She grinned. "Quite a trick, huh? Still, I'll admit I was damned scared."
"I guess you still have more to accomplish on this old earth, babe," Rudi offered philosophically. "A mission not yet done."
Yolanda ran her fingers through her still wet hair, trying to dry it. "Do you really believe that?"
"Sure. My grandmother used to say that everyone has a mission on earth." Rudi served everyone more hot chocolate. "And when there's a close call like that, the mission hasn't yet been accomplished."
"I can't imagine what in the world my mission could be," Yolanda scoffed.
"Why, you make people laugh," Jake said. "It keeps the human spirit up. For some, it's even proven to be physically as well as emotionally healing."
"Oh yeah? Cure your heart attack with a routine from Yolanda!" she joked.
"Or, cure your heart ache by laughing with Yolanda," Brit corrected.
"Think I could do a routine about this . . . about what happened to us today?" Yolanda asked.
"From my perspective," Rudi grumbled, taking his seat next to hers, "it wasn't very funny."
"From my perspective, perched on a rock," Yolanda began teasingly, "you guys were like the Keystone Kops, running around, jumping, yelling, and finally getting a rope. It's amazing you got anything done!"
Brit recalled her peaceful bath yesterday witnessed only by a bird until Jake came along. "What about the perspective of a hawk watching us today? I'll bet he thought we were strange, running around like that."
"Yeah," Yolanda chuckled and lapsed into her storytelling voice. "Hey, how about this? A couple of hawks are up there spinning around, catching air currents over the Grand Canyon when they spot a couple of humans diddling around in an overgrown swimming pool." She paused and looked at Rudi with a girlish giggle. "When all of a sudden, one of those humans starts floating away. The one who's left gets his buddies, and they lasso the one who fell in." She paused again, testing her punch line timing. "Which shows that diddling can be dangerous . . . unless you've got a rope." Although the group laughed, she dismissed them with one hand. "Aw, it needs some work, a lot of work, but maybe . . ."
"You forgot about the part where you wouldn't leave the rock," Rudi added. "I thought for a few minutes that you'd laid an egg out there and didn't want to abandon your nest."
"Hey, that's not bad," Yolanda said. "You want to be my writer? But seriously, folks, I want to thank you all for making it possible for me to be here, planning a goofy version of what happened today."
"Only you could make us laugh about it," Brit said.
Yolanda yawned and stood to warm her backside by the fire. "After this most eventful day, I'm pooped. I think I can sleep tonight even in that cold, uncomfortable tent."
She approached Jake. "I think a hug is in order for the hunk who saved my life." Before he could react, Yolanda swept her arms around him in a big bear hug. When she stepped back, she wiped a tear from each eye. Then she hugged Brit, too. It was a tender moment, and obviously a rare one for Yolanda, so she quickly made light of the situation. "Hey, better catch my beauty zzz's. Tomorrow might be the day we're rescued and I’ve got to look good for the cameras. G'night all."
Rudi shook Jake's hand with his big mitt and hugged Brit, too, then followed Yolanda into the big tent.
Jake nursed the small fire, which sputtered because of the damp wood.
"I'm glad everything turned out okay," Brit commented.
"Um-hummm. Of course."
"You did an admirable thing today, Jake."
"As I said earlier, I couldn't have done anything by myself. It was a joint effort. We all did it."
"Well, Rudi and I couldn't have saved her by ourselves, either. I was very proud to know you today."
Jake stood up and stretched. He felt uncomfortable listening to Brit's compliments and knew only one way to stop them. "I'm tired, too. Are you ready for bed?"
"Sure." Brit stood and turned to pick up the sleeping bag she'd wrapped around herself.
Jake caught her arm and slipped it over his shoulder, pulling her against him. His arms curved around her waist. "To bed in the loft?"
"Yep," she nodded, leaning into the warm masculine strength of his body. It felt good to be in his arms. "It's as safe as any place around here. Safer than most."
"Together?"
Her heart pounded, and she smiled in the darkness. "Are you asking permission?"
