But the howling was over, at least for now, and she needed to be a good girl and stop tempting Flynn. He didn't want to want her. He'd said so himself. Yet he was only human and she'd been rubbing up against him for a good ten minutes. She knew the effect she had on men. It was the quality that had made her a box-office favorite.
So she did the decent thing and backed up . . . at least an inch.
"Don't." His arms tightened around her, eliminating that inch.
"I have to. This isn't right." It's perfect, but not right.
"Then why does it feel so good?"
"Whether or not it feels good is beside the point." She put more effort into her escape plan and wiggled out of his arms.
"Zoe. . ."
"I'm sorry, Flynn." She edged toward the door. "I shouldn't have thrown myself at you like that. It's not fair."
He took a step toward her. "I've lost track of what's fair."
She backed toward the door. "We're not doing this."
He followed her. "I think we are,"
"No." She held up her hand like a traffic cop. "You'll hate yourself in the morning."
He took her hand and began kissing the tips of her fingers. "Maybe, but I can't seem to make myself care about that right now."
The feel of his lips mesmerized her. They were incredibly soft, tantalizingly warm, and so supple she swallowed a groan of longing. Those lips belonged to Kristen "Crackers" Kecbier, the woman with a rightful claim to the condoms and the man who'd bought them. Zoe had broken Margo's heart fifteen years ago by stealing her boyfriend. History would not repeat itself.
She pulled her hand free. "No, Flynn. Good night." As she walked down the hall toward her bedroom, his sigh of resignation followed her.
"Thanks," he said as she reached her bedroom door. "I think."
She almost turned around. But he was part of a couple and she refused to be the "other woman." Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. Walking into her bedroom, she closed the door.
A noise outside made her pause to listen, and her chest tightened in fear. Someone .. . or something ... was running through the forest. Something very big. And a terrible smell was making its way through the chinks and crannies of the cabin. Damn! She couldn't go back to Flynn's bedroom like a scared rabbit. She knew what would happen if she went to him for comfort.
So she stood there holding her breath and shaking uncontrollably as the crackling, crashing sounds gradually died away. Sheesh. And Luanne had said nothing ever happened in Long Shaft.
Chapter Nine
When he heard something charging through the woods and smelled the foul odor, Flynn hurried out into the hall, prepared to defend Zoe if necessary. He expected and fervently hoped that she'd come tearing out of her bedroom and rush to him for protection. No such luck.
Whoever or whatever was out there was moving away from the cabin, not toward it, which muted the danger factor. Zoe had probably decided to tough it out rather than risk another close encounter with Flynn. He was impressed with her resolve.
Or, and this was a depressing thought, maybe she wasn't all that motivated to have sex with him. He'd been so carried away by the excitement of bodily contact that he might have imagined her response. All that heat could have been coming from him and bouncing off of her, making her seem as hot as he was when she was actually being polite.
Any minute now he'd start feeling guilty for suggesting they get horizontal, but so far all he felt was a high level of frustration because they hadn't done that. A walk outside would help clear his mind and get his buddy to relax. Yeah, he definitely needed a walk to cool down.
Oh, who was he kidding? With Zoe forbidden to him, he wanted to investigate the area and look for evidence to indicate what had run past the cabin just now. He'd heard the rhythm of two feet hitting the ground, not four, so he doubted it had been a bear. And there was that smell.
He wished to hell he had a flashlight. In the morning maybe he'd drive to the nearest hardware store and buy one. They needed a flashlight in case of emergencies, not to mention potential Bigfoot sightings. The cabin should have come with one, but it hadn't. He was stuck with the butane flamethrower for now.
Retrieving it from the hearth where he'd replaced it after the Luanne incident, he started to leave. Then he remembered that Zoe might be startled if she happened to look out her bedroom window and see him roaming around in the dark pointing his flame every which way, so he walked down the hall and tapped on her door with the tip of the lighter.
"Who is it?"
