by Liliana Hart
It was good. For three years her body had starved while her mind and soul healed, and she hadn’t even been able to touch herself as she was doing now. It had taken meeting Archer to wake her again. But the fingers rubbing slow circles across her clit weren’t the same as having him there with her. She needed the feel of him hot and hard, pushing between the plump folds of her pussy and making her scream in pleasure.
Her fingers moved faster, across the dewy folds as her juices combined with the water, and her breathing became erratic and her moans more frantic as she came closer to orgasm.
She expected it to hit her with the force of a tidal wave. Desire had been dormant for three long years, and she braced her other hand against the shower wall as she felt the warning tingles gather inside her. But when the orgasm hit, it wasn’t with the breathtaking force she’d been expecting. It was a gentle roll through her body—enough to take the edge off but not enough to satisfy completely.
Her breath came in rough pants and she squeezed her eyes closed in disappointment. Maybe she wasn’t as ready as she wanted to be. Or maybe she was just out of practice. Whatever the case, she turned off the water with an annoyed flick of her wrist and grabbed a towel, drying herself off quickly.
She dressed in the clothes Ahnah had washed, and she brushed out her hair, braiding it quickly so it was out of her face. She used the toothbrush that had been given to her and made sure she’d left everything as she’d found it before making her escape. She was more annoyed with herself than anything for thinking she could force her body to do things it wasn’t ready for. Maybe Jonah had ruined her chances of having complete satisfaction ever again.
Audrey opened the door and stopped short when she saw Archer standing only a few feet away, a folded towel and change of clothes in his hands.
“Did you have a good shower?” he asked.
She felt heat flood her cheeks and hoped he couldn’t see her blush. He moved a step closer and her body responded as if she hadn’t just orgasmed only minutes before. She realized her mistake even as she fought to keep from taking a step back and putting more distance between them. She’d only taken the edge off of her need, and the want for him was as strong as ever. But the thought of making herself that vulnerable to another man again had her throat closing in fear. She wasn’t sure her needs and common sense were ever going to come to terms.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine. Just ready to get out of here.”
“Joe says we’ll have clear skies in the next couple of hours and the weather will stay that way for the next few days.”
“Did he see that in his pipe smoke?”
“Nah, he was listening to the weather on the short wave radio.” The corner of Archer’s mouth turned up in a half smile. He had a nice smile. It was one of the first things she’d noticed about him. “You’re looking a little flushed, Sharpe. You sure you’re okay?”
“Never been better,” she lied.
“Then if you don’t mind,” he said, arching a brow and nodding his head toward the bathroom door. “I think it’s my turn now.”
The heat in his gaze left no doubt that he’d guessed what she’d been doing in the shower, and it left no doubt what he’d be doing either. She felt the flame in her cheeks rise hotter and she stepped aside so he could get by. Before she could escape down the stairs he stopped her.
“You can trust me, you know,” he said. “You may not believe me, but I’d never do anything to hurt you. Maybe at some point we can figure out a way to help convince you of that.”
She didn’t turn back to face him. Her pulse was already beating wildly in her throat at the possibility of what he was suggesting. She wasn’t so dead that she didn’t recognize male interest when she saw it.
Audrey escaped while she still had the chance and headed downstairs.
***
Two hours later, the sky cleared just as the weatherman had predicted and the sun glared off the mounds of snow blanketing the area.
It turned out Joe had all of the supplies they needed for their journey. Through the back door of his small house was another building twice the size filled with everything an outdoorsman could possibly want. Apparently, Joe owned the only outdoor supply store along the entire west coast of Alaska. Good business for Joe, and extremely fortuitous for them.
They’d been outfitted in extra winter gear—thermal suits that fit tight against the skin, lined ski pants, a pullover that was too warm unless you were outside in the cold, and down jackets with fur-lined hoods. Water and individually wrapped containers of trail mix and jerky went into their packs along with a First Aid Kit.
Joe rolled a tent, bedrolls, and a few other provisions into two bundles for each of them to carry on their backs. They weren’t traveling light, but with the outdoor conditions the way they were they needed to take every precaution for their survival. The Alaskan wilderness was nothing to toy with.
Joe also had an entire arsenal at the back of his shop for hunters, and she picked up a couple of Glock 9mm’s—her favorite—and a shoulder holster that fit fairly well beneath the down jacket. She picked up an extra knife for the inside of her boot and noticed Archer’s weapons choices were similar to her own. More than likely, any contact they had with Salt would be close contact. They needed him alive so they could get the detonation codes from him.
“I’ve got something special, just for the two of you,” Joe said as he went behind the counter to the locked gun case. “It’s a surprise.”
“I hate surprises,” Audrey murmured under her breath, making Archer cough to cover his laugh.
Joe pulled open a drawer and Archer let out a long low whistle. “I’m not even going to ask how you’re in possession of these kinds of weapons.”
Joe just grinned and waved a hand, unconcerned. “You want?” he said, waggling his eyebrows.
“I definitely want,” Audrey said, reaching for the submachine gun. It had three different settings, so she could shoot one bullet at a time or the whole magazine if she so desired. She hooked it across the bulging pack on her back for easier transport while Archer did the same.