"It isn’t my usual course of action, but down here, I feel that everything is at risk. Including us. Except for tonight."
"I hate risk," she whispered. "I prefer a sure thing."
"Sorry, no promises. Except one."
"Yes?"
"It’ll be good. Tonight."
Brit's breath caught in her throat, and she turned her face down. She could feel his breathing, the steady rise and fall of his chest. She'd never done anything like this, with someone she knew so little. But she'd never known a man she'd been more attracted to, anyone she'd respected more. Anyone she'd wanted more.
This afternoon, they'd come close, so very close to intimacy. She'd been willing then. Oh, so willing.
"Brit . . . beautiful Brit . . ." His voice was low, almost a whisper.
She raised her eyes and looked at his shadowed face. The angles picked up the flickering light from the campfire with hints of the shaded slope of his jawline. His eyes were dark, inviting, sexy. The man was mysterious in some ways, bold in others. She desired him more than she had desired any man. She wanted him, completely and thoroughly, wanted him tonight.
"Yes, Jake?"
With one finger under her chin, he gently lifted her face until their lips met. Firm and cool, they pressed against her mouth. His tongue slid across her lower lip and she opened for his
delicious invasion. The sensuous stroking of his tongue against hers sent tides of passion flowing fresh and new between them.
"Oh my," she murmured breathlessly when he took his kisses to her chin and cheeks.
"Hmmm?"
"Sometimes you have to go on intuition," she murmured as his lips brushed hers. "My intuition says yes tonight."
"Yes, yes, yes," he murmured and picked her up, sleeping bag and all, and carried her to the foot of their rocky loft where they began their climb to the cave.
CHAPTER SIX
She took his hand and kissed the palm, then placed it on her cheek. The warmth from his body radiated to hers.
Jake spread his hand beneath her chin and his fingertips stroked her cheeks, her neck, the sensitive area between her breasts. He kissed her lips lightly. "Hmmm, Brit, I want to know the real you, the beautiful you. Let's get rid of this shirt."
The backs of his fingers nudged her responsive skin as he unbuttoned the flannel shirt. Her creamy breasts stood high and firm, their nipples erect as if proudly acclaiming her womanhood. Unable to resist their rounded allure, he caressed them lightly as his hands scooted the shirt off her shoulders.
She was fair and breathtakingly beautiful with a special feminine charm which, in itself, was a minor miracle here in his rough world. He appreciated her, cherished her as he would a gift, an unexpected pleasure in his life. He had expected to work this summer, work with no relief, no companionship, no beautiful woman. Now he had more than he could deal with, much more than he could resist in Brit. He was beyond trying. He had dreamed of her sleeping alone, and longed for her next to him. But, it had been a fantasy.
Jake had forgotten how he would feel in the arms of a woman, especially one who appealed to him on all levels, not just sexual. And here was Brit, eager for him, a blond delight who wanted him as he wanted her.
She stood trembling before him, both from the exposure of her partial nudity to the cool night air and from the erotic strokes of Jake's admiring hands. Making low murmurs, he left no doubt that he adored every inch that he touched. She thrilled to that knowledge and yearned for more. Much more. His hands drew along her ribs, fingers spread wide, then moved lower. She loved the firmness of his t
ouch.
"Take these off, too," he breathed, unsnapping the jeans she wore. His jeans. One hand deftly unbuttoned the fly with easy familiarity while the other slid behind her and pushed the jeans slithering to the ground.
She shivered, and he took delight in her reactions as his palms roamed her soft curves. He was like a potter, molding her body into the perfect female image. The perfect creation was at his fingertips. The darkness magically transformed her into willing artist's clay—soft, pliant, moist. With every caress, she became, in his clumsy hands, exactly what he wanted her to be. Perfection.
"My turn," she said with certain eagerness, starting at the bottom shirt buttons at his waist and working her way up his chest to the pulsing V at his neck. She opened the shirt and kissed the muscled stretch of his chest, traveling from one tight male nipple to the other.
