“I’m getting you inside. Tell me about the dog once we’re safe. You’re big trouble, did you know that?”
I open my mouth but nothing comes out. This mountain of a man is seriously bossy.
So why does the thought of spending time with him make my stomach flip again?
Chapter Two
FLINT
Poppy smells incredible. Like vanilla mixed with sunshine and fucking rainbows.
She’s slung over my shoulder, clutching onto my arm. At least now she’s stopped arguing. She probably thinks I’m some kind of beast, picking her up like that. But I’ve been in enough tricky situations to know there’s a time to talk and a time to get moving. And this storm is no joke.
I’d been looking forward to a night off in front of the fire, having been on an early shift today. The plan was to heat up a pizza, then have a hot shower and go to bed. My body’s aching from helping to keep the roads clear; we’ve been shoveling snow since the early hours. But then I got a call from Dean. He works at the firehouse with me. He said his girlfriend’s sister had gone out into the storm and she hadn’t heard back. I was up and dressed in an instant.
Poppy is shouting something, so I twist my head around.
“Where are you going?” She calls over the wind. There’s a sweet huskiness to her voice.
“Cabin. Two minutes from here.” I trudge forward.
In my army days, I was known for my sense of direction. Sarge used to joke that I was like a homing pigeon. It’s in mybones. I effortlessly find the right way to go, like I have an internal compass. Comes in handy in mountain rescue. Grizz, my fellow search and rescue firefighter, is the same. He might even be better than me, not that I’d ever let him know that.
Visibility is so poor that we’re almost on top of the little cabin when it comes into view. I put Poppy down by the door, sheltering her with my body, as the wind blows snow horizontally against us. Shouldering the door, I help her inside. The howling wind is muffled and my body relaxes a little, away from the colossal force of the storm.
Poppy’s shivering as snow drips off her hood. She pulls it back and my knees nearly buckle. I didn’t expect her to be so fucking beautiful.
Long silky dark hair and big blue eyes framed by thick eyelashes. She looks like something out of a goddamn fairytale. A pixie. I stare at her like an asshole, my mouth dry. I’m not the kind of guy who goes around gawking at women. She’s early twenties I’d guess; way too young for an old man like me. My cock disagrees, lengthening and hardening until it’s stuffed against my zipper.
“Are you cold?” My tone softens. I’ve bossed her around enough and now she’s safe, I can relax a little.
She nods. She’s so tiny that she has to crane her neck to look up into my eyes.
“I’ll get a fire going. Let’s see if there’s some wood inside.” I walk over to the fireplace. There are a few logs left, so I get a blaze going. Poppy is standing at the door, her eyes wide as she watches me.
“Come here,” I say.
She walks towards me, limping a little, her arms wrapped around her body. I pull up a chair and set it in front of the fire. “Sit here and warm up. You were outside for a long time. What the hell were you doing out there?”
“I wastryingto tell you before you went all caveman on me. The dog I’m fostering ran away. He gets adopted tomorrow…I have to find him. It’s his one chance to find a happy family.”
“Is he vicious, or super-ugly or something?”
She shakes her head. “Nope. He’s so big, that puts people off. How did you know where to find me?”
“Followed your tracks part of the way, then heard you moving. I work with Dean at the firehouse, he called me after your sister said you didn’t return her message.”
A faint scratching sound comes from the wall under the window, only just audible over the roar of the wind.
Poppy twists her body in the direction of the window. “Did you hear that?”
“Probably the wind blowing branches against the side of the cabin.” We both sit still.
She sits upright, pulls her hood back up, and then stands. “I’m going to see if that’s Scamp.” Her expression is defiant.
I cross my arms. “Over my dead body.”
“Don’t tell me what to do, Flint. I’m capable of making my own decisions.” Those gorgeous blue eyes glitter as she tries to stare me down.
