Riley's Journey

by Parker, P. L. ;Edwards, Sandra

  Riley looked forward to the changing of the season. Being cooped up in the shelter was beginning to wear on all of them and the prospect of being outside more often was an exciting, if uncertain, one. Riley loved spring, but having little experience in the ways of the world 40,000 years ago, she didn’t know what to expect. How long would summer last, what new dangers would they face with the advent of warmer weather, what would they need to accomplish during that time, and could she finally wear shorts, and if so, how was she going to shave her legs?

  As they were spending more time outdoors, and with the reality that more predators would be roaming the countryside due to the escalating migration of the flocks and herds, Nathan’s vigilance and safety measures increased. He had a small “family” to take care of now and he was more safety conscientious than ever. Riley was finding his fussiness oftentimes irritating and unwarranted. She was perfectly capable of keeping a lookout for herself, but Nathan was unwilling to allow her that concession.

  Out of necessity, and on a daily basis, they worked on survival techniques, including toning her combat skills, food identification and gathering, and the basics to identify spoor and track game. Her botany/biology background was piqued by the prospect of tracking and food gathering, believing those were areas in which she could make a substantial contribution. As the snow pack receded, more and more plant life emerged. She was able to identify various genetic groups but a lot of the plant life was new and unusual.

  Lambing season commenced and Nathan’s little flock increased twofold. He built a small holding pen outside the stable cave and allowed the animals time each day to enjoy the sunshine. During those times, he and Demon stood guard, watchful for any predators that might find his little flock easy prey. Large tracks had been found in the muddy areas near the enclosure on more than one occasion and Nathan was certain his flock had been targeted for some future feeding foray.

  Riley ventured out alone for small hikes, mindful of keeping the cave in view. Memories of being lost in the snow and her increased knowledge of the fauna of the region kept her from straying too far. As she grew more accustomed to the surrounding area, her nervousness decreased, but her wariness remained on alert. Each time she was out, hairs tingled on the back of her neck, and she had the uncomfortable feeling she was being watched. Nathan was always within calling distance if she left the shelter and if he was not, he made sure she was safe in the shelter before he left. He was like having a vigilant and watchful mother—only with tight buns!

  Riley sighed. Yes, he did have tight buns along with all the other interesting parts of his body. She had not made an attempt to touch him since that one very cold night; temptation was too great and she didn’t want to be the one to cause any strain on their budding relationship. Friendship was always the easier path and in view of the fact that she would be here a long time, being friends was paramount to their existence.

  Today was a beautiful day for a short walk. As she walked, a small niggling desire to step over the line chipped at her conscious. After all, she reasoned, who else was there for either of them? Meandering slowly through the natural borders surrounding their rock shelter, Riley’s mind drifted onto pleasant thoughts of interesting ways to accomplish that little maneuver. Brazen and bold were not her way, nor had they ever been. Subtle and sexy! Yeah, that was her, or could be under the right circumstances. With no one else for comparison and given that Nathan had been alone for five years, it went without saying that she could accomplish that quite easily, unless of course he was gay or something, but he spent too many long moments watching her and it was pretty obvious that his body was interested.

  Blushing at the thought, she returned to the present, as her nerve endings began tingling. Somewhere, something was following and watching again. Realizing she had ventured farther than was prudent, cautiously she turned and, hoping to give the impression she was unconcerned, casually started back, keeping both eyes glued to the surrounding areas.

  An unnatural silence goaded her into speeding up. Feeling as though the forest were laying in wait, she scurried back to the open area near the shelter.

  “Nathan!” she called hysterically. “Nathan!”

  From the direction of the animal pens, Nathan and Demon ran into view. Nathan’s face was twisted with alarm but relaxed when he caught sight of her. Demon skidded to a halt, his head tilted questioningly.

  Embarrassed by her show of nervousness, she stammered, “I...I thought something was stalking me. I could just feel it.” Suddenly cold, she rubbed her arms to warm them. “It got too quiet, not like it usually is.”

