by Debra Webb
Without bothering to respond, Raine took a sudden left through the knee-deep weeds and headed in the direction of a small cabin at the very back of the compound.
Kate followed, relieved to be heading toward shelter. She waded through the thick dead-for-the-winter grass. Sharp, prickling pain brought the sudden awareness that the grass was accompanied by saw briars, which pulled at her jeans and the skin underneath.
Raine made it to the cabin well before Kate. She watched him survey the door and windows—deciding on the best method of breaking and entering, she realized. By the time she made her way to the cabin, Raine was already inside.
The single room held one narrow bed, a kerosene lamp sitting on a table, two chairs and a small kerosene heater. The floor and walls were rough, unpainted wood, as best Kate could tell.
Rustic had been an understatement. Primitive was a much more apt description. But at least it would provide shelter from the cold wind and damp ground. She appraised the narrow bed once more. Anything was better than sleeping on the ice-cold ground.
But where would Raine sleep? she wondered absently.
Kate shivered. Shelter or no, it was still cold. She took the few steps that separated her from the bed and sat down with a satisfied sigh.
Dear God, it felt wonderful just to sit. Kate closed her eyes and succumbed to the exhaustion she’d been holding at bay. She pulled a scratchy wool blanket up around her and relaxed more deeply into the thin mattress. She licked her lips and imagined strawberry lip balm and almond oil hand lotion. That would feel so good about now, she thought with another sigh.
“Stay put,” Raine ordered.
Kate opened her heavy lids to look up at him. He stood in front of the door, blocking the dim light the moon provided.
“If I have to run you down, you’ll be the one doing the regretting.”
“Where are you going?” Kate asked. He didn’t have to worry, she didn’t plan to move, much less run.
“If we’re lucky, there’ll be some canned food left in the dining cabin.”
“Okay,” Kate muttered, but Raine had already vanished from view. He left the door open, for the light, she supposed. The constant sound of the wind rustling through the treetops lulled her toward sleep as the cloak of moonlight and nocturnal silence folded around her.
WHEN RAINE RETURNED to the cabin with his booty, Kate was fast asleep. He set the cans of beans and franks and the bottled water he had found on the table, along with a couple of spoons.
He thought about just letting her sleep. She’d been nothing but a pain in the ass the entire trek up the mountain. But he knew she hadn’t eaten anything, at least not since early morning, and he wasn’t comfortable with her sleeping too much in the first twenty-four hours since her accident. Eating was a necessity. She’d need her strength to make the rest of this hellacious trip.
With a frustrated sound that was more groan than sigh, Raine walked over to the bed and shook Kate. “Kate, you need to eat.” He shook her again. “Wake up.”
Kate’s eyes popped open, she sat bolt upright, quickly scanned the room and then assessed him. “What?” she eventually asked.
Raine frowned. Most people didn’t wake and immediately take stock of their surroundings. She peered up at him with those dark, chocolate eyes. Maybe he’d startled her.
“I found some food. You need to eat,” he told her firmly.
Kate seemed to consider his words then said, “Okay.” Still shrouded in the blanket she had found on the cot, she struggled to her feet and followed him to the table. After claiming one of the two chairs, she watched as he popped the tops from two cans and passed one to her.
“What is it?” she asked, trying to read the label in the almost complete darkness.
“Beans and franks.”
“Ugh. I hate beans and franks,” she complained.
Raine paused, spoon halfway to his mouth. “How do you know if you like them or not?”
Kate paused, frowning at the stuff inside the can she held. “I don’t know. I just know.”
“Eat it anyway,” he ordered, then nudged the water in her direction. “And drink. You’ll need lots of energy tomorrow.”
She met his gaze across the table. “What happens tomorrow?”
“More of today,” he said flatly.
“Oh, God,” she groaned.
