Rattled

by Kris Bock

  Their mouths met in a burst of heat, an intoxicating dance. Erin felt limp, her limbs heavy. Drew shifted her closer, fully onto his sleeping bag, and leaned her back. His lips nibbled over hers. Erin gave a sigh of pleasure and ran her hands up his back. He kissed his way down her throat and she arched her head back to give him access. Despite the hard ground underneath her, she felt like she was floating. Her skin warmed under his kisses, then tingled in the cool night air when his mouth moved on.

  He draped one leg between hers. She could feel him hard against her thigh, and being wanted gave her a thrill of power. His lips returned to hers, whispering gently, then pressing firm as he deepened the kiss. His hand moved up her side, under her loose shirt, the scrape of callus oddly seductive, and cupped her breast. His thumb brushed back and forth across the soft mound of skin above the curve of her bra. Erin’s hands tightened on his shoulders and her breath came fast. She arched and pressed into his hand until he slid his palm into her bra to release her breast. She moaned.

  He kissed and caressed until the world seem to spin around them. Erin felt weak with pleasure even as her body strained for more. He eased back and she gave a little whimper of distress, until he drew up her shirt and lowered his mouth to her bare breast. Erin’s hand gripped the back of his head, pressing him closer as he nuzzled, and pleasure ran through her like jolts of electricity.

  She gazed up at the star-bright sky, inhaled the scent of sagebrush and cool desert air. A wild excitement leaped inside her. Who had known anything could be like this?

  Drew’s hand slipped inside Erin’s drawstring pants and caressed her until she moaned and then gasped at the explosive release. She lay trembling as Drew trailed kisses up her throat. He kissed her deep and long.

  Erin found enough strength to lift her arms around him. She could see Drew’s face better now and wondered if the moon were coming up, but couldn’t look away from him long enough to check.

  He brushed the back of his hand over her cheek and said softly, “Should I get a condom?”

  Something inside Erin melted. He’d given her pleasure, and now he was giving her a choice, and he cared about protecting her if she chose to go forward. Then she had to laugh at herself for getting mushy over a condom. She smiled up at him. “Yes.”

  He fumbled in his gear, and Erin lay back, grinning. She should feel anxious, or embarrassed, or foolish. She just felt damn good. She sat up as he turned, shifted to face him, and drew up his T-shirt. She ran her fingers over his shoulders, across his chest, enjoying the feel of warm skin over firm muscle.

  He smiled and pulled off her shirt. “Fair is fair. Besides, I want to see this lovely skin.” He reached around and unhooked her bra one-handed. They took off their own hiking boots, then helped each other with the rest of their clothes. They stretched out again on their sides, facing each other, exploring each other’s bodies with gentle strokes until Drew groaned. “Where’s that condom?”

  When it was in place, he started to sit up and reach for her. Erin gathered her nerve, lifted a hand, and gently pushed him back. She straddled his hips and ran her hands over his chest before lifting herself up and lowering onto him. He let out a ragged moan and grabbed her hips.

  Erin lifted her head toward the starry sky. A primitive power surged through her. She brushed her fingertips up her own body, over her breasts, then raised her arms to the sky. She wanted to sing, dance naked under the stars, howl at the moon. She did something even better. She rocked her hips, feeling Drew hard and deep inside her.

  Heat flared up inside her, rocketed through her. She wouldn’t have been surprised to see light flashing out of her fingertips.

  She lowered her hands to Drew’s chest and braced herself while she moved and the glorious tension built up inside her. Drew’s fingers dug into her hips as he gasped out, “Erin—God—” but she didn’t slow. She cried out as pleasure exploded through her. Drew moaned as his hips bucked in one final thrust, and Erin collapsed on top of him.

  Erin lay limp and astonished. She had never done anything like that before. She had never had the courage, or a partner that she knew would enjoy that kind of wildness, wouldn’t feel intimidated or shocked. She’d always played it safe in bed, just like everywhere else. But now that she knew what lovemaking could hold, she didn’t think she could ever go back.