  Demon froze, hackles rising as he caught the scent of something untoward. Growling low his chest, the dog’s gaze was focused on the forested area where Riley had been. Nathan glanced around. Everything seemed fine, but he had been here too long to always believe what he saw, and Demon’s attitude told a different story. “Let’s get inside. Never hurts to be cautious.”

  “What about your animals?”

  “They’re fine. I penned them up already. I was just starting back when I heard you yell. You scared me!” He rolled the huge rock back into place as he spoke.

  With the entrance blocked, some of Riley’s nervousness left. “It was just so weird. All of a sudden, it got really quiet, like everything knew something was going to happen. Made me really nervous.”

  “We’re safe now. I’ll go out and check in a little while just to be sure.”

  “Do you have to go out today? Maybe you’d better wait until tomorrow. That’ll give whatever it was time to leave.” Her eyes were huge, the irises dilating with emotion.

  Not wanting to alarm her any further, Nathan conceded, commenting softly, “Okay, just for you. Tomorrow’s fine. There isn’t much daylight left anyway.” A warm grin wreathed his lips, his eyes soft and compelling. “We can have an early dinner and relax for a change. We’ve been working way too hard lately.”

  A small flutter tickled Riley’s stomach, her mind’s eye visualizing the possibilities, fraught with anticipation. “Great! But tonight I’m doing the cooking. I am a fantastic cook, you know.”

  “Are you?” he teased. “Then why have I been slaving over meals every day.”

  Riley laughed. “I hardly think cooking the same thing day in and day out qualifies as ‘slaving’.”

  “It’s edible,” he retorted, “and you’re still alive, aren’t you?”

  “I am, but I have some ideas on something new and exciting.” Waggling her eyebrows, she marched ahead into the living quarters of the shelter, banging kitchen utensils around in a show of competence.

  “Well, if you’re really serious about doing the cooking, I’m going to relax, have a shower and clean up.”

  Riley could hear him undressing and whistling as he moved about. Glancing up, she hesitated as he stepped into the kitchen wearing nothing but a towel.

  “Uh, I forgot the hot water.” Sheepishly, he reached for a bowl. At the same time, Demon decided it was time to play and made a grab for the towel, pulling it off and running for the back room. Abashed, Nathan stood there in all his glory, uncertain what to do, his face reddening in confusion.

  Riley calmly regarded him. His arms, upper torso, and legs retained some of last summer’s tan. Below his waist, his skin was pale; a V of dark hair covered the juncture of his thighs, where his masculinity hung heavy and full. Turning away, matter-of-factly, Riley began ladling hot water into a wooden bucket. “Nice tan,” she commented dryly as she handed him the water. “Did you teach the dog that little trick?”

  Nathan coughed in embarrassment, retreating to the back room, using the bucket as a shield. “Uh, no,” he choked, “surprisingly enough, that’s the first time he’s done that.”

  Grinning, Riley watched his retreat, enjoying the view. The guy had one seriously great butt and combined with his muscular back and legs, it was a show worth watching. Her earlier thoughts returned. What would he actually do if she threw herself at him? It wasn’t like he
had any place else to go if she had him cornered. Chuckling in amusement, she threw herself into making dinner, adding the fresh greens she had harvested during her walk. Dinner was almost finished when Nathan entered the kitchen again, his hair damp and curling around his ears. A slight blush still colored his cheeks and he avoided looking her in the eye.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Nathan, it’s not like I haven’t ever seen a naked man before. Sheesh! Relax, your manhood is safe with me.”

  His face coloring even darker, Nathan tried miserably to explain. “I know, but it’s been over five years since anyone other than the dog was around to see me and I don’t want to scare you off.”

  Her eyes twinkling devilishly, Riley pushed a few more of his buttons. “Well, you have a great body, so quit worrying about it. I enjoyed the view. Next time, give me a little more warning so I can prepare myself. You know, like pop some popcorn or buy some Raisinets and try for a front row seat.”