"Bigfoot." Cheap shot, but he couldn't resist. Who did she think it would be? "Not funny."
"I know. Sorry. Listen, I'm going outside to look around."
"Then I'm coming with you."
He didn't think that was wise. Too much togetherness in the dark wasn't a good thing. "That's okay. Maybe you should stay here and—"
She opened her door, cutting off his protest. "I'm going. I'm supposed to be observing you, remember?" She'd changed out of her ugly beige suit into a ragged gray sweatshirt and faded sweats the color of bile.
The new outfit did nothing to calm his libido. He wanted to grab the hem of her sweatshirt and yank it over her head. "I don't see how following me around outside applies to your research."
"Sure it does. Vera is a scientist, which means she's curious about everything. Just like you, she'd want to look for clues about whatever it was that ran past here a while ago."
"So you heard that?" He thought maybe her outfit was mismatched on purpose as part of her nerd wardrobe. The sweatshirt had a picture of Einstein on the front, along with the Theory of Relativity formula. Flynn envied the old guy his venue. Draped over Zoe's breasts, Einstein looked almost three-dimensional.
"I'd have had to be deaf not to hear it," she said. "Sounded like an elephant jogging on its hind legs." She threw out the comment with bravado, but she looked a little nervous. "And the thing was smelly, too."
"You really can stay here. You don't have to go with me."
She swallowed. "I'd rather go with you than stay by myself, okay?"
"Okay." He couldn't very well force her to stay. He'd just have to watch himself and not get into any cozy situations.
"Flynn, we can handle this," she said, as if reading his mind.
He gazed at her and wondered if she had any concept of her sex appeal. She wouldn't have to do anything more elaborate than stand there to drive a guy insane. He couldn't believe he'd never realized how vulnerable he was to that, but then again, they'd always been in his office or at a crowded restaurant. Here in the middle of the woods was a whole different story, a test of willpower he hadn't counted on.
Her breathing changed as she held his gaze. "You don't think we can?"
"Yeah, we can." He didn't want to admit he was losing control. He'd get it back. She was an international star who lived in a galaxy far, far away from him. He gestured with the butane lighter. "Let's go see what we find."
Zoe wasn't crazy about going outside, but she was even less willing to be alone inside. She hadn't pictured this weekend turning into some scary thing like Friday the 13th, but that's how it was shaping up. She hadn't figured on the sexual aspect of the trip, either. But she was on top of that problem, ready to call a halt at the slightest sign of trouble. She would not compromise Flynn's relationship with Kristen.
She followed him outside and closed the door. "It's getting chilly out here."
"Want to go back for a jacket?" "No, that's okay. It feels good." He sighed. "Sure does."
She felt terrible. Because of her, he was in an unwelcome state of arousal. Too bad he was taken, though, because standing in the forest with the great smell of pine all around them, an almost full moon, and about a billion stars overhead, she had the urge to start hugging and kissing.
Nature had that effect on her and she hadn't combined Flynn and nature before, so she hadn't realized how well he fit into the mix. Making film after film in the past few years, she hadn't taken vacations.
Any time she'd been in a natural setting like this, she'd been working.
"I want to make this search systematic," Flynn said.
"Right." She was working now, she reminded herself, working to understand the thoughts and actions of her chosen nerd. He wanted a systematic search. When she got back inside, she'd write that down. Good info. "Meaning what?" she asked.
"The sound came from over there." He pointed the butane lighter to his left. "So we'll conduct a grid search, walking a pattern of lines lengthwise and then crosswise, so that we cover the area."
She glanced at the wooded section he'd pointed to and tried to picture walking in a line through any of it. "I don't get the idea. It's full of trees."
He gazed at her. "So you walk around them."
"Well, I know that, but which way?"
"All the way around."
"Hm." She glanced doubtfully at the forest and back at Flynn. "This could take a really long time. We're talking tedious."
