* * * *
He had been away serving his country at the time. A member of Britain’s Special Air Services, he had been on a mission of utmost secrecy and importance. His father was a wealthy businessman and had inadvertently upset the wrong people and as a result was kidnapped. Alice’s father had at the time been the police detective in charge of the investigation. An honest, hardworking cop, he had left no stone unturned in his efforts to trace the kidnappers even to the extent of putting his own life at risk. The days passed, and although a ransom was paid the captors did not release Zachariah Hawk. Returning from his mission, Hawk had despaired of ever seeing his parent again and had himself set out to trace the kidnappers. Detective Dove, Alice’s father, was due to retire and had instead teamed up with him to find Zachariah Hawk. Eventually after many sleepless nights and countless dead ends they caught a break. Lights had been seen in an abandoned flour mill, and a local farmer tending his cows had been suspicious. Bravely he had investigated and, looking through a window, saw a man gagged and tied to a chair. Recognizing him from newspaper articles, he phoned Scotland Yard, and Alice’s father was informed. Knowing of Hawk’s expertise in extracting people from dangerous places and situations he had asked for his help.
The rescue had been planned and was carried out with absolute precision. That was until the farmer had turned up, causing an unforeseen distraction. A distraction that allowed one of the kidnappers to secure an erstwhile hidden firearm, which he then aimed at Zachariah with deadly intent. Without thought to his own safety, Detective Dove stepped in the line of fire and suffered a terrible injury, that of a bullet in the head. Overpowering the criminal, Hawk secured the scene and called an ambulance. The prognosis hadn’t been good. Detective Dove would live, but the trauma had caused a stroke.
Coming back to the present, Hawk gazed across at the daughter of the man that had saved his father’s life, and his heart softened. Little did she know, but she was her father’s daughter in every sense of the word. Brave, stubborn, and feisty. Determined to live, she was a fighter, a survivor. And he would get her home. This he vowed with every fiber of his being. He sighed as he thought back to Detective Dove’s recovery. Eventually after months of therapy Alice’s father had improved, but his illness had left him disabled, unable to walk. Now years later he was almost fully recovered, able to walk with the aid of only a stick but unable to undertake the rescue of his beloved daughter. Forever in his debt, Hawk, now owner of his own covert operations agency had not hesitated when approached by Dove. And now after weeks of investigation, of dead ends and misdirections, here he was in some of the most dangerous mountains of the world, with Dove’s delicate, vulnerable daughter on a mission to get her back home.
Shaking himself out of the past he quickly doused the fire and began to gather up their few belongings. Chivvying Alice on, he indicated they had to get moving. It was nearly light, and Abdul was sure to be hot on their trail.
Chapter Eight
Following Hawk along the dusty track and avoiding hazards such as falling stones, cracks in the rocks, and ledges no wider than her foot, Alice wished for the umpteenth time that she’d never taken up the ballet. No ballet, no invented tour, no kidnapping, and therefore no rescue, ergo not traipsing along mountain ledges, teetering on the edge of precipices. However, her thoughts for most of the time were taken up with last night, the time she’d spent in Hawk’s arms. His indifference of this morning was something she’d not expected. An avid reader of romance novels, she’d imagined that after making love, Hawk would sweep her up in his arms and declare his undying love for her. Or maybe throw himself at her feet begging for her hand in marriage or even a, “Darling, last night was everything I’d hoped it would be, and although I have nothing else to give you, I ask you to accept the one thing in this world I need above all else—my heart.” Alice sniggered. As if?
Stopping for a break, Hawk passed her the canteen, and she drank thirstily.
“We’re nearly out.” She shook his canteen and indicated her empty one.
“We’ll be able to fill up in an hour or so. There’s a small stream just beyond that ridge. It’s fed by the snow melting off the summit.” He squinted at the sun. “It’ll soon be too hot to travel, so we’ll stop for a break there and maybe have some food.”
“You really know this mountain, Hawk. How come?”