  Nathan burst out laughing. Her silliness wiped away the last of his embarrassment and concern. Warmed by her sense of humor, he relaxed, prepared to enjoy the remainder of the evening. Dinner smelled wonderful and his stomach growled in response. Demon crept back in, his attitude guilty and pleading forgiveness. Nathan scowled at him. “Forget it Mutt, you’re in the doghouse tonight. You’re lucky I’m even letting you stay inside.”

  Demon crouched, whimpering, his tail between his legs, his eyes dripping remorse. Riley reached over, patting him on the head. “Good boy! You were a good boy!” she crooned. “Mommy needed some entertainment!” Demon sat down, his head on her lap, his tail thumping the floor, happy to be forgiven.

  “Traitor!” Nathan scolded him. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

  His head unmoving, Demon regarded him from the safety of Riley’s lap. To his mind, as long as he had the favor of the dominant female, he was protected.

  Home, such as it was, was here in this little corner of the ancient world. Though she seemed unaware of it, Nathan had been courting Riley in his own way for awhile. He was rusty at the game, but technique was returning. At least she was comfortable around him now and perhaps in the future…

  Riley stood up to put food on the table and fill the bowls. Nathan took an exploratory bite. It was delicious! Same old food, but whatever she had done made all the difference. He gobbled his food as fast as the dog and reached out for more. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had prepared a meal for him and a lump formed in his throat. Even Emily hadn’t cooked, her talents lay elsewhere. He appreciated those talents, but Emily’s face was getting harder to remember every day. Instead, Riley’s fresh, open countenance came to mind

  His mind drifted, reflecting on the important women in his life. Aunt Bethany came to mind, but he quickly dismissed her from his musing. She had overstepped her boundaries and he was perturbed with her right now.

  Emily’s sweet face came to mind and a pang of grief shot through him. Emily had been his first true love and he still missed her every day, a part of him always would.

  Lately, though, the pain had lessened and he suspected Riley was the reason. Riley and Emily were as different as the night was to the day. Emily had been the night—restful, mysterious, quiet. Riley was the day—bright, cheerful, loud, and full of new surprises just waiting to be discovered. Good old Aunt Bethany knew exactly what she was doing when she selected Riley. He still hadn’t forgiven Aunt Bethany her audacity, but he was beginning to appreciate her choice.

  Riley was the perfect companion, becoming a big part of his life in a very short time. The idea of losing her scared him and just realizing that made him very nervous. It had been hard enough being alone, and after her welcome intrusion, he doubted he could ever live that way again. Simply put, he would do whatever necessary to keep her here and safe.

  “I said—do you have any idea what might have been out there?” Riley’s voice broke through his reverie.

  “What? Uh, I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you. I was thinking about something.”

  “I figured that out,” she grinned. “The food isn’t that good.”

  “Yeah, actually, it is. Maybe you would like to take over that chore?” He somewhat hopefully tossed out.

  Riley regarded him cautiously before answering, her eyes narrowing in speculation. “What about those times when I don’t feel like cooking? Don’t expect me to take over doing only the ‘womanly’ chores. I am, after all, a botanist and cooking won’t take up that much of my time, anyway.”

  “I can still pitch in, but you’re definitely a much better cook.”

  Since she liked to cook, taking over that chore wasn’t going to be an imposition. In fact, she looked forward to the opportunity and, although doing the cooking was not a huge contribution, she at least would be contributing something. Up to now, she had the feeling she was mostly useless, just an added burden on Nathan. Not that he had ever insinuated such, but it would be nice to have some purpose in their small group.

  “Okay,” she agreed. “It’s settled then. I’ll cook and help with cleaning, that sort of thing, but I also want to help with other things as well.”

  Nodding in agreement, Nathan was more than pleased she was amenable to the job. Giving away the cooking detail was no hardship. Sighing in contentment, his stomach full to bursting, Nathan couldn’t remember when he last had such a good meal. Maybe it had been that night at the Le Cirque in New York City before he went on the last Ops mission. Now that food had been excellent, but fancier than he liked. He was a meat and potatoes man and though he could cook, he did not perform with any degree of imagination or finesse. That night was also the last time he saw Emily alive. She had been so worried about his leaving and, to distract her, he had taken her out on the town, food, wine, dancing; the whole schlemiel. It was a good memory, one that he treasured.

