Trouble Under Venus

by Autumn Piper

  “Did you ever climb another tree?”

  “Not for a long time,” he muttered, “and then only if I knew I could get down. And your fear of snakes comes from where?”

  “Oh, look! There are the Indian ruins! Do you want to stop there first, or catch them on the way back from meditating at the twisted tree?”

  “Let’s keep going while it’s still cool. You were saying?”

  “Arg.” No getting out of this one. “We spent a week at a ranch when I was fourteen. The rancher was a friend of my step-dad’s. One day a bunch of us kids were coming back from a horseback ride across this plateau, so we were riding beside each other instead of following. All of a sudden, my horse shied at something. Slid out from under me like I wasn’t even there. I landed flat on my back. Right when I sat up, I heard the rattlesnake. My God, the sound still freaks me out when I hear it on nature shows. Then I saw it, right in front of me, ready to strike. I froze. If you ever thought the phrase ‘paralyzed with fear’ was an exaggeration, you’re wrong.”

  The memory of it, combined with the steep hill we were climbing, had my heart pumping like crazy. I stopped next to a tree.

  Beside me, Mitch waited patiently for me to go on.

  “This…older…boy, Billy, threw a rock on the other side of the snake to distract it. It turned away, then Billy pulled me up to my feet.” My heart had nearly stopped when faced with the snake. After Billy saved me, it’d raced so fast, I thought it would explode.

  “Are you afraid of horses, too? It was the horse that left you in that position.”

  “No! Falling off a horse is seldom fatal, you know. Besides, she’d never have dumped me if the snake wasn’t there.” And since the mare I’d been riding had already run home, David let me ride back with him. Riding behind his saddle wasn’t comfortable, but by then I had adrenaline pumping through my veins. With the fear gone, all that was left was a natural high. When David helped me down from his horse, he gave me a little hug and asked me to meet him behind the barn later. Thus, from my most fearful moment was born a positive connection with the adrenaline high. And my first love.

  “So the horse gets off scot-free and the snake ends up the villain, when it was just trying to defend itself.” He looked at me and shook his head. “And judging by that moony look in your eyes, the kid got to be your hero.”

  “Sure,” I answered, “he might have saved my life.”

  “When you get down to the brass tacks, all he really did was throw a rock.”

  “Geez, Goodman. Ever hear the term ‘everyday heroes’? You can be heroic without being Superman. Not everybody can be James Bond. I mean.” I clapped my hand over my mouth. Bond was probably exactly who Mitch wanted to be. And judging by his poor disguise on this mission, he’d never become a super-spy. “What I mean is, um, not everybody is fantastic at what they do. I’m sure with some experience, you’ll get better at your job.” Wow, I’d really stuck my foot in it this time. Not only had I made Mitch out to be less than a hero, but I’d let him know I thought he was lousy at his job. “I’m sorry. That came out all wrong. What I mean is—”

  Expecting him to be offended, I braced myself. Instead, his dimple appeared. He threw back his head and laughed. “So you think I’m new at this but I’ll improve with experience, huh?” Still chuckling, he started up the trail ahead of me.

  I was right; hiking was much more enjoyable with Mitch’s rear end in my view.

  Chapter 8

  Around me, birds chirped and a plane flew overhead. Somewhere to my right, Mitch shifted and sent a rock bouncing away. The sounds didn’t matter, because inside me was quiet.

  I’d been here before, this place in my mind where silence was a thick, palpable sound, where nothingness was all. Upon reaching this place inside, my body relaxed still more, ’til even the backs of my hands resting on my legs felt like nothing. Ahhh. Not thinking felt wonderful. Warmth surrounded me, buoyed me as I let myself float. A glow permeated my focus, energy humming throughout my body, growing stronger with each completed circuit. Sleep seemed like the last thing I’d ever need again. Snips of concepts came to me: comfort. Positive. Happy. The concepts linked, grew more concrete. Certainty, confidence in myself. What I thought, I could do. Where I wanted, I could go. Tendrils of translucent images swirled, then faded as I—

  “Randi.”

  This sound, too, I gently nudged from my consciousness.

  “Randi!”

  A firm hand on my shoulder.