"I know. You should probably go back inside. I don't mind doing it by myself."
She wasn't keen on that plan. "What about postponing this until morning? Then you'd be able to see what you're doing."
He adjusted his glasses and looked up into the night sky. "Now that the moon's up, I think I'll be able to see okay. By tomorrow morning the evidence could be gone, compromised in some way."
"Wouldn't want that." In point of fact she'd love that. No evidence would mean she could convince herself she'd imagined the sound of that lumbering giant. She was helping him look for something she hoped he wouldn't find.
He blew out a breath. "Zoe, just go on inside. In fact, go get the key and bring it back to me. That way you can lock yourself in and feel safe."
"No way, Jose. If those things are aliens, a silly old lock won't keep them out." Out here in the dark she was ready to believe every creepy story she'd ever heard.
"I don't know that Bigfoot's an alien species. It's only one theory. If you locked the door you'd be perfectly fine, and then I can conduct this search without putting you through a boring ordeal."
She shook her head. "Nope, I'm staying and I'm walking."
"That makes no sense. I'm probably less protection for you than a locked door, when it comes to that."
"So I'm not being logical. We both know that's your strong suit. Lead on, Flynn. Let's walk that line."
"Okay, if you insist. Come on over this way."
She followed him several yards away from the cabin. Glancing back at it, she wondered if she'd made the right choice. She could be inside that cozy little place where lights glowed and doors locked. Instead she'd thrown her lot in with Flynn out here in the wilderness.
She realized that she loved nature, but she liked it best when it was on the tamer side. Like city parks. When they'd been standing next to the cabin, nature had seemed a little friendlier than it did when she was face-to-face with the forest primeval.
"We'll walk side by side about three feet apart, until I tell you to stop," he said. "If you see anything, we can use the lighter to see it better."
Zoe tried to quiet the jumpy little squiggles in her tummy. "What am I looking for, exactly?"
"Anything unusual. Recently broken branches. Footprints."
"What kind of footprints?"
"Like a human's, only bigger. Maybe around twenty inches or so."
"Twenty?" She gulped. "How b-big are these guys supposed to be?"
"Some have been reported at fourteen feet, but that's..." He paused and took a closer look at her. "You're scared to death, aren't you?"
She shook her head and tried to stop shaking.
"You are so. Don't torture yourself. Let's go back to the cabin and I'll get the key so you can lock yourself in."
"No. I want to do this." She clenched her hands into fists and willed herself to be calm. Flynn wasn't afraid. Instead he was fascinated. That's what she had to go for—total fascination. She'd had no idea learning to be a nerd would be so scary, though.
Okay, she had the answer. She would pretend this was a scene in her latest film, not reality. That would be the reverse of her usual thought process, where she had to convince herself that the scene was real. Funky. She could do this.
Stepping about three feet away from him, she started walking, keeping her eyes on the ground. Twenty-inch footprints. Oh.. .my... God. If she saw one, she'd freak out, scene or no scene.
Of course she saw one. "Flynn!"
He came quickly and snapped the lighter to produce a tiny flame. Then he drew a quick breath and crouched down with a murmur of delight.
Zoe was not delighted. Pressed into a patch of soft dirt was a humanlike footprint, but no human had made that print. Her entire forearm and hand would fit lengthwise inside it, no problem.
She stood staring at it in the wavering flame of the butane lighter. The longer she stared, the more light-headed she became trying to process what she was seeing. She didn't realize she was squeezing Flynn's shoulder until he doused the flame, stock the lighter in his pocket, and stood up.
"It's okay," he said, drawing her into his arms.
Her whole body was stiff with shock and she could barely make her lips move. "What... what is that?" It was a silly question. There was only one answer.
"Don't be afraid." He pulled her close. Then he took off his glasses and slipped them into his other pocket
"What are you doing?" Another silly question for which there was only one answer.
"I'm commemorating the moment." He leaned down, his breath warm against her mouth.
