He ignored me, pushing the ATV faster.
“I’ll get hypothermia,” I shouted, curling in on myselfmore, like maybe I could keep my baby warm even if I froze.
“Can’t you see I’m busy?” he yelled over his shoulder, going harder on the throttle.
I snapped my mouth shut, not wanting to waste my energy while also not wanting to anger him further for the fear he’d push the vehicle too much and it’d sputter out—or worse, we’d crash.
By the time we finally came to a stop, I was frozen through. I could barely lift my leg to get off the ATV, and my hands were stuck to my elbows in an attempt to hold in any body heat I could. When I moved too slow, Rob grabbed my arm, tugging me behind him.
“Rob, please. I can get you money. I can?—”
“Don’t try to plead with me now, Parker. Didn’t your dad ever teach you that begging only makes you look pathetic?”
We stopped before a wooden door, snow clinging to every surface possible. I arched my neck back, snowflakes falling into my eyes as I realized he’d brought us to a cabin.
He used a key to remove a padlock then moved inside, not looking back to see if I followed. He didn’t have to—I had nowhere else to go. The cabin was the only place to get out of the snow, and if I tried to run now, I’d freeze to death.
Hell, even if I didn’t run, I’d likely suffer the same fate.
My fingers were completely numb, my lips surely blue, and when I tried to sniffle, it hurt. The onlydry spot on the lower half of my body was my feet, thanks to my boots, but even my toes were cold. So long as I could still walk, though, I had to have hope.
“I’m going to get a fire started,” Rob muttered, more to himself than to me. He moved a few things around, mumbling under his breath, and then slammed the front door behind him as he presumably went to find firewood.
With the amount of snow outside, his luck was minimal—which meant mine was, too.
I only hoped he’d succumb to the elements before I did.
Or else I’d be truly, utterly fucked. As if I weren’t already.
36
BECKHAM
Despite the low visibility and freezing temperatures, I let out a sigh of content as I drove. All I could think about was Parker with her legs spread and her cheeks flushed as I worshipped her body the way she deserved. Driving slower due to the road conditions was torture. Every second away from her had my heart in a vise, the growing distance pressing it tighter and tighter around the beating organ.
I was thankful when I pulled up to Ellis’s house and found her bundled in a blanket on her porch, the clean casserole dish waiting beside her. She stood as I walked as fast as I could up the steps and met her.
I took the glass dish from her. “Thanks, Ellis. Sorry again. I should probably buy a few more of these.”
She waved me off. “Don’t worry about it. The book hadn’t gotten good yet.” She shot me a wink as she held the book up with her other hand before setting it on the little table.
I chuckled. “I hope you mean with the action.”
She shrugged, burying her hands in the pockets of her wool cardigan. “Something like that. Are you going to be okay getting home? The storm’s getting worse.” She looked past my shoulder at the snow falling in a thick white sheet in front of my truck’s headlights.
I followed her line of sight, seeing the flakes already piling around my tires. “I’ll be alright. I’ve driven in worse.”
She shot me a disapproving look. “Of course you have. Let me know when you get home, alright?”
I dipped my chin. “I will. See you in two weeks.” I started moving back toward the stairs when Ellis spoke up.
“Beckham.”
I paused, one hand on the railing, and looked over my shoulder at her. “Yeah?”
“Do you love her?”
There was not a second of hesitation when I answered, “I do.”