  A clap of thunder.

  I opened my eyes and blew a frustrated raspberry.

  “Christ. I thought you’d put yourself into a coma. C’mon! There’s a storm coming.”

  “Where are we going?” I stood and stretched, rubbed the bleariness from my eyes. The western sky had turned an ominous gray-black while we’d been deep in meditation.

  “Down would be our best bet. Away from as many rocks as possible, to avoid the lightning. Someplace flat where we can pitch the tent, but high enough to be safe if it’s a gully-washer.” Mitch settled my pack on my shoulders and took off at a fast clip.

  Around us, the wind had picked up. Pinion branches waved maniacally at us as we passed.

  He climbed down a ledge and turned to give me a hand. “You’re pretty quiet.”

  I nodded while using both hands and feet to gain holds in the dry moss-rocks on either side of me.

  Once I’d safely made it down, he gave me the suspicious eye, but moved on without waiting for further explanation.

  As if to herald the coming storm, a condor surfing a wind current above us shrieked.

  By the time we passed the Indian ruins—now devoid of tourists—I could smell rain coming up the canyon.

  Mitch left the trail and I followed him down, then up, down, then up, ’til he’d found a small mesa he deemed suitable for our camp. Ordinarily, I’d have insisted on having a say in where we camped, but I couldn’t find anything wrong with the site. Besides, the first drops were already falling as we tugged the tent from its tiny nylon bag. It was one of those handy little pop-up tents, similar to the wire-framed windshield shade I had for my car. With the wind tearing past, it took all I had to hold the tent in place while Mitch drove stakes into the sandy soil. Thunder boomed from down the canyon and the raindrops got bigger, more numerous. Colder. God above, the raindrops were freezing here! While I shoved the two sleeping bags inside the tent, Mitch strung the storm cover above me, which formed an awning we could store our packs under.

  “Think Sudo could’ve possibly found a smaller tent?” I muttered.

  “After you.” He motioned for me to enter the shelter, which would be just big enough for us to lay side by side, with maybe one foot of clearance above.

  I toed off my soaked shoes and left them by the front flap, then went in, feet first. When I rolled to my belly to look out, Mitch was squatting, trying to strip off his wet shirt and shorts. I watched, hypnotized, until he noticed.

  “Unless you want your bed wet, you’d better do the same.” With those sage words, he hung his clothes over his pack.

  “Um. Oh.” No way would I get naked in front of him. No way. I’d seen him nearly nude in his swim gear, and his bod was a spectacular sight. Mine, not so much. I’d toned up since my split with David, but still wasn’t wild about the looks of my body. Somewhere in my pack was a long windbreaker. I scooted back out the door far enough to reach inside the pack and dig for it. “I’m gonna, er, put this on.”

  His lips puckered and nose wrinkled. Barely nodding, he turned away. God. Muscles rippled across his lower back, right above perky buns stretching red bikini briefs.

  I’d better hurry up. Rain beat on the roof and blew sideways under the awning, showering Mitch while I gawked. Once I’d gotten my soaked shirt, shorts, and bra off, I slid the slick jacket on and zipped. While I hung my clothing as Mitch had his, he slid into the tent beside me.

  “Nice bra,” he teased.

  “Shut up.” How humiliating to have him see suc
h a utilitarian garment, not some frothy, sexy thing as I’d have liked. “It’s a sport bra.”

  “If I tell you you’ve got a nice rack, will you say they’re sport boobs?”

  The flush I felt on my face could have been from his compliment, or from his body being so close. Knowing we’d be like this all night long, and probably all afternoon too, I didn’t know whether to bless Mrs. Sudo or curse her.

  A flash, almost overhead, and a simultaneous crack of thunder.

  “Shit!” I yelped.

  His eyes rounded. “Are you scared of lightning too?”

  “Of course I respect lighting, as anybody with sense does. But I’m not scared, just nervous. Just cautious. Just—”

  Bam! The world shook as lightning struck close by. Whether I jumped toward him or he grabbed me, I didn’t know. But only his arms kept me from shaking out of my skin.

