by Unknown
“What?” she gasped. “No!”
“I wish it weren’t true.”
She held up a stop-sign palm. “Wait, back up. Tell me everything.”
He told her about finding Walker on Triangle Mount, then discovering the missing locked box, his trip back into town to confront Walker.
“Okay, it wasn’t Walker. So who else could have taken it and why would they?”
“I’ve been asking myself those questions repeatedly and come up with nothing.”
Zoey narrowed her eyes. “What about Catrina? There is something I don’t trust about her.”
“We can’t willy-nilly point fingers. She left with the others in the university’s van and the metal locker was still under my bed then. I saw it just before we left with Avery.” He smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand. “Why didn’t I take it with us?”
“We had an emergency. None of us were thinking clearly.”
“The theft had to have happened when we were all away from camp. I could kick my own ass for not taking it with us. I still haven’t told Dr. Sinton about it yet. Trying to find the right way to approach it.”
She ran a hand over his shoulder that aroused him more than comforted him. “Stop beating yourself up. Your priority was Avery as it should have been. Dr. Sinton will understand that.”
“This whole thing is falling apart. Four students quit today.”
Zoey made a face and held up five fingers.
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Five students.”
Someone else quit?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“Me.”
“Zoey!” His jaw unhinged and a deep-seated disappointment flooded his bloodstream. “You didn’t.”
She gave a little shrug like it meant nothing, but he did not miss the regret in her eyes. “I sent Dr. Sinton an e-mail telling him that I was withdrawing from the program, effective immediately.”
“For godsakes why?”
“So we could be together,” she said. “I couldn’t stand one second longer not being with you.”
“Aww, Zoey, no, no.”
“Don’t be upset, this is a good thing.”
“Good for whom?”
“You. Me. Both of us.”
“How’s that? I’ve run off five students and you’re going to lose your trust fund.”
“I’m happy about it.” She leaned into him, her gaze firmly hugging his now. “Honest.”
“Walker is not going to have any compunctions about cutting off your money. He made that perfectly clear to me this afternoon.”
“I’ve been giving this a lot of thought and I believe it’s actually a good thing. Having the trust has spoiled me, kept me from growing up. I’m ready to make my own way in the world.”
“I hate to think you did this all for me.”
“Who better?” She breathed and went up on tiptoes to twine her arms around his neck.
“You’re playing with fire, sweetheart.”
“I know. That’s the point.” She pursed her lips, closed her eyes. Her chest rose and fell, her breasts pushing rhythmically against the buttons of her blouse.
Damn, he was just a man. A man who could not resist the temptation of this beautiful creature who just also happened to be his best friend.
That stopped him cold.
“Zoey,” he murmured. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
She opened her eyes, sighed. “This isn’t going the way I planned.”
“How did you plan it?”
“That I’d come up here, tell you I wanted to get naked with you, you’d scoop me into your arms and carry me to bed and make love to me until I had a dozen orgasms.”
“A dozen?” He chuckled.
“Don’t laugh.”
“Why a dozen?”
“Going for a personal best.”
That astounded him. “In one night?”
“I’ve very orgasmic.” She shrugged. “It’s not a bad thing. Well, unless you happen to be sleeping in the room next to me and the walls are thin.”
“You never told me that before.”
“We weren’t potential lovers before.”
“I don’t know if I can live up to your expectations.”
“Hey, if what happened in the lab was any indication of your prowess, I imagine you’ll easily blow past that cool dozen.” She ran a finger over his beard stubble.
Jericho shivered. “We’re getting sidetracked here. We were talking about retracting your resignation.”
“It’s a done deal. I’ve made up my mind. I’ve already sent the e-mail. Too late to back down now.”
“You could always call Dr. Sinton and tell him you sent it in a rash moment. He would probably understand. You can still take it all back.” Why was he lobbying for her reinstatement when she was obviously so eager to quit and his body wanted nothing more than to sink into hers and try to break that dozen-orgasms-in-a-night record?
“Don’t you see, Jericho? That’s just it. I didn’t send the e-mail rashly. I’ve been thinking about it ever since that night at the lab. I want you and no one else but you.”
He swallowed, and then spoke his greatest fear, the thing that had kept him from taking their relationship to the next level long before now. “What if …” He blew out his breath. “What if this thing blows up in our faces?”
“You gotta take a risk sometime, cautious Mr. Scientist. We have a better chance of working out than most.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes, we have a solid foundation on which to build.”
“Where’d you hear that?”
She waved a hand. “I dunno. Some dating Web site or other.”
“So now we’re listening to advice from Match.com?”
“It’s sound advice, who cares where it’s from?”
“I care about ruining our friendship.”
“What if it doesn’t ruin our friendship? What if it just makes things that much better?”
They both fell silent. In a far-off tree, an owl hooted, a second later, its mate called back.
“I get it,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“The real reason you’re afraid.”
“This sounds interesting. Enlighten me.”
“You’re afraid that I’m too fickle for the long term. For instance, I can’t even stick with a four-week dig.”
