Stranded with the Billionaire

I R E N A

Irena  has never been so cold in her life. Everything shook as she sat on the shore watching Sage  light the fire.

A fire.

She closes her eyes as she imagines herself sitting by the fireplace at Christmas. Warmth surrounded her body.

If only she hadn’t woken up. She was very happy here.

“Irena. Wake up.” Sage ‘s voice interrupted his reverie.

She groaned and closed her eyes. Why did he take her away from this memory? That’s too welcoming. Here, his body is relaxed and his mind  calm.

“Wake up!”

A jerk on her shoulder pulled her out of the dream she wanted to come true. Opening her eyes, she looked up. Sage  opened her bag and pulled out a sleeping bag beside her.

He’s unbuttoning his shirt as he examines it.

“W-w-what are you doing?” she asked, shivering at each word.

“Your body is in shock from the cold. We need to warm you up. He took off his shirt and placed it near the fire.”

Fire.

Yellow and orange flames lick the wood. He looked warm, but Irena  felt nothing. Part of her wanted to climb in there. To feel something on his numb skin.

“W-so fast.”

“You’re lucky  I won the fastest bonfire in the Boy Scouts,” Sage  said as he undressed. She stared at him. She wanted to tease him. To say the magazines don’t seem to know what they are talking about. All  polls  concluded that he  was wearing shorts, which is clearly not true. But she couldn’t find the energy to talk. Or maybe she forgot how to put words  together. She’s not sure.

Her eyes widened as he approached her and began to pull her hand up. She knew he was touching her, but she couldn’t feel it. It was the strangest experience. Why couldn’t she feel his fingers on her skin?

After taking off his shirt, he turned it over and unbuttoned his pants. Had to change a few times until he took  them off and put them in front of the fire.

“Come on,” he whispered in her ear, pulling her to her feet.

She knew she should have been able to stand, but every time she tried, her legs would give way. Sage  stabilized his body and hooked his arms below his knees, pulling her to his chest.

She leaned against him as he made his way to the sleeping bag. His body was no longer numb. That is . . . Nothing. It’s as if she doesn’t exist anymore.

“Stay with me,” he said, taking off his sleeping bag and setting it down.

She was too weak and paralyzed to feel anything.

“S-S- Sage ,” she whispered. His hot breath on her lips made her dizzy. For a moment, she remembered what it felt like to be hot.

“Don’t talk,” he said, climbing up beside her. He reached out, closed the bag, and pulled her  to him.

He put his arms around her, bent his head close to hers. She could see his chest rise and fall. They lay there, not speaking. The only sound that broke  the silence was the creaking of  wood just a few feet away.

She wants to talk. She wants to say something. Thank him for what he did. If these were his last moments, she needed him to know that she didn’t blame him. That she is a bad person. She shouldn’t have said those things.

“Sage ,” she whispered again.

“Don’t talk,” he said. His voice was low and a few inches from his ear.

“But, I-”

“No. Now’s not the time. Tell me something else. Tell me a weird fact that I wouldn’t know. He tightened his grip on her, pulling her closer.

Her skin tingles as if she’s finally decided to wake up. It was a strange feeling. Like, her body  decided to live and the pain was her first reminder.

“But-”

“Can you tell me how wrong you were when you got too hot? Right now, I just want to hear your voice. Tell me something I don’t know.” He leaned down and she could feel his warm breath on her cheek.

She marveled at the feeling of his chest against her arm. She resisted the urge to reach out and feel the warmth of his skin. Warmth from his muscles.

“When someone lies,” she stammered. “Their hands don’t move. If they tell the truth, they will move.”His lungs burned as  cool air filled them.

His chest moves as if he is smiling.

“Really?” He asks.

Nod.

“What else?”

Why doesn’t he  let her say what she wants to say? “Sage , I…”

“Is there anything else, Miss . Derrick ?”Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

She closed her eyes, forcing another fact into her head. “If you can’t sleep, try the 4-7-8 technique. Inhale for four seconds. Hold for 7. Exhale for 8. ”

She felt him take a breath, hold it,  then exhale.

“Can it be used?” He asks.

She rested her head on his chest. “It’s there for me.”

He was about to step back, but she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer. She wasn’t ready to look at him, and she  certainly wasn’t ready for him to take away her heat.

“Sorry. I’m staying here.”

She moves closer, if she can. His skin felt like it was on fire. Every part of her was screaming to wake up. She almost felt the  nothingness that the gel gave her.

“Are you okay?” He asks. His voice was hoarse.

“Yes. But my skin felt like it was crawling out of me.

He tightened his arms around her. “Fine. He needs to wake up.” silent. “Okay,” he said at last.

“I thought you were wearing panties.”

A growl echoed in his chest. “What?”

“Lindsay told me you like to wear shorts.”

“Oh, she did? Where did she get the idea?”

Irena  stretched her fingers over his chest and marveled at his tan on her pale skin.” A magazine.

His muscles tightened around her. She worried for a moment that she had said something wrong.

“We discussed it. Remember when I said don’t believe everything you read in magazines? ”

Irena  froze as the memory of how Sage  felt about the reporters flooded her mind. “Well…”

“Pants are too tight,” he interjected, “against, you know… ”

She pursed her lips  as the heat rose to her cheeks. Maybe she should end this conversation before it gets too intimate.

“Is there anything else about me that you think you know?” He asks.

Yes. But she still pursed her lips. Right now, she didn’t want to say anything that would upset him. Right now, she wanted only him and her. Not Irena  and Sage . Not a journalist and a billionaire. Here, there is no need for reflection or analysis. Here they survived together. And for now, that’s all she needed.