My Despicable Ex - Book 2 (24 page)

“
You know I love you more than life itself.” He pressed his lips to mine gently and tangled his fingers in my hair as emotion consumed us.

With a big smile, he gripped my hand, and we continued.

I peered around me and noticed patches of snow on the ground. I picked some up, packed it into a ball, and threw it at him. He laughed and launched one of his own back at me, hitting me in the arm.

After our little snowball fight, we headed back to meet with our guide for a day trip. I adjusted my backpack and headed down the trail.

On the way, Albie told us all about the surrounding nature and enlightened us about many mountain facts. When we reached the place that he said would be the best camping spot for the night, we pitched our tent, made a fire, and had dinner.

When Albie snapped more photos of us, I smiled more widely than I had in quite a while, reveling in the fact that we had done it. I would get my inheritance, and finally I would learn my mother’s real reason for sending me on a trip around the globe. I squealed in delight. “That’s it. The last picture we need,” I said.

Jake spun me around. “We did it, babe!”

His lips claimed mine in a long, deep kiss. We had taken all the pictures that were requested, and now all we had to do was take them back to my lawyer’s office. I’d made sure to send backup photos, a copy of each, so we would have them in case something crazy happened, like a croc eating our camera or an elephant trampling it.

* * *

In our tent, Jake and I snuggled up together. It had to be around twenty below zero.

“
This whole trip has been amazing,” I said. “Not to sound all cliché and corny and
Dirty Dancing
or anything, but I’ve had the time of my life.”

“
Me too.”

He gazed into my eyes. “I’m so glad you’re sleeping with me and not on the other side of the tent, like back in Africa,” he said.

“
I did take it a little bit too far, huh?”

He pulled me close and kissed my lips. “All that matters is that we’re together now.”

“
I couldn’t agree more.”

* * *

The next day, we continued down the mountain. Hours into the hike, our guide’s eyes fluttered shut, and he crashed to the ground.

I felt his neck. “Albie doesn’t have a pulse, Jake!”

Jake initiated CPR, but it was to no avail, because poor Albie had passed away. I knew we needed to get help immediately. We said a prayer and spread our picnic blanket over him. I didn’t know him well, but he was a nice man, and I grieved over his loss.

“
I’m no doctor, but I’d say he had a heart attack or a stroke,” Jake said. “We should head back the way we came.”

“
Let’s go!” I said, my nerves frazzled.

Walking down the steep slope, I pressed through the tangle of weeds and tried not to slip on the gravel. Every time we tried a different way, we kept bumping into impassable boulders. Since we couldn’t jump over them, we’d had to double back and try a different route. The journey began to test every bit of courage I had, not to mention the treads on my shoes.

Without our guide to lead us, we couldn’t find the right trail, and before long, we were hopelessly lost. The merciless sun beat down on my neck and shoulders, heating my skin to unbearable temperatures as we traversed the mountainous incline.

I gasped for air, partly because of the climb and partly because of the thinning oxygen at that high altitude. I rested for a minute and leaned back against a giant rock slab, then moved on again. My throat was parched, and I longed for a drink of water. “We’re lost,” I finally admitted.

“
Then let’s just head down to the desert floor. If we just head down, we’ll get off the mountain eventually,” Jake said.

“
I agree. We can’t get lost that way.” I heaved myself through a narrow opening in the leafy ferns and
bent over, bracing my hands on my knees as I
fought to catch my breath.

“
You’re doing fantastic,” Jake said between breaths.

“
We’ll get to the bottom,” I managed to squeak, my stomach in a tangled mess of knots.

“
You better believe it,” Jake said, the determination in his voice coaxing me onward.

“
Then let’s go,” he said sternly. “I know you’re tired, but we can’t stop.”

I nodded, my brown hair damp with sweat.

We climbed down a steep slope, and rocks continued slipping and tumbling beneath our feet. I stopped at a steep drop-off and tried to gauge how far of a jump it actually was. I figured it to be about twenty feet, but we could climb down the vines instead.

Jake gripped a vine tightly, till his knuckles turned white. He gave it a hard yank, then turned to face me. “It’ll hold you,” he assured me. When my lips pressed together in a grim line, he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. “You can do this, Ashly. I believe in you.”

I nodded, then gripped the vine and gave it a tug. “So we just climb down the vines?”

He took a few steps forward, peering downward. “That’s the plan.”

I took a deep breath. “I’ve never done this kind of thing. Being a city girl and all, I’d probably wipe my butt with poison ivy and eat the deadliest mushroom.”

He smirked. “That doesn’t matter. We’re gonna make it, and I’ll be sure to steer you clear of poison ivy.”

A slow rumble echoed all around me. It didn’t sound good at all. I could hear the panic in Jake’s voice, even through my racing pulse that was drumming in my ears. As I glanced up, I saw a huge boulder rolling down toward us. I couldn’t jump to the left or right because it was so steep, and there was nothing to hold on to to keep me from tumbling down the mountain.

“
Jake!” my voice boomed off the rock walls.

“
Jump!” he shouted.