  Heat pulsed off Drew in waves while the cool night air whispered along Erin’s back. She murmured with pleasure and turned her head to rest her cheek against Drew’s chest. On the eastern horizon, the moon hung huge and golden over the distant mountain range. “Oh my God! Isn’t it beautiful?” Erin let out a sigh and smiled. “I know it’s not really any bigger when it’s down low like that, but it looks like you could reach out and touch it.”

  Drew gave a mumbled agreement, and Erin lifted her head. “You’re not even looking!”

  “Can’t move right now. Or open my eyes.”

  She laughed. “Well, if you can’t keep up....”

  She squealed as he shifted sideways and dumped her on her back. He gazed down at her with a wicked smile. “Are you saying you’re ready for more?”

  She patted his cheek. “It’s all right. Take a break if you need one.” She rolled onto her side for a better view of the moon, while Drew dealt with the condom. When he stretched out behind her, she snuggled back against him for warmth. “What a night.”

  “I’ll say.” His teeth scraped her neck.

  She chuckled. “That too, but I was talking about the view.”

  His chest pressed against her back. He radiated heat while the cool night air played over her exposed skin. He ran a hand up and down the side of her body and brushed a kiss over her cheek. “It’s fabulous. Unexpected. Just like you.”

  His palm brushed over her breast, made lazy circles. He nibbled at her ear, her jaw, her neck and shoulder, stroking until she felt his growing hardness pressing between her legs. When he slid on another condom, she shifted to let him in. They made love again gazing at the rising moon.

  Chapter 20

  In the morning, they fixed breakfast and prepared for the day as if they’d all been camping together for years. Even Camie’s smirk couldn’t embarrass Erin. They packed up camp, loaded everything into the helicopter, and moved their gear to the copse of trees half a mile from their search site. After they unloaded, Drew said, “I’d better get going. I want to take a shower at the office in Silver Valley before my meeting.”

  Erin and Camie looked at each other. Then they turned as one and punched Drew. He laughed. “And after the shower, I’ll grab a donut and coffee.”

  “You’re quickly losing all those points you gained for the ice cream bars,” Camie warned.

  “I figure I still have some left from giving you a ride.” He pulled Erin close. “How about a goodbye kiss?”

  She smiled and leaned in. When they separated, Drew shifted and pushed at the crotch of his jeans, as if he suddenly didn’t have enough room. Erin couldn’t hold back a wicked grin.

  Drew’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, so that’s how it is. Well two can play at that game.” He dragged her toward him and crushed his mouth to hers. When he finally let go, she felt like she might topple over. Drew smiled with satisfaction. “So there. Of course, it didn’t help my situation either.” He kissed her gently. “Go. Before I cancel my plans and yours, and we get nothing done today.”

  Erin watched as he turned toward the helicopter and opened the door. She wondered if he’d come back that night. He hadn’t said anything and she hadn’t noticed if he’d left his sleeping bag in the helicopter or stashed it with their gear. She didn’t want to put expectations on him—but she wanted to see him again, soon.

  He looked back at her, the door still open. “Erin?”

  “Yes?”

  “Be careful.” He jerked his head toward the west. “I don’t like the looks of those clouds. We might get rain today. If a storm comes on suddenly, I won’t be able to fly. You’ll be stranded out here.”

  Er
in frowned at the dark clouds building up over the mountain above Silver Valley. They did look like storm clouds, but a glance at the sky directly overhead showed clear blue. She shrugged. In New Mexico, predicting the weather was almost impossible. It might storm, even hail, in one spot and be clear and calm a mile away. “We’ll be all right.” She was starting to believe that together she and Camie could handle anything, if they had to.

  “Just keep an eye on things. And stay out of the arroyo if it looks like it’s raining over the mountain, even if it’s clear here.”

  “I know. Trust me, I’m not going to go looking for danger.”

  Erin backed away from the helicopter and waved as he took off. She watched until she could see nothing but sunlight flashing on metal. When she finally turned away, Camie burst out laughing. “What?” Erin asked.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that look on your face before.”