“You ready?” he asked, making a final adjustment of his weapons so he could reach them all easily.
“Yeah. Question is, how are we going to get where we’re going?”
“I can help you with that,” Joe said. “You know how to ride the sled dogs, yes?”
“No—” She and Archer both said in unison.
“It’s either the dogs or cross country skis. Snowmobiles will run out of fuel before you make it to The End of the World,” Joe shrugged. “There is no other way to travel. There are three roads that lead out of Nome, but each of them leads to nowhere. They are literally called The Roads to Nowhere. We are very funny here in Alaska.”
Audrey pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. She could practically feel Archer’s frustration.
“The land is treacherous. So if you want to get where you’re going in a hurry, you take the dogs.”
Audrey shared a look with Archer and she raised her brows, telling him without speaking that the choice was up to him. It didn’t seem like they had any other option, and she saw by the resigned look on his face that he realized that as well.
“I guess we’re taking the dogs.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Joe had been right. The dogs were a much faster mode of transportation for covering such a large expanse of land. They were also smart and trained well enough to ignore their inexperienced riders. They’d unloaded all of their supplies, except for the guns, into the cargo basket.
It was an eight-dog team, and the moment Audrey stepped onto the sled and held onto the driving bar she saw the problem. But it was too late to voice a protest when Archer stepped up behind her, his large body surrounding hers as his hands gripped the handle bars.
The claustrophobia took her completely by surprise. She’d never suffered from it before, but she’d also never been all but swallowed whole by a man like Ar
cher. Her skin turned hot and clammy beneath the layers of her clothes and black spots wavered in front of her eyes.
“Just take a deep breath,” he said, his voice soft enough that Joe and Ahnah couldn’t hear as they watched to wave them off. “My hands will stay right here.” He flexed them around the bar deliberately. “You’re in control of the team.”
She did as he said and took in a deep breath, the cold stinging her lungs and then coming out in white puffs. Her head cleared and she got control of herself. “I’m fine. I’m ready.”
She followed the instructions Joe had given her for starting up the team and they took off like a shot across the snow, pointed in the direction of what Joe called The End of the World.
“Oh, man. My daughter would love this,” Archer said into her ear. “I’m going to have to take her to do this on our next vacation.”
Audrey realized she had a big grin on her face as the snow slushed up around them, the speed of the dogs exhilarating. The sun seemed twice as bright as normal against the white of the landscape, and not even the protective shades she wore could cut the glare completely.
“You do a lot of stuff like this with her?” she asked, settling into the rhythm of the moving sled, adjusting her weight as needed.
“We don’t get a lot of time together, so I always make sure we do something memorable. She’s a bit of a daredevil and she likes adventures, so it’s not always easy finding something that’s not completely crazy and still safe for a sixteen-year-old.”
“She sounds a lot like you.”
“Yeah. It drives her mother crazy.”
Audrey heard the smile in his voice and turned her head to look up at him, returning the smile. But it faded as she saw how close his face was to her own. She felt the warmth of his breath against her lips. but didn’t dare give into the temptation to glance down and look at them. Instead, her gaze was caught in his dark stare.
It was one of those moments where time seemed to stop as the world continued to rush by around them. She somehow found the strength to turn away, but it had taken more resolve than she’d expected, and she’d had to take a moment to get her racing heart under control.
Archer kept his word and didn’t move his hands from the bar, but she couldn’t help but notice how the front of his body was pressed against hers. Every jostle and turn had their bodies pressing closer until sweat gathered beneath the layers of her clothes and her body was responding in ways that had nothing to do with the hunt.
What the hell was wrong with her? Nothing had ever come between her and the job before. Not even Jonah. She’d been able to compartmentalize her feelings for him while they were on a mission. But Archer was wreaking havoc with her concentration.
She couldn’t seem to control the response of her body. It was chemical—plain and simple. Every mile they traveled became more unbearable. Her breasts grew heavy and her breathing changed, her pulse thudding wildly beneath her skin. It took every ounce of control she had not to press back against him and see if he was as hard and ready for her as she was wet for him.
Fortunately, the dogs helped solve the problem. About halfway to their destination, just past the sign Joe had told them about warning trespassers to turn back or risk death, the dogs pulled up sharp, and if she hadn’t had a good grip on the drive bar she would’ve dumped them both onto the ground. She pressed her foot to the brake, and she had to fight to keep the sled upright, so Archer lent his strength to hold them steady while she called out commands to the dogs.
The sudden silence was unnerving and she slowly released the white knuckled grip she had on the bar.
“What the hell?” she breathed out in a rush, though she didn’t expect an answer.
The dogs moved restlessly, some of them whimpering as they lay down in the snow, letting her know with certainty that they had no plans to continue on.
She and Archer got off the sled, each of them reaching for the weapons beneath their jackets. They were in the middle of open land in all directions. There were no trees for cover. Just rolling hills of snow. But something had spooked the dogs. Joe had told them they were very intuitive and to pay attention.
