by Linda Howard
For the first time, she realized he was in his T-shirt. “Shouldn’t you get your jacket from the plane?”
“It’s too bulky to wear in the tent. Besides, I don’t feel the cold as much as you do. I’ll be fine without it.” He sat down and pulled off his boots, tossed them inside the tent, then crawled in with the blanket. Sunny slipped off her own shoes, glad she had the socks to keep her feet warm.
“Okay, come on in,” Chance said. “Feet first.”
She gave him her shoes, then sat down and worked herself feetfirst into the tent. He was lying on his side, which gave her room to maneuver, but it was still a chore keeping her skirt down and trying not to bunch up the blanket as she wiggled into place. Chance zipped the tent flaps shut, then pulled his pistol out of his waistband and placed it beside his head. Sunny eyed the big black automatic; she wasn’t an expert on pistols, but she knew it was one of the heavier calibers, either a .45 or a 9mm. She had tried them, but the bigger pistols were too heavy for her to handle with ease, so she had opted for a smaller caliber.
He had already unfolded the space blankets and had them ready to pull in place. She could already feel his body heat in the small space, so she didn’t need a blanket yet, but as the night grew colder, they would need all the covering they could get.
They both moved around, trying to get comfortable. Because he was so big, Sunny tried to give him as much room as possible. She turned on her side and curled her arm under her head, but they still bumped and brushed against each other.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Ready.”
He turned off the flashlight. The darkness was complete, like being deep in a cave. “Thank God I’m not claustrophobic,” she said, taking a deep breath. His scent filled her lungs, warm and…different, not musky, exactly, but earthy, and very much the way a man should smell.
“Just think of it as being safe,” he murmured. “Darkness can feel secure.”
She did feel safe, she realized. For the first time in her memory, she was certain no one except the man beside her knew where she was. She didn’t have to check locks, scout out an alternate exit, or sleep so lightly she sometimes felt as if she hadn’t slept at all. She didn’t have to worry about being followed, or her phone being tapped, or any of the other things that could happen. She did worry about Margreta, but she had to think positively. Tomorrow Chance would find the problem was a clogged fuel line, he would get it cleared, and they would finish their trip. She would be too late to deliver the package in Seattle, but considering they had landed safely instead of crashing, she didn’t really care about the package. The day’s outcome could have been so much worse that she was profoundly grateful they were all in one piece and relatively comfortable—“relatively” being the key word, she thought, as she tried to find a better position. The ground was as hard as a rock. For all she knew the ground was a rock, covered by a thin layer of dirt.
She was suddenly exhausted. The events of the day—the long flight and fouled-up connections, the lack of food, the stress of being mugged, then the almost unbearable tension of those last minutes in the plane—finally took their toll on her. She yawned and unconsciously tried yet again to find a comfortable position, turning over to pillow her head on her other arm. Her elbow collided with something very solid, and he grunted.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled. She squirmed a little more, inadvertently bumping him with her knee. “This is so crowded I may have to sleep on top.”
She heard the words and in shock realized that she had actually said them aloud. She opened her mouth to apologize again.
“Or I could be the one on top.”
His words stopped her apology cold. Her breath tangled in her lungs and didn’t escape. His deep voice seemed to echo in the darkness, that single sentence reverberating through her consciousness. She was suddenly, acutely, aware of every inch of him, of the sensual promise in his tone. The kiss—the kiss she could write off as reaction; danger was supposed to be an aphrodisiac, and evidently that was true. But this wasn’t reaction; this was desire, warm and curious, seeking.
“Is that a ‘no’ I’m hearing?”
Her lungs started working again, and she sucked in a breath. “I haven’t said anything.”
“That’s my point.” He sounded faintly amused. “I guess I’m not going to get lucky tonight.”
Feeling more certain of herself with his teasing, she said dryly, “I guess not. You’ve already used up your quota of luck for the day.”
“I’ll try again tomorrow.”
She stifled a laugh.
“Does that snicker mean I haven’t scared you?”
She should be scared, she thought, or at least wary. She had no idea why she wasn’t. The fact was, she felt tempted. Very tempted. “No, I’m not scared.”
“Good.” He yawned. “Then why don’t you pull off that sweater and let me use it as a pillow, and you can use my shoulder. We’ll both be more comfortable.”
Common sense said he was right. Common sense also said she was asking for trouble if she slept in his arms. She trusted him to behave, but she wasn’t that certain of herself. He was sexy, with a capital SEX. He made her laugh. He was strong and capable, with a faintly wicked edge to him. He was even a little dangerous. What more could a woman want?
That was perhaps the most dangerous thing about him, that he made her want him. She had easily resisted other men, walking away without a backward look or a second thought. Chance made her long for all the things she had denied herself, made her aware of how lonely and alone she was.
“Are you sure you can trust me to behave?” she asked, only half joking. “I didn’t mean to say that about being on top. I was half-asleep, and it just slipped out.”
“I think I can handle you if you get fresh. For one thing, you’ll be sound asleep as soon as you stop talking.”
She yawned. “I know. I’m crashing hard, if you’ll pardon the terminology.”
