Laughing again, he hugged her hard. “I’m glad it makes you happy. That doesn’t make me want to kill him any less, though. How about you text me his address once we’re out of the forest-of-no-cell-reception?”
“Nope. It’s a good life lesson to know that you can’t always get what you want.”
His laugh faded. “All I ever wanted was you.”
Her heart was tripping so fast that her heartbeats merged into a single sound. “You’ve always had me.”
She felt his chest expand with his rapid inhale. “Do you mean it? Because if I get another chance with you, Artie, I’m never letting you go.”
Her laugh was thick with the threat of happy tears. “I’ve been warned, and I accept your terms.”
Despite the cold, all of Artie felt warm when his lips touched hers. This was it. She never thought she’d get another chance with him, not after Derek had dumped her and she’d screwed up her life with a series of Randy-based bad decisions. But here they were, older and wiser—or at least willing to try.
“Is this real?” she asked, her words muffled by his mouth.
He pulled back slightly, just enough for her to see his smile. “Doesn’t it feel real? Let me try again.” Dipping his head, he kissed her harder and thoroughly enough to leave her gasping by the time he raised his head. “Better?”
It took her a moment to pick up the thread of their conversation. “I’m not sure. It could be that I’m freezing to death and having a cold-induced hallucination. You’d better try again.”
She could feel the curve of his mouth as he pressed it to hers, and she marveled at how wonderful it was to kiss happy Derek, although she wouldn’t turn down mopey Derek or angsty Derek or teasing Derek or serious Derek or… The kiss intensified, and her thoughts were lost in a swirl of love and need and sheer joy.
A crackle of static from the radio brought them out of their blissful world and back to the cold, dilapidated cabin. They both gave a sigh and then laughed at their mutual obvious disappointment.
“The wind’s died down a little,” Derek said, his mouth still temptingly close to hers.
“We need to let the others know we’re safe,” she sighed, wishing for a slightly less developed sense of responsibility. She would’ve been happy staying all night with Derek in the cabin.
Although he groaned, he unzipped his coat. Before she could stand, though, he pulled her back for a final peck and a hard hug. Artie got to her feet quickly, knowing each second she stayed in his embrace would make it that much harder to leave it.
As she zipped her coat, she couldn’t stop shooting quick glances at him, feeling weirdly shy and not quite believing that they’d just made out like a couple of teenagers. After four years, they were actually back together! The thought sent a surge of happiness and anticipation through her, making her bounce lightly on her numb toes. During the past four years, she’d had a hollow, Derek-shaped place in her heart, and it was finally filled again.
They ducked through the low, lopsided doorway, and Artie shot a final look at the sad remains of the cabin. It had given them a windbreak and a chance to reconnect, and she felt almost fond of the slowly collapsing structure.
She felt Derek’s gloved fingers wrap around her own. Turning toward him, she smiled, using her free hand to push stray strands of hair out of her face. Although the wind wasn’t as ferocious as it had been earlier, it still snapped around them, making the tree branches sway and moan.
The afternoon had slipped away while they’d been happily occupied in the cabin, and dusk was fast approaching, lending an eerie cast to the forest. The pines were black against a dark gray sky. Normally, Artie enjoyed hiking, but she’d never tried walking in the forest this close to nighttime, especially in a snowstorm.
The previous summer’s forest fire had decimated the area, and the dead trees still stood in blackened groups, needleless and foreboding. They wove their way between the lifeless trunks, the wind loud enough to erase any other sound.
Uneasy, Artie tightened her fingers around Derek’s hand, wishing they were already home. Her mind returned to the fresh footprint from earlier and the flammable materials in the cabin. With the frantic urgency to find Zoe and Maya eased, Artie’s mind moved to the possible dangers in the forest—dangers to her and Derek.
Every shadow between the trees became a bear to her unsettled imagination, and every squeak and tap of branches turned into footsteps.
“You okay?” Derek asked when she jumped for the umpteenth time, squeezing the life out of his hand as she did so.
“Sure.”
“Artie.”
“I’m fine. Just a little spooked.”
“Don’t blame you.” His gaze swept back and forth with a watchfulness that didn’t help settle Artie’s nerves. “I’ll be happy to get back to base.”
“Me too.” Something smacked against her leg, and she flinched before she realized it was just a cluster of dead leaves tossed by the wind. When she glanced at Derek to see if he noticed her scare, his smirk was obvious, even in the increasing gloom.
“Shut it.”
“I didn’t say a word.” The humor left his face quickly as he drew to a halt. “I’m going to see if we get radio reception here so we can let the sheriff know where we are.”
