by Vella Munn
Then she spotted his outline behind the smoky glass and motherly thoughts disappeared. She hadn’t seen him naked, but she’d thought about it, a lot. He was just out of reach being caressed by warm water with the meal she’d prepared in his belly. Once he was clean, he’d dry off with a towel that would hold his scent until she washed it. He’d put on clothes she’d brought to him followed by climbing onto one side of a bed made for two.
In the best of fantasies, he wouldn’t bother getting dressed before pulling back the sheet. He’d ask her to undress and join him and she would.
Their arms and legs would intertwine, their mouths would meet. He’d place her on her back and roll his palms over her breasts while her nipples hardened. Moaning, she’d spread her legs. After guiding her to higher arousal with his hands and mouth, he’d enter her. She’d rake his sides and press her heels against his buttocks. Demand he ride her. Take him deep inside her.
Come.
Maybe tell him that for these few moments of their being one she loved him.
What was she thinking? They were still getting to know each other. Love didn’t come until a lot more layers had been peeled off, until honesty.
What don’t I know about what drives you to do everything you can to save people?
“Are you still out there?” he asked.
Breathe. “Guilty as charged.”
“How about leaving so I can come out?”
What if I don’t? What happens then?
But because when she got right down to it, she wasn’t sexually aggressive, she did as he’d requested. She should put the dishes in the dishwasher and wipe the stovetop. Instead, she took one of her nightshirts out of a dresser drawer, removed her clothes, and slipped into the nightshirt. The only garment covering her served both as something comfortable to sleep in and perfect for a lazy evening, no reason for him to assume she had seduction in mind.
No reason for him to conclude she didn’t.
He’d put on shorts before exiting the bathroom but not the other things she’d brought for him. She stared, nearly openmouthed, at his broad and muscled chest with still-damp hairs highlighting it. His briefs barely covered his navel and did nearly nothing to hide his cock. She could see every inch of legs, capable of conquering a mountain. If he was deliberately challenging her self-control, he’d be disappointed. How could restraint matter when swallowing had become next to impossible and her heart danced wildly?
Sex on a stick. Masculinity to the max. Male, all male. Finger combed dark hair, still unshaved, white cotton caressing his flat belly, buttocks, cock.
“Better.” He ran a hand down his chest. “That’s one fancy towel but it isn’t much good at getting me dry.”
Then let me lick off the droplets.
“Some towels are like that. All show.”
“Yeah, well.” His gaze traveled from her eyes to her unrestrained breasts. “You’re tired, too?”
“I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“I hope you weren’t worried about me.”
“I didn’t know where you were or what was happening.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
“I’m sure you do, but it’s new for me. I’ve never known anyone who sees risking his life as a normal part of the job.”
“There’s nothing normal about it. Don’t ever think that.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Don’t blame yourself. Outsiders, and you’re one, can’t comprehend what goes on during a search.”
“Then tell me.” His words stung.
“I can’t,” he muttered.
“Try.”
Irritation flashed in his eyes. She sensed his battle to bring it under control. “I spent last night thinking about a man who probably had no idea what he was sharing the wilderness with.”
“That’s heavy.”
“It is.” The way his mouth moved she thought he might tell her more. Instead, he pulled back the coverlet. “If I’m going to be able to do my job in case something like that happens tomorrow, I need to get some sleep.”
He’d shut her out, closed a door to what made him who he was. Despite that, she longed to join him on the bed but not until she’d had some time to herself. Not trying to explain herself, she turned off the light and headed for the door.
Morning had just started to penetrate the room when she became aware that Garret was stirring. She pushed sleep aside and focused on his sounds. She’d waited until she was sure he was asleep before coming to bed followed by willing her muscles to relax and her mind to empty. It hadn’t been easy.
He’d gone into the bathroom and was returning to bed. Of course he was. No one expected him to be at the office first thing. He could catch another hour or so of sleep, wake up revitalized.
“Amber?”
“What?”
“Did I wake you?”
“Not really.”
“Yes, I did. I’m sorry.”
“No apology needed.”
When he didn’t reply, she listened for the sound of his relaxed breathing. Hearing nothing, she opened her eyes and focused on him. He returned her gaze.
“I shouldn’t have faulted you for being concerned about me,” he said. “It’s understandable.”
That wasn’t what had gone sideways between them. “Maybe it wouldn’t have gotten to me if I knew more about what takes place during a search.”
“Maybe.”
He was silent again, thinking thoughts she couldn’t assess. It was as if they’d been having two conversations. There was the obvious one handled with everyday words, the deeply textured one not so much.
“Amber?”
“Yes.”
“This,” he said and placed his hand on her waist.
She covered his hand with hers. Warmth stirred inside her. She debated telling him what his touch did to her but he had to know. It seemed as if they’d done a lot of talking since he walked out of the Mission Mountains. Maybe they were talked out, which meant only action remained.
Yes, action. Feeling like a woman.
Smiling, she stroked his shoulder. He moved his hand to her hip, awakened more heat in her. They remained like that until the arm under her started to become numb. She tried repositioning herself.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Pins and needles.” She reluctantly rolled onto her back.
He sat up with his knee against her hip. “The same was happening to me. What time do you need to be at work?”
“When I get there.”
“Good.”
He was there, close, alive, so real it alarmed her. Wondering if she could put his presence into perspective and if that was what she wanted, she closed her fingers around his wrist and placed his hand above her breasts. He splayed his hand over the breast closest to him so it was trapped beneath him, warmed and sheltered.
A bold creature took hold of her, shook her free of her conservative upbringing. Her cheeks and the place between her legs hot, she touched him everywhere she could, leaving only his cock unmolested. His hands too were on the move, painting her with heat and want. Whether her eyes were open or closed made no difference because only the wanting mattered.
This was Garret, a man carved by a physical life. He was hard in the right places, all waiting for her to explore.
Her exploration would have been complete, total, everything if he wasn’t doing crazy things to her. He obviously believed he had a right to touch her wherever he wanted, to peel her out of the nightshirt. Nudity separated her from the woman she’d been while at work yesterday. That creature no longer existed, was unimportant.
“I’ve been wanting to do this,” he said with his hand between her legs.
“I’ve been wanting you to.”
“You didn’t say.”
“Neither did you.”
“Obviously one of us screwed up.”
She laughed. “Maybe we both did.”
“No maybe to it.”
There wasn’t much foreplay and even fewer words. Fragments of thought that evaporated with her every breath. When she started panting, he rolled away and slid out of bed.
“No. Where are you going?”
“I’ll be back.”
“Hurry.”
He returned with a small telling package. As he placed the condom on his erection, she stroked her labia. He watched then knelt between her legs and lowered his head.
She bucked as his tongue lapped where her hand had been, whimpered and moaned, wondered how he knew more about her than she did. Lost, she raked his shoulders with her nails.
“You aren’t fighting fair,” he said with his mouth near her opening.
She scratched again. “Neither are you.”
“Then how about we stop fighting?”
“How about we do.”
Garret stretched over her, his moves smooth and sure. She rolled her pelvis toward him and closed her eyes to concentrate. His tip lightly grazed her slick flesh as if familiarizing itself with that part of her. No longer caring about anything except this, she waited.
He found her entrance, dipped into it. Sighing, she took hold of his shoulders. His thrusts were slow and shallow at first, giving her a hint of what was coming. He went deeper, briefly held himself in position, then retreated.
“My god.” She hissed.
He pushed deep into her, pulled back, repeated. Something seemed to break free inside him, a driving strength that left her breathless.
She clutched him with all her strength, holding onto his shoulders even though her fingers cramped and she feared she’d drawn blood.
Do me! Make me scream.
He thrust, not slackening even when he powered her along the bed and bumped her head against the headboard. Glad to be anchored, she tightened her inner muscles around him. His grunts spoke of someone hard at work, focused on a single task. Determined to match his intensity, she held onto this man, who’d become her lifeline, and swam in sensation. She was climbing somewhere, full of lightning and electricity, barely human.
Catching the wave that was her climax and crying out. Holding on, holding on, not relaxing until he’d done the same.
Chapter Nine
Sitting in the passenger’s seat while Amber drove made Garret uneasy. It wasn’t that she was a bad driver. In fact, she was pretty good, but he wasn’t accustomed to having anyone else in the driver’s seat. As she turned off the engine after pulling into the office parking lot, he noted her hands were still on the wheel, and she was staring out the front window.
She’d been more than his lover this morning. He needed to wrap his mind around that, accept the reality. While they were making love, he’d been able to put the tension that had come with the search into perspective. As long as he didn’t have to talk about certain details, she wouldn’t have to know everything. However, there was the chance the whole story would come out.
At least she wouldn’t learn why he devoted himself to search and rescue. That would remain his secret.
“If we handle it right, they might not realize we came together,” she said.
“You don’t want anyone to know?”
“It would be easier if we didn’t have to explain.”
“Hunter and Jake will key in on the vibes between us.”
“Vibes?”
Maybe he should have told her about what his friends had said the other day. Acknowledging they knew him inside and out like he did them was one thing. Telling another person about the connection they took for granted was another. That, in part, was why he hadn’t been able to convince himself he could put this latest search into his personal history book. Life got so damned complicated sometimes.
Amber Baum was complicating it in ways he didn’t understand but sensed he needed to. He’d deal with the aftermath later.
“How do you want to play this?” he belatedly thought to ask. “Do you want me to act as if we haven’t had sex?”
Groaning, she placed her face in her hands. “Why don’t you ask me an easy question? I’d prefer it if the subject didn’t come up. Does that bother you?”
