Stranded with the Billionaire

I R E N A

Irena  hates Greenland . She hates plants. She hated the constant drizzle  that wouldn’t stop. And she hated Sage  and his nasty questions. Since she refused to answer his questions about her parents, he decided to focus on his work, his hobbies, and Lindsay’s.

She should have wiped him out, but confronting a three-meter grizzly bear because she refuses to talk doesn’t seem like a better trade. So she’s reluctant to share almost every aspect of her life with the talkative billionaire behind her back.

She has another point  to add to her post. The Kennedy family is curious. While they refuse to share personal information about themselves, they want to know all about you. She can incorporate that part into the story. His lips twitched. He began to take his own life.

It wasn’t until well past noon that they finally made it through the bushes and discovered the river  Sage  suspected ran through the canyon. Irena  rejoiced as she knelt by the river and washed her face with cool water. Her lips taste salty when she licks them.

As she pushed  her knee out, she glanced to the side. Sage  opened his bag as Titan  jumped into the water. Suddenly, the thought of tasting the drink Titan  had just drank made his stomach twist.

Explode this dog.

She walked over to a fallen tree and sat down on it. She tried to look busy but wasn’t sure what she was doing so she gave up and pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them.

“What are you doing?” she asked as Sage  stuffed a few bullets in his  pocket and turned around.

“I hunt,” he said, slinging the gun over his shoulder and glancing at her.

When it comes to food, the  stomach rumbles. “How long are you going to be gone?”

Sage  looked up at the sky. The dark clouds had parted, giving them a respite from the rain. The sun shines on them, illuminating the forest floor.

“I hope it won’t be long. I really want to keep going.”

Irena  nodded, though her aching legs disagreed. Sage  stepped forward and broke a branch off the log she was sitting on.

“If it takes too long, we’ll camp here overnight.” He gave dry firewood. “Set up the fire.”

She stared at him. He wants her to light a fire? He was more confident in his ability to survive than she was.

“Okay,” she said, hoping her voice would sound more confident.

He stared at her. “Do you want me to give you advice?”

She forced a smile. “I think I have this,” she said, snatching the branch from his hand.

He looked at her questioningly, then turned and took a few steps. “Don’t burn the woods,” he said, looking over his shoulder.

Irena  laughed. “I’m doing very well.”

Sage  raised an eyebrow, but he said nothing more. As he turned toward the trees, panic settled in his stomach. She didn’t want him to leave. Being around him made her feel safe. After all, the man who saved her life yesterday. Did she even thank him for that? She doesn’t remember.

“Thanks,” she said breathlessly. As if the words wouldn’t leave his lips.

Sage  looked at her. “Why?”

“Yesterday saved my life.” Even if she wanted to look down, she couldn’t. His piercing gaze drew her to him and held her hostage.

He took a step forward, and it looked like he wanted to reach out, and Irena  held her breath. Before making contact, he shook his head and let go.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“It’s my responsibility,” he said gruffly. He bowed his head, threaded his way through the foliage, and disappeared.

Titan  barked to where Sage  had disappeared  but did not follow  him.

Chills ran through her body. The memory of Sage ‘s arms  around her in the sleeping bag came back to her. She shook her head. Hard. You need to let go of your thoughts and feelings. Right away.

Titan ‘s barking flashed through his mind. Of course. Again, she is the designated carer. Fortunately, her fear of Titan  seems to have faded. Now he was more of a nuisance than a source of her terror.

“Come on, boy,” she called, desperately searching for a quest to keep Sage  out of her mind. “Let’s make a fire.”

After thirty minutes of trying to light the exploding firewood she had picked up, frustration flared and she threw a flint at the tree. Why can’t she understand that?

Her stomach growled louder as she threw her head back and groaned. She missed the civilization where food and matches existed. She doesn’t have to be with Sage  all the time. A place  she can run to when things get too intimate. Back home, she can forget  her feelings.

Titan  groaned as he sat down next to her. She reached out and gently placed her hand on his head. Well, at least she had a Titan . A sob escaped his lips. Those thoughts didn’t make her feel any better.

After tormenting herself for a few minutes, she sighed and stood up. Perhaps the log she picked up was too wet. After all, everything in Greenland  seems wet. His feet are forever frozen. It made  last night’s sleep worse. And no matter what she did, she couldn’t escape yesterday’s cold water.

She took the saw from Sage ‘s backpack and headed straight into the woods. Titan  followed  her. She sighed. He won’t follow his master but hangs out with her instead.

“Why are you near this nasty man?” she asked, pushing a few branches away. At least she can talk to the dog about her non-existent feelings. He will not judge her. And he would never tell Sage .

Titan  was panting behind her.

“He’s frustrated and annoyed and . . .” She sighed as Sage ‘s face flashed through her mind. It was as if he was haunting her. And question everything I thought I knew about the rich. His stomach twisted at that thought.

First, she let Parker  convince her that  writing this article for  Kennedy  was a good idea. Now it looks like she’s allowing Sage  to cloud her judgment. What will this article become? Just a tidbit about how great Sage  is?

She shook her head and sighed. She won’t let him change her. She will write the right Kennedy  article  no matter how much Sage  influences her thinking.

She turned around and went back to camp. She’d better end the article now, before she let herself be seduced by Kennedy’s charms. When she went back to Sage ‘s backpack, she found her notebook that she luckily kept for herself and got going.

When the sun went down behind the trees, she held out her hand. She wrote non-stop and her fingers cramp. Man, handwriting is much harder than typing on your computer.

Titan  curled up against his leg. His chest rose and fell and every now and then a snore escaped his lips. She stroked him, grateful for the warmth he gave her.

Putting the pen cap back on, she stuffed it into the cover of her notebook. Then she tore the paper  and stuffed it into the back of her pants. The article she wrote was concise and to the point. And that’s probably not what she wants to show Sage . At least, not before she no longer depends on his know-how to get out of the desert.

He felt like a weight  had been lifted from his chest even though he still had some guilt. Writing the article helped her remind her why she was always so apprehensive about Sage . Why did she need to keep him?

She needs to protect herself. After all, stepping into a relationship  first was what got her into trouble with Brett. And she had promised herself when he broke her heart that she would never do it again. Thinking about playboy Sage  wouldn’t help her keep her promise to herself. She needed his mind to control her heart.

Cool air surrounded her as she pulled her jacket closer to her body. Where was Sage ? Why does it take so long? She looked up, wishing she was one of the people who could tell the time at sunset. All she could see were pale purple and orange streaks in the sky. He said he would only stay for a short while. She gulped as her heart pounded. She needs to calm down. He’s still fine. She is ridiculous.

The leaves rustled above her as the wind danced through them. She glanced sadly at the  pile of wood she had picked up with the intention of starting a fire. At this moment, a roar of fire seemed unbelievable. She shivered as she stepped forward to find the abandoned flint. Worrying about Sage  is a distraction. Even if she’s bad at lighting a fire.

Kneeling before the wood, she struck the flint. He activated it but did nothing. She moved the stick and tried again.  She will understand that. She must do that. She couldn’t allow her thoughts to return to Sage . Even though her heart was beating so hard, she could still hear it in her ears. She needed not to think about him.