. She followed his gaze. The wolves stopped jumping and two slept against the trunk. The others walked off an hour ago.
    “I keep my toiletries in a Ziploc.” She unzipped her bag, dumped the contents of the storage bag, lose in the duffle. Sliding her laptop and extra battery inside the plastic bag, she turned to see Seth’s amazed stare. “You’d have starved and reeked of sludge if not for my baggies of shampoo and snacks earlier, Mister.”
    “Wow, that’s all I can say is, wow.”
    Another hour before the wolves moved on and they made their way down out the tree and to the water’s edge.
    “Tell me again why we’re taking the water instead of just walking around.”
    “You wanna run into the dogs again with your knee like that?” He angled a glance at her leg.
    “Wolves,” she poked at him. “Not dogs.” She heated under the thick atmosphere forming between them.
    “Like I was saying, the house is on the other side of the hill which is across the water.”
    She inhaled and then blew it out. The thought of swimming through icy water did not appeal to her. Fortunate the temperature kept things living in the water close to dormant this early in the season.
    He handed her his matches and wallet. “Fit these in your Ziploc.”
    In silence, they crossed the path covered in raised tree roots down to the shallow end of the water, keeping an eye out for the wolves to return. The wolves’ scent was unmistakable, musky.
    Seth took his bag from her shoulders and hitched it up on his. He said nothing as he turned and started walking again. “Keep moving. The sun will be up soon and this snow will turn to rain.”
    “What’s eating you? You’ve been barking at me all night.” She favored her bruised knee, eyeing the ground following the lake’s edge. 
    “The hiking cabin is not that far, once we’re over the hill. By lunch we should see the top. ”
    “Stop,” she ordered, fists planted on her hips. “What did I say wrong?”
    “Watch your step close to the water’s edge. The ground is soft,” he warned. She knew something bothered him, but didn’t push. The next few hours passed in silence. Stepping over rocks and brambles, they walked in silence. Seth looped an arm around her waist when they came to unsteady or uneven ground. However much his mind was distracted, he would stop every so often to check her knee. In the dark he touched her face with a gentle stroke after removing his gloves. Rubbing warm hands over her neck beneath her collar after a two-minute stop, they continued up the hill.
    She could see herself camping with him back home. Canoeing the Ausable River, fly-fishing early in the morning.
    Simone almost forgot they had strangers on their trail as the early morning darkness began to lift. 
    A flock of birds flew by and not one landed by the water, which struck her as odd.
    “Seth…” she said, but a crackling sound interrupted any more words. She peered into the dark woods and something stirred