She thought of the scars she had seen on his body— scars he had explained away as boyhood accidents or muggings during his travels. She’d once even teased him that he shouldn’t travel if he was so unlucky with local thugs. He’d merely smiled. Now she knew why he found her teasing amusing.
She realized she had been too willing to accept his glib explanations because she hadn’t wanted to look any deeper into the man himself. He had always been the perfect escort, the perfect partner for social functions and most definitely the perfect lover. Because she hadn’t wanted to open her eyes to reality, she’d allowed herself to be blinded. Even when she had decided she wanted more from him, she hadn’t thought any further than his giving her that all-important commitment of himself.
Jed hadn’t lied to her; he just avoided giving her the truth. Technically, her father hadn’t lied to her, either. That was something else she vowed to rectify as soon as she got home. She intended to sit the man down and insist he tell her everything, no matter how hard he resisted. She didn’t want any more secrets between them.
She looked out but didn’t see a sign of Jed. She didn’t expect to. If she couldn’t detect even a hint of his dark clothing or hear a rustle in the brush, then Eric wouldn’t, either. It was obvious Jed was very good at what he did, but she had to remind herself he had to be better than good if he wanted to remain alive.
“All I wanted to do was get away from him,” she told herself under her breath, “I thought coming out here would free me of all I felt for him. Instead, all it did was bind me even closer to the man.”
She thought of the wild lovemaking they’d shared back in the cave and blushed at the memory of the way she’d practically ordered him to possess her. She had almost torn his clothing off his body in her eagerness to make love with him! The more she recalled that night, the higher her body temperature rose. Had she really said and done all those things? Not to mention the almost raw savagery he’d shown in response. She decided there was a lot more to Jed than she was aware of, and in one respect, at least, she certainly wouldn’t mind finding out what!
Shelby fumbled for the canteen. She splashed a little water onto her hands so she could pat her heated cheeks, but found it didn’t cool her off any.
“At this rate, I don’t think even an ice-cold shower would work,” she muttered, sipping some water. She sat back on the shelf so as to remain out of sight and prepared to wait for Jed’s return.
Jed didn’t like what he was finding. Someone less cynical and suspicious than he was would think the three men were walking in circles. But Jed knew better. The men were still looking for them and were beating the bushes, making tight circles so they wouldn’t miss the smallest hiding place. Jed was positive they were deliberately not hiding their tracks. They wanted him to know they weren’t going to give up. That was fine with him, since he could keep track of them at the same time.
He rubbed his palm over his jaw, grimacing at the bristles prickling his skin.
“Damn, it could take us an extra day to avoid running into them,” he murmured. His mouth twisted in a wry smile. “By then we’re both going to wish I’d brought more than those blasted granola bars.”
Jed made no sound as he made his way back to the rocky shelf. Shelby was seated on the camp blanket with the ends tucked securely around her feet. His shirt was still wrapped around her, although it was already the worse for wear. Her eyes were shadowed with fatigue and the bruise on her cheek was turning an interesting shade of yellow-green.
“Did you see them?” she asked as he dropped down beside her.
He looked down on her serene features and silently damned her well-bred demeanor, which revealed no sign of emotion. He found he preferred the fiery, passionate side he’d seen last night. He vowed he’d see it again.
He shook his head. He wasn’t about to hide the truth from her anymore. “But they’re taking a circuitous route in hopes of catching us unaware along the way.”
Only a slight tensing of her lips told him she was uneasy at his news. “Which means?”
“They don’t know what training I’ve had or what I have at my disposal. They do know there’s only one person to deal with, and they’re thinking I’m just an amateur who got lucky,” he said bluntly. “Which means if they can, they’ll shoot to kill.”
Shelby jumped as if a loud noise had startled her. “Punishment for your taking me from them,” she murmured.
“They don’t want us getting down the mountain where we can give the authorities an excellent description of them and provide a rough idea where they’re living,” he explained. “Their fun and games up here would be rudely interrupted.”
“No one knows what they might have up there by way of protection,” Shelby said. “For all we know, they could have their front yard littered with land mines.”
“It would be a good way to keep solicitors away,” Jed commented with a wry smile.
Shelby smiled back. “Better than a large dog.”
“Cheaper, too.” His smile disappeared. “Do you know how to shoot?”
Her eyes widened as she realized his intent. “Daddy didn’t like having a gun in the house. At least, that’s what he used to say. Now I’m wondering if he didn’t have one hidden somewhere.”
“I’m sure he did.” Jed picked up his rifle and proceeded to show her what she needed to know to protect herself. Basically, all he cared about was that she aim and shoot. “The ammunition this baby is carrying is considered illegal by some, but it’s guaranteed to do more than enough damage as long as you hit your target. Don’t stop there. Just keep shooting. All I ask is that you make sure not to shoot me.” He handed her the rifle. “Also be prepared for a kick that could knock you on your lovely butt.”
She accepted the weapon gingerly. She started to lay it in her lap, then changed her mind and placed it in front of her. “What about you?”
