by Molly E. Lee
My body couldn’t handle or sustain what I wanted to do to Rain, and I knew for sure if she rejected me, I wasn’t strong enough to withstand the blow. I couldn’t just throw myself at her as we had in the heat of passion the night before, or right after her fall. I had to earn my way back into her heart, and rightly so. She was here, though, and she’d stuck to my survival rules when caring for me, when it would’ve been much easier to break them and tend to me immediately. I hated that I passed out, but that was part of the limits I tested my body with.
“Where do you think your crazy ex has made it to?” Rain asked, drawing my attention to her as she sat down next to me with her father’s journal in her hand.
“I’m hoping they turned back.” That climb across the narrow ledge wasn’t the easiest even to someone as familiar with climbing as me.
“In reality?”
“I doubt they did. She probably made it across and they set up camp close after because of the light.”
“Damn.”
I flinched. We wouldn’t even be on this path if Corrine hadn’t pushed us here. In retrospect—after both of our close calls—it would’ve been easier to confront Corrine head on and abandon the expedition until I knew she was on another continent. I didn’t have the luxury of time, though, not if I wanted my show back.
“We’re close now. Tomorrow we’ll enter the cave that will trip them up.”
“Not you, though?”
“Nope. I’ve been there before. Took me seven hours, but I discovered the quickest paths in and out.”
Her hair hung loose around her shoulders, a kink in it from the tight ponytail she’d donned all day. “And in the time it takes them to find their way out . . .”
“We’ll be halfway to Harrison’s cave,” I finished for her.
She hugged the journal to her chest before holding it out to me.
“I can’t.”
She shoved it into my hand and took hers back. “Read it. He would’ve wanted you to. Besides, I have it memorized. There is a good chunk of his theories on where King Solomon’s treasure is. You’d be able to make more sense of it than me, and I know you already suspect it’s in his cave, so it may not be of any use to you—”
“It is,” I cut her off. “It means everything to me. You mean . . .” Say the words. Say them.
“What?”
“Everything to me.”
She sighed. “Do you really believe that?”
Well, she hadn’t shut me down, so that was something. “More than I’ve ever believed anything in my life, Raindrop.”
She clenched her eyes shut. “Why’d you leave?”
And there it was. The reason I should’ve kept my mouth shut. The truth I never wanted her to know. The wall I never wanted her to climb.
“Were you scared? Of us?”
The words lodged themselves in my throat, and I cleared it. “Never.”
I thought about the ring that lay with Harrison’s body, still somewhere at the bottom of that cave, in the pack he’d taken from me. Rain had been my greatest aspiration in life—marrying her, making babies, and loving her every day for the rest of our lives. I’d even picked out a home base in Oregon, one with the perfect little room facing the forest for a nursery.
“Then what?” She scooted closer, her hand clutching the back of my neck. Her eyes were fierce and somewhat desperate. “Did you stop—?”
I set the journal down beside me and covered her lips with my free hand. “Don’t. I never stopped loving you. Not for a second. Not then. Not now. Not ever.”
“Then why—?”
I stopped her questions with my lips, not because I didn’t want to hear them but because I couldn’t bring myself to answer. I’d lose her again if I did, and now that I had her this close, I didn’t ever want to let her go.
She opened up for me, allowing my tongue to graze the edges of her teeth as she sighed between my lips. I gripped her hips and pulled her into my lap, positioning a leg on either side of me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her breasts against my chest, deepening our kiss. The feel of her body on top of mine made me hard in seconds flat, and I completely forgot about how exhausted I’d been seconds before. She consumed me—thoughts, body, and soul—and I wanted nothing more than to do the same to her.
I tugged on the strands of her hair, arching her head so I could kiss down her neck as I massaged one of her breasts. Perfect, just as they’d been before. Every inch of her was made for me, and I remembered exactly how much pressure to pinch her nipple through the fabric of her shirt to get her to gasp and buck against me.
The motion had me arching into her, aching to get inside her.
I grabbed a handful of her beautiful ass and made her do it again, hissing as her warm center hit me. Fuck, I wanted to strip her bare and run my tongue along her sweet spot, the one I knew would make her scream my name.
I slipped my hands beneath the fabric of her shirt, reveling at the feel of her soft skin against my callused hands. She bit the bottom of my lip, and I groaned.
“Easton,” she moaned against my lips before breaking our kiss. She held a fistful of my hair, forcing me to look her in the eye. “I want you.”
Those three little words made a John William’s victory score blare in my head.
“But . . .”
And that word quickly shot down my hope.
“We’re filthy,” she said.
“Oh, you have no idea.”
“I’m serious.” She kissed me again. “I want you. All of you. But does this look like the best place to do it?”
“Any place is the best place. You know we can make anything work. Remember that time in the Arizona canyon?”
Her eyes darkened in the glow of the fire, and she rocked against me. “Yes.”
I growled at her tease and calculated how quickly I could get her clothes off and solve our dilemma at the same time. I glanced to the right as she sucked on my bottom lip. I held her to me and stood up. She set her feet on the ground before I could fully lift her.
“We should stop,” she said, taking a step back. “You haven’t fully recuperated.”