“I never said that.” He gently kissed her forehead. “It’s just that losing you as my best friend would be the worst thing that ever happened to me.”
“We will always be best friends, no matter what,” she said staunchly.
It was such an easy thing to promise, but Jericho knew that life was a lot more complicated than that.
“We make a pact. Pinky swear.” She grinned at him and held out her pinky finger.
God, the woman was irresistible. He crooked his little finger around hers.
“Jericho Hezekiah Chance, do you solemnly swear that no matter whatever happens between us, we will forever and always be best friends?”
“I do.” I do. Serious words, and he meant them.
“And I, Zoey Nichole McCleary, do solemnly swear that through all ups and downs, ins and outs …” She winked mischievously. “That I will be your best friend until I take my dying breath, no matter what happens.”
“Ahh, Zoe-Eyes.” His voice came out raspy. She was the best damn thing that had ever happened to him. Bar none.
“Now we seal it with a kiss.” She put her lips to his and that was all it took.
Jericho was a goner. Blistering desire burned through him, forest-fire fast. “You sure picked a bad spot to spring this on me, darlin’. Our first time should be in a nice, soft bed. You deserve candlelight and lavender-scented pillows and soft mood music.”
“Pfft on that. I’m an adventuresome kind of girl and you’re a dig rat. This is the perfect place for our first time.”
“Those cots are might
y narrow and—” He put her away from him momentarily.
“What is it?”
“Sleeping bag. I’ve got a sleeping bag. We can put it in the bed of the truck, sky full of stars. It’ll work.”
“Gosh, that means we’ve got to wait for you to find the sleeping—”
He reached one arm around her waist, drew her up tight against his side, leaned down, and gave her a hard, thorough kiss, tasted her sweet favor and moist heart. She froze for a heartbeat and then kissed him back as fiercely as he’d kissed her. He broke it off abruptly. Left her wanting more. “There. That oughta hold you for five minutes.”
“O-kay.” She laughed and fingered her lips. “I get it.”
“Not yet, you don’t, but you will,” he promised.
Exactly five minutes later, they were in the back of his truck, the sleeping bag unzipped and spread out over the pickup bed. The air smelled of wood smoke and piñon pine. Overhead a million stars twinkled.
They were on their knees facing each other.
Their gazes struck, sparked.
His hand trembled with excitement as he reached out to stroke her face. Her feminine scent teased his nostrils. His muscles tensed, and sweat rolled down his neck.
Her pupils widened. She flicked out her tongue to moisten her lips. Their quick, shallow breathing mirrored each other.
The knowledge that they were about to have sex in the back of his truck blew Jericho’s mind. His most cherished fantasy was about to come true. The look in her eyes told him Zoey was just as turned on as he. But it didn’t matter where they were. They could have been on the moon. They could have been on the space shuttle. He was aware of nothing except her.
He had to have her right now or go mad.
Jericho had never felt a thrill quite like this. Not when he unearthed artifacts. Not when he traipsed foreign lands. Not when they’d found the medicine bundle.
What a grand adventure! And it was all the doing of his red-hot best friend.
The blood pumping hotly through his veins shoved him into action. He pulled off her boots, and by the time he was finished, she was already unzipping the fly of her jeans and fumbling at the buckle of her brown leather belt. He grabbed the waistband of her jeans and she lifted her hips as he shucked them off along with her yellow polka dot boy shorts.
He smiled. Whimsical. Just like his Zoey.
When her pants were off, she lay back against the sleeping bag clothed only in the yellow polka dot bra and an unbuttoned blue checked blouse. He splayed a palm across the tautness of her flat belly, just above the beautiful triangle of brown sugar hair at her pubis.
He gazed into her eyes, looking, really looking at her. What delicate skin! What fine bone structure. Being next to her refined features and her petite body, he felt like an oversized oaf. She was cut from silk, he from rough-hewn hemp. She was so small and he was so big, and it occurred to him that he could hurt her.
“No fair,” she pouted.
He stared, mesmerized by her beauty. “What’s not fair?”
“I’m naked and you’re not.” She sat up to splay a hand over his chest. “I need to see your body, Jericho.”
He wrestled off his shirt, and once freed from it, flung it over the side of the pickup into the darkness.
“Let me help,” she said, her competent hands going to the snap of his jeans. Her soft touch set him on fire.
In record time, he shucked off his boots and his pants, but kept his underwear on at the last minute, suddenly feeling quite shy in front of her. This was his best friend, after all.
Her gaze zeroed in on his erection, straining hard against his boxer briefs.
“Come here.” She patted a spot beside her.
He obeyed, settled next to her on the sleeping bag.
Out across the mountain they could hear night sounds—the call of night birds, the rustling of small animals in the scrub brush, the distant yips of coyotes, the muted crackle of the dwindling campfire.
He was usually pretty good at foreplay. He was a guy who knew how to take his time and he did precision work. But for the first time since he could remember, he was at a loss for what to do next. With Zoey, he didn’t know where to begin.
“Zoe-Eyes.” His voice came out so tight and hard he scarcely recognized it. “This is weird.”