He sheathed his knife in his boot. “I do well enough with this baby. But I want you to keep the rifle close to you at all times.”
Shelby was silent for several moments. “Do you think they’ll find us?”
“Not if I can help it. And if they’re stupid enough to try to take us on, they’ll soon regret it,” he predicted with a grim smile.
She couldn’t keep her eyes off the gleaming metal. “I know I should feel comforted by that statement, but I’m afraid I don’t feel all that reassured. Personally, I’d rather have a few tanks and heat-seeking missiles at our disposal.”
Jed chuckled and shook his head. “Nothing like a little overkill, love.”
“Not as long as it gets the job done.”
Shelby began shivering when the sun went down. It had grown so dark she couldn’t see past her hand. Jed had draped the blanket over her, but she still felt cold inside.
Sensing her discomfort, he moved closer and curved his arm around her. She gratefully burrowed against his body, feeling his body heat seep in as she laid her head on his shoulder.
“Things didn’t turn out the way either one of us expected them to, did they?” she said softly.
“No.” His reply was more an exhalation.
“You were late getting back from your trip.”
He smiled at the fact that, despite everything, she was aware of his schedule. “It was one of those things.”
“A problem with your mission?”
“More like a problem with one of my men.”
She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. “Is it something you can talk about?”
“Not really,” he admitted, then relented. “Basically, I found out one of the men I’m responsible for has been working for both sides.”
“You mean there are still double agents out there?”
He grinned. “They didn’t stop with the end of the Cold War. Some people are greedy, and if the other side will pay them enough they’re more than willing to forgo their principles.”
“That’s disgusting,” she snorted. “I hope you took care of him. But I guess
someone like him can’t just be fired, can he?”
“I didn’t have a chance to handle the situation before I had to return here, but I intend to take care of it before any more damage is done. For now, he’s being watched by someone I know I can trust.”
Which means Jed will be leaving soon. Perhaps not long after we return to Los Angeles, she thought to herself. And I’ll be left behind. Again.
A cold lump settled in the pit of her stomach. She had nurtured a hope that their candid talk might have altered things between them. She should have known better. How could she hope to basically change a man’s way of life?
Jed felt Shelby’s withdrawal as surely as if she had physically pulled away from him. He wondered how she would feel about him if he told her why he felt the way he did. How it was so much easier not to pin all your hopes on one person because then you couldn’t get hurt when that person left you.
His father had left his mother when she told him she was pregnant, because he hadn’t wanted to be saddled with a family. His mother had left Jed as a baby because she didn’t want to be bothered with being a mother. His grandparents hadn’t known what to do with a child who grew up angry and bitter. They’d never stopped to realize his actions were a result of their own verbal bitterness toward their daughter at “dumping her problems on them.” They’d turned Jed over to the state because they couldn’t handle him. Even the state hadn’t been able to control him. Only Smitty had understood that Jed’s anger needed to be channeled into something productive. The older man had kept him so busy with anything that required physical exertion that Jed hadn’t had time to ponder the negatives in his life.
Eight years with the DEA after college gave him a taste of life on the wild side, and he found he was perfect for it. Later on, Warren had heard of his skills and had recruited him to work for his department.
The last few years Jed was able to do what he did best—clean up messy situations. His dark coloring allowed him to make his way through South American cities or the Middle East without suspicion. His knack for picking up the local vernacular also helped.
He admitted. that now that he was over thirty-five, the wear and tear on his body and nerves was getting to be more than a little too much, but he wasn’t sure he was ready for a desk job just yet. The adrenaline rush his assignments gave him had turned him into a danger junkie. The nine-to-five routine wasn’t all that appealing to him.
Except more than a few changes had occurred in his life in the past year and a half. The biggest one being Shelby, and the joy and light she’d brought into his previously bleak existence.
He looked down at the top of her head, resisting the urge to smooth his hand over the fiery strands. Jed had to admit it: Shelby gave off a warmth such as he’d never known before. He found himself tempted to curl up against her and, like a stray cat, soak up all the attention and affection she had to offer.
“Whenever I was gone, I used to think about you a lot,” he said quietly, keeping her close in his arms. He’d shifted until he lay on his side with her body curved against his chest and belly. He noticed the slight tilt of her head, indicating she was interested in what he had to say. “If things started to get bad I’d remember something funny you had said or something we’d done together. There was one time I replayed that day we went to the beach over and over in my head.”
“It was so cold we didn’t want to take off our clothes to go swimming,” she murmured. “You said you wouldn’t be surprised if it snowed. So we ended up at that inn on the freeway and spent the weekend there.”
Jed’s lips curved at that memory. “That room had a nice big fireplace,” he commented. “And we had plenty of firewood.”
“You refused to let me wear any clothes.” Her reproof didn’t carry very much heat.
“You said if you couldn’t wear any, neither could I,” he reminded her. “At least the hotel had room service.”
Her fingers pressed lightly against his arm, which rested against her abdomen. “You didn’t seem to find the lack of clothing a problem.”
“We turned that huge bathtub into a swimming pool.”
