Once more Caroline came to the realization that she was completely exposed in her hospital gown. He expected her to just crawl above him the entire time with her private parts available for his viewing pleasure?
Her body flushed hot with embarrassment and something else. Something warm and tingling. Reaper’s nostrils flared and Caroline tore her gaze from his, staring up into the darkness overhead. She didn’t know how he knew, but he could sense her arousal. She could sense his too. What the hell was wrong with her?
“If you don’t move, I’m going to carry you out on top of my shoulders.”
Her thighs clenched, but his words spurred her into action and she immediately began climbing, ignoring how the darkness grew deeper, colder. And then Reaper pulled the door shut beneath them and any traces of light vanished. Panic wrapped around her throat, thick and viscous, sucking out the oxygen. She couldn’t breathe. The walls closed in, the earth pressed down, everything tightening around her.
How far was it? She didn’t know, and it was impossible to care. She couldn’t move. Her heart drummed so fast she couldn’t even detect a pause between the beats anymore. The scraping and scratching sounds around her rose to a crescendo and her ears started to ring and buzz. Oh God, oh God, oh God.
She’d couldn’t do this. There was no way she’d be able to climb up this ladder. She was going to die here, encased in a tomb underground, and she would never get to see her father again.
Reaper’s hand closed around her ankle. The sounds immediately lessened, but her fear was as sharp-edged as ever. “Reaper, I can’t—” Her throat closed, choking off her words.
“Do you want to die?” Reaper growled.
No, she didn’t. This man was her godsend, and she was letting a useless and completely stupid phobia control her. Resolutely, she reached for the next bar.
“Good girl. Don’t think about the darkness. Don’t think about anything but my voice. I’m right here with you. We’ll get through this together.”
His words wrapped around her shoulders like a warm blanket. She’d borne witness to his lightning-fast reflexes and deadly accuracy; she’d felt his unbelievable strength. With him behind her, she could conquer her fear. With him behind her, she could conquer the world.
