Page 95 of Lucky In Love
Just as he opened his mouth, I heard a siren wind up.
No. There's no way.
In a frantic move, I pulled my phone back out and opened the weather radar app. Unlike the map earlier, this one actually loaded. Figures. Sure enough, we were under a tornado warning… and the storm that it spawned from was projected to hit us directly. “Shit. We're actually in the path.” My muscles tightened and my breathing immediately sped up as panic creeped in.
No. This isn’t happening. This cannot be happening.
“Min?”
The use of my family nickname snapped me out of my mental haze. “Yeah?”
He reached over and covered my hand with his. The warmth of his skin was comforting and most welcome. “You’re going to be okay. I’ve got you. I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”
Like I have much of a choice right now. I nodded and squeezed his hand, grateful for something to help keep me grounded. “Okay.”
Aiden
Icouldn’t believe I ran into Mindy O’Sullivan, of all people, stranded on the road in the middle of the worst thunderstorm outbreak of the year… and now, she was in my truck… coming to my house… because of a tornado.
She’d caught my eye last spring when I was helping her parents out. They had hired me, even though I was new in town and didn’t have anyone to vouch for my credibility. I didn't want to screw up a well-paying gig, but that didn’t mean I hadn't dreamt of her almost incessantly.
Her strawberry blond hair and blue eyes had me at hello. Then there was the way she had climbed up and over the split-rail fence almost effortlessly. The woman was strong, graceful, and everything I wanted to wrap my arms around. It had taken every ounce of will-power to steer clear of Mindy while I was working. It felt unprofessional and unethical to hit on my boss’s daughter. I had every intention of asking her out once I wrapped up with her parents, but by the time I’d finished everything they needed help with, she was back at school finishing up her semester.
I'd never thought I'd see her again… let alone be saving her.
Focus.
Hurrying as much as I dared, we flew into my driveway. I threw the truck into park, rocks crunching at the hard stop, and looked at Mindy. “Ready to run inside?”
She nodded, her eyes moving quickly as her attention was all over the place. “Let's go.”
I opened my door and had to hold on tight to keep a gust of wind from taking it. “Come out my door. This wind is insane.” I reached into the truck cab, eager to have her hand in mine again. Just as Mindy was stepping out, another gust of wind whipped around the truck. It tossed her my way, but before I could catch her, she stumbled and half-fell into the puddle next to my truck. I reached down to help pull her up. “You okay?”
She stood as quickly as she’d fallen. “It’s water. I’ll live. Let's get inside.”
I clocked the panicked expression all over her face, and as much as I wanted to pull her into a hug and erase some of the fear from her eyes, we needed to get inside. Now. With her hand still in mine, we ran the short distance to my back door and into my kitchen. I let out a relieved sigh as I slammed the door shut, happy to block out some of the wailing tornado siren sound. “Basement is that way.” I pointed to the closed wooden door ahead of us.
Mindy opened it, flipped on the light to the stairwell, and headed down, the pounding of her feet on the stairs stopping after only three steps. “Aiden? Where are you?”
I ran out of the bathroom, carrying a couple towels and my first aid box. “Grabbing a couple of things. Get downstairs. I’m right behind you.” As I rushed back through the kitchen toward the basement, I also grabbed one of my flashlights from the counter and clipped it to my belt. Just in case. I hadn’t quite gotten around to investing in a whole-house generator, and I didn’t want to fumble across the basement for my battery lights if the power cut right now.
Mindy chuckled as she stepped off the stairs and walked further into the basement and looked around. “Let me guess, your little lounge is in the southwest corner?”
I nodded approvingly as I glanced over at the loveseat, dorm fridge, and side table in the corner. “Yep. You and I both know how wild summer storms can get around here. If I'm going to be down here a bunch, I might as well be comfortable.”
“No complaints here.” She shrugged off her dripping raincoat and glanced down. There was a small puddle forming around her drenched tennis shoes. “Well, at least part of me stayed dry.”
There was a clear line across her thigh where her raincoat had protected her. “Would you like something dry to wear? I think I have something in the dryer. I can throw your jeans in the washer and dryer once the storm passes… if we still have power.”
Mindy arched an eyebrow and gave me a wry smile. “Don’t want your precious couch getting wet?”
No, I want you wet, but in a completely different context. I shook my head, desperately wanting that sentiment far from my mouth before I opened it. She didn’t need to know how much I wanted her, even if she was single. “I don’t give a shit about the couch right now, I’m far more concerned about you being comfortable and thought you might be interested in dry pants or shorts.”
“Oh.” Mindy let out a tense breath and glanced down for a moment. “I would appreciate something dry to wear if you have it. Thank you.”
I would have given her the shirt off my back if I thought it would help and not make her uncomfortable. “Give me your raincoat. I’ll hang it up on my way over to the laundry room.” I handed her one of the towels as I took the dripping jacket from her. Smiling at her, I turned and headed to the opposite corner of the basement, praying as I opened the dryer. The gods were smiling on me as I pulled out a couple tshirts and some basketball shorts. Perfect. I gave Mindy a smile as I walked toward her. “Well, you won’t be winning any fashion shows, but you’ll be dry.”
“Thanks.” She glanced around, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “Um, where can I change?”