  “I’m not sure I’ve ever had this look on my face before. But wow. Let me just say, wow!”

  Camie slung an arm around her. “Wow is good. I guess your luck has changed. Now let’s go find some treasure, and you can give me all the juicy details.”

  They left Tiger hunting among the trees and started work on the north side of the canyon. “I’m nervous,” Erin said. “We’re halfway done, and we haven’t found anything.”

  “That’s good—it means we’re getting closer.”

  “Glass half-full? I guess so, but if we don’t find the cave today, we have to either expand our search, figure we’re in the wrong area altogether and start over, or assume the cave has collapsed and won’t show up with The Finder.”

  Camie shrugged. “So we’ll find it today.”

  Erin grinned. “Good plan. But let’s start a little farther west, just to make sure we don’t miss anything. I know I’m just being paranoid, but I can’t shake the feeling that maybe we underestimated that last leg on the map.”

  They walked along the canyon rim, enjoying the mild morning air and light breeze. Erin felt like singing. The sky was blue—except to the west, where the gathering purplish clouds were dramatically pretty. A bird sang with a high, clear call. Erin ached more from good sex than from her accident, and she hardly noticed her broken finger.

  “Oh, look!” She pointed at a brown horse grazing near a patch of trees a few hundred yards away. “Do you think it’s wild?”

  “More likely part of a ranch. Did you notice the barbed wire near our new campsite?”

  “No. Funny to think there might be people nearby.”

  Camie shrugged. “Depends on your definition of near. Could be miles to the ranch house, if they just use this as grazing land.”

  They went over a mound that dropped away quickly into a shallow side canyon. “Interesting formation,” Camie said. “Maybe we should head along this side canyon first. Given the desert varnish at the rim, I’d guess it’s not a new formation, and a side canyon could easily turn into a cave.”

  “Given the what?”

  “Desert varnish is that dark coating on the exposed surface of the rocks. It takes hundreds of years to build up. The varnish tells us this land hasn’t changed much in recent centuries.”

  They found nothing at the end of the side canyon, so they walked back toward the main canyon with The Finder on. They’d been working only a few minutes when the readout on The Finder changed. “Will you look at that!” Camie exclaimed. “If that’s not empty space underground then—well, then my invention is completely wonky and probably useless. But I’d say we’ve found ourselves a cave.”

  They grinned at each other. “It might not be the right one,” Erin whispered. “It might—”

  Camie cut her off. “There’s one way to find out. If it’s not the treasure cave, we’ll keep looking.” They left The Finder at the top of the rise and scrambled down the slope. Twenty feet down they found a rectangular opening cut in the rock, maybe four feet high and three feet wide.

  “It looks like an old mine entrance,” Erin said. “That’s not what I was expecting.”

  Camie’s smile didn’t falter. “Whatever it is, it means The Finder is working.” She punched her fists into the air. “It works! I did it!” She threw an arm around Erin and squeezed. “Let’s check it out.”

  They ducked into the entrance and paused, blinking to let their eyes adjust. “I don’t feel cool air coming out,” Camie said. “That suggests it doesn’t go deep.”

  “I can’t see the end, though. Of course, I can hardly see anything. I’ll get my flashlight.” Erin fished it out of her backpack. The bright beam cut through the darkness, playing off dark, rough-cut walls and a dirt floor scattered with small rocks. She moved forward, hunched over and watching her steps carefully.

  About 15 feet in, the ceiling dropped even lower. Erin eased down to her knees and Camie came up beside her. Erin could hear their breathing over the faint distant call of a bird outside. She aimed the light down the tunnel. It shone on a solid rock wall about 10 feet ahead.

  Erin sank back to sit on her heels and groaned as disappointment speared through her. She had been trying not to get her hopes up too much, but obviously she had failed.

  “Just some miner’s claim,” Camie said. “I wonder what he was looking for and if he found it.” She took the flashlight from Erin and played it over the walls. “There’s a vein of what looks like crystal. You probably wouldn’t find gold or silver here, but they mined a lot of other things over the years.”