Reluctantly she drank from the water bottle then poked a spoonful of the beans and franks into her mouth and chewed. She shivered when she swallowed. Raine didn’t know if it was from the cold or the cuisine. He bit back a grin and opened a second can. Food equaled survival, and the sooner Ms. Roberts learned that, the better off they’d both be.
“Have another,” Raine teased when she’d at last finished her can.
“No, thank you,” she said with another shiver.
“I’ll just save the rest for tomorrow,” he taunted.
“Great,” Kate muttered as she stumbled back to the bed. She plunked down on one end, leaned against the iron railing and hugged the blanket around herself. “I’m not moving until the sun comes up and sheds some warmth on this cold, godforsaken mountain,” she mumbled from beneath the blanket.
Raine didn’t say anything. No point in bursting her bubble, he decided. She’d find out soon enough that his day started well before dawn, and on this trip they followed his schedule.
He sat down on the other end of the bed and leaned against the iron headboard. He watched her for a long while, wondering about this woman of mystery. Raine had particularly good night vision and his eyes had long since adjusted to the lack of light.
He ran through his mental notes regarding his inadvertent hostage. She didn’t wear any rings, so he assumed that meant she didn’t have a husband somewhere searching frantically for her. Her hands were soft and her nails well manicured, indicating a white-collar job of some sort. Her clothing sported designer labels, as did her pricey hiking boots. Whatever she did, she got paid well.
Judging by her vocabulary, she appeared well educated. As her strength returned so did her confidence. She seemed in good physical condition considering her injuries. If the transformation thus far was any indication, she tended toward bossiness.
Raine didn’t know a lot about amnesia except that it could be temporary and usually returned sporadically.
“What?” she snapped from behind the blanket. All that remained visible were her eyes and that cloud of dark, silky hair.
Raine realized then that he had been staring at her for some time. She’d caught him. “I was just thinking that it’s going to get a hell of a lot colder before this night is over and we’ll need to do whatever we have to in order to survive.”
She jerked the cover down from her face, her eyebrows veed in confusion. “What do you mean?” she asked warily.
“I mean, we’ll need to share that one blanket.” He lifted one shoulder in a careless shrug. “Or we could use it in shifts,” he suggested.
She stared at him, aghast. “You must be kidding. I’m freezing!” She shook her head. “If you were a gentleman you wouldn’t even have made such a suggestion.”
“I’m glad that’s settled,” he said dryly. Raine cocked his head and eyed her with blatant amusement. “Just to prove I’m not completely uncouth, I will be happy to share my body heat with you if you’re willing to share the blanket.”
“Pleeease,” she cried in disgust.
“All you have to do is come over here and cuddle up with me. Nothing more.” He pulled his jacket open wide and smiled invitingly. “It’s a known fact that sharing body heat has saved many a poor soul from freezing to death. Between our jackets, that blanket, and whatever body heat we can work up, I’m sure we’ll stay nice and toasty.”
“I’d rather freeze.”
“Suit yourself.” Raine grinned and pulled his coat back around him. He crossed his arms over his chest, exaggerated a shiver and watched her struggle with her conscience.
“Can’t you light that kerosene heater or the lamp?”
/> How refreshing, he thought. He hadn’t spent time with anyone who had a real conscience in ages.
“Sorry, I don’t smoke, so I don’t carry a lighter.”
“Well, don’t…don’t you know how to rub two sticks together or something?”
“I hate to lower your perception of me any further,” Raine said, his smile widening into another grin. “But I was never a Boy Scout.”
Kate sat up and sighed loudly. “All right.”
“All right what?” he baited.
She glared at him. “We’ll share the blanket.” She made room for him beside her. “But don’t get any ideas, because I’m fully trained in self-defense,” she added sullenly.
Raine stood, moved to the other end of the bed and then lowered himself next to her. “How do you know you’re fully trained?” he whispered near her ear.
“I don’t, but you should,” she said pointedly. Kate relinquished part of the blanket and turned her back to him.
Raine winced at the memory of her knee in his groin. She’d definitely knocked him on his can. Maybe…hell, all women knew where a man’s weakest points were.
