CORAM

by Bonnie Burrows

  Cambria applied the conditioner and let it sit for a minute before rinsing it out. She stood in the hot spray for a minute longer, loathe to exit the stall and return to reality.

  She stepped out, pulling a large towel from the rack and set to work drying her hair. She looked at the pile of dirty clothes on the floor in dismay. Cambria hadn’t remembered to bring fresh clothes into the bathroom with her.

  Opening the door a crack, she called out to Egan.

  “Can you bring me some clean clothes?”

  “Of course.”

  Egan handed Cambria her clothes and she thanked him before locking the door again.

  She shook the pile, expecting to see more than panties fall out of the oversized t-shirt. But there was nothing else. Cambria thought about arguing, but decided against it. The shirt was large and they only had a short while to sleep before they would be up and on the road again. She could survive a few hours in a large tee and panties.

  Stepping out of the bathroom, she hung her wet towel up on a rack and went to the sink. Egan had already laid out her toothbrush and mouthwash. He was standing behind her, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

  “I’m going to take a shower. Please don’t leave. I know you don’t trust me yet, and I understand, but I don’t want to chase you. But it’s important that you know, that the force that brought me all the way from Canada, that isn’t going to just go away. If you run, I’m just going to look for you again until I find you. It’s not something I can control, and I can’t just decide to give up. It eats away at me. I can’t fight it.”

  “A tiger can’t change its stripes,” she said matter-of-factly.

  Egan was surprised by her words, but she made no other mention about him being a shifter and hadn’t since they’d talked in the woods. He knew she’d been brainwashed to hate his kind for most of her life and it was going to take some time for her to break the hold that kind of indoctrination had on her.

  “I’m not going to tie you up, and I’m not going to sleep with one eye open. I need some solid sleep tonight and we only have a few hours. Run or don’t, but know that I will find you, no matter what you do.”

  “I gave you my word and I’m not going to break it,” she said.

  “Forgive me if I’m still a little leery of that. You fooled me once before.”

  He didn’t give her a chance to respond, just slipped into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She quickly brushed her teeth and brushed her hair.

  Cambria turned off the overhead light and left a small lamp on the night stand on. Hurrying so she could pick her side before he got out of the shower, she slid into bed, careful to leave plenty of room for him on the other side of the bed before curling onto her side and closing her eyes. She was starting to fall to sleep when she heard the bathroom door open and Egan walked out.

  She cracked one eye open, startled to see that he was naked, walking around the room checking the window locks and the door between their room and the next while he toweled his hair dry.

  Cambria watched his muscles move beneath his bronze skin, admiring the strength of his body. He was a very handsome man, and Cambria was surprised again that he was so smitten with her, of all people. His reddish brown hair was short and wavy, his overall appearance well-kept without being fussy. If they’d met under different circumstances, she never would have worked up the courage to make eye contact with him, let alone speak to him.

  She caught herself before she laughed at the thought. Being handsome didn’t make him special. He was human, just like any other man.

  Except he wasn’t. He was everything she’d fought so long against, and she was terrified of what he could become if angered enough. Everyone had their limits.

  If he was pushed too far, would he lose the calm exterior he seemed to have and shift in anger, destroying everything and everyone in his path? That’s what she’d been taught to believe. Even with the proof in front of her, she still struggled to let go of the lies that have been fed to her for the last six years.

  Or maybe he’s as good at hiding his true self as Laskin was, she thought angrily.

  But she knew that the two were nothing alike. She’d always felt a little uncomfortable around Laskin, even though he’d never given her any reason to feel that way. He’d been unfailingly kind to her, but she always suspected that there was an ulterior motive to every interaction. He’d been grooming her from the very beginning. For what, she had no idea and probably would never know. She hadn’t seen much of the scene in the woods, but it was obvious that neither Tom nor Gary had known about Laskin. Cambria doubted Laskin had told them anything of any substance over the years.

  Egan leaned over the sink, spitting mouthwash out before he took a swig of cold water out of the faucet and turned off the tap. She could see him very clearly in the soft glow of the bedside. Very clearly.

  Cambria blushed hot red at the sight of him and wondered about his expectations. He was clearly aroused, and Cambria wasn’t interested in being another man’s little plaything.

  She’d learned that lesson with Tom. In hind-sight, she knew that he’d never felt anything deeper than physical attraction for her, and that he had played her time and again to get what he wanted from her. She had been used, but she’d let it happen. Cambria didn’t ever want to feel that kind of shame again.

  He caught her looking and winked at her. Egan strode to the bed, confident and immodest. He pulled back the covers, sliding into his side of the bed and rolling onto his side to face her. His eyes bored into her soul and she felt exposed, even though the blankets were pulled up to her chin and she was clothed.

  Egan reached out and touched her cheek, but Cambria retreated to the edge of the bed. His smile was soft and understanding as he pulled his hand away.

  “I don’t know what’s happened to you over the years, though I can’t imagine that men have treated you kindly, the way you act. I just want you to know that, no matter how badly I want you, I will never force you.”