His skin was sleek, and kissing it was like pressing her lips to silk. Free of any but the faintest of body hair, her lips skimmed lightly, tasting and savoring with every kiss. He smelled fresh, like a walk in the desert rain when the earthy fragrances mingled. She ran her tongue around his nipples, and he tasted faintly of moss and nutmeg. The unusual combination was heady and erotic.
After discarding his shirt, Brit slowly unsnapped the front fly of his jeans and proceeded to remove them, too. Not daring to look at him, actually unable to see much of him in the dark, she settled for touching. Shy at first, Brit reached around him and covered each slender buttock with her palms, pressing him to her. The swell of his masculinity urged against her belly, exciting her, thrilling her with anticipation.
"Oh yes, Jake," she murmured, holding him firmly to her. He quivered against her and she thrilled to his reaction.
Jake held her, running his hands down her back and over the curve of her fanny. "You'd better get into the sleeping bag before you get chilled."
Brit followed his directions and watched Jake get himself ready for her. His actions were sensuous for, at this angle, his lean, smooth body caught just enough flickers of light from the campfire to reveal the masculine shapes she so desired.
He slid into the sleeping bag with her and, for a moment, there was no contact. Neither touched the other. But their expectations were strong, almost tangible, and the height of desire bridged the small space between them. The moment was filled with an increased tension, homage to the basic elements of physical attraction between man and woman when they both realized the dominance of passion.
Then the modest separation was closed as Jake moved to encompass her length with his. Brit felt his body with every alert fiber of her being. From top to bottom, chest to pelvis, shoulder to thigh, they met and mingled. Even their legs and feet entwined. His energy reached out to her, surrounding her. She rejoiced in his masculine embrace and melded her body to his boldness.
His lips captured hers with urgent passion. There were no more hesitant nor gentle brushes. His mouth took hers, trying different angles, drinking in her sweetness as if he could never get enough. He was instinctively teaching her how to kiss him, how to respond to, how to please him. She was thrilled and somewhat amazed with the new sensations cascading through her body. And the kisses, each and every one, increased the level of desire coursing through her veins.
"Tell me," he said between delicious kisses. "Tell me how you feel right now."
Brit nearly laughed out loud at his outrageous suggestion. How could she think at a time like this? She'd never been asked how she felt in the midst of passion. But she'd never felt such powerful passion as at this moment. She'd never realized it could be so good, this good.
Now that Jake was asking, she was curious to examine her feelings, and willing for him to know. "Excited . . ." she began tentatively. Then she added, breathlessly, ". . . and a little nervous, maybe."
"Nervous? Why?" His hands caressed her breasts, rubbing the tips with a gentle rhythm of his thumbs.
She could hardly think past her body's reactions to his caressing. "Nervous that we're finally here, just you and me, alone. That the moment's now."
"It's what you wanted, isn't it?" His hands traced her ribs and explored her back, massaging gently.
"Yes . . . didn't you?"
"Wanted you from the beginning," he confirmed as he stroked her hips, then her thighs. He relished touching what he had only watched until now.
"Yes, oh, yes—" She took a quick breath as he ventured to more intimate parts of her body.
He spread one large hand over her belly, digging his fingers into the curls at her feminine juncture. "Me, too. I want . . ." His hand went lower, fingers slipping between her thighs. "You. Want you now. Want to please you. Tell me how."
"I want . . . you, too. Want to please you, Jake." She'd never thought of lovemaking in this way.
Michael had never asked how she felt, never seemed to want to please her, just her alone. And she had never felt the urge to please him, either. They just went at lovemaking like anything else they did together, each seeking an individual pleasure from the experience. Nothing was shared. Michael usually took the lead, and she followed without question or examination of her own feelings.
Now that Jake was asking about her feelings, she was forced to examine why they were here and what was their purpose. Was this just a sexual experience, merely for the pleasure, or was there more to this encounter between her and Jake? She wanted to believe the latter.
Miraculously, any inhibitions she harbored with this man she hardly knew fell away like their discarded clothes on the cave floor. There was nothing between her and Jake; their relationship was merging, both physically and emotionally. Together. And that was all that mattered.