He’d gotten what he wanted anyway. He grinned as he snuggled in behind her, spoon fashion. She inched her body as far away from his as possible without falling off the edge.
Raine breathed deeply of her womanly scent. A hint of whatever shampoo she’d last used still lingered in her hair. “Mmm, you smell nice,” he murmured.
She jabbed him in the gut with her elbow. Raine grunted from the unexpected blow to the already sore spot. “Hold your breath,” she said icily.
Not a masochist at heart, Raine lay perfectly still until he heard the gentle, rhythmic breathing that indicated she had fallen into a deep sleep. Keeping warm on a night like this wasn’t going to be easy. He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her body against his. Some concessions were necessary.
Despite the stomach-churning blow she’d delivered to his groin earlier that day, and then the sucker punch he’d gotten only minutes ago, he hardened like a rock in record time. Damn, he would never get any sleep like this. Between her neediness and soft body, he was completely and painfully aroused. Raine had worked with women plenty of times in the past and never had he lost his perspective like this.
His professional ethics had gone out the window practically from the moment he’d opened his door and found her standing there in the falling rain. Kate Roberts threatened even his most deeply entrenched habits of self-preservation.
Raine had always been a loner, taking care of no one but himself. What was so different about this woman? He had thought of little else but her all day. Never before had he felt such a need to take care of another person. Never before had he wanted a woman so much.
Nevers weren’t supposed to happen to him.
It couldn’t be just the circumstances. He’d been in a race for his life hundreds of times before. The odds had certainly been stacked against him numerous times in the past. Even the fact that he didn’t know all the players in the game wasn’t so unusual for his line of work.
But something was definitely different this time.
Kate was the difference.
Or maybe he was just getting old and soft……or stupid.
Chapter Four
Raine woke as the first faint glimmer of light streaked the sky with color. His backside felt half-frozen, but his front was warm and fully aroused. The ache he still felt from Kate’s knee had not prevented his almost constant state of arousal since climbing into bed with her.
He was sprawled half across her body, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, hers draped around his neck. Their legs were tangled, with his thigh resting snugly between hers. His arousal pressed into her soft belly. There was no way he could move that wouldn’t cause unbearable friction between them, and possibly send him out of control. He didn’t trust himself even to breathe. He felt damn close to embarrassing himself at the moment.
There had to be a way out of this. Raine had built his reputation on his ability to get in and out of death-dealing situations. Disentangling himself from one female should be a piece of cake.
Finally, he had to breathe. His chest expanded from the depth of the breath. Kate stirred beneath him and Raine gritted his teeth.
Each time he’d woken her during the night, she had burrowed closer to him. Now, she stretched languidly and tightened her hold around his neck, then arched against his thigh. Sweat popped out on his forehead. When she kissed his throat, he closed his eyes and bit his tongue to stifle the groan. Kate practically purred beneath him, planting soft, sweet kisses from the base of his throat all the way to his chin.
He couldn’t take it any longer. The groan escaped, loud and gut-wrenching. He felt ready to explode. If she arched against him once more, his self-control would be history.
Kate tensed. Raine didn’t have to look to know her eyes had opened, the earsplitting shriek that escaped her lips clued him in well before her hands pressed against his chest in an effort to shove him off.
“Give me a minute to—”
Kate cut him off as she arched her entire body like a bow and propelled him over the edge of the bed, her in tow. His back thudded against the wooden floor. A loud ummph escaped him as the wind whooshed out of his lungs from the weight of her body slamming into his.
“You sleazy bastard,” she shouted angrily as she scrambled to free herself from the twisted blanket and his arms and legs. “How could you take advantage of me while I was sleeping?”
“Hold on just a damn minute!” he rasped. Raine grabbed her shoulders and held her still. “I didn’t do anything. You were the one kissing me.”
