Read Online APOLLO RISING (The Apollo Saga, Book 1) by Sage Arroway - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sage Arroway
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she would have liked.
She shook her head in aggravation and pointed at a pair of tracks in the snow.
“Oh nice!”
“Quiet,” she shushed him. “You’d think you’d never been hunting before.”
“I haven’t.” he confessed. “What are those?”
“Deer tracks,” she whispered back, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“They look pretty small,” he said, squinting.
“What did you expect?”
He paused, clearly uncomfortable with his ignorance. “I just thought they’d be bigger.”
“We’re hunting Bambi, not Bullwinkle.”
His cheeks darkened, either from the cold or his embarrassment.
“So.... have you ever come across something larger? Like a bear, or bullwinkle…or people ?”
"Like hunters? No. They used to come up here when I was younger, but Moll chased them off. Nobody else ever comes up here but us."
“Us?” he inquired.
“My family,” she amended. "If someone else was up here, I'd know."
Her answer seemed to reassure whatever was troubling him, and she brought their attention back to the deer tracks. They were fresh, still crisp holes in the snow. With the rise in temperature and the fresh green shoots poking up through the snow, it was a good chance that they might find the deer that made them foraging for food nearby. Assuming they didn’t scare it off.
Tyler leaned up close behind her, looking over her shoulder at the woods ahead. This time he spoke softer; so near her ear it made her tremble.
“What do you see?”
Allie turned her head, stole a quick glance at his face and caught the visual contrast of a few days’ growth covering his jawline, and how it played against the soft laugh lines at the corners of his mouth and eyes.
She shivered—maybe from the cold, but more likely from the instant attraction she felt toward him and how it warmed her to her core. Against her better judgment, she touched him lightly on the arm to get his attention. He turned to her, bringing their faces nearer than she’d expected. Allie looked away from his mouth, fighting the sudden urge to lean even closer.
“Step where I step,” she whispered. “We’re getting close and need to make less noise.”
She could see her breath dissipate between them, fading away like her resolve to keep this man away from her. But he was close. Closer now than she wanted, but still further than she desired.
He nodded, his stare fixated upon her lips. “Okay,” he said, less quietly than she had spoken.
Allie frowned briefly and placed a finger against her lips.
She turned and led him further on, until she suddenly stepped behind another thick tree and pulled him quickly with her.
“What is it--” he began, but she quickly placed her fingers against his lips to silence him. A slight tingle shot up her arm, and settled in her chest. She withdrew her hand instantly.
They were standing even closer than they had before, and she could feel the firm musculature of his chest beneath his jacket, rising and falling with each breath. He was threatening to become a serious problem. She liked her life. She often felt like the cabin, far away from the land of men, untouched, un-intruded upon, alone. She liked it that way, but now they were stuck together until the roads were safe enough to drive out, and there was still that one unavoidable character defect he had. She pulled herself away and noticed a flash of disappointment cross his face.
“Sorry,” he whispered, surprisingly.
The corners of her mouth hitched briefly. “Don’t be,” she assured him, noting how adorable he could be when he wasn’t trying so hard.
Changing her focus, Allie leaned out on the opposite side of the tree and peered into the distance. A smudge of brown movement caught her attention and she froze. She saw Tyler open his mouth to ask her something, and she held up her right hand to silence him once more. She didn’t dare touch him again, though. It was just too distracting.
She waited, until the
She shook her head in aggravation and pointed at a pair of tracks in the snow.
“Oh nice!”
“Quiet,” she shushed him. “You’d think you’d never been hunting before.”
“I haven’t.” he confessed. “What are those?”
“Deer tracks,” she whispered back, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“They look pretty small,” he said, squinting.
“What did you expect?”
He paused, clearly uncomfortable with his ignorance. “I just thought they’d be bigger.”
“We’re hunting Bambi, not Bullwinkle.”
His cheeks darkened, either from the cold or his embarrassment.
“So.... have you ever come across something larger? Like a bear, or bullwinkle…or people ?”
"Like hunters? No. They used to come up here when I was younger, but Moll chased them off. Nobody else ever comes up here but us."
“Us?” he inquired.
“My family,” she amended. "If someone else was up here, I'd know."
Her answer seemed to reassure whatever was troubling him, and she brought their attention back to the deer tracks. They were fresh, still crisp holes in the snow. With the rise in temperature and the fresh green shoots poking up through the snow, it was a good chance that they might find the deer that made them foraging for food nearby. Assuming they didn’t scare it off.
Tyler leaned up close behind her, looking over her shoulder at the woods ahead. This time he spoke softer; so near her ear it made her tremble.
“What do you see?”
Allie turned her head, stole a quick glance at his face and caught the visual contrast of a few days’ growth covering his jawline, and how it played against the soft laugh lines at the corners of his mouth and eyes.
She shivered—maybe from the cold, but more likely from the instant attraction she felt toward him and how it warmed her to her core. Against her better judgment, she touched him lightly on the arm to get his attention. He turned to her, bringing their faces nearer than she’d expected. Allie looked away from his mouth, fighting the sudden urge to lean even closer.
“Step where I step,” she whispered. “We’re getting close and need to make less noise.”
She could see her breath dissipate between them, fading away like her resolve to keep this man away from her. But he was close. Closer now than she wanted, but still further than she desired.
He nodded, his stare fixated upon her lips. “Okay,” he said, less quietly than she had spoken.
Allie frowned briefly and placed a finger against her lips.
She turned and led him further on, until she suddenly stepped behind another thick tree and pulled him quickly with her.
“What is it--” he began, but she quickly placed her fingers against his lips to silence him. A slight tingle shot up her arm, and settled in her chest. She withdrew her hand instantly.
They were standing even closer than they had before, and she could feel the firm musculature of his chest beneath his jacket, rising and falling with each breath. He was threatening to become a serious problem. She liked her life. She often felt like the cabin, far away from the land of men, untouched, un-intruded upon, alone. She liked it that way, but now they were stuck together until the roads were safe enough to drive out, and there was still that one unavoidable character defect he had. She pulled herself away and noticed a flash of disappointment cross his face.
“Sorry,” he whispered, surprisingly.
The corners of her mouth hitched briefly. “Don’t be,” she assured him, noting how adorable he could be when he wasn’t trying so hard.
Changing her focus, Allie leaned out on the opposite side of the tree and peered into the distance. A smudge of brown movement caught her attention and she froze. She saw Tyler open his mouth to ask her something, and she held up her right hand to silence him once more. She didn’t dare touch him again, though. It was just too distracting.
She waited, until the
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