Ravyn's Flight (13 page)

Then the man had the nerve to laugh at her.

If he thought he’d won this easily, he’d better think again. She had more tricks up her sleeve. Ravyn’s legs were free and she used them to flip him over on his back. As she gazed down on him, her laughter echoed his earlier mocking amusement.

For an instant, he lay there stunned. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long enough for her to savor the situation or solidify the advantage. Their positions were reversed so fast, she was almost dizzy, and this time he didn’t make the mistake of leaving her legs free.

His heavy body pushed her deeply into the muck, but she still wasn’t ready to concede defeat. Staring defiantly into his green eyes, she tried to wriggle out from underneath him. As she struggled against him, she was pleased to see sweat gather on his brow. At least she was making him work to keep his hold on her.

“Be still,” he grated out.

She ignored him.

“Ravyn, stop it.”

She began to buck, trying to throw him off of her.

“Damn it,” he muttered thickly.

Ravyn froze in surprise as he pressed the lower half of his body against hers. He was hard. She looked closer at his eyes and realized that what she had taken as anger was arousal. The perspiration beaded on his brow wasn’t from exertion, but from trying to rein in his libido.

For a moment, they stared at each other. Ravyn’s anger drained away and she lost interest in escaping. Instead, she arched her body against his, shifting her legs slightly so his erection pressed where it felt best. She couldn’t hear his groan, but she felt it rumble through his chest.

Damon’s hesitation lasted no more than an instant before his mouth came down on hers. There was nothing soft or gentle about the kiss, just voracious hunger. His lack of control didn’t frighten her in the least. She reveled in it. She didn’t even care that she could feel the grittiness of mud on her lips.

Ravyn tugged at her hands and Damon released them. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. He nibbled at her lips and she opened for him. Her eyes drifted shut and she gave herself totally to him. There was nothing for her but the feel of his body against hers. Nothing but his mouth, his taste. He nudged her legs farther apart and Ravyn made room for him. It felt even better and she muffled a moan against his lips. His hand ran down the outside of her thigh until he reached her knee, guiding her leg around his hip and bringing her body even tighter against his.

Without being told, Ravyn brought her other leg up, cradling him against her heat. She felt his hands at the buttons of her shirt as they continued to devour each other’s mouths. Even that small separation made her ache. She didn’t realize he’d finished unbuttoning her shirt until she felt the warmth of his hand through the nearly sheer fabric of her bra. This time she tried to press the upper half of her body closer to his touch.

Ravyn moved her arms until she could grab fistfuls of his T-shirt, then began to pull it over his head. She wanted to feel his bare skin against her, touch those hard muscles, feel that crisp hair. It was a slow process since she kept getting distracted by his clever fingers and his hard, hungry kiss.

When she had the shirt up to his shoulder blades, she left it and ran her hands over the skin of his back. He was burning up, but then so was she. At that moment, she didn’t think she could ever get enough of him.

The thought barely formed when he pulled away, his body suddenly tense. Puzzled, Ravyn opened her eyes in time to see Damon bring his hand down over her mouth. His pupils were still dilated, his chest heaving even as he tried to breathe soundlessly, but his attention was definitely not on her.

It took her a moment to process the information. Something worried him and he wanted her to be silent. Okay, she got that but his method of keeping her quiet made it difficult to breathe. She pushed her tongue out sharply against the palm of his hand.

Startled, he glanced at her. She knew he got the message when he stopped muzzling her. Damon shifted slightly, inaudibly, and his hand emerged with a pistol. Ravyn moved slowly, trying to minimize the noise, but she knew she needed to get her legs down. He couldn’t afford to be impeded by her and there was no way he could react fast with her wound around him.

What if it was the killer?

Ravyn tried to think of where they’d left their things and couldn’t remember. She could only hope it wasn’t where they would be seen. Fear rose in her throat, but she relentlessly pushed it back. She couldn’t be her usual cowardly self, not now. Damon might need her.

She kept her eyes on him, knowing he was her best gauge of how serious the situation was. He was intent, but not poised for battle, so she figured they weren’t in imminent clanger. Ravyn still didn’t know what had caught his attention. She didn’t see or hear anything unusual.

