The migraine must be getting to me already. I swear there’s a rasp in his voice.
“Yeah, thanks.” I relax into the seat and hit the button to activate the seat heater. “I’m just going to close my eyes for a little bit.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Of course. Just tired.” I fake a yawn and turn my head away from Wes, hoping he doesn’t notice that I’m wide-awake the entire time.
Chapter Ten
I’m still burrowed in hissweatshirt when Wes parks halfway down a dirt road, a small supercell starting to come together a couple miles across the endless stretch of fields to our right. The pain behind my eyes is worse, but on the plus side, if my head explodes, I won’t have to decide what to do about my inconveniently growing attraction to him.
“You’re awfully pale.” He frowns and raises his hand like he’s going to touch me before dropping it to his thigh abruptly. “You sure you’re up for this?”
“Of course.” I summon up a smile and breathe carefully through my nose. We’ve only got a couple of hours of semi-decent conditions today. I can make it that long. “But if you try to make me yell at the sky again, I reserve the right to leave you here.”
My joke doesn’t land. Wes doesn’t take his attention off me, his frown deepening. “It’s eighty degrees. You shouldn’t be cold.”
“I’m fine,” I insist, reaching for the door handle. And yeah, maybe it takes me a minute to get my feet under me when a little bit of sunshine sends the same signal to my stomach as a roller-coaster drop, but I don’t puke. That’s something.
Wes comes around to my side of the car and stands with his hands braced on either side of my shoulders. It effectively traps me in place. If I wasn’t worried about possibly throwing up on his shoes, his intense focus on me might even be sexy.
“You’re not fine.” There isn’t a shred of doubt in his voice. “Tell me what’s going on with you. You know better than anyone how dangerous it is to be out here if you’re not at one hundred percent.”
“Says the man who takes stupid risks all the time.”
Wes doesn’t budge. “Not with you.”
I squint behind my sunglasses, the brightness of the day not helping the snowballing pain. The cool darkness of a hotel room beckons, but I grit my teeth and try to ignore it. No one knows ifNature Shotswill host another contest like this, but even if they do, will I be invited back if the image I submit is just okay?
Unlikely.
Pain shortens my temper. “So you’re allowed to take risks but I’m not?” I snap, shifting my weight to duck under his arm.
Wes effortlessly blocks me, his chest almost touching mine. “Not without telling me what has you looking like you’re about to pass out,” he demands, searching my face for an explanation.
“Migraine. Nothing life-threatening. You can stop with this caveman thing now.”
“My mom gets migraines,” he says, low and firm. “When she gets the look on her face you’ve got right now, she stays in bed for two days. You shouldn’t be out here, Sloane.”
I glare over his shoulder, watching the storm spin almost lazily. I can already tell this particular storm isn’t going to do much. The winds are too light for it to be sucking in energy. The forecast was never great. The only other system that might produce anything is way the hell up in South Dakota.
“We’re already here. Let’s just shoot this storm and then you can lock me up, okay?”
“I’m not trying to lock you up,” Wes replies, frustration creeping in. “I’m trying to help.”
Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I close my eyes and focus on slow, even breaths. I’m already having trouble keeping my eyes fully open, which doesn’t bode well for taking any kind of decent photo.
I want to shove Wes away. I want to grab my camera and march out into the field and photograph the shit out of this storm. Not hide in bed because my body decided to have a fit.
But it doesn’t really matter what I want when my skull is being held together by red-hot barbed wire.
“Fine.” I sag against the car as defeat sours my mood. “You win. But we need to be in Kansas tomorrow, so let’s at least do the drive this afternoon.”
“That’s a six-hour drive.”
“Yes, thank you, I can read a map too.”
Wes stares down at me like he wants to toss me over his shoulder, frustration hardening his jaw, but all he does is let out a long sigh. “We willtryto get up to Kansas, but if this gets worse, we’re stopping.”