She wasn't supposed to allow this. For some reason it was a very bad idea. But in the face of a twenty-inch footprint, she couldn't remember why.
Flynn had promised himself not to kiss Zoe, but she looked paralyzed with fear. If he could distract her, then maybe she'd be able to share his excitement in finding the footprint. Besides, he really did want to celebrate this huge discovery, and kissing Zoe seemed like the only move that would satisfy the demands of the occasion. It beat a bottle of champagne by a country mile.
He'd never kissed a frightened woman before, and at first it was a challenge. She was literally petrified. Her mouth had no give to it, and when he opened his eyes to check, he discovered hers were wide open and staring back at him. But she wasn't resisting, either, which she would have if she'd been her usual spunky self.
So he decided to keep going and hope for the best. Closing his eyes again, he put more effort into the kiss. Eventually her lips started to thaw. Encouraged by the small bit of warmth and movement, he tilted his head and went deeper, exploring gently with his tongue. He peeked again and discovered her eyelids were drifting downward.
After that, the shift to full participation came quickly. One second she was a plaster mannequin from a window display and the next a fiery lover in an X-rated movie. She ignited with a groan, grabbing his head in both hands and taking his breath away with a no-holds-barred kiss.
He figured this was her way of dealing with fear. Because he'd wanted to calm her fears, he had an obligation to go along. Any guy would do the same, especially if that guy happened to be flying high on his first personal evidence of the existence of Bigfoot. Besides all that, Zoe smelled terrific, like flowers and honey and sex. Definitely like sex.
She kissed him as if she couldn't get enough, so he kept on giving. She inspired him to shift position and discover different and wonderful ways to connect mouths and tongues. The pace was more frantic than his usual style, but Zoe's energy seemed to demand that. He didn't mind at all.
Gulping for air, she stopped long enough for a breathless question. "Do ... all nerds ... kiss like this?" Then she cut off any possible answer by zeroing in again.
He knew the answer to her question, but it brought up a subject he didn't want to think about right now. Kristen was a passive kisser. She didn't like to get too carried away. He'd told himself she was withholding her full-throttle response until he'd fully committed to her. Apparently Zoe didn't need that
kind of reassurance.
She was completely into this kissing business, and consequently, so was he. As his control slipped even more, he began to consider whether he dared explore what lay behind Einstein's Theory of Relativity. To reach under that portrait of Einstein and touch her breasts would commemorate this moment even more completely. And damn, she smelted so good!
While still maintaining the mouth-to-mouth, he created space between his body and hers so he could slip his hand under the hem of her sweatshirt. She didn't stop him. In fact, he heard a distinct sigh. Sighs were good.
His heart beating even faster than when he'd first seen the footprint, he explored her cotton-covered, fully insured breasts. Each one filled his cupped hand to overflowing. How she'd ever convince a director she could pull off the flat-chested thing was a mystery to him.
As he teased her nipple through the cotton, she moaned and arched toward him. Oh, happy days. With that kind of gold-plated invitation, he searched for the catch of her bra. A sexy woman like Zoe would definitely be wearing a bra that hooked in front. But he, normally proficient with front-fastening bras, couldn't find it.
She lifted her mouth from his long enough to murmur, "Nerd bra, back hooks," before she returned to kissing him with enthusiasm.
Nerd bra? He'd had no idea there was such a category. Reaching behind her back, he undid the hooks easily. And then... nothing but glorious sensation. Her skin was silk, her nipples tight and begging to be sucked. Did he dare?
Hell, yes. He might never get a chance like this again. He started bunching the material of her sweatshirt to gain access.
Leaning away from his kiss, she lifted her arms over her head.
Such a vulnerable gesture of surrender. He went crazy with lust. In seconds he'd whipped both the sweatshirt and bra off and tossed them on the ground. For all he knew they'd landed right on top of the Bigfoot print.
Gone With the Nerd Page 10