Her first clue came less than a minute later. The stench made her think of rotting flesh, and she swallowed hard to keep from gagging. It took an effort, but Ravyn forced herself to remain calm, to keep her breathing slow. That became harder to do when she heard the sounds of something large moving quickly through the undergrowth. She couldn’t judge from which direction the noise came, but it sounded too damn close for her peace of mind.

Damon remained watchful and that helped her stay steady. Whatever it was couldn’t be as close as she feared or he would be taking some kind of action, not calmly waiting. Gradually, the sound became more distant and the odor dissipated. Ravyn felt herself begin to relax, despite the continued vigilance of the man poised over her. It humbled her to know he would protect her with his body if necessary, and it made her worry again. She didn’t want him dying for her.

Finally, after what seemed like a million years, he tucked the weapon away and stood. Damon was covered in mud, she realized. There wasn’t an inch of him that wasn’t coated. That had her looking down and taking in her own appearance.

She looked as if she’d been rolling in the mud. Which, she supposed, she had been. With shaking hands, she started to button her shirt again. She tried to keep her laughter in check, but between her relief at being safe and the sight of them covered in muck, she wasn’t having much success.

“I don’t suppose,” Damon said, “your team forgot to report they’d found animals the size of a bear on Jarved Nine during their study of the wildlife?”

Ravyn sobered quickly. “No. We didn’t find any animals over about ninety pounds on this planet.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.”

“It was the murderer then?”

“Maybe,” Damon said, finally looking at her. “Whatever it was, it was a hell of a lot bigger than ninety pounds.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

He’d lost his mind.

What other reason was there? Yeah, he’d pushed them hard to get out of the vicinity where they’d nearly encountered whatever it was. And this lake
was
in a very protected location. Surrounded by sheer rock face with only a narrow entry, nothing could come close to them without him seeing it and being able to pick it off with his pistol. But it was still an indulgence. Okay, so he felt better after a bath and he didn’t mind the chance to get his clothes clean. Plus there were a few other bonuses.

Damon watched Ravyn walk from bush to bush, checking on their drying wardrobe. With the high humidity, the best they could hope for by morning was damp clothes. The sound of her humming would reach him now and then. Idly scratching his bare chest, he counted her happiness as a benefit.

The last six days had been hard for her. He didn’t know if the nightmares still gripped her, but it was obvious she wasn’t getting enough sleep. If nothing else, this early stop would get her some needed rest. The other pluses were purely selfish. He’d peeked while Ravyn had taken her bath.

Damon’s lips quirked at the memory. He should feel guilty. After all, he had been standing guard and she’d trusted him to behave like a gentleman, not a randy teenager after his first glimpse of a naked woman. He couldn’t find even a hint of remorse.

She finished checking the clothes and walked toward him. Damon swallowed hard, her beauty hitting him like a fist. Her dark hair fell past her shoulders in waves. He wanted to sink his hands in it, hold her close while he explored her mouth. He wouldn’t be in such a hurry this time. He wouldn’t be so rough.

Her legs went on forever. He swore he could still feel them wrapped around him. The sensation had Damon shifting, trying to ease his sudden discomfort. With only his shorts on, he had no way to hide his body’s response to her. He tried to keep his face, even his eyes, impassive. Ravyn had pulled back since their interlude in the mud and he didn’t want to frighten her.

She sank gracefully to the ground when she reached him. Not too near he noticed and hid a smile by rubbing a hand over his mouth. He didn’t blame her for running scared. He’d been all over her; there had been no wooing, no gentleness at all. He was lucky she hadn’t fled in the other direction.

“Thanks again,” she said, fingering the tail of his shirt

This was his number one bonus. The sight of Ravyn wearing nothing but his fatigue shirt. She had the sleeves rolled up so the cuffs wouldn’t hang past her hands and the hem of the shirt fell almost to her knees, providing more than adequate coverage. It didn’t matter. Seeing her dressed in an article of his clothing caused his chest to ache. He had to clear his throat before he could answer her. “No big deal.”