Brit felt free, as if she were just now discovering her true nature, both her sensual nature and her inner self. These intensely personal elements merged to become one Brit, one liberated, thoroughly alive woman, reveling in her own awakened passion, in her sexuality. She could be herself and enjoy this relationship with Jake.
While she savored the erotica of the moments, enhanced by her own imagination, he slid be-tween her legs and pressed himself into her with such a sudden thrusting that it took her breath away. Curiously, this joining with Jake seemed to be the culmination that her mind and body craved. Together they were fire and spirit, emotion and senses, man and woman. They were together, the way they were meant to be.
Her desires rushed to the ultimate brink that she had so often missed in her relationship with Michael. Her head reeled, her body sang with a new vibrancy. She dug her hands through his hair and moaned low, hoping the wind would carry their sounds of love away, to the towering walls of stone, and on to the sky.
His hands circled her waist, reaching under her hips, lifting, forcing himself fully into her until she moaned again with abounding pleasure.
Again and again he drove into her, rocking them together to the ledge of sensibility. She clung to him, pressing herself to him, going with him all the way. She reached higher and higher, ascending to the wildest heaven she had ever known. She wanted this experience, this marvelous encounter never to end. Together forever!
And when the rapture gripped them, it sent them over the edge and into a swirling of intensity and sensation that combined lust and joy and zeal and . . . love. Love of everything and everyone; love beyond description; love of life; love of each other.
Brit had never known such depths of feeling. She wanted to cry or shout or laugh wildly for joy. Tears burned her eyes and she squeezed them shut, just as she held him tightly to her, in her.
When it was over, a radiant glow warmed them, and they lay in each other's arms for a long time. Jake held her tenderly, still kissing her occasionally, but gently now, and lovingly.
Brit returned his sweet kisses, sometimes pressing her lips to his neck or chest. She wondered if, for a moment, she had lost consciousness in the intensity of her sexual frenzy. She felt as if something had carried her out of this world, away from this sleeping bag in a cave and to some warm, wonderful cloud-like heaven.<
br />
They had flown away together. And now they were back, bare bodies heated, the cold night air on their faces. Together.
Brit felt like a different person. Not only had she been introduced to the most terrific sex she'd ever experienced, but she had been freed to experience life and love at its ultimate. The highest and the best. And they were hers to take, hers to have for this night. With Jake.
She nestled in his arms, comfortable in their new relationship, feeling no regrets nor doubts. It had been right; she would always believe that. Sleep came like a solace, a blanket of contentment in a life of turbulence and ruggedness. Her confusion was gone. Jake gave her a new self-worth and ultimately, a new self that was liberating to her soul. She would always be grateful. She would always remember this encounter, and Jake. Sleep was the only drug that carried her away.
"Brit. Brit, do you want to go . . ." The lightest feather-breath tickled her ear, and Brit fought the heavy sleep that tugged at her subconscious. Still that feather pestered her ear. She brushed at the pest.
"Hmmm?" she mumbled, not awake, but automatically pulling the covers over her head.
Something skimmed her ear again. "Brit . . . go with me?"
"Go home?"
"No. Not that." His voice rumbled in her ear. "Not yet."
Something in the tone, or perhaps the sound of her own voice, woke her. Brit opened her eyes to the dim light of morning. The cave. The Grand Canyon. Jake. "Jake?" She turned to find him smiling down at her.
His dark, hooded eyes contained traces of sleep, and his touchable jet hair was still disheveled from a night of tossing on the pillow with her. His voice sounded hoarse in the early morning quiet. "Do you want to go to the cliff dwellings with me. If not, you can sleep all day. It's okay." He said it with a smile, as if he expected her to turn over and close the shades on the day.
After last night, though, Brit was inspired not to miss a thing, even a moment, with Jake. He was too vital, too involved, too interesting. Her eyes widened. "Of course, I want to go with you. I told you I did."
"But I thought you'd forgotten. Or lost the urge."
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