  “Wasn’t kidnapping me forcing me?” she knew that wasn’t what he meant, but she couldn’t help it. He could say anything he wanted, but that fact would always remain a source of contention between them.

  “Someday, you’ll see it the way I do. The facts are simple; had I not shown up when I did, you would be dead, or at the very least in prison with the rest of them. Isn’t this much better?”

  Cambria didn’t answer him. She didn’t know how she felt. Since she’d watched him from the woods, looking so lost and so forlorn, her perspective had changed. He had kidnapped her against her will, of that she would always be certain. But she knew without a doubt that he had done so for reasons that were entirely and completely based on love, however misguided it might seem to her.

  And the more she got to know him, the more she wondered if he wasn’t right. About everything. It was such a confusing position for her to be in.

  “Do you want the light off or on?” he asked.

  “I’d like it off.”

  He reached behind him, pulling the chain that hung from the fixture and plunging the room into darkness.

  Cambria held perfectly still, afraid to close the distance between the two of them. Within minutes, he was snoring softly and Cambria wondered again how he could fall asleep so quickly.

  She hung part way off the bed in her effort to keep from touching him, and already her body was sore from holding herself so rigidly to keep from falling. If this were a decent hotel, she might consider sleeping on the floor. But it wasn’t. It was the best they could do in the area in the middle of the night, but otherwise, it was not the sort of place she would stay in.

  Her only other choice was to move closer to Egan. He was deeply asleep now, his breathing long and slow. If she moved a little a time, she wouldn’t wake him and she could move a few inches without touching him.

  Taking her time, she eased away from the edge of the bed, moving until her knee was merely an inch from his. If their knees touched in the nigh
t, she could handle that. Already, the tension was easing out of her body and she was starting to feel sleepy. She heard him chuckle in his sleep, and fell asleep wondering what he was dreaming about that was so funny.

  Cambria woke up a few hours later, the gray light of approaching dawn casting an eerie light throughout the room. She was warm and well-rested, despite the fact that it couldn’t be later than around five.

  She closed her eyes and dozed for a few more minutes, enjoying the feel of the blankets that wrapped around her with delicious warmth. When she finally opened her eyes and tried to stretch, she realized that it wasn’t the blankets keeping her warm.

  His soft breathing warmed her neck, his heavy arm thrown over her carelessly in his sleep. At some point, she’d abandoned the edge of the bed in favor of his beckoning warmth. In sleep, her body had betrayed her.

  She was nestled up against him, her backside snuggled against him, his legs beneath hers. Tom had never spooned with her before, preferring to leave immediately after love-making for his own bed. And here she was, trapped in the arms of a man who had complete control over her, and he hadn’t once pushed her to do anything sexual.

  Cambria was starting to realize that she had horribly misjudged Tom. And herself.

  His embrace was wonderful, but Cambria had needs that couldn’t wait. She gently moved his arm, wiggling down in the bed in an attempt to free herself from his grasp without waking him.

  But he didn’t budge, and Cambria was firmly stuck. She would have to wake him if she wanted to get up.

  “Egan,” she half whispered.

  He didn’t respond.

  “Egan,” she was louder this time, gently elbowing him in the ribs to wake him.

  “Yes?” His voice was sleepy, and waking him had the opposite effect. He pulled her even closer, wrapping his arms more tightly around her and burying his face in her hair before falling back to sleep. One hand had come to rest over her breast, the other placed lazily on her hip.

  Well that’s just great, she thought.

  She elbowed him again, this time a little harder while she said his name.

  He finally woke up enough to be coherent, his voice still heavy with sleep.

  “I see you came to your senses,” he breathed the words into her neck but didn’t move to let her go.

  “I need to get up,” she said, the discomfort building inside of her.

  “No you don’t. This is nice right here.”

  He wasn’t understanding, and Cambria wasn’t interested in dancing around the issue any longer.

  “I have to go. I can’t hold it anymore. Please let me go, Egan.”

  Her chuckled as he released her,

  “Why didn’t you just say so?” he asked, but she was already vaulting out of the bed and headed for the bathroom.

  He rolled out of bed, checking the time before he started packing their things in the back packs. His was quite a bit bigger and much heavier, while hers only contained her clothes and the money she’d stolen from him.

  Egan was still walking around the room packing, completely nude when she walked out of the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and started working the brush through her thick curls, but she was fighting a losing battle. Her hair was a mess and needed more attention than she could provide at the moment.

  “Here, let me,” he said, coming up to stand behind her.

  She handed him the brush and looked at him in the mirror.

  “Seriously? Why are you still naked?”

  “Do you like it?”

  “No. Put on some clothes.” She was lying, and they both knew it. But he was right behind her, and his proximity was making it hard for her to concentrate.

  He ignored her, gently working his way from the bottom of her hair until he’d worked the more stubborn tangles out. His touch was so tender that Cambria could hardly feel it as he pulled the bristles through her hair. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of being cared for with so much affection.

