Landon (In Safe Hands Book 1) by S.M. Shade Page B

makes me jump. A few seconds later, a voice
calls down to us. We’re saved.
    Moonlight
illuminates the catastrophic scene surrounding us when we’re pulled to safety.
The houses around us are demolished, in some cases down to the foundation. The
few remaining trees are stripped of branches and leaves, many lying haphazardly
about like piles of matchsticks. It hits me how lucky we were, how lucky I was Landon came back. My body starts to shake at the thought, and Landon wraps
his arms around my waist, pulling me into a hug.
    “It’s
okay. We’re okay.” Despite his words, his voice trembles.
    “You
saved my life. I wouldn’t have known. I could’ve easily been in the kitchen.”
    “Shh,
don’t think about that. You don’t know what would’ve happened.” He steps back
and takes my hand as we pick our way through the debris to the road where
Jeremy stands, waving. The rescuers try to get us to see a medic, but we assure
them we’re not hurt. I’m sure it seems amazing considering the apocalyptic
setting.
    Jeremy
gives Landon a one armed hug men are so adept at. “About time. You okay?” He
looks around him at me. “Zoe?”
    “We’re
both fine. Just ready to get out of here.”
    My
car is right where I left it and appears to be fine, but a large branch lies
across Landon’s sedan. Both cars are pinned in, surrounded by debris.
    “Right.”
Jeremy gestures to his car. “Let’s do it.” The drive out of the area is slow
and we’re stopped twice by police to be sure we aren’t looters. One turn and
everything looks normal again. I can’t begin to describe how surreal it is,
like we’ve been transported out of a war zone.
    Landon
directs Jeremy to stop by my place first so I can grab some clothes and my
phone charger. Jeremy waits in the car while Landon follows me inside. I
quickly gather a few days worth of clothes, throwing them into a duffel bag
with my bathroom stuff. I can’t wait to take a shower. Landon is standing in
the living room, looking out of place when I return.
    “I
would ask you to stay here until your house is repaired, but…” I gesture around
the tiny living room. “It’s not exactly what you’re accustomed to.”
    With
a frown, he places his hands on my hips and looks me in the eye. “I’d love to
stay with you, but you’d have to cover all your windows. I won’t drag you into
the dark with me.”
    “What
if I go willingly?”
    Chuckling,
he smacks my ass. “Let’s go.”
    Jeremy
drops us off at a large five star hotel downtown. The manager greets us
personally and escorts us to a large suite. They are well prepared for him.
We’re at the end of a hall with no windows, and the large floor to ceiling
windows in the suite are all covered with thick dark blackout curtains. He
explains there’s a gym and an indoor pool on another floor that don’t have
windows. I should’ve brought a swimsuit.
    When
the manager leaves with an extremely large tip, I flop onto the bed. Oh my god.
It’s not a bed, it’s a pile of fluffy heaven. I never want to get up. Landon
laughs and starts to unpack.
    “I’m
going to go to the gym for a bit and run off some stress. Do you want to go?”
    “I
think I’ll try out that huge tub instead.” I’ve never had a bathtub where my
tits, knees and feet could all be underwater at the same time.
    “Great,
now I’m going to be thinking of you all wet and naked.” He drops a quick kiss
on my lips. “I’ll give you your workout later.”
    I
lie back in the water, letting the heat soak into my muscles and remove some of
the stress of the last twenty-four hours. Nearly getting killed in a tornado
tends to put things in perspective. I’ve been worried, overwhelmed by the decisions
I need to make for Ethan’s future and mine, but it all seems a lot more doable
now.
    The
life insurance money was just deposited. The sight of three quarters of a
million dollars sitting in my account nearly gave me a heart attack. I put
250,000 into a trust for