He smiled wryly. “Let’s just say it’s not the first time I’ve traversed this route.”
“Mmm.” She scowled. “Tell me more.”
“No, that’s all I’m prepared to say on the matter.”
Alice quickly changed the subject, embarrassed at being refused.
“It doesn’t look as if we’re being followed.” She looked down but quickly pulled back as dizziness assailed her. She never did like heights.
“Indeed.”
“What does that mean? Do you think we are? Mmm, do you think Abdul’s out there?”
“Oh Abdul’s out there, all right, princess, but as to how close I’m not sure. However, there’s no need to worry we’re safe for now.”
“Oh, that’s very reassuring.”
“Best I can do right now, Alice.”
Falling into a melancholy silence, she slowly chewed the trail mix he’d handed her, her thoughts now on the gentle, sloping hills of home.
The next hour was grueling. The path they were traversing was uneven, and small stones brought down by landslides cut into the bottom of her flimsy shoes. The rope Hawk insisted stayed around her waist connecting them together was digging into her flesh, and as she kept falling behind she was sporadically tugged forward. It was hot, and the sun seemed to be at its zenith. Sweat beaded her brow and trickled relentlessly down her spine. Doggedly climbing, his pace slow and even, Hawk remained silent. From time to time he stopped and, raising binoculars, scanned the area around. Curiously, he would then look at his watch, at the sky, and at the compass before moving steadily on. Bewildered by his actions, Alice, besieged by questions, kept quiet saving what little breath she had for the climb.
Eventually, they reached a small plateau. Hawk called a halt. Thankfully Alice fell to the ground, too exhausted to do anything more. Untying the rope from around her waist he cautioned her against straying too near the edge. It was unstable, worn away by landslides. Barely nodding she lay on her back and stared up at the sky. It was so blue, as blue as the forget-me-nots that grew in her garden back home, as blue as the pond on a summer’s day, and as blue as…Hawk’s eyes. Now why was she going there? Thinking about Hawk’s eyes brought more of his attributes to mind, his wide shoulders, strong arms, thick thighs, and his amazing… No, she wasn’t going to go there, either. Sighing she rolled over. What on earth was the matter with her? She was acting like some lovesick heroine in a lurid romance novel. Yes, they’d had sex, yes, she’d enjoyed it, and yes, she wanted more, but it appeared that Hawk didn’t, so she had best forget it ever happened and instead, concentrate on getting through this.
Rolling onto her stomach she rested her head on her forearms and drifted off, reveling in the silence and the peace of the place. How long she lay there she didn’t know, but the smell of something cooking had her lifting her head like a startled deer. Food!
Scrambling to her feet she went over to where Hawk was bent over a small fire.
“Food?” she questioned eagerly.
“Just in time. I thought you were out for the count.” He lifted two plates and poured a mess of something on each and handed her one.
“Eat up before it gets cold. It’s going to be the last hot meal we’ll have for some time.”
Sitting on a nearby rock she stared down at the food and lifting the newly makeshift spoon pushed it around the plate. “What is it?”
“Meat and veg.” Hawk carried on eating.
“Yes, but what is it?”
Swallowing, he cast her an impatient look, and leaning over with his spoon he parted the green mess away from the brown. “Meat.” He pointed to the slivers
of brown. “And veg.” He indicated the strands of green.
Alice gritted her teeth. “Yes, I understood the first time. It’s meat and veg, but what I want to know is…” She took a steadying breath. “What. Exactly. Is it? And what I mean by that”—she spoke slowly as if talking to a child—“is what meat is it? From what animal? And what kind of veg is it? Because I can tell from the look of it, it’s not roast beef, and it’s not peas.”
Hawk grinned, forked a mouthful, chewed slowly, and swallowed before answering. “If you really want to know, princess, then I’ll tell you. The meat is rat and the veg is a desert grass, not very palatable but highly nutritious.”
Alice gagged. Rats! He expected her to eat rats and grass! What did he think she was, a bird of prey? Throwing the plate on the ground she glared at him. “I’m not eating rat, or grass for that matter. And only a sick individual would expect me to.”
