Stranded with the Billionaire

I R E N A

Irena ‘s body ached as they ran down the mountain. She moved closer to Sage  as the wind blew past her. The air was so cold  it burned his skin. She kept her eyes closed and pursed her lips.

She winced as she was hit by a rock. She heard a groan that shook Sage ‘s chest. He tensed as if  trying to resist the urge to release whatever he was clinging to. The rock that hit him must have been different from hers.

It felt like forever until the terrain wasn’t so steep anymore, and they started to slow down. When they stopped, Irena  lay there, unwilling to move. There was a force in Sage  that drew her in and she didn’t want to let go.

He groans again as he tries to move. Suddenly she realized she could hurt him. Or bother you. She stepped back as far as the rope would allow  and glanced  at him.

His eyes were closed, and his face  contorted with pain. He had an injury. Her heart raced as she swept her eyes up and down his body. There was no blood  she could see.

“Sage?” she asked, moving closer to him and looking into his face.

He groaned again.

“Are you hurt? Where does it hurt?” She looked down at his body again.

“Your ribs?” Irena  repeated, sitting down and helping him undress. She held her breath as she saw the red-green bruise crawling across her right ribcage.

She reached out her hands and gently touched them.

He grimaced.

“Sorry,” she whispered.

He tilts his head back after closing his eyes. “Too good.”

“How long have you been enduring this?” She studied the bruise. He doesn’t look bright. As if he had been there for a day.

He shook his head. “I bruised them when I landed yesterday. But that rock didn’t help.” He opened his eyes and looked up at the sky.

“Did you get that yesterday?”

Sage  nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

He looked at her with a grimace, straightening his elbows, “You didn’t ask.”

She mocked. “Even if we don’t like it, we are a team  here. We have to be honest with each other. And tell you when we get hurt.”

Sage  looked at her as his jaw clenched and then relaxed. “Alright.”

“Really?”

He shrugged. “Of course.” Then he stopped. “That you’re bothering me.” He pushed himself with his gloved hand.

She stared at him. “What?”

“You tell the truth, I tell the truth. You annoy me.”

Irena  sighed in exasperation. “I annoy you?” How can he say that? Especially when it’s clear that he’s the one who is annoying  in the relationship.

He nodded, grimaced, and sat up. Then he began to untie the ropes.

In her spare time, she stood up and walked a few feet away from him. His words ran through her like  hot liquid she had just swallowed.

Irena . Sage ‘s voice pierced his thoughts. She turned to see him smiling at her.

“What?”

“Stop taking things so seriously,” he said, grimacing again. He turned to put his hand under him, but  he stopped.

“What?” she asked again.

He looked at her. “It was a joke. I was just teasing you. You take life  too seriously.

She crossed her arms. “Am I taking this too seriously? And you? You are not serious about anything?

He doesn’t try to stand up anymore, but instead puts his hands on the raised knee. “What does it mean?”

She shrugged, pacing back and forth. Now they are at the top of the glacier. Snow crunched under his feet. It stretched back and forth as far as she could see.

“Why don’t you go to my father’s funeral?” she asked, the words spilling out of her lips.

His expression hardened as he looked at her. Irena  knows she’s hit a nerve, but Sage  shouldn’t act if he can’t stand it.

He pushes a rock into the snow. “It’s complicated.”

That’s a ridiculous excuse. She wouldn’t let him get away with this. “How complicated can it be? You show up in costume and pay your respects. It doesn’t seem complicated. She should know. Plus, she’s just a kid when it comes to  her parents. He is already an adult. He should have been stronger.

His gaze turned cold. “What do you know? Do you bury your loved ones?

Irena ‘s heart tightened in her chest. Watching two coffins fall to the ground was one of the worst experiences of her life. To this day, when that memory haunts her, tears still form in her eyelids. Stupid feelings.

Not wanting Sage  to see her cry, she turned her face away. Behind her, she heard him mumbling curses. Followed by the sound of him moving to get up.

She wiped her tears away. Why is she so weak? She should be strong. That’s how you went through life. Never let people hurt you. Never.

“I’m sorry,” he said, approaching her.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Irena  crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. It’s not her fault that she has a tumultuous past. He didn’t know. She couldn’t blame him for that. She was really upset that he didn’t even try to show up at her father’s funeral. After all, he bought Sage  a plane. It shows that Sergio  Kennedy  was at least a caring father. That’s more than she can say about her  parents.

He stood beside her in silence. She let the tears fall for a few more minutes  before taking a deep breath. That’s when she allowed herself to mourn for her parents, then she brushed it off and moved on.

“Is that your mother?” he looked at her questioningly.

Her body was heavy as  her parents’ gravestones flashed through her mind. “And my dad.”

“I’m sorry,” he said again. He reached out and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

There’s something about standing on a giant frozen river with Sage ‘s arm  around her that calms her down. There is an understanding that has been felt. It does not need to be pronounced.

A distant barking caught her attention from behind. Glancing back, she saw Titan  walking through the snow toward them.

Sage  let go and clapped his hands. “You’ve found us, buddy!” he cried. He bent down and reached for the dog.

But instead of rushing into his master’s arms, Titan  ran to Irena  and almost jumped into her arms. She screamed and covered her face with her hands, anticipating the inevitable bite.

His weight  threw her backwards, and she landed hard on her butt. His breath left her body as he pinned her to the ground. He pressed his face to hers and began to lick her.

“Sage!” she yelled, squirming away from  Titan .

Sage  laughs. “What? He loves you. Don’t you see how he ran after you instead of me?”

“Take it off,” she begged. Titan  didn’t back down with his kisses.

Sage ‘s soft laugh grew louder as he approached. “You heard it, buddy. Go down.”

Titan  glanced at Sage . In the end, Sage  had to grab hold of the collar and pull hard to pull the animal away from him. She was lying on the ground, looking up at the sky. It was a strange experience. Stuck with a billionaire and his overly affectionate dog. She exhaled, covering her eyes and glancing at Sage .

He observed the landscape stretching out in front of them. His eyes narrowed as if  trying to calculate distance.

“What?” she asked, sitting up and wrapping her arms around his knees.

“I’m just trying to estimate how far apart we are. Hopefully we can get out of the snow line before dark.

Irena ‘s heart skipped a beat when she heard Sage ‘s voice. She didn’t know much about Greenland , but she knew there were bears and freezing temperatures. None of which she wanted to be introduced to.

She stood up and glanced at him. “Come on, let’s go.”

Sage  nodded and walked over to where his bag had landed and put it on. Irena  found her and supported her too.

After locating, Sage  nodded in the direction  he wanted them to go, and she followed  him. She had so many questions running through her mind, but she bit her lip to keep them there. What happened at the funeral? He didn’t really answer the question. Where is his mother? Why did he break down when she mentioned his family? And finally, the most telling question: why did her heart beat faster when he touched her?