“We didn’t crash, we landed. Come on, let’s get that sweater off, then you can sleep.”
There wasn’t room to fully sit up, so he helped her struggle out of the garment. He rolled it up and tucked it under his head, then gently, as if worried he might frighten her, drew her against his right side. His right arm curled around her, and she nestled close, settling her head in the hollow of his shoulder.
The position was surprisingly comfortable, and comforting. She draped her right arm across his chest, because there didn’t seem to be any other place to put it. Well, there were other places, but none that seemed as safe. Besides, she liked feeling his heartbeat under her hand. The strong, even thumping satisfied some primitive instinct in her, the desire not to be alone in the night.
“Comfortable?” he asked in a low, soothing tone.
“Um-hmm.”
With his left arm he snagged one of the space blankets and pulled it up to cover her to the shoulders, keeping the chill from her bare arms. Cocooned in warmth and darkness, she gave in to the sheer pleasure of lying so close to him. Sleepy desire hummed just below the surface, warming her, softening her. Her breasts, crushed against his side, tightened in delight, and her nipples felt achy, telling her they had hardened. Could he feel them? she wondered. She wanted to rub herself against him like a cat, intensifying the sensation, but she lay very still and concentrated on the rhythm of his heartbeat.
He had touched her breasts when he kissed her. She wanted to feel that again, feel his hard hand on her bare flesh. She wanted him, wanted his touch and his taste and the feel of him inside her. The force of her physical yearning was so strong that she actually ached from the emptiness.
If we don’t get out of here tomorrow, she thought in faint despair just before she went to sleep, I’ll be under him before the sun goes down again.
Sunny was accustomed to waking immediately when anything disturbed her; once, a car had backfired out in the street and she had grabbed the pistol from under the pillow and rolled off the bed before the noise had
completely faded. She had learned how to nap on demand, because she never knew when she might have to run for her life. She could count on one hand the number of nights since she had stopped being a child that she had slept through undisturbed.
But she woke in Chance’s arms aware that she had slept all night long, that not only had lying next to him not disturbed her, in a very basic way his presence had been reassuring. She was safe here, safe and warm and unutterably relaxed. His hand was stroking slowly down her back, and that was what had awakened her.
Her skirt had ridden up during the night, of course, and was twisted at midthigh. Their legs were tangled together, her right leg thrown over his; his jeans were old and soft, but the denim was still slightly rough against the inside of her thigh. She wasn’t lying completely on top of him, but it was a near thing. Her head lay pillowed on his chest instead of his shoulder, with the steady thumping of his heart under her ear.
The slow motion of his hand continued. “Good morning,” he said, his deep voice raspy from sleep.
“Good morning.” She didn’t want to get up, she realized, though she knew she should. It was after dawn; the morning light seeped through the brown fabric of the tent, washing them with a dull gold color. Chance should get started on the fuel pump, so they could get airborne and in radio contact with someone as soon as possible, to let the FAA know they hadn’t crashed. She knew what she should do, but instead she continued to lie there, content with the moment.
He touched her hair, lifting one strand and watching it drift back down. “I could get used to this,” he murmured.
“You’ve slept with women before.”
“I haven’t slept with you before.”
She wanted to ask how she was different, but she was better off not knowing. Nothing could come of this fast-deepening attraction, because she couldn’t let it. She had to believe that he could repair the plane, that in a matter of hours they would be separating and she would never see him again. That was the only thing that gave her the strength, finally, to pull away from him and straighten her clothes, push her hair out of her face and unzip the tent.
The chill morning air rushed into their small cocoon. “Wow,” she said, ignoring his comment. “Some hot coffee would be good, wouldn’t it? I don’t suppose you have a jar of instant in the plane?”
“You mean you don’t have coffee packed in that survival bag of yours?” Taking his cue from her, he didn’t push her to continue their provocative conversation.
“Nope, just water.” She crawled out of the tent, and he handed her shoes and sweater out through the opening. Quickly she slipped them on, glad she had brought a heavy cardigan instead of a summer-weight one.
Chance’s boots came out next, then him. He sat on the ground and pulled on his boots. “Damn, it’s cold. I’m going to get my jacket from the plane. I’ll take care of business there, and you go on the other side of these boulders. There shouldn’t be any snakes stirring around this early, but keep an eye out.”
Sunny dug some tissues out of her skirt pocket and set off around the boulders. Ten minutes later, nature’s call having been answered, she washed her face and hands with one of the pre-moistened towelettes, then brushed her teeth and hair. Feeling much more human and able to handle the world, she took a moment to look around at their life-saving little canyon.
It was truly a slit in the earth, no more than fifty yards wide where he had landed the plane. About a quarter of a mile farther down it widened some, but the going was much rougher. The stream bed was literally the only place they could have safely landed. Just beyond the widest point, the canyon made a dog leg to the left, so she had no idea how long it was. The canyon floor was littered With rocks big and small, and a variety of scrub brush. Deep grooves were cut into the ground where rain had sluiced down the steep canyon walls and arrowed toward the stream.