“It was, Damon.” She started to reach out to him, but pulled her hand back before making contact. “I don’t have to see all the scratches on your arms to appreciate what you did. I can’t believe you kept the shirt in the pack just so I would have something clean to wear when we waited for our clothes to dry.”

“How are the clothes doing?” he asked to change the subject.

Ravyn paused briefly, then said, “They’re drying about as well as they can. At least the breeze is helping.”

“Good.”

“I know you don’t want to hear this either, but thanks for stopping. I really needed this bath.”

“Don’t thank me, Ravyn. We both know we should have kept moving. This lapse of common sense could put us in danger.”

The reminder made him scowl. He’d committed more errors in judgment today than he had in years. The last time he’d made this many mistakes— Damon shut the thought off. He couldn’t think about it. Not with their close call so fresh in his mind.

First of all, he should never have let Ravyn goad him into wrestling her in the mud. If he had turned and walked out of firing range, the situation would have been resolved. Secondly, he shouldn’t have kissed her. They were lucky his unprofessional behavior hadn’t gotten them killed. But what made him sweat was if he had it to do all over again, he’d still kiss her. He’d enjoyed it too much to believe otherwise. His third mistake troubled him the most. When they’d spotted the lake, she’d turned to him and asked if she could have a bath. The need to please her had been so strong, he hadn’t hesitated more than a second to consider their safety before giving in to her plea.

What was she doing to him?

He’d spent the last two days trying to put distance between them. Ravyn had hated it. Even so, it had been tougher on him. Somewhere along the way, talking with her had become important to him. Cutting her off or answering in monosyllables had been almost torturous.

“Damon.”

Ravyn’s voice snagged his attention and he looked over at her. She appeared worried. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I’m sorry I asked to stop. I don’t want you to beat yourself up over it.”

“That’s not the only thing I’ve been thinking about,” he admitted. “Since we’ve met, you continually surprise me. Where did you learn hand-to-hand?” Hell, he should have asked that question hours earlier. The woman screwed up his head and his control. He’d always had total command over himself. That had gone out the window almost the instant he’d found her underneath the bunk.

“My brother taught me,” she said with a fond smile. “He didn’t think CAT training was sufficient. Alex said he wanted to be sure I could take care of myself no matter where I was sent.”

“What else did your stepbrother teach you?” Damon didn’t want any more shocks.

“Lots of stuff.” She shrugged. “He taught me to shoot.”

“You haven’t asked for one of the pistols.”

“I thought about it, but decided we were better off with you hanging on to both weapons. I’m not exactly a crack shot, and I’m sure you’re almost as proficient left handed as right.”

“How bad are you?”

Ravyn wrinkled her nose. “Bad enough that Alex strongly suggested I never buy a gun.”

“In other words, if you’re armed, I better make sure I’m directly behind you?”

She laughed. “Not quite that bad.” Sobering, she added, “But if you need me to shoot, I will. I’m not afraid of guns.”

Damon studied her resolve. He knew then, without a doubt, he could rely on her. Part of the weight he’d been carrying on his shoulders seemed to fall away. He wasn’t alone. He had a partner. For the first time in six days, he felt a full and wholehearted smile cross his face. “That’s good to know,” he told her, “but I’ll hang on to the pistols.”

Her laughter made him feel good, made him feel ten feet tall. Damon chuckled along with her. In that moment, despite everything, he realized he was happy.

*** *** ***

By the time the sun set, Damon knew exactly what Ravyn was attempting to do. He’d used aloofness to put distance between them, a plan he’d willingly relinquished earlier today.

She was trying to distance them with a “we’re just friends” approach.

He suppressed a smile. He suspected a lot of men had found themselves “just friends” with her before they’d known what had happened. Once in that category, it became nearly impossible to develop a romantic relationship. Ravyn didn’t seem to realize that while they were already friends, it was far too late for them to be “just friends.” He felt torn between stopping her chatter with a kiss or reminding her that if Godzilla hadn’t stumbled near them this afternoon, they’d already be lovers. Damon resisted both choices and enjoyed their conversation instead.