  “That one startled me, that’s all,” I said. “Took me by surprise.” His chuckle in my left ear raised goosebumps down my arm. “I actually like thunderstorms, when I’m at home. Get up in the night to watch from the porch sometimes. They’re really beautiful. Really.”

  “You babble when you’re scared.”

  “I told you I’m not scared, I’m just—”

  “Shut up.” His mouth covered mine, giving me no choice. He smelled of rain, tasted of the Dentyne gum Mrs. Sudo had thoughtfully included in our packs. His lips were cool, smooth, and then tight when he grinned. “Works every time.”

  “Yeah,” I breathed. Up close, his eyes had flecks of blue sprinkled amid the green. My hand slid up from his pec to brush wet hair back from his temple. Despite the storm raging around us, our tent had suddenly grown warm. With his body pressed full length against mine, I resented my stifling jacket. It seemed the universe conspired to get Mitch and I in bed together. Mrs. Sudo, the weather, our raging libidos. “Wanta try shutting me up again?” I’d start reciting the Declaration of Independence if it’d get him to kiss me.

  “Maybe,” he said, his voice almost a croak. His woody pressed against my leg. “I think we need to be really careful here. So one of us doesn’t get hurt.”

  I tried to suppress my irritation at his insinuation he might hurt me. “Look, Goodman. I’m not planning on anything serious. Once we leave on our time trips, we’ll probably never see each other again.” The hand I’d previously stroked his hair with was put to good use as I pushed myself bodily away from him. “I barely know you, so how could you hurt me?” Other women had sexual affairs without attachment, why couldn’t I?

  “Oh, you think? We’ll just blast into the past and never see each other again?”

  “What do you know that I don’t? Dammit!” All the intrigue, all the secrets…

  “I know you aren’t gonna forget this whole week!”

  “How can you know that?” I demanded.

  Under his fading fake tan, his face reddened. His eyes opened wide for an instant. Then his hands wrapped around the back of my head and pulled me close again. His lips, hungry and determined, seized mine. I’d barely registered what was happening when his tongue met mine. I should resist, shouldn’t let him prove his point so easily… but what was the point anyway?

  Mitchell Goodman, hottie federal agent, was kissing me like there was no tomorrow. If tomorrow came, I’d worry about his point. He rolled over and pinned me under his heavy, hard body. I moaned, and when I squeezed his butt, he let out a growl.

  The spark we’d nursed along for days flared bright, hot and ravenous. We fed it with greedy mouths and groping hands, with swallowed sighs and the smooth zip as he opened my jacket. His chest was hard and humid against mine, and then he rolled us again, so I was on top. In contrast to the heat between us, the tent against my back felt like ice as rain pelted it. I gasped and pressed my body into his.

  “Cold, hmm?” he murmured. His mouth left mine and blazed along my neck. “I’ll keep you warm.” His feverish hands slid up and down my back and I instantly forgot the tent fabric.

  “I know,” was all I could say. I knew I wouldn’t get cold with him, like I knew I’d never forget him.

  “Randi. Oh, fuck.” His words were little more than moans and pants in my ear. “I just…want you.”

  A thrill coursed through my body at his words. He wanted me. “Me too. I mean, okay.” In an effort to calm the burning need for his touch, to take him inside me, I pressed against his erection, going for any clitoral contact I could get. This was going to be so good.

  “Ohhh.” He let out the moan, then put his hands on my ass to still me. “Fuck. I can’t do this.”

  “Yes, you can! You’re hard as a rock.”

  “No. Not on a case.”

  “Then change cases. Quit this one. Or pretend I’m not part of it. It’s not like you have me in custody or anything.”

  His right hand moved up from my butt and ground against his eyes. “But we have no condoms.”

  “Oh.” A valid point. “I’m not on the pill anymore. Or anything.” And I sure didn’t need to get knocked up before I’d learned what happened to my father. “Promise me one thing, Goodman?”

  “Yeah?” His voice was strained as I rolled off him.

  “Promise you won’t back out on me tomorrow when we get back to civilization?”

  “All right. I promise.”

  “Geez,” I muttered. “What the hell are we gonna do all afternoon, now? The least Mrs. Sudo could’ve done was pack a deck of cards.” With a reluctant tug, I zipped my jacket up again and got comfy on my back.

