We had promised this damn tree to Faith, and I didn’t intend to come home empty-handed. Whatever the fuck was happening between Jack and me would have to stay preserved away in ice for the rest of ancient history, never to be thawed and explored again.
Jack raised the axe and swung down at the base of the tree. The evergreen trembled at his whack but didn’t budge. He hadn’t hit the sturdy bark hard enough.
“Let me help,” I insisted as I stepped forward and held out my hand.
“No. I got this,” Jack argued and held up a hand. “Stand back.”
I stopped on the spot while Jack took another swing, the thud of the blade cutting bark as pine needles fell into the snow. The tree didn’t budge and still stood tall. Some damn lumberjack he was.
A lady should show Jack how to handle hard wood.
“Here. Let me try,” I said.
“No way.” Jack grunted. “Stayback.”
Whack!
I took a step forward, took my mittens off and tossed them down into the snow.
I rolled my eyes. “Come on. Afraid a woman will show you—”
Jack hit the trunk again. “Damn it, woman! Quit arguing and get...”
The sound of cracking wood overpowered Jack’s voice. Instead, he yelled something at me, but I couldn’t hear him as time slowed down, and fear paralyzed me in place. My eyes widened as the tree fell straight toward me, and I let out a bloodcurdling scream.
SIXTEEN
Collision of Lips
Jack
“Elle, move!” I yelled at her.
Little Elle didn’t budge. Instead, the damn woman panicked. Her cinnamon eyes were enormous as she stared straight up at her impending doom.
Jesus Christ, Elle never knew how to listen. Her stubborn attitude got in the way, along with her fucking delicious lips shimmering with lip gloss. She distracted me, and I took my frustration out on hacking the motherfucking tree down. The stupid tree was my only outlet to get her out of my head, but she got in the way.
She was frozen like a gorgeous ice queen trapped in the snow and in need of saving, but I didn’t hesitate. I ran toward Elle until I heard her scream and found my body colliding with hers to save her before her beautiful mouth could no longer speak.
As much as I wanted Elle to shut up because her damn lips were so fucking tempting, I didn’t want her life to be in jeopardy. I wanted to keep little Elle safe. I always needed to protect her and shield her from harm, but I had screwed up.
“Get down!” I exclaimed as I pushed her out of the way, and my full body weight fell on top of her.
I shielded Elle under me in the snow. The tree crashed to the ground with a loud thud, and snowflakes flurried around us. Some were stuck in my hair, but I didn’t give a shit as Ipulled back and stared down at the most precious woman to exist.
The evergreen had missed us by a few inches.
Pine needles tickled against the side of my cheek, and I pushed a branch aside. Her sweet copper eyes fluttered as she peered up at me, and I fucking swear my heart skipped two beats. I had thought my enemy was deceased below me, but she wasn’t.
Little Elle was alive, but she had scared the hell out of me.
“Jack?” Elle whispered. “I... Am I—”
“You’re okay.” I briefly scanned her body and brushed strands of hair off her face.
My fucking hand wouldn’t quit trembling.
I glanced up to find Elle’s hat discarded in the snow and half buried under the tree that had fallen on top of it.That could’ve been Elle. I had almost lost her.
