From Neglected Wife to CEO’s Obsession novel Chapter 146

His deep voice jolted me back to reality, and that’s when I realized I’d been staring at his Adam’s apple way too long.

Kind of impressive, honestly, that he still had the energy to tease me while basically carrying all the weight.

My cheeks flared with heat. I quickly averted my gaze and just squeezed my eyes shut—if I couldn’t see him, maybe I could pretend none of this was happening.

It took us almost forty minutes, but we finally made it up. Blake came over to untie the rope and carefully helped me off Elliot’s back.

Elliot’s face was a little flushed, his breathing uneven. He popped open the top button of his shirt and took off his helmet, waving it in front of his face for some air.

Blake handed me a bottle of electrolyte water and a chocolate bar, then went to massage Elliot’s arms, which had gone stiff from overexertion.

Once the chaos died down, the three of us kept climbing. This time, Elliot was extra careful. He kept looking back at me, reminding me to watch my step every few minutes.

A couple of times, Blake tried to say something to Elliot, but Elliot just shot him a look and shut him up instantly. The whole thing felt weirdly secretive.

It wasn’t until we reached the summit and I caught Blake patching Elliot up that I realized just how badly he was hurt. His shoulder was dislocated, and a deep cut stretched from his left shoulder all the way down to his right waist—over a foot long.

“Are you made of steel or something?” Blake grumbled. “Your shoulder’s wrecked and you still managed to carry someone up here? Heroics don’t count if you get yourself killed. You’re supposed to keep yourself alive first.”

“Don’t let her find out I’m hurt,” Elliot said quietly.

“Oh, so this is your thing now? Playing the anonymous hero? Once wasn’t enough, so you’re back at it again. If you want to get yourself killed, go tell your dad, not me. I’m not covering for you.”

Elliot mumbled something back, but I was too far away to catch it.

All I knew was that he’d gotten seriously hurt saving me.

A wave of warmth and gratitude washed over me. He didn’t want credit. He just did it and tried to keep it secret. My eyes stung, and I blinked back tears.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify