by Linda Howard
He was waiting for her by the opening of the tent. “I’ve already put the blanket down. Crawl in.”
She knelt down and crawled into the small tent. He had spread the blanket over the floor, and she sat on it. He shoved their packs inside. “Put these out of the way,” he instructed. “I’m going to take a quick look around.”
She shoved the packs into the far corners of the tent, then lay down on her back and stared tensely at the thin walls. The light was almost gone; only a glimmer entered through the translucent fabric. It wasn’t quite as dark outside yet, but the limbs he’d used as camouflage made it darker inside. The flap parted, and he crawled in, then zipped the opening shut.
“Take your boots off and put them in the corner next to your feet.”
Sitting up, she did as he said, then lay down again. Her eyes strained open so widely that they burned. Her body stiff with dread, she listened to him stretch and yawn and make himself comfortable.
Moments later the silence became nearly as unbearable as the darkness. “A collapsible tent comes in handy, doesn’t it?” she blurted nervously. “What is it made out of?”
“Nylon,” he replied, yawning again. “It’s nearly indestructible.”
“How much does it weigh?”
“Three pounds and eight ounces.”
“Is it waterproof?”
“Yes, it’s waterproof.”
“And bug proof?”
“Bug proof, too,” he muttered.
“Do you think a jaguar could—”
“Look, it’s jaguar proof, mildew proof, fire proof and snake proof. I personally guarantee you that it’s proof against everything except elephants, and I don’t think we’re going to be stomped on by an elephant in Costa Rica! Is there any other damned thing you’re worried about?” he exploded. “If not, why don’t you be quiet and let me get some sleep?”
Jane lay tensely, and silence fell again. She clenched her fists in an effort to control her nervousness, listening to the growing cacophony of the jungle night. Monkeys howled and chattered; insects squeaked their calls; underbrush rustled. She was exhausted but she had no real hope of sleeping, at least not until dawn, and at dawn this devil beside her would want to start another day of marathon travel.
He was totally silent in that unnerving way of his. She couldn’t even hear him breathe. The old fear began to rise in her chest, making her own breathing difficult. She might as well be alone, and that was the one thing she absolutely couldn’t bear.
“Where are you from?”
He heaved a sigh. “Georgia.”
That explained his drawl. She swallowed, trying to ease the constriction of her dry throat. If she could just keep him talking, then she wouldn’t feel so alone. She’d know he was there.
“What part of Georgia?”
“South. Ever hear of the Okefenokee?”
“Yes. It’s a swamp.”
“I grew up in it. My folks own a farm just on the edge of it.” It had been a normal boyhood, except for the skills he’d learned automatically in the swamp, those skills, which had eventually changed his life by shaping him into something not quite human. He willed the memories away, pulling a mental shade down over them, isolating himself. There was no use in thinking about what had been.
“Are you an only child?”
“Why all the questions?” he snapped, edgy at revealing any information about himself.
“I’m just interested, that’s all.”
He paused, suddenly alert. There was something in her voice, a tone that he couldn’t quite place. It was dark, so he couldn’t see her face; he had to go entirely by what his ears told him. If he kept her talking, he might be able to figure it out.
“I’ve got a sister,” he finally said reluctantly.
“I’ll bet she’s younger. You’re so bossy, you must be an older brother.”
He let the dig pass and said only, “She’s four years younger.”
“I’m an only child,” she volunteered.
“I know.”
She searched frantically for something else to say, but the darkness was making her panic. She felt herself move to grab for him, then remembered what he’d said about startling him, and about not making offers she didn’t mean. She ground her teeth together and stilled her reaching hands, the effort so intense that tears actually welled in her eyes. She blinked them away. “Grant,” she said in a shaking voice.
“What?” he growled.
“I don’t want you to think I’m throwing myself at you again because I’m really not, but would you mind very much if I…just held your hand?” she whispered. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid of the dark, and it helps if I know I’m not alone.”
He was still for a moment; then she heard his clothing rustle as he rolled onto his side. “You’re really that afraid of the dark?”
Jane tried for a laugh, but the sound was so shaky that it was close to a sob. “The word ‘terrified’ only begins to describe how afraid I am. I can’t sleep in the dark. All the time I was at that wretched plantation I was awake all night long, never sleeping until dawn. But at least I could use that time to watch the guards and figure out their routine. Besides, it wasn’t as totally dark there as it is here.”
“If you’re so all-fired scared of the dark, why were you getting ready to hit the jungle on your own?”
A dark, handsome, incredibly cruel face swam before her mind’s eye. “Because even dying in the jungle would be better than Turego,” she said quietly.
Grant grunted. He could understand that choice, but the fact that she had so correctly summed up the situation illustrated once again that she was more than what she seemed. Then again, perhaps she already had reason to know just how vile Turego could be. Had Turego raped her, or would it have been rape? With this woman, who knew? “Did you have sex with him?”
The blunt question made her shudder. “No. I’d been holding him off, but when he left yesterday…it was just yesterday, wasn’t it? It seems like a year ago. Anyway, I knew that, when he came back, I wouldn’t be able to stop him any longer. My time had run out.”
“What makes you so certain of that?”
Jane paused, wondering just how much to tell him, wondering how much he already knew. If he was involved, he would be familiar with Luis’s name; if he wasn’t, the name would mean nothing to him. She wanted to tell him; she didn’t want to be alone in this nightmare any longer. But she remembered George telling her once that secrecy was synonymous with security, and she quelled the need to turn into Grant’s arms and tell him how afraid and alone she had been. If he wasn’t involved already, he was safer not knowing anything about it. On the other hand, if he was involved, she might be safer if he didn’t realize how deeply she was a part of things. Finally, to answer his question, she said, “I wasn’t certain. I was just afraid to stay, afraid of Turego.”
He grunted, and that seemed to be the end of the conversation. Jane clenched her jaw against the sudden chattering of her teeth. It was hot and steamy inside the dark tent, but chills were running up and down her body. Why didn’t he say something else, anything, rather than lying there so quietly? She might as well have been alone. It was unnatural for anyone to be that soundless, that utterly controlled.
“How was Dad?”
“Why?”
“I just wondered.” Was he being deliberately evasive? Why didn’t he want to talk about her father? Perhaps he hadn’t been hired by her father at all and didn’t want to be drawn into a conversation about someone he was supposed to have met, but hadn’t.
After a measured silence, as if he had carefully considered his answer, he said, “He was worried sick about you. Surprised?”
“No, of course not,” she said, startled. “I’d be surprised if he weren’t.”
“It doesn’t surprise you that he’d pay a small fortune to get you out of Turego’s hands, even though you don’t get along with him?”
He was confusing her; she felt left out of the conversat
ion, as if he were talking about someone else entirely. “What are you talking about? We get along perfectly, always have.”
She couldn’t see him, couldn’t hear him, but suddenly there was something different about him, as if the very air had become electrically charged. A powerful sense of danger made the fine hairs on her body stand up. The danger was coming from him. Without knowing why, she shrank back from him as far as she could in the confines of the small tent, but there was no escape. With the suddenness of a snake striking, he rolled and pinned her down, forcing her hands over her head and holding them shackled there in a grip that hurt her wrists. “All right, Jane, or Priscilla, or whoever you are, we’re going to talk. I’m going to ask the questions and you’re going to answer them, and you’d better have the right answers or you’re in trouble, sugar. Who are you?”
Had he gone mad? Jane struggled briefly against the grip on her wrists, but there was no breaking it. His weight bore down heavily on her, controlling her completely. His muscled legs clasped hers, preventing her from even kicking. “W-what…?” she stammered. “Grant, you’re hurting me!”
“Answer me, damn you! Who are you?”
“Jane Greer!” Desperately, she tried to put some humor in her voice, but it wasn’t a very successful effort.
“I don’t like being lied to, sugar.” His voice was velvety soft, and the sound of it chilled her to her marrow. Not even Turego had affected her like this; Turego was a dangerous, vicious man, but the man who held her now was the most lethal person she’d ever seen. He didn’t have to reach for a weapon to kill her; he could kill her with his bare hands. She was totally helpless against him.
“I’m not lying!” she protested desperately. “I’m Priscilla Jane Hamilton Greer.”
“If you were, you’d know that James Hamilton cut you out of his will several years ago. So you get along with him just perfectly, do you?”
“Yes, I do!” She strained against him, and he deliberately let her feel more of his weight, making it difficult for her to breathe. “He did it to protect me!”
For a long, silent moment in which she could hear the roaring of her blood in her ears, she waited for his reaction. His silence scraped along her nerves. Why didn’t he say something? His warm breath was on her cheek, telling her how close he was to her, but she couldn’t see him at all in that suffocating darkness. “That’s a good one,” he finally responded, and she flinched at the icy sarcasm of his tone. “Too bad I don’t buy it. Try again.”
“I’m telling you the truth! He did it to make me a less attractive kidnap target. It was my idea, damn it!”
“Sure it was,” he crooned, and that low, silky sound made her shudder convulsively. “Come on, you can do better than that.”
Jane closed her eyes, searching desperately for some way of convincing him of her identity. None came to mind, and she had no identification with her. Turego had taken her passport, so she didn’t have even that. “Well, what about you?” she blurted in sudden fury. She’d taken a lot from him, endured without complaining, and now he’d frightened her half out of her mind. She’d had her back to the wall before, and had learned to strike back. “Who are you? How do I know that Dad hired you? If he did why didn’t you know that no one ever calls me Priscilla? You were sloppy with your homework!”
“In case you haven’t noticed, honey, I’m the one on top. You answer my questions.”
“I did, and you didn’t believe me,” she snapped. “Sorry, but I don’t have my American Express card with me. For God’s sake, do I look like a terrorist? You nearly broke my arm; then you knocked me out. You’ve bounced me on the ground like a rubber ball, and you’ve got the utter gall to act like I’m dangerous? My goodness, you’d better search me, too, so you’ll be able to sleep tonight. Who knows? I might have a bazooka strapped to my leg, since I’m such a dangerous character!” Her voice had risen furiously, and he cut her off by resting all his weight on her ribcage. When she gasped, he eased up again.
“No, you’re unarmed. I’ve already had your clothes off, remember?” Even in the darkness, Jane blushed at the memory, thinking of the way he’d kissed her and touched her, and how his hands on her body had made her feel. He moved slowly against her, stopping her breath this time with the suggestive intimacy of his movements. His warm breath stirred her hair as he dipped his head closer to her. “But I wouldn’t want to disappoint a lady. If you want to be searched, I’ll oblige you. I wouldn’t mind giving you a body search.”
Fuming, Jane tried again to free her hands, but finally fell back in disgust at the futile action. Raw frustration finally cleared her mind, giving her an idea, and she said harshly, “Did you go in the house when Dad hired you?”
He was still, and she sensed his sudden increase of interest. “Yes.”
“Did you go in the study?”
“Yes.”
“Then a hotshot like you would have noticed the portrait over the mantle. You’re trained to notice things, aren’t you? The portrait is of my grandmother, Dad’s mother. She was painted sitting down, with a single rose on her lap. Now, you tell me what color her gown was,” she challenged.
“Black,” he said slowly. “And the rose was blood red.”
Thick silence fell between them; then he released her hands and eased his weight from her. “All right,” he said finally. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt—”
“Well, gee, thanks!” Huffily she rubbed her wrists, trying to keep her anger alive in the face of the enormous relief that filled her. Evidently her father had hired him, for otherwise how could he have seen the portrait in the study? She wanted to remain mad at him, but she knew she would forgive him because it was still dark. In spite of everything she was terribly glad he was there. Besides, she told herself cautiously, it was definitely better to stay on this man’s good side.
“Don’t thank me,” he said tiredly. “Just be quiet and go to sleep.”
Sleep! If only she could! Consciously, she knew she wasn’t alone, but her subconscious mind required additional affirmation from her senses. She needed to see him, hear him, or touch him. Seeing him was out of the question; she doubted he’d leave a flashlight burning all night, even assuming he had one. Nor would he stay awake all night talking to her. Perhaps, if she just barely touched him, he’d think it was an accident and not make a big deal out of it. Stealthily she moved her right hand until the backs of her fingers just barely brushed his hairy forearm—and immediately her wrist was seized in that bruising grip again.
“Ouch!” she yelped, and his fingers loosened.
“Okay, what is it this time?” His tone showed plainly that he was at the end of his patience.
“I just wanted to touch you,” Jane admitted, too tired now to care what he thought, “so I’ll know I’m not alone.”
He grunted. “All right. It looks like that’s the only way I’m going to get any sleep.” He moved his hand, sliding his rough palm against hers, and twined their fingers together. “Now will you go to sleep?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
She lay there, enormously and inexplicably comforted by the touch of that hard hand, so warm and strong. Her eyes slowly closed, and she gradually relaxed. The night terrors didn’t come. He kept them firmly at bay with the strong, steady clasp of his hand around hers. Everything was going to be all right. Another wave of exhaustion swept over her, and she was asleep with the suddenness of a light turning off.
Grant woke before dawn, his senses instantly alert. He knew where he was, and he knew what time it was; his uncanny sixth sense could pinpoint the time within a few minutes. The normal night sounds of the jungle told him that they were safe, that there was no other human nearby. He knew immediately the identity of the other person in the tent with him. He knew that he couldn’t move, and he even knew why: Jane was asleep on top of him.
He really didn’t mind being used as a bed. She was soft and warm, and there was a female smell to her that made his nostrils f
lare in appreciation. The softness of her breasts against him felt good. That special, unmistakable softness never left a man’s mind, hovering forever in his memory once he’d felt the fullness of a woman against him. It had been a long time since he’d slept with a woman, and he’d forgotten how good it could feel. He’d had sex—finding an available woman was no problem—but those encounters had been casual, just for the sake of the physical act. Once it was finished, he hadn’t been inclined to linger. This past year, especially, he’d been disinclined to tolerate anyone else’s presence. He’d spent a lot of time alone, like an injured animal licking its wounds; his mind and his soul had been filled with death. He’d spent so much time in the shadows that he didn’t know if he’d ever find the sunlight again, but he’d been trying. The sweet, hot Tennessee sun had healed his body, but there was still an icy darkness in his mind.
Given that, given his acute awareness of his surroundings, even in sleep, how had Jane gotten on top of him without waking him? This was the second time she’d gotten close to him without disturbing him, and he didn’t like it. A year ago, she couldn’t have twitched without alerting him.
She moved then, sighing a little in her sleep. One of her arms was around his neck, her face pressed into his chest, her warm breath stirring the curls of hair in the low neckline of his undershirt. She lay on him as bonelessly as a cat, her soft body conforming to the hard contours of his. Her legs were tangled with his, her hair draped across his bare shoulder and arm. His body hardened despite his almost savage irritation with himself, and slowly his arms came up to hold her, his hands sliding over her supple back. He could have her if he wanted her. The highly specialized training he’d received had taught him how to deal excruciating pain to another human being, but a side benefit to that knowledge was that he also knew how to give pleasure. He knew all the tender, sensitive places of her body, knew how to excite nerves that she probably didn’t even know she had. Beyond that, he knew how to control his own responses, how to prolong a sensual encounter until his partner had been completely satisfied.