In one fluid movement, I clutched the vine, jumped off, and swung through the air like Tarzan, with cool gusts of wind rushing against my face and whooshing in my ears. The rubbing of the vine and the creaking of the branch from the stress of my weight made me groan.
If this thing breaks...

Jake swung next to me just as the boulder tumbled past us and crashed at the bottom with a loud
boom
.

“
What was my mother thinking, putting us out here like this?” I said, hanging on with a death grip as I dangled in the air. “Maybe I can’t do this.”

Sweat dripped from Jake’s brow as he caught his breath. “You can…and you will.”

“
You’re right. We
can
do this.” My voice held more confidence than I actually felt, but I put on a good show. I nodded and started to climb down, hanging on as tightly as I could to the cluster of wet, tangled leaves. The scent of moss and damp earth hung in the thick air all around me. Throwing Jake one last glance, I started to gingerly ease my left foot down, followed by my right. We made our way down the tangle of vines, and I was relieved when I was again standing on solid rock. By the time I reached the bottom, my breath was coming in ragged gasps, and my hands were trembling something awful.

I pulled back my sweaty hair. “Thanks, Jake, for that motivational speech.”

He hugged me tightly and kissed my head. I knew how scared he was, but I was so proud at the brave act he displayed. “Meh, that’s what I’m here for.”

Craving his touch, I leaned into him as he hugged me.

He winced, and I noticed that the boulder had nailed his shoulder, leaving him bleeding profusely. He stripped off one of his layers and wrapped the shirt around his wound.

“
Let me help,” I said as I finished tying it off. “You need a doctor. The quicker we get down, the faster we can get to the ER.”

“
I’ll be okay,” he said.

I lifted a hand to shield my eyes from the glaring sun. Jake’s brows furrowed above his intense eyes, and the wind whipped through his hair. My own hair was tossed around as well in the violent drafts.

I glanced up at the sky. “It’ll be nighttime soon. We need to find a place to sleep.”

He nodded.

“
How’s your shoulder?” I asked, noticing that blood had seeped through the shirt that was tied around it.

He winced as I examined it. “It’s killing me, but I’ll survive.”

Sweat poured from my forehead. Blinking, I studied the cracks, gaps, and holes in the rock. I pointed to a giant, jagged opening. “How about there? It looks like the perfect spot to pitch our tent, right?”

“
Right. Good eye, Ashly.”

We set up the tent and laid out our sleeping bags.

“
Nobody will ever believe we’ve been stranded on a mountain together,” Jake said.

We were stranded, but we were also lost. I had hoped we’d already be down the mountain to find help, but things had not gone according to plan.

“
I feel bad about Albie being out there in the wilderness all alone,” I said. “I wish we could’ve done something…nicer for him.”

Jake gripped my hand and blew out a breath. “Me too.”

A twig snapped, and my heart thundered. Jake looked at me, his gaze intense. All my senses were on high alert. I unzipped the tent door and slowly walked out. Breathing hard, I flattened myself against the rock and peeked out, shining my flashlight.

“
See anything?” he asked.

“
No.” I reached for a stick, as I was worried a wild animal was prowling around. I clenched my teeth, and the heat began to rise in my cheeks. I aimed a thick stick with steady arms, my legs in a wide stance.

Suddenly, a beautiful, dainty doe bolted into the vegetation.

My shoulders shrugged in relief. “It’s only a deer, but I’m gonna take a quick look around.”

“
Okay. Just be careful, babe.”

I flexed and contracted my numb fingers as the cold continued to bite into me. I was sure I couldn’t take another minute in the cold, chilly mountains. It was hot during the day, but now the temperature had dropped when the sun went down. I rubbed my hands together and blew into them. Goosebumps pimpled my skin as ice-cold wind beat across my body. When I didn’t see anything, I headed back into the tent.

Jake’s eyes were closed, and pearls of sweat shimmering on his pale face.

I felt his forehead, only to discover that he was burning up. I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You’re running a temp.”

“
I’ll survive,” he whispered. Shivering, Jake pulled me close and snuggled next to me.

I started to ponder everything, from our circumstances to fate. “Do you believe in happily-ever-after?” I asked.

“
Yes, and you’ll get yours, Ashly. If you want, we’ll live in a castle and have ten kids.”

“
Ten! What do you think I’m going for, a reality show?”

“
How about three then?”

“
That’s perfect.”

His strong arms and steady embrace made me feel like everything was going to be okay. I snuggled up into his strong arms and fell asleep.

Chapter 18

I felt somebody shaking my shoulder.

“
It’s daylight,” Jake said. “We’ve gotta go.”

I sat up. “How are you feeling? How’s your shoulder?”

“
It hurts pretty bad. But how are you?”

“
I’m fine.”

We packed up and headed downward, precariously making our way toward the desert floor. The birds were chirping, and I was thankful to see light. I was getting weaker, though, and I was dying of thirst. So I pulled out my canteen from my backpack and took a drink. A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I had to rest against a boulder until it passed. The descent was so steep and covered in thick brush that I felt like we were in some tropical rainforest. As I fought through the leafy foliage, we wandered past steep canyon walls and through the twisting trees and granite boulders. Several times, I stumbled on shattered rocks as my feet caught on big slabs of limestone.