Thinking about it, he realized it did. He hadn’t known her long but suspected their relationship wasn’t going to be a one and done. Just sitting near her had him wishing he could put down her back seat and go after her. No way his friends wouldn’t figure this out.
“We’ll see what happens.” He reached for the door handle. “I’m not going to promise anything where Jake and Hunter are concerned.”
“At least I’m warned. Garret?”
“What?”
“That was incredible. You’re an amazing lover.” She again covered her face with her hands. “There. I’ve said it.”
As he opened the door, he debated letting her know he felt the same way. Then his feet hit the ground and cramps in his stiff calves nearly dropped him. Last night’s shower hadn’t just been because every inch of him felt dirty. His body had been warning him that, once again, he’d overdone it.
Couldn’t be helped, couldn’t be anything except who he was.
He wasn’t surprised to learn Jake was taking the morning off. Hunter was in the break room filling a to-go container with coffee. Most of the time the way Hunter handled himself put Garret in mind of a cougar. The man had total control over his every muscle. Today he resembled an old man.
Hunter glared at him. “Not a word.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You don’t have to.” Hunter rubbed his right hip. “Guess I landed harder than I thought I had.”
“What happened?” Amber asked.
“Nothing that hasn’t happened before. Bruises heal.”
“If you fell with force there might be internal injuries.”
“There aren’t.”
“Don’t argue with him,” Garret warned. “He’s stubborn.”
“Who’s stubborn?” Hunter shot back. “You’re responsible for the pace we kept. And while we’re on the subject, you didn’t show up at the crack of dawn today yourself. What was it? Took longer than usual to get your old muscles moving?”
“Something like that.”
Hunter had been fiddling with the lid on his container. Now he studied Garret and Amber.
“None of my damned business?” he asked with his eyebrows lifted.
“Right,” Garret said.
“Okay. Whatever, except I kind of saw it coming.”
Amber groaned. “Saw what coming? Never mind, I don’t want to hear.”
“I don’t judge. What people do or think in private is their own business.”
“Not everyone feels that way, Sometimes families, mine at least—”
“I’m not everyone. Garret, the press has been calling.”
“They were there yesterday. You talked to them. What more do they need?”
“They figured out how cold it was.”
“What do you mean cold?” Amber asked. “It’s summer.”
“Not at that altitude,” Hunter said. “Then there’s a not-so-minor matter of the tracks we spotted. This slave driver”—he glared mockingly at Garret—“wouldn’t for a minute let us forget that, like anyone could.”
“You’re ancient,” Garret said. “Why won’t you admit that’s why you had so much trouble keeping up?”
“I’m one damn month older than you. Look, much as I’d like to spend the day sitting on my ass, I have to get going.” He picked up his coffee. “I don’t want to take the time to return those calls. Will you?”
“Not if I don’t have to.”
Once Hunter was gone, Amber poured herself a cup of coffee. She held it against her breasts. “Why didn’t you say anything to me? What temperature did it get down to and what did he mean by tracks? Bears? Cougars?”
“Yes.”
“Both?”
“Yes.”
He couldn’t tell whether she was pissed at him, but she wasn’t happy, maybe disappointed. Not thoroughly answering her questions would be the
easy way out but he’d seen her naked. Hell, he’d placed his mouth where only a lover’s had a right to be. She’d taken him deep inside her and if that wasn’t a sign of trust, he didn’t know what was.
“It got below freezing.”
“I had no idea. And that man wasn’t prepared to spend much more time out who knows where. No wonder you kept the pace you did. Hunter called you a slave driver, but surely everyone was aware of the danger. Why did Hunter give you a hard time about pushing the group?”
This woman hadn’t just been there when the searchers returned, hadn’t just fed him and let him use her shower. She’d encouraged him to spend the night in the bed she was paying for, next to her.
“Everyone takes these searches seriously.” Most of the time he could deal with the small and windowless break room, but today was different. Difficult. “As for me, I mentally go over everything that can go wrong. Once I have all the possibilities set in my mind, I make making sure they don’t happen my priority.”
“Obsessed?”
“Maybe.”
“Why?”
“It’s the way I’m made.” The way experience made me.
“That doesn’t tell me enough.”
“There’s nothing more to say.”
“Isn’t there? I feel as if I’m standing on the outside trying to look in. Wishing I understood what a search is like so I’d comprehend the emotions involved. There’s only one way for that to happen.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to take you along.”
“I know. I just—Never mind. I don’t know what, if anything, I’m asking for.”
Amber had left the Bigfork museum and was walking toward her vehicle when she spotted two men coming her way. At first it didn’t register that they intended to intercept her. By the time she recognized them it was too late to return to the museum.
“You have a minute,” Henry Walters said. It wasn’t a question.
The three of them were the only people in the parking area. With an effort, she managed not to back away. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
“We figured you would be,” Werner Morrisey said. “You’re a hard woman to run down.”
“All you had to do was call the office. We could set up a time to meet.”