She huffed. “You must be insane! I did no such thing.” She struggled against his hold, her every move grinding the heat between her thighs into his arousal. Suddenly she stopped fighting him. Kate’s eyes widened in horror when she realized she was sitting astride his hips.
Kicking and tripping and cursing, she freed herself and stumbled to her feet.
If Raine hadn’t been so painfully aroused he would have laughed at the whole situation. As it was, there wasn’t a single thing funny about it.
Raine got to his feet and stormed out the door into the cold. He felt immensely thankful for the bitter wind whipping around him. He needed a long walk and some relief.
KATE SHOVED her hair back from her face and hugged her parka around her. “Jerk,” she muttered as Raine disappeared from sight. She grimaced at the pain shooting through her body. Yesterday’s adventures had left their mark in the memory of every muscle. Her head felt foggy and achy.
Why had he gotten up before the sun? It couldn’t be more than thirty degrees outside. Kate picked up the tangled wool blanket and cocooned herself in it, then plunked back down on the bed. Raine could do whatever he wanted, but she wasn’t going anywhere until the sun rose above the treetops. She snuggled into the scratchy cover and closed her eyes. Just five minutes more of sleep and she would be good to go. Five little minutes…
“Wake up. It’s time to go.”
Kate’s eyes shot open and she came instantly to attention. She tamped down her automatic reaction of fight or flight as she recognized Raine towering over her in the dim predawn light, a scowl on his face. “What?” she grumbled.
“It’s time to go,” he repeated impatiently.
“But it’s not even daylight yet, why do we have to go now? It’s still freezing outside.” Literally, Kate didn’t add as she hugged the blanket closer.
That annoying tic began in his angular jaw. Even in the shadowy light she could see his scowl deepen. “Because,” he said slowly, drawing out the word, “it’s over twenty miles to Cherokee, and if we don’t make it today, we’ll be spending tonight under the stars. There may not have been any heat in this cabin last night, but it was a hell of a lot better than spending the night out in the open.”
“Twenty miles?” Kate echoed. Nothing he’d said after that mattered at the moment. “You exp
ect me to walk twenty miles—today?” He was insane. The man couldn’t possibly mean twenty miles. Her muscles told her in no uncertain terms that walking twenty miles was not something she wanted to do anytime soon. Twenty miles, right.
“Give or take a couple,” he said flippantly.
Kate stared at him in disbelief. “You’re serious.” It was a statement, not a question. Instinct told Kate that this man wasn’t a kidder.
He crossed his arms over his chest and angled his head toward his right shoulder. The same way he’d done when he had taken aim at those two men yesterday. A shiver skated over Kate’s skin.
“Dead serious,” he told her.
Kate swallowed. “What would be the harm in waiting until daylight?”
“In case you’ve forgotten,” he said, emphasizing the last word, “there are people after us who want us dead.”
“You mean who want you dead,” Kate clarified sarcastically.
Raine exhaled loudly. “We had this discussion yesterday.” He cocked one sandy eyebrow. “Or have you forgotten that, too?”
“You’re not funny.” Kate shot him a reproachful glare. Her efforts only sent one corner of his mouth upward in a half smile.
“I wasn’t trying to be. Now let’s go.”
Reluctantly, Kate stood. “I still don’t see the need to hurry. We’re in the middle of nowhere. What fool would look for us here?”
Raine slowly paced the room, scanning each square foot. “If we’re lucky, no one. Hopefully, they’ll assume that we picked up some other means of transportation. I don’t think they would expect us to take this route, but I don’t plan to stick around and find out.”
Kate unzipped her parka and pulled the small purse she had forgotten she was wearing back around to her side. Small though it might be, it probably accounted for at least one tender spot on her back. She had been so tired last night that she hadn’t thought to take it off. Raine’s strong arms and muscular body accounted for numerous other discomforts. Some Kate didn’t want to consider, like the hot ache deep inside her. She shivered and rezipped her parka, then tightened the blanket around her shoulders. She needed all the help she could get staying warm and shielding herself from him.