Rattled (21 page)

Drew turned toward her, propped on an elbow. “It’s easy to forget you’re a city girl when I see how well you handle yourself out here. I can’t believe I thought you were fragile when we first met. Although, in my defense, I didn’t see you at your best the first couple of times.”

Erin smiled up at the sky. “I don’t think I’m fragile, but I’m not sure I handle myself that well, either. I’m just following Camie’s lead, trying to keep up, when I’m not fainting from heat exhaustion or scared witless. I’m glad if I come across as halfway competent, but believe me, it’s a trick of the light.”

Drew reached out with his free hand and stroked his knuckles down her cheek. “Not competent. Courageous.”

She turned her face toward him but could see little of his expression in the dark.

“You do what you have to do, to get what you want,” he said. “I call that courage. Remember what I said about bravery?”

Erin gazed at him, her pulse fluttering and a tingling warmth flooding her. Her lips parted but no sound came out. Her mind was blank.

“I think I’ll turn in,” Camie said cheerfully. “I’m just going to go over here. Way over here, out of the way.” She gave a yawn too loud to be real. “See you in the morning. Sleep tight.” She moved off chuckling and Tiger followed after, purring like an engine.

Erin didn’t know whether to laugh or blush. Then she realized that Camie seriously seemed to believe something would happen with Drew. It couldn’t, surely—not out here in the middle of the desert, with Camie and Tiger right around the corner. Erin hadn’t even showered since the previous morning!

Erin felt the blood rise to her cheeks. But underneath the embarrassment and nerves lay desire. Drew wanted her. Lord knew why, but he did. She could feel the heat coming from him as he lay close, propped on one elbow, stroking his fingers lightly up and down her arm. He wasn’t rushing things, he was letting her get used to having him so near, giving her the chance to back away. She couldn’t see him well in the dark, but she could see his smile.

Her heart stuttered. It was smarter to wait. Until they were back in civilization, inside a house, on a bed. Until they were clean and tidy and could clean up again afterward.

But she wanted him. Drew thought she had courage, and that meant facing your fears. She remembered her own commitment to be adventurous, try new things. She’d only known him a few days, and yet it seemed like a lifetime. They’d spent hours talking. She’d seen his cool confidence in a crisis, his thoughtfulness when she hurt, his patience when she panicked.

With a quick intake of breath, Erin rolled toward him. They lay on their sides facing each other, inches apart. His hand slid down to caress her hip. She stroked her hand up his cheek and into his hair, careful with her broken finger. Her lips parted as she pulled his head toward hers.

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.

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.”

Erin 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?”