“Eat it! You need the nutrition, and besides the trail mix and jerky we have very little food, and what we have has to last us until we get out of here.”
“Well, why can’t you catch a chicken again? That was tasty. Why resort to rodents of all things? I need proper food, not disgusting animals that nibble and slither.”
She looked at him suspiciously as he began to laugh.
“Let me enlighten you, princess. That was no chicken you ate. It was snake, so if you can eat that surely you can eat a little ol’ rat?”
“Why you… You disgusting dropout. You should have told me what I was eating. I’d never have eaten a snake if I had known.”
“Precisely.”
“What do you mean, precisely?”
“That you would never have eaten it if you’d known. That, princess, is exactly why I didn’t tell you, which is also why I didn’t want to tell you about the rat. Now unless you want to go hungry I suggest you eat that food before it’s too cold to be palatable.”
Palatable, he had to be joking! Staring at his back as he got up to fill their canteens from the small ripple of water that ran from out of the rocks, she wished she had a knife so she could…
Pursing her lips on her angry thoughts she instead picked up the plate and, separating the food, gingerly ate just the grass.
It wasn’t long before they were moving again and, Alice, feeling slightly sick, blamed it on Hawk and his disgusting gastronomic efforts.
Time passed, and Hawk started behaving in the same puzzling fashion as before, staring at the sky, scanning the area with his binoculars, consulting the compass, and checking his watch. What was it all about? On the point of asking she was stopped from doing so by Hawk grabbing hold of her arm and hauling her a few more feet up the mountain to a large projection.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“We’re in for a storm and a doozy by the looks of things.”
Alice stared around and up at the sky. It looked clear and calm, and she wondered rather worriedly, had Hawk got a touch of heat stroke? And if he had, what the hell could she do about it?
She frowned. “Are you sure? Because it looks as clear as a bell to me.”
“Believe me, sweetheart, I’m sure. The weather in mountainous regions can change dramatically within minutes. One minute the sky is azure blue the next all hell can break loose with thunder and lightning and heavy rainfall, so you have to have your wits about you and be prepared. And believe me, Alice, prepared is one thing I am. Anyway we’ll camp here for the night. It’ll be dark soon, and this seems to be the only sheltered area around.”
“Well as we’re stopping, can we light a fire?” she asked hopefully. A small blaze did wonders for one’s disposition.
“That I can do, sweetheart.”
True to his word, soon a small fire was blazing. Crouching before it Alice wondered where was the frightening storm Hawk had predicted?
Chapter Nine
The rain lashed down, thunder rolled across the heavens, and jagged streaks of lightning lightened the sky. Alice cowered against the rock, more frightened than she had ever thought possible. She’d always hated storms, but the storms she’d experienced in England seemed mild compared to this. It was like Mother Nature was having a tantrum and raging against the destructive nature of man. Hawk was calmly making coffee and when he turned to hand her a cup she saw that he finally realized how scared she really was.
“Alice, I didn’t realize. Why didn’t you say something?”
Moving toward her, he scooped her up close.
Finding comfort in his arms she rubbed her face against the material of his shirt, feeling the heat of his body emanating through the material. Closing her eyes she inhaled the scent of him, wood smoke, pine, and the musky scent that was uniquely his. Cringing as the thunder crashed and grumbled she murmured a small protest and, squeezing her eyes tightly closed, hoped that by doing so the thunder would quickly recede.
The warmth of Hawk’s arms held her in a cocoon of safety from which she never wanted to be released, and focusing on him rather than the storm she inserted her fingers through the edges of his shirt. Carefully she flicked open a button, then two, and gently pushing her hand inside, moved it in a small circular motion over his muscular chest.
“Alice.” His hand halted the movement of hers. “Stop. You don’t know what you’re doing, asking.”