“I wouldn’t exactly say we swam in it.”
Jed pushed away the lock of hair that obscured her face and dropped a gentle kiss at the corner of her eye.
“We’ve had some great times. We were always in tune with each other. Think about it, Shelby—we have a lot going for us,” he murmured. “Are you sure you want to give all of that up because you want something that really doesn’t exist?”
The moment he asked the question he knew he’d made a major error. Shelby threw off his arm and sat up. The rigid state of her spine told him he would be better off not trying to touch her again.
“Is that all you think we’re about? Sex?” Her voice lashed out at him like a glass-tipped whip. The disgust in it touched a raw nerve and sent his own temper soaring.
“Not just sex. We’ve always had more than great sex,” he growled.
“Don’t break your arm patting yourself on the back, lover. I’m sure you’re not the only man who’s ever given a woman multiple orgasms,” she drawled icily.
Jed gritted his teeth instead of giving in to his first inclination—to throttle Shelby. “No one has ever pushed me the way you have and lived to see the next day,” he retorted in a clipped voice.
Shelby looked over her shoulder. One delicately arched eyebrow told him she didn’t fear his less-than-subtle threat.
“Excuse me while I quake in your socks,” she jeered.
Jed blinked as he tried to understand her statement. “Do you realize how ridiculous that sounded?” he said finally.
Shelby considered what she’d just said and chuckled. “It did sound more than a little crazy, didn’t it?” she admitted. “But I can’t exactly quake in my boots when I’m not wearing any, and the socks I’m wearing are yours.” She held up one foot, still covered with his sock, as well as Meredith’s shoe, which was looking decidedly worse for wear. The leather loafer might have been well made, but it was obviously not meant for mountain climbing. “Chris owes Meredith a pair of Ferragamo loafers. These were her favorites, too. She’s not going to be happy they’re in such horrible condition.”
“I’ll make sure to take it out of his hide.”
“Do that. Then I want a crack at him.” Shelby took vicious pleasure in visualizing Chris and Eric slowly roasting over a bed of hot coals. Her imagination took off from there.
Jed watched various expressions play over her face. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but he had a pretty good idea she was greatly enjoying her daydream.
Later that night, Shelby found herself looking out across the mountain for any sign of light that indicated the three men were still around.
“If they’re smart, they won’t be having a fire tonight,” Jed said quietly, accurately guessing the direction her thoughts had taken her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and drew her back against his chest. “They’re getting too close to civilization to risk being seen. Eric is too clever to take any chances now.”
“He likes to frighten women.” She spoke without thinking. “He likes hurting them and keeping them afraid of him.”
Jed’s arms tightened. “How do you know that?”
She swallowed. “From things he said to me that night. He liked the idea of telling me his likes and dislikes as he fed me pieces of meat. He wanted me to know I was completely under his power, with no chance of escape.” With her back to him, he couldn’t see the shadows around her eyes, but he knew they were there as she went on. “He believes a woman should know her place from the beginning. I’d told him that my father would pay handsomely for my safe return, but he didn’t care about that. He doesn’t even care if the woman they take can cook just as long as she keeps Eric happy.” Her voice caught. “I didn’t have to ask what happened if he wasn’t kept happy,” she said in a small voice that fairly quivered with tears. “He told me. I guess he wanted to make sure I knew what cou
ld happen if I misbehaved.”
Curses the likes of which Shelby had never heard rolled past Jed’s lips even as he pressed kisses along her hairline. For the next ten minutes, she listened to his idea of torture for the man, which was far more gruesome than anything she could have thought of. With each kiss came another form of torture.
“Would you really do all that?” she asked once he wound down.
“And more,” he vowed.
Shelby smiled. She wondered if Jed realized he was actually making a form of commitment to her. Maybe there was hope for the man, after all.
Jed wasn’t finding it easy to sleep. Not when Shelby’s sweet round behind was nestled so securely against his belly. Her breathing was deep and even as she slept warm and secure in his arms.
Since he couldn’t sleep, he listened for anything out of the ordinary, but all seemed quiet. He mentally mapped out the rest of their trip back. As long as they could keep themselves moving among the brush, they should be able to get down by the next afternoon.
He hadn’t missed how badly she was limping now. Before they had prepared to sleep, he’d applied more antiseptic to her feet and rebandaged them. He hoped to at least keep any infection at bay.
Touching even her foot, so sore and bruised and lacerated, had him wanting to hold more of her. But her eyes had drooped with weariness and she’d looked as if she wanted nothing more than to crawl into a bed and sleep. He wanted to crawl into a bed, too. But not to sleep.
“Jed?” Shelby’s soft voice drifted back to him.
“Hmm?”
“This new side of you has been enlightening.”
He chuckled. “Enlightening? That’s a new way of putting it.”
“If you hadn’t come up here after me, I probably would have died, because they wouldn’t have had an easy time getting me to knuckle under to their demands,” she said quietly. “One thing I’ve wondered, though. Why did you come up alone? Why didn’t someone from the sheriff’s department or a ranger come with you?”
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