Chapter 97: I Hate Martinis
The sounds of splintering wood cut through the howling wind. One moment, Nathan was pulling me toward the safety of the house ... and the next, I was shoving him forward with all my strength as the pergola groaned and gave way above us.
A scream tore from my throat as the wooden beams crashed down, barely missing Nathan as it sent a spray of debris between us. Rain lashed at my skin, stinging like needles, and the wind roared in my ears, drowning out everything but the frantic hammering of my heart.
"Vanessa!" Nathan’s voice was raw, barely audible over the storm.
I stumbled back, my bare feet slipping on the rain-slick deck. The storm had transformed our paradise into chaos. The infinity pool was a churning beast, the ocean beyond it a frothing, blackened maw. Lightning split the sky again, illuminating Nathan’s face, his eyes wide with terror. Not for himself.
For me.
Another gust of wind slammed into me, knocking me off balance. My hip hit the deck hard, pain shooting up my side. The pergola’s wreckage shifted, beams groaning as the storm raged on.
Nathan didn’t hesitate. He lunged forward and grabbed my wrist.
"Move!" he shouted, hauling me to my feet.
We ran, the storm chasing us like a living thing. The double doors leading back into the house rattled violently in their frames. Nathan wrenched them open, shoving me inside before slamming them shut behind us.
For a moment, all I could hear was the ragged sound of our breathing and the storm raging outside, barely muted by our wedding house.
Nathan cupped my face, his thumbs brushing away the rain dripping from my lashes. "Are you hurt?"
I shook my head, though my hip throbbed. "Just shaken like a dirty martini. As an aside, I hate olives. And martinis."