  “Right, perlite and—I can never remember that other one, the fuzzy rock, like a black velvet painting.”

  Camie gave her a look and Erin shrugged. “I’m a history professor, not a geologist. I only know that much from hiking near old mines outside of town.” Erin got to her feet, though she still had to bend over under the low ceiling. “We’re wasting our cool morning. Let’s get back to work.”

  She took a step forward and paused as she heard a sound, a crack followed by a series of faint thuds and a kind of hiss. Her skin prickled and her breath caught in her throat. The sound hadn’t been like the rattlesnakes’ warning, she told herself. Hardly at all. A rock rolling downhill, maybe? She glanced up at the ceiling, reminding herself that this shaft had probably been there for over a century and was perfectly solid. And while New Mexico had frequent earthquakes, they were rarely strong enough to notice. If a rock fell downhill outside, it was just random chance, or it had been dislodged by some animal.

  “Everything okay?” Camie asked.

  “I just heard something. A rock falling, maybe, but then there was this other sound, like a hiss.”

  “Probably Tiger on the hunt.”

  “Of course! He wanders off and I forget about him.” She moved forward, scolding herself for getting nervous, just because she was a few feet underground. She wasn’t used to caves or mineshafts, that was all. She slipped the flashlight into her backpack once the bright outside light lit their way. She tried not to think about the work still ahead.

  Erin stepped out of the shaft and straightened, blinking against the bright light and fumbling for the sunglasses she’d hooked in the front of her shirt. Camie stepped out beside her.

  A dark shape moved in from the side. Hands grabbed Erin’s arms. The fingers dug in painfully and almost lifted her off the ground.

  Erin screamed and tried to twist away. When she turned her head she saw Camie grappling with another man. The big man from the black SUV.

  Erin’s attacker jerked her around so she was facing away from him. His arms banded tightly around her, pinning her arms to her sides. His breath rasped hot against her ear.

  Sunlight blinded her. Her feet came off the ground and dangled uselessly. The world seemed to swim around her, flashing sunlight and blurred shadows. These were the men who had run her off the road, nearly killed her. That memory tangled with the present and sent panic screaming through her.

  She tried to squirm, tried to remember how to fight. But her vision grayed and she choked for breath as a cold ball
of terror lodged in her chest. She went limp, her head lolling back on her attacker’s shoulder. She struggled to stay conscious as her body demanded the escape of blacking out.

  He shoved her against the hard rock of the cliff next to the mine opening. The man pulled her arms behind her and held her wrists. Erin’s legs still felt numb and she would have slumped to the ground if it weren’t for the cliff and the man holding her. She heard Camie swear, a grunt, the clatter of rocks skidding downhill. Those sounds of struggle faded. Erin saw Camie shoved against the wall on the other side of the opening. Their eyes met, then tears blurred Erin’s vision.

  They’d found her. Erin and Camie were miles from anyone else, without weapons, powerless. Erin closed her eyes but the tears seeped out.

  Chapter 21

  The man holding Erin spoke behind her. “So you led us to the treasure after all. See what happens to naughty girls who don’t like to share?”

  She hadn’t gotten a good look at him, but she recognized his voice. The man who had come to her house. She closed her eyes to block out the memory, but she couldn’t stop shaking. Jagged edges of rock pressed into her skin with every tremble. The shaded rock felt cool against her face. She tried to focus on that. If she could just focus on the cool pressure on her cheek, the grit prickling her skin, she wouldn’t faint. She couldn’t bear the thought of being unconscious, even more helpless.

  She had to stay alert, ready. She had to be strong. She reminded herself that she had gotten rid of the man once before.

  That didn’t help now.

  She dragged air into her lungs, forced it out again. It took all her strength just to breathe. He yanked her away from the wall, pushed her head down, and shoved her into the opening. Camie stumbled in beside her. Erin caught sight of her fierce scowl under the tumbled blonde curls before the darkness masked her expression.