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“Y’all are so sweet,” the woman said, her eyes sparkling. “Even half-drowned, look at you.”
I gave her a smile that I hoped sold the lovebird thing. In reality, I wanted to strangle my shivering armful of sass. “So much for a r-romantic walk.”
She chuckled gently, putting a hand to her cheek. “Oh, bless. You poor things.” The sound of running feet punctuated the white noise from the river behind us, and the woman turned to find her husband. “Here comes Jim. Oh, Lord, look at him move. He’s a volunteer fireman, you know,” she offered. “He lives to help. He really does.”
Goody. I nodded tightly. “Thankful for h-him.” My joints screamed in protest, like they’d been rusted over, and I knew I needed to get us out of these clothes before I lost strength completely.
Jim arrived, brandishing my shoes and jacket. “Got ‘em! How can we help? Here, take this.” He unzipped his coat and shrugged it off.
His wife made a soft exclamation of surprise and did the same. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. Here.”
While they undressed their outer layers, I bent down and whispered in Mattie’s ear. “If you say one more thing, I’m gagging you with my wet socks. Stay still and behave.”
Mattie shifted in my arms, raising her mouth to me like she wanted to respond. Her warm breath tickled across my throat, a millimeter away from pressing against my skin. Then she bit my neck. Hard.
Pain lanced through my neck, and I clamped my teeth together to keep from screaming. Calmly, grinding my molars against the desire to smack the shit out of her, I reached up and took her jaw in a vice grip. I kept my head angled down so it looked like we were cuddling, but I squeezed her jaw so hard, I was sure I heard the joint creak.
She released me, and when I looked down, she had blood on her blue lips. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, smiling like she was Satan’s depraved little sister.
Jesus. Fucking. Christ. “You’re an animal,” I hissed.
Her smile shook just as badly as the rest of her. “H-hope you g-get… r-rabies.”
Anger, potent and all-consuming, burned through me. It was so white-hot, it warmed my insides and gave me the strength I needed to get us out of this mess. The only reason she hadn’t really begged these two for help, I was sure, was because they would call the authorities. And she couldn’t have that any more than I could. Emboldened by that realization, I sat her up in my lap. With brisk, ruthless efficiency, I shimmied her wet sweatshirt off her body, followed immediately by her T-shirt. When I reached around her to unclasp her black lace bra, she grabbed my arm.
I batted her hand away. “Socks. Mouth. Sit still, or else.”
“Here, sweetie,” the woman said, swooping down with her jacket to cover Mattie as I unclasped her bra and swished it aside.
I threaded Mattie’s arms through the jacket sleeves, and then definitely not letting myself get an eyeful of her breasts—the last thing I needed was to be attracted to this rabid creature—I zipped it straight up to her chin. She stared at me with huge, chocolate brown eyes, her brows slowly drifting together as she glared at me.
Please. Spare me. I stripped off my T-shirt, and with a murmured, “Thank you,” to Jim, I put on his large, but thankfully warm, coat. I draped my canvas jacket over Mattie’s legs, and although it truly took the last dredges of my fortitude, I managed to stand with Mattie in my arms. I gave the helpful couple a stiff smile. “I’m going to get her to the car.”
“Oh, let us help you,” the helpful woman offered, shivering without her coat.
I shook my head. “You should hurry back to your car before you get cold. I’ll be fine.” I added another—hopefully—charming smile. “This is why I kill myself at the gym, anyway.”
Jim laughed, following alongside us as he walked with his arm around his wife. He chaffed up and down her upper arm in an unconscious, caring gesture that plucked at my frozen heartstrings. “Why else bother if not to save your girl, am I right?”
Mattie snorted, and I hefted her closer, smothering her face into my chest. “Absolutely.”
“Well, if you’re sure?” the woman asked.
I gestured with my chin. “You go ahead. Thank you so much for the help. And the coats.” I glanced down at them. “Maybe I could send you some money?”
“Oh no,” Jim frowned, waving a hand. “I wouldn’t think of it. Keep them. You’re absolutely sure you can make it on your own?”
I juggled Mattie in my arms. “She’s nothing. And moving is helping. But thank you.”
With another hesitant farewell, the couple finally took my obvious hints that I wanted them gone, and they fast-walked away from me, down the path and back to the trailhead. I walked slowly, watching them for a while until they disappeared.
Mattie struggled against me as soon as they were gone. “Put me down.”
I veered off the path, back up the hill and into the heavily wooded area. “After that stunt? You’ll be lucky if I don’t hogtie you the entire way between here and New York.”
She kicked, fighting my hold, and her hands came up to push against my face. It was like holding a wet cat in a bath. I picked up my pace dragging her writhing body further into the woods until we were well out of eyesight of the main path. Then I dropped her to the forest floor in a heap.
Shivering, she struggled to stand, but I was on her in the next second. I pinned her legs between mine and then I caught her wrists in my hand easily before pinning them over her head. She heaved, chest rising and falling and warm breath fogging around me. “If you think I’m just g-going w-with you…” she growled.