“Just kiss me, Jericho. There’s no need to overthink it.”
That sweet invitation was all it took. He closed his lips over hers. The kiss was heated but tentative, exploring. He touched her belly as he slipped his tongue between her teeth.
She opened her mouth wider and then slowly spread her legs.
Ah, she tasted of cinnamon mints and red-hot passion. She slipped her tongue between his teeth. Their tongues danced. At first, she was the instigator, stealing his breath, numbing his mind, but quickly Jericho took over, letting her know that while he was giving in to her games, he was still in control.
He ran his hand lower, cupped it lightly over her feminine mound, touching the soft crinkle of brown hair, and then he just kept his hand resting there without moving while he teased her tongue with his.
After a few minutes, as their kissing grew more urgent, he slowly stroked that curly hair, moving his fingers downward in lazy circles until he reached the warm, moist folds of her sex. She was damp with desire, but he wanted her soaking wet and begging for release.
“Mmm,” she murmured, and shifted against his hand. “That feels good.”
He slipped his index finger into her.
She sucked in a gasp of air and her eyes widened with pleasure. He liked seeing what he was doing to her written on her face. The taste of escalating desire spilled into his mouth, raw and peppery as garlic and cayenne. He couldn’t stop looking at her. Her eyes shone with pleasure.
“I want to touch you too,” she said. “Take off your underwear.”
He came out of it, kicking his briefs off across the bed of the truck and then nestling down beside her once more.
Her long brown hair swung loose across her shoulders as she propped herself up on her elbows so she could look at him.
“Sandwich Hut Molly was right,” she said, eyeing him in the moonlight. “The size of a man’s hand does match his other parts.”
He laughed out loud.
With one smooth palm, she reached down to cup his balls in her hand. Startled, he yelped. It felt so dangerously good that Jericho thought he was going to lose it right there. He bit down on his lip to hold back the groan rising in his throat. Closing his eyes, he battled the urge to come.
Gently, she tickled him. Her caress injected a whole new set of rules into their game. His mind spun. What was she up to?
Her audaciousness stirred him. She was a much more complicated woman than he’d ever guessed, and he’d known her twenty years. The wanton expression in her eyes slammed his libido into fifth gear.
Slowly she licked her lips, murmured, “Mmm.”
Hormones, blaring like a trumpet, shot straight to his groin. The circuitry of his brain fired cannonballs of hungry electrical impulses to his nerves, his muscles, his every cell in his body.
“Whoa there, missy,” he said. “You better just back off that for now.”
Truth was, he was hard as cement, and it took every ouch of concentration he had in him not to come. He tightened his stomach muscles and went back to kiss her, stroking her, his fingers strumming over her kitten-soft skin.
He thought of all the romantic things he would normally say to a woman he was having sex with, but now everything he could think of sounded trite and significant. There were no right words to tell her how he felt. This was monumental. He wished he knew what to say to her, but he just didn’t. All the usual teasing and camaraderie between them had turned into something richer, deeper, and much more complex.
So he just told the truth. “I’m so lucky to be here with you.”
“Me too.” Her smile heated him like the desert sun kissing the mountaintops good morning, and melted the lum
p blocking his throat.
His cock throbbed, wanting to be inside her. But in that moment, Jericho realized what he had to do if he wanted to have any chance of satisfying her. He was going to give her the pleasure she deserved and take himself out of the equation. Just as he’d done that night in the lab.
He unhooked her bra, pushed it—along with the blue shirt—off her slender shoulders. Then he dipped his head and took one pert pink nipple into his mouth and sucked lightly, while his hand strayed back to that heavenly triangle between her firm thighs. He slipped a finger inside her again and she was wetter than before.
“Jericho.” She breathed his name on a sigh. She ran her fingers through his hair, down his face to his throat.
Her touch was light but he felt it all the way to the tip of his erect shaft. Blood drained from his head, ran down to fill his aching cock. It took every ounce of strength of will he possessed not to jam himself inside her on the spot.
He spent more time at her nipples, teasing and licking, sucking and gently nipping until she was moaning soft as a humming top. Her chest heaved as she struggled to suck in air and her fingers knotted in his hair. He inched from her breasts to her sternum, planting hot kisses on down to her navel.
The lower he went, the faster and shallower her breathing grew, every muscle tightening in response to his mouth.
“Wait,” she gasped, when he was almost at his destination.
“What is it?” he whispered.
She made a happy noise, and for a moment, he just had to rock back on his heels and look at her naked body from the top of her head to the rose pink folds of her swollen sex.
The expression in her eyes was languid, sultry as she watched him watching her. She was ready.
The night had gone completely silent. It was as if no world existed beyond their circle of two.
Jericho settled between her legs and lowered his head. Softly, he blew his warm breath against her tender membranes and gently edged her knees farther apart with his shoulders. He couldn’t wait to taste her again. He’d dreamed of this nightly since the first time he’d done it to her.
He pressed his mouth to her sweet inner lips. He heard her sharp intake of breath, felt her thighs quiver.