They moved into a position where they stood back to back, their weapons up and ready for attack if it came. All they could do was listen. But the question was what had spooked the dogs? As far as she could tell, there was nothing to make them react as they had.
Silence lay heavy like a blanket with only the occasional rattle of the harness breaking through. There were no fresh tracks in the snow. Nothing but the two of them and wide open land.
“You want to walk out a little ways?” Archer suggested. “We can circle around, see if we can find what’s got the dogs riled.”
“Maybe they’re not fans of The End of the World,” she said, dryly. “Though by my calculations we still have more than a hundred miles to go before we get there.”
“At least. Even with the snowmobile, Salt would’ve been cutting it close outracing the storm, considering how quickly it moved in.”
“He would’ve planned for all contingencies. He might have arrived in Alaska a day ahead of me, but I promise you he’s been here before. He knows the land. Knows the area. He’s a paranoid son of a bitch.”
She did as Archer suggested and moved ahead of the dogs, going clockwise to Archer’s counterclockwise until they’d eventually meet in the middle.
Neither of them had elected to wear snowshoes so they could move quickly if they needed to—they weren’t great for maneuverability and she’d rather take her chances on her own two feet. The downside was the snow came up above her knees, and in some places up to her thighs and hips, as she trudged through.
It turned out the slow movement and depth of the snow was a blessing in disguise. The sound of the trigger as her foot came down was no louder than a click. But it was a sound she’d heard before.
“Oh, shit,” she said, but the words came out as a strangled whisper. Her muscles froze and the cold sweat of fear raced down her back.
The good news was the land mine didn’t automatically detonate as soon as she’d pressed the trigger. But if she took her foot off the mechanism, they’d be finding little pieces of her body in the snow for months.
“Archer,” she said as calmly as she could. She held herself steady, one foot keeping the trigger of the land mine pressed down.
He must have recognized the urgency in her voice because he put his gun back in the holster and shuffled in her direction, his feet scooting through the snow instead of taking steps so he didn’t end up in the same predicament.
She had to give him credit, he didn’t even consider leaving her there to fend for herself and saving his own ass. He came right to her, despite not knowing how dangerous the situation, and his ass was on the line right next to hers.
“I guess we know what the dogs don’t like about the area,” he said, looking her in the eye with a calm assurance that had her shoulders relaxing a bit. He wasn’t going to leave her.
“Let me get a look at what we’ve got, and then we’ll figure out what to do about it. Don’t go anywhere.”
She choked out a nervous laugh as he knelt by her feet and dug down into the snow, carefully tunneling around the mine.
“There she is,” he said.
“So there’s gender assigned to land mines?” She stared straight ahead, her gaze locking in on a crag of snow covered rocks about twenty yards away. Her hands fisted at her sides and she just focused on breathing in and out—for as long as she could.
“I figure anything designed to blow up and hurl shrapnel should be called she. I’ve been married before, so I remember. I’ve got a nice scar behind one ear from a perfume bottle that was thrown at my head.”
“At least she didn’t shoot you.”
She felt him pause, so she glanced down to find humor filled eyes looking back at her. “Did you just make a joke? I think there’s hope for you yet, Agent Sharpe.”
“Not if we’re both blown to bits
while you’re taking your sweet time down there. Leave it to a man to make things as complicated as possible.”
“It’s not me standing on a land mine now, is it?”
Audrey couldn’t argue with that logic so she just grunted and watched him go back to work. He lay down on his stomach so his head touched the snow and looked at it from the side. He moved back to his knees and glanced up at her.
“Looks pretty standard as far as land mines go. I’m going to borrow the knife in your boot. Don’t let it freak you out when I touch you.”
She nodded and his hand slipped inside her boot where she’d put her knife. He bent back to the mine and she heard the tiny scrapes as he worked the tip of the knife at the mechanism.
“I just realized it’s been a while since I knelt at a woman’s feet. And usually she’s naked while I’m doing it and not standing on an explosive device. We should try it that way next time.”
She choked out another laugh and stared down at the top of his head. His voice didn’t betray any of the urgency he must have felt. Mines like the one she was standing on could go off at a moment’s notice. And though his voice was level, she saw the sweat beaded on his skin as he continued to work.
Audrey felt the knife slide back into her boot and he came to his feet, his body only inches from hers.
“Pick up your foot.”
She stared at him for a long moment, knowing she had to trust that he’d taken care of things or they would both end up dead. And then she took a deep breath and prayed.
“Wait a minute—”
Audrey froze, her heart pounding as he issued the order, terror coursing through her veins as she waited for the explosion to hit. And then her eyes widened as he leaned in and took her mouth in a kiss that rocked her straight to her soul. Her entire universe exploded into a million pieces.
She hadn’t prepared herself for the possibility of his taste—not yet—not when she hadn’t guarded herself against the feelings she’d started to develop for him. His tongue slipped past her lips and she heard a moan in the distance—it must have been hers—but the blood rushing in her ears muted her senses so the only thing she was aware of was the man possessing her like he had every right to. It was terrifying. It was exhilarating. And she realized in that moment that every lover she’d ever had, never touched her the way Archer was doing now.