  “Maybe we should perfect that meditation thing we were doing this afternoon,” he replied. “You went pretty deep, huh?”

  “I guess.” I felt cautious. Would he think I was nuts if I told him what had happened to me? “I might’ve been dehydrated, because I started seeing things. Visions.”

  “I know. I was…there. Didn’t you feel me?”

  “Um.” I hadn’t. Not in the least. “Yes.” And to divert his attention, “Hey, how’d you come here so advanced at meditation, anyway? Did you have some Special Forces training? Like Judo or Karate?”

  “Oh, Drew. Somethin’ like that. Quiet down and meditate now. Maybe if we get good at this, Sudo will let us go on our mission soon.” His left hand reached my right one and laced around it.

  “Okay.” I tried but failed to stifle a yawn. Above us, the rain had slowed to a steady, soothing beat. I should be wondering how it was Mitch had sensed me during meditation, but with his warm hand holding mine in our private little world, I was too damned relaxed to worry. Thunder boomed low and increasingly distant up the canyon. At least for now, the storm had passed.

  Chapter 9

  I opened my eyes to find Mitch’s face directly in front of mine. In the dim light inside the tent, I made out a soft look on his face, a tender smile. My lips were warm, from—

  “Did you kiss me?”

  His smile widened. “Had to wake you up sometime.”

  Above us, the tent sagged, wet and still. All was quiet except for the rushing of nearby water. “When did it stop raining?”

  “Not long after you fell asleep. Which was, like, immediately.”

  His teasing should have miffed me, but he ran his thumb over my lips and that tender smile returned. Something long dormant awakened, fluttered its wings inside in my chest. It didn’t matter that I’d utterly failed to meditate and slept away the afternoon, not when I’d awakened with Mitch gazing at me, looking like he was falling for me just as fast as I was falling for—“Oh. My. God.”

  His hand stilled along my cheek. “What?”

  “I, um…” I really needed to be alone to think. “I’ve really got to go to the bushes.” One quick zip and the tent flap opened enough for me to scramble out, no doubt giving him quite a show of my sleep-rumpled behind in the process. It didn’t matter. I’d had a huge revelation and needed time to make sense of it. After shoving bare feet into my clammy sneakers, I crawled out from under the makeshift canopy and found a trail up to
the trees.

  Thank God we were secluded and I didn’t have to worry about any strangers seeing me traipsing around in nothing but sneakers and a long windbreaker.

  My business finished, a big flat rock caught my eye. Damp, but not exactly wet, it looked like the perfect place to ruminate, so I took a seat.

  Falling for Mitch was not in my plans. They didn’t include any man, at least not until I’d solved my big mystery. This trip was for me. Nothing could get in the way of my mission.

  Well, it wasn’t like he’d tried to stop me. Not directly, at least. Deep down, I didn’t want to believe he was out to keep me from using Sudo’s method. At least I didn’t still think he was a serial killer. Yet, how stupid could I be, falling for a guy I didn’t know at all? Maybe I wasn’t. Maybe it was infatuation. Lust. After all, a woman my age had biological needs. And it had been so long since mine were met, I could hardly remember the event. Not that David would have done anything particularly memorable…

  Sex. That was what I needed.

  I stood and wiped the damp sandstone from the part of the jacket I’d been sitting on.

  Sex. Tomorrow. I’ve waited this long. I can surely wait another day.

  Mitch had taken down the canopy and folded it, dry side up. He sat on one end of it, our food laid out in front of him, wearing shorts but no shirt.

  Only one more day...

  “A picnic, huh?” I asked to announce myself.

  “There’s not much of the sunset left. And this trail mix doesn’t look as good as chicken.” He stared at our dry dinner, lip curled.

  “I’m hungry. So no matter what kind of argument you start with me, you won’t get to eat my dinner tonight.” Taking a seat opposite him, I looked at the western sky while I re-braided my hair. The sun was long gone, leaving only fading spears of pink and orange behind. Darkness descended around us, along with a chill.

  “I, uh, hung your clothes with mine in that tree.” His words pulled my attention back to my bare legs, which I folded beneath me. “Hopefully the breeze’ll dry them by morning.”