I stepped toward her, but she placed her palm on my chest.
“We’re stopping. I can’t . . . we can’t do this. Not now. Not after today.”
I went for her lips again, but she turned away from me. “Please don’t make this harder. I want this. I really do, but I want you hydrated first.”
My shoulders dropped as the red-hot lust slowly ebbed from my mind. She was right. I was hard, how could I not be around her, but I wasn’t sure if I could actually get her where I wanted her. I didn’t care if I didn’t have the energy to come myself, but not being able to get her there? That was fucking unacceptable.
“You look so disappointed.” She had the nerve to smirk.
I tugged her hand and pulled us to the stream. “You’re right. I am disappointed, and we shouldn’t do this now. But we will do this, Raindrop, and when we do, I’m going to make you come so many times you’ll lose count, and then I’ll get to work on you.”
The challenge resonated in her beautiful eyes, the sparks behind the blue lighting them up. I reached for the hem of her shirt and lifted.
She stopped me. “You just said—”
“I said we weren’t going to fuck, that doesn’t mean I can’t get you clean.”
Her eyes darted from me to the stream and back again. “It’s freezing.”
“Not freezing. Cold, sure, but the temperature is well above freezing.”
“That’s supposed to make me feel better?”
I let go of her shirt and took off my own, unbuckling my pants after. “What happened to the girl who would brave the snow to get to the hot tub?”
“The water was hot once we got there!”
“The lake in Montana never was.” I cocked an eyebrow at her before taking off my briefs. The hunger in her bright eyes only fueled the hard-on I still had but knew would inevitably vanish the sec
ond I hit that cold water—fucking unavoidable and out of my control. I stepped closer to her, reaching for her shirt again. She let me slip it off this time, revealing her perfect breasts held up by a dark purple sports bra.
She slipped her boots and pants off quickly, leaving her in a pair of Under Armour underwear that matched the color of the bra. My mouth watered, and my brain calculated ways to make it inside her once again.
“Sex is off the table,” she said. “Swear you won’t try? I don’t trust myself with you.”
The words stung, hitting dead center in my chest, but I held up my hands. “Promise. I just want to get you wet.” I smirked.
She reached behind her and unclasped the bra, then shimmied her underwear down her legs.
Fuck.
She was as perfect as I remembered, but she didn’t let me look long. She stepped into the shallow stream, gasping from the cold water hitting her skin, and I groaned as her nipples hardened. Walking quickly to where the free-flowing stream came over the wall, she ducked her head underneath it, allowing it to soak her.
I followed her before I could miss my chance, the damn temperature of the water shrinking my sack. It was so fucking worth it, though, as I came up behind her, dousing my own head with the hit of the stream. The grit and grime from the expedition blasted off my skin in a hurry. I held her for only a moment before neither of us could take the cold anymore. I lightly smacked her gorgeous bare ass as she booked it out of the water and back toward our camp.
She darted inside her tent and beckoned me to come in with her. I only gave a second’s thought to the cameras that rested, turned off, next to our packs outside the tent, before I followed her. She was already halfway inside her sleeping bag, which I was happy to find was flannel-lined, as she pulled me inside it with her. The squeeze was tight, but she wrapped a leg around my hip, facing me on her side.
The warmth from her center quickly enveloped me—and teased me to the point of pain. I didn’t move, though, not only because of my promise but because I knew if I moved even an inch it would be too much to handle.
“You okay?” she asked, her lips trembling from the cold.
I pressed my forehead against hers. “The best I’ve been in years.”
“You passed out today, dehydrated and exhausted.”
The skin of her back was slick against my hands as I held her to me. “I woke up to you.”
Her lips were on mine then, her tongue stroking mine in the same way I wanted to stroke her, and it took every ounce of willpower I possessed to not press my dick against her. It would only take one smooth motion . . .
She broke our kiss, resting her head on my arm. “I’ll behave.”
“Don’t do it on my account.”
She laughed and closed her eyes, exhaustion settling over her body as her limbs stopped their shaking. Mine mirrored hers, the weight of sleep making me slightly delirious, making me question if this was really happening. Having Rain in my arms, naked and pliant against me, felt more like a memory bordering on a dream, not reality. Maybe I hadn’t ever woken up from when I’d passed out.
My eyes shut, and although I tried, I couldn’t open them again.
“I missed you, Compass.” Her voice was a whisper against my cheek.
“I know, Raindrop. Me, too.”
The cave entrance was right where I remembered it, thankfully, and the midday sun illuminated the front interior. Rain gasped as we walked through the wide, circular openings—there were three, which made the entrance look like an ancient version of the Olympics’ logo.
I took her hand as she carefully chose her footing on the uneven terrain of the cave floor.
“This is incredible.” Her voice was slightly breathless as I led her deeper into the cave, where only sections of it were lit up from punctures in the rock ceiling.
“This is one of the most impressive caves I’ve found, with both stalagmite and stalactite formations. There’s another cave on the western side of the Judean Mountains that has more, which is opened to tourists. When I found this one, I noted it to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, but they haven’t closed it off or made a decision to open it to the public or not yet.”
“Lucky you.”