  When he finished, he set the brush down on the long counter and leaned over her shoulder to gently kiss her on the cheek before quickly walking away. He got dressed in a hurry, taking their things to the car while she gathered her wits about her.

  She heard the engine start and quickly grabbed her brush, noticing for the first time that he’d grabbed her toothbrush and paste when he’d walked away.

  Cambria made one more sweep of the room, making sure that they hadn’t left anything behind. She left the room key on the desk and pulled the door shut behind her.

  Jogging the final steps to the car, she climbed into the passenger seat and buckled up. Egan smiled at her and put the car into gear.

  “What do you want for breakfast? It’s going to be the last hot meal for a long while.”

  “Pancakes.”

  “Pancakes it is.” He pulled onto the empty road and headed towards their destination, eyes open for a place that would be serving pancakes as the sun rose behind them.

  CHAPTER NINE

  A little less than an hour later, Egan stopped the car and put the keys on the dashboard. A very full Cambria stepped out of the car and admired the mountain before them. It was beautiful, but it was also rugged.

  It wasn’t going to be an easy hike.

  Egan walked passed her, nudging her playfully as she stood in awe.

  “Time to work off those pancakes,” he quipped, heading directly for the first outcropping of giant boulders. He began climbing from one to the next, moving quickly from ledge to ledge with ease.

  By the time Cambria walked to the base, he was already to the top.

  “Toss your bag up.” He was sitting on the edge, looking like a naughty little boy with his mischievous grin.

  She threw the bag as hard as she could and he caught the strap with one leg. He watched her climb, taking the same path he had. Cambria was struggling, but she was determined to wipe that smug grin off his face.

  The last boulder was the tallest. As hard as she tried, Cambria couldn’t get up it without help. She grabbed his outstretched hand and allowed herself to be pulled up.

  They stood on the top of the boulder, side by side, and Cambria was blown away by the beauty before them. The dusty, bleak boulders had hidden a shallow valley that sloped up through the trees to the mountain top. The view was breath-taking and more beautiful than she could have imagined.

  Just on the other side of the boulders was a short drop to a trickling waterfall that filled a tiny stream. Egan climbed down, holding his hand out to help Cambria as he went. When they reached the bottom he turned north, keeping to the edge of a large meadow that ran between the opposite tree lines.

  They passed several signs warning them to turn back, but Egan didn’t even slow down.

  “It says ‘no hunting, hiking or camping beyond this point’,” she pointed out.

  “It does.” He was unconcerned, continuing on without pause.

  “It says that there are dangerous animals in this area.”

  “Also true.”

  She was starting to get worried. The signs were clear, listing wild buffalo, mountain lions and wild longhorn as animals that roamed freely in the woods.

  She caught up to him, grabbing his arm and forcing him to stop.

  “I’m on board with hiding out until all this has blown over and they’re not looking for me anymore, but I don’t want to be a longhorn’s next meal.”

  Egan looked at her, his expression incredulous a moment before he burst out laughing.

  “Do you know what a longhorn is?”

  “No.”

  “It’s a cow. With big horns. The only thing that might eat you alive in these woods is a bear.” He paused for a moment, looking her up and down slowly, “Or me. You’re safe with me.”

  “I doubt you’re much help against a mountain lion, to be honest.” She looked around the nearest trees, feeling a bit paranoid to be out in the open.

  “One, they’re not typically spotted in the area we’re headed to, and two,
I’m a tiger shifter. I’ve got this under control.”

  She couldn’t argue with his logic. He grabbed her hand, still carrying her pack on his shoulder over his own pack.

  “We have a long way to go and we need to get there before the sun sets so I can set up camp.”

  She allowed him to continue holding her hand as they walked, enjoying the feel of it wrapped around hers.

  “So, you know all there is to know about me, but I don’t know about you. How did Laskin even find you?”

  “You don’t mince words, do you?” she laughed. “I guess it’s only fair that I share, since you’ve been so forthcoming.”

  Cambria was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out the best place to start. Coming up empty, she decided to start from her first memory.

  “My parents hated me for as long as I could remember,” she began, “even when I was just seven. They never let me go to school, convinced that I was too stupid to learn anything with normal kids.”

  “What made them say you weren’t normal?”

  “I have a speech impediment, and I tripped on my words a lot as a kid. My parents said I was so dumb I couldn’t learn English.”

  Egan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He hadn’t heard even the slightest hint of a speech impediment, nor was she too dumb to go to school. Egan would lay money that she would have gotten straight A’s if she’d attended school. He had a feeling her parents had pulled her out of school for selfish reasons.

  “They beat me a lot, blaming me for everything that went wrong. I did all the chores, hunted for food in the swamp near my house, and I tended the family garden. When we had visitors, mama made me hide in the woods. Sometimes, all night.”

  Egan sucked in a breath and let it out slowly but he didn’t interrupt her. He had a feeling no one had ever listened to Cambria tell her story. In the quiet solitude of the vast wilderness before them, he wasn’t about to take that away from her.