  “So what do you think was outside, she asks again?” Riley arched her eyebrows in query.

  “Probably just some animal looking for an easy dinner. I’ll check for sure in the morning. Should be plenty of tracks around if there was anything.” Unless a concerted effort had been made, covering tracks in the moist ground would not be an easy task and animals just didn’t make that sort of effort.

  He watched as Riley began cleaning up, her movements quick and efficient. The soft light of the few candles strewn around the room gently kissed her face, their glow reflecting in her eyes. Deep inside, an ache started to grow. It had been so long! He mentally devoured her, envisioning everything he would like to do, beginning with stripping off the ugly leathers she wore every day.

  Riley glanced over, her smile freezing as she focused on his face. Startled by the unmasked lust in his gaze, she dropped her eyes in confusion, wiping the table briskly to cover her uneasiness. Heat suffused her in response to his unveiled longing, her heart thumped so fast she had trouble breathing. Finished wiping the table, she turned away, her hands shaking as hot desire raced through her. She had never felt so alive and wanted before, nor had she ever wanted a man as fully as she did right at this moment.

  Nathan stood, pushing the chair back and advanced slowly, taking his time and enjoying the sensation of the predator stalking his prey. Riley stood facing the sideboard, gripping the edge, waiting, as electricity sparked between them. The room was suddenly too warm. He stood behind her, almost touching, but unmoving, relishing her womanly scent and the gentle warmth emanating from her form. The heavily laden silence was broken only by the breath she exhaled in one long sigh. Chestnut hair tied back in one long braid spilled down Riley’s back. Nathan’s hands throbbed with the urge to release the silken threads and run his fingers through the soft tresses.

  She turned, braced against the sideboard, her eyes seeking his, warmly questioning. “Do you need something?” She whispered, aroused by his nearness.

  “I need a lot of things,” he whispered back, his finger tracing the gentle contours of her face.

  “And they are...?” Riley’s face flamed under his minist
rations.

  Unsmiling, his eyes deepened to almost black. “Things that aren’t important right now.” His hand continued its soft exploration. He leaned down, nuzzling her ear then dipping lower, his lips softly caressing the graceful line of her neck. Her head fell back, her lips parting as she gasped, liquid fire racing through every vein.

  Panting, she tried for some measure of control. “What is important?”

  His lips continued their soft assault. “This minute—right now.” He claimed her mouth with his own, parting her lips and plunging into the hot depth, wrapping himself around her, needing her to feel as he was feeling.

  Riley’s arms lifted of their own accord, unable to deny the desire that coursed through her veins. Nathan’s expertise in the art of seduction was all too evident and she was a willing recipient. The kiss deepened and Riley was lost to everything, but wanting more, her lips moving in response, enticing him with her acceptance of his onslaught.

  Nathan drew reluctantly back, planting another quick kiss as he did. “I just wanted to say ‘thanks’ for the wonderful dinner.”

  “That’s how you say ‘thank you’?” Her heart was still racing wildly and Riley was finding it hard to speak intelligently.

  “Just thought I should show my appreciation. Actions speak better than words, or so I’ve heard—something like that.” He studied her flushed face, concentrating on the small nuances flickering across each expressive feature.

  Riley stepped around him, needing space while she fought for control. “I have to say that’s the first time anyone has shown me appreciation in quite that way. I think I’ve been deprived up to now.”

  Smiling lazily, his eyes smoky in the pale light, Nathan watched her retreat, overwhelmingly pleased with her response. He hadn’t lost his touch yet! Might be a little rusty, but he was remembering. Like riding a bike, you just have to get back on. He hadn’t trained as a Black Ops operative for nothing. It was all in the meticulous preparation and precise execution for the ultimate success of a mission. Winning Riley’s heart was his eventual goal. All he needed was time and it appeared as though time was not going to be a problem.