“Lucky us,” I said, and moved along the interior right wall of the cave.
Long, icicle-shaped rocks hung from above us, varying in size and shape, but all the color of warm honey. Their mirrored versions rose from the ground in sporadic locations, leaving just enough nearly-flat rock to make paths with. The depth of the cave was extensive, and while I hadn’t found notable artifacts here on my previous visit, the natural beauty of the place alone had been enough to thrill me. That, and the fact that I could’ve easily gotten lost and never found my way back out again. The rock formations from below and above gave off an almost fun-house effect, and pairing that with the sheer size of the cave made for one dangerous excavation. One I’d never want Rain to do on her own.
We’d taken our time this morning, packing and allowing me to drink as much from the stream as I could safely manage, while carrying some water in the lone bottle I was allotted. The leisure of our pace gave us plenty of time to ascertain if Corrine’s team had caught up to us—which they unfortunately had. It killed the mood of the morning. Waking up with a naked Rain in my arms wasn’t something I’d ever imagined possible after all these years, and we hadn’t even had sex.
As revitalized and fit as I felt, after a good dose of water and the food from last night, I was ready to take her right here up against the cave wall.
“Are you sure they’ll make it out of here?” She scanned the structure, her eyes trying to pierce the darkness where she couldn’t see.
I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to lie to her anymore. Not presently, anyway. “Corrine is a skilled climber and treasure hunter. She’s been in worse situations than this and come out okay.”
She arched an eyebrow at me. “That isn’t a straight answer.”
I shrugged. “I can’t guarantee it. It took me what felt like a lifetime to find an exit. It could take them longer. It could take them less.”
“You really want to gamble with their lives like that?” She took her hand out of mine.
“I didn’t ask them to be here.”
She glared at me.
“They tried to steal your father’s journal, and they nearly stole your passport. Do you know what could’ve happened to you if you’d been caught without it?”
“They weren’t successful.”
“Should that make a difference?”
She rubbed her palms against her face. “I don’t know. This seems . . . wrong.”
I gently clutched her shoulders. “They’ll make it out. There are four of them. They’ll work the problem, and by the time they do, you and I will be long gone. They’ll have no chance to locate Harrison’s cave.”
I saw the battle in her eyes, and I tried to find the words to explain to her why I couldn’t let that happen. The cave was sacred to me. The last place I’d been with Harrison, the place that had swallowed him, the place that had shaped my life for the past nine years. It haunted me and called to me at the same time. No one else could touch it, rip out its guts, and find what truly resided within. It had to be me.
“Is the treasure worth this? Maybe this is just another sign it shouldn’t be unearthed.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Dad wouldn’t have done something like this.”
The words hit me like a physical blow, and I dropped my hands. “Of course he wouldn’t. I’m not him, Rain.”
“I know.”
“Are you with me? We have to move, now, before they—”
“Too late.” I heard Corrine’s voice a few seconds before I saw her come around the sharp corner of the third entrance, fifty yards away. She glanced around the cave, her eyes filling with awe before surmising the scenario. “This seems an odd choice for a treasure trove.” Her guys caught up and stood behind her.
I cut my eyes to the right, knowing th
e path we would need to take to get the hell out of there, but not knowing how to go about it without giving it away. I stepped in front of Rain, pushing her slightly toward the right.
“You knew we were on to you, didn’t you?” Corrine asked.
“Whatever gave you that idea?”
“Enough games. Is this the ‘epic’ cave of your past or not?”
“Is that even a question? Look around. Use your brain for once.”
Rain chuckled softly behind me, and I smirked as Corrine narrowed her eyes at us.
“You really shouldn’t be so flippant about this. This isn’t a game to me, and I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty to achieve what I want. You of all people know that, Easton.”
The dark look in her eyes had the smirk melting off my face. A quick movement from Frank behind her made me flinch.
“What the hell, Corrine?” I raised my hands as he aimed a .45 at us.
She was the one to smirk now, pointing at the gun. “This is what separates the good from the great. The bold from the meek—”
“The lazy from the motivated,” Rain cut her off as if she didn’t see the loaded gun staring us down. Frank wasn’t stable on the best of days, and as he trained that weapon on us he looked drunk with power.
“Give us the journal or I’ll leave you two here with extra holes in your body.”
I tilted my head. “That’s what this is about?”
“There is nothing in there that would matter to you!” Rain shouted, and it echoed in the cave. She took a few steps forward, brushing past me.
Frank zeroed in on her face with the barrel of the gun, and I grabbed her arm and jerked her behind me. I saw red as I glared at him. “If you hurt her, I will end you. All.” I cut my eyes to Corrine. “This is not worth the level you’ve brought it to.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” she said. “On both counts. Hand over the book.”
I reluctantly reached around, digging in my pack for the journal Rain had entrusted to me only last night. I hadn’t even gotten to glimpse inside it, and the last thing I wanted to do was hand it over. Not because it had any information inside that would lead them to his cave—because he’d died before he could log the evidence—but because it would hurt Rain to lose it. But the idea of her getting shot over it had me tossing the book across the expanse of space between us, where it landed with an echoing thud at Corrine’s feet.