“I know, Hawk. I know exactly what I’m doing. I need this. I need to feel close to someone, close to you. I want to shut my eyes and let the feelings take me. I want to block out all that went before and all that might come, and in your arms with you inside me I feel I can do that. So please make love to me.”
“Alice.” Hawk sighed. “This is not the answer. Your father trusted me to get you home safely. He didn’t ask me to rescue you and then steal your virginity.”
“Hawk, my darling Hawk.” She gently placed a hand on his cheek and stared into his eyes. “You didn’t steal anything from me. I gave it to you willingly, happily, and now I need you to make me feel alive again.”
Hesitating for but a second, Hawk lowered his head, and finding her lips with his he gently eased her down onto the ground and covered her soft body with his hard one.
The touch of his fingers on her face, the tender glide of his hand on the softness of her skin caused her heartbeat to quicken. The very gentleness of him touched her soul in a way she could never explain, and it was in that moment she knew that she loved him. Loved this strong, silent man. This man that risked everything to save her, and she felt humble.
Soon they were naked, breast to breast, hip to hip, and as the elements clashed all around them he made her completely and utterly his. His cock buried deep inside her sought out her G-spot and stroked gently, tenderly until the ripples of sensation emitting from her core wound their way like fire through her veins to detonate in her womb. The vibrations inside her began to gather in strength as did the tempest overhead. The storm and their passion seemed somehow to be primitively linked. The rolling clouds were imitated by the roll of Hawk’s body against hers. The steady thump of her heart was emulated by the crashing of thunder overhead, and as the rain lashed down, its steady drip, drip off the overhang onto the dusty mountainside mimicked the quickening thud of her pulse. As the jagged lightning stabbed the air, illuminating the world around them, she felt the wild and primitive energy that surged through Hawk as he reached his climax. Alice’s breath caught at the back of her throat as the storm rose to a crescendo, and simultaneously her orgasm exploded like a thousand brilliant fireworks.
Gradually Alice came back to earth. Hawk lay heavy against her, his uneven breath lightly caressing her face. Their lovemaking had felt like never before. The storm raging across the sky had somehow released her inhibitions, and she had been as wild as Mother Nature’s elements. Smiling secretly to herself she wondered had Hawk noticed just how enthusiastic she had been. Sobering a little she couldn’t help but wonder if they would indeed get home and if they did…what then? Would Hawk still want to continue with their relationship? Or would he just
walk away? She chalked what they experienced in each other’s arms down to the stress of the moment. Sighing she snuggled closer. Perhaps it would be better not to think, but just take one marvelous day at a time.
* * * *
The sun was high in the sky when Alice was woken by Hawk shaking her relentlessly, his face set and serious.
“W–whatisit?” she mumbled, her words slurring into one.
“Get up. We should have been moving hours ago.” Handing her a mug of coffee he quickly doused the fire and gathered the gear.
“Ready?” he asked only moments later, looking impatiently at her as she struggled into her clothes.
“What’s the hurry?”
“There’s movement on the ridge.” He pointed to an overhang some distance away.
Raising scared eyes to him, she quickened her movements. “Abdul?” she whispered.
“Uncertain. Could be bandits.”
Oh God, oh God, oh God! Swinging the pack onto her sore shoulders she waited for him to take the lead.
They were climbing steadily, and with every step, every breath, Alice was sure she was going to feel a bullet between the shoulders. Hawk was focused, his powerful legs setting a punishing pace, which she found hard to sustain.
Wanting to call out and beg for a rest she instead focused on taking one hard-earned step at a time. Sweat ran down her back, trickling into the waistband of her trousers, her feet hurt in their flimsy broken sandals, and her shoulders were chafed raw by the pack’s abrasive rub. Time passed, and it felt like hours before Hawk finally called a halt. Thankful beyond words, Alice dropped to the ground and eased her pack off her tender shoulders. Handing her the canteen, Hawk lifted his binoculars and began to carefully scan the area. Gulping great loads of water, Alice waited with some trepidation to hear the news. Were they still being followed?
Man of the Mountain (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 5