Chapter 40
Chapter 40
He was quiet for a second. There was a thoughtfulness to his silence that made Tessa uneasy. She wondered if he was trying to find the words to properly berate her for being so stupid. As if she hadn’t berated herself enough for it in the intervening years.
But he didn’t. “When I was a kid, we used to go sledding off of rooftops in town p>
The tension lifted from Tessa’s shoulders.
“Well, we didn’t actually use sleds. We’d just body surf down the roof, and then drop into the snowdrifts below p>
“Sounds safe p>
“Extremely,” he agreed. “We were always getting in trouble for it. The adults kept warning us–we were going to break our necks,
break our legs, there might be something buried in a drift that could hurt us, and so on. Turns out, they were right. I went diving off of Wade Evers‘ roof when I was seventeen without knowing that the night before the last snowstorm, he’d put some fifty–gallon barrels
along the side of his house p>
Tessa drew in a sharp breath.
“Steel drums, too. Not just plastic p>
She winced.
“I went down the roof on my belly, headfirst. Wade has the steepest roof in town, and it’s aluminum. You can really get some good speed
on it.” He chuckled. “I hit the barrel so hard and so fast that I didn’t
even know what happened to me. Knocked me clean out. Next thing
Chapter 40
I knew, my friends were standing over me screaming my name, while someone else was sprinting off screaming for my ma. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move. I thought I was dying. Someone got me on a sled–I don’t even remember who–and took me to the clinic, but I was too busted up for Anna to fix. I needed surgery, and
fast. I had to be flown to Fairbanks. I had a broken collarbone, three
broken ribs, and a collapsed lung p>
“You could’ve killed yourself p>
“Told you it wasn’t flattering.” But there was a smile in his voice when he said it, and it made Tessa think of all the sledding accidents
from her own childhood.
“When I was fourteen, I went sledding with a bunch of friends, and I ended up crashing into the guy I had a crush on while he was walking back up the hill. I broke his foot.” She flushed as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Why had she even told him that?
But Declan laughed. She felt his body shaking against hers and another surge of heat bloomed beneath her skin.
“That’s nothing,” he said. “When I was fourteen I was trying to impress the new girl who’d moved to Longtooth. I decided the best way to do this was by doing handstand pushups in the middle of math class. I lost my balance and smashed my face so hard against the floor that I broke my nose p>
Tessa felt bad for laughing, but she couldn’t help it. “And she instantly fell in love with you p>
“Yes. If by ‘fell in love‘ you mean ‘was so scared of blood that when she saw my messed–up face she puked in the classroom trashcan p>
“Yes, that’s exactly what I meant.” Tessa was laughing again and Declan was laughing with her, his arm tight around her. His breath coasted over her neck and ear. Somewhere during the conversation, their bodies had relaxed against each other like lovers spooning in
Chapter 40
bed. They both became aware of it at the same time. They shifted awkwardly away from each other–as much as they could, anyway, until Tessa’s ass was no longer cradled against Declan’s groin, his forearm no longer snugged up right below her breasts.
“We should sleep.” Declan said.
“Okay, goodnight!” Tessa said too brightly.
The sound of the wind seemed to swell back into a roar, filling the awkward silence between them. Tessa lay stiffly, listening to the cabin walls creak and pop. She was too conscious of Declan’s big body pressed against hers. She didn’t think she was ever going to fall
asleep.
And then, at some point, she did.
(3)
Cedella
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.