All the different shades of red were represented in the dirt and rock, from rust to vermillion to a sandy pink. The scrub brush wasn’t a lush green; the color was dry, as if it had been bleached by the sun. Some of it was silvery, a bright contrast against the monochromatic tones of the earth.
They seemed to be the only two living things there. She didn’t hear any birds chirping, or insects rustling. There had to be small wildlife such as lizards and snakes, she knew, which meant there had to be something for them to eat, but at the moment the immense solitude was almost overwhelming.
Looking at the plane, she saw that Chance was already poking around in its innards. Shoving her cold hands into the sweater pockets, she walked down to him.
“Don’t you want to eat something?”
“I’d rather save the food until I see what the problem is.” He gave her a crooked grin. “No offense, but I don’t want to eat another one of those nutrition bars unless I absolutely have to.”
“And if you can fly us out of here, you figure you can hold out until we get to an airport.”
“Bingo.”
She grinned as she changed positions so she could see what he was doing. “I didn’t eat one, either,” she confessed.
He was checking the fuel lines, his face set in that intent expression men got when they were doing anything mechanical. Sunny felt useless; she could have helped if he was working on a car, but she didn’t know anything about airplanes. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she finally asked.
“No, it’s just a matter of taking off the fuel lines and checking them for clogs.”
She waited a few more minutes, but the process looked tedious rather than interesting, and she began getting restless. “I think I’ll walk around, explore a bit.”
“Stay within yelling distance,” he said absently.
The morning, though still cool, was getting warmer by the minute as the sun heated the dry desert air. She walked carefully, watching where she placed each step, because a sprained ankle could mean the difference between life and death if she had to run for it. Someday, she thought, a sprain would be an inconvenience, nothing more. One day she would be free.
She looked up at the clear blue sky and inhaled the clean, crisp air. She had worked hard to retain her enjoyment of life, the way she had learned to rely on a sense of humor to keep her sane. Margreta didn’t handle things nearly as well, but she already had to deal with a heart condition that, while it could be controlled with medication, nevertheless meant that she had to take certain precautions. If she were ever found, Margreta lacked Sunny’s ability to just drop out of sight. She had to have her medication refilled, which meant she had to occasionally see her doctor so he could write a new prescription. If she had to find a new doctor, that would mean being retested, which would mean a lot more money.
Which meant that Sunny never saw her sister. It was safer if they weren’t together, in case anyone was looking for sisters. She didn’t even have Margreta’s phone number. Margreta called Sunny’s cell phone once a week at a set time, always from a different pay phone. That way, if Sunny was captured, she had no information her captors could get by any means, not even drugs.
She had four days until Margreta called, Sunny thought. If she didn’t answer the phone, or if Margreta didn’t call, then each had to assume the other had been caught. If Sunny didn’t answer the phone, Margreta would bolt from her safe hiding place, because with the phone records her location could be narrowed down to the correct city. Sunny couldn’t bear to think what would happen then; Margreta, in her grief and rage, might well throw caution to the wind in favor of revenge.
Four days. The problem had to be a clogged fuel line. It just had to be.
Chapter 6
Mindful of Chance’s warning, Sunny didn’t wander far. In truth, there wasn’t much to look at, just grit and rocks and scraggly bushes, and those vertical rock walls. The desert had a wild, lonely beauty, but she was more appreciative when she wasn’t stranded in it. When rain filled the stream this sheltered place probably bloomed with color, but how often did it rain here? Once a year?
As the d
ay warmed, the reptiles began to stir. She saw a brown lizard dart into a crevice as she approached. A bird she didn’t recognize swooped down for a tasty insect, then flew back off to freedom. The steep canyon walls didn’t mean anything to a bird, while the hundred feet or so were unscalable to her.
She began to get hungry, and a glance at her watch told her she had been meandering through the canyon for over an hour. What was taking Chance so long? If there was a clog in the lines he should have found it by now.
She began retracing her steps to the plane. She could see Chance still poking around the engine, which meant he probably hadn’t found anything. A chilly finger of fear prodded her, and she pushed it away. She refused to anticipate trouble. She would deal with things as they happened, and if Chance couldn’t repair the plane, then they would have to find some other way out of the canyon. She hadn’t explored far; perhaps the other end was open, and they could simply walk out. She didn’t know how far they were from a town, but she was willing to make the effort. Anything was better than sitting and doing nothing.
As she approached, Chance lifted his hand to show he saw her, then turned back to the engine. Sunny let her gaze linger, admiring the way his T-shirt clung to the muscles of his back and shoulders. The fit of his jeans wasn’t bad, either, she thought, eyeing his butt and long legs.
Something moved in the sand near his feet.
She thought she would faint. Her vision dimmed and narrowed until all she saw was the snake, perilously close to his left boot. Her heart leaped, pounding against her ribcage so hard she felt the thuds.
She had no sensation or knowledge of moving; time took on the viscosity of syrup. All she knew was that the snake was getting bigger and bigger, closer and closer. Chance looked around at her and stepped back from the plane, almost on the coiling length. The snake’s head drew back and her hand closed on a coil, surprisingly warm and smooth, and she threw the awful thing as far as she could. It was briefly outlined against the stark rock, then sailed beyond a bush and dropped from sight.