by Lisa Weaver
“What are you doing here?” he snapped.
“I could ask the same thing of you,” she shot back, bristling at the anger radiating off him in waves. “You said you were going to the movies.”
Seeing hurt and confusion wash across Brianna’s gorgeous face, Luke instantly regretted losing his temper. He ran a hand through his hair before blowing out a frustrated breath. It wasn’t fair of him to be angry at her. But when the police officer asked him if the young woman approaching them was the purse snatcher’s victim, he’d lost it. In that moment, Brianna’s headstrong disregard for what was in her best interest had reminded him of Tanya’s stubborn willfulness—and that stubborn streak had gotten Tanya killed.
Brianna had no way of knowing his fury was driven by fear. How could she, when she didn’t have a clue she was being used as a pawn in a deadly game, or that her failure to comply with his request to stay back at the coffee shop could have had deadly consequences? He decided to be angry at himself, not her.
He’d made a strategic error tonight in choosing to keep an eye on Brianna from a discreet distance while she spent time with her friend. He should have stuck closer to her. If there had been more on the purse snatcher’s agenda than a simple grab-and-run—well, he didn’t even want to contemplate what could have happened.
“I’m sorry I snapped at you,” he apologized. “I asked you to stay back so you’d be safe. When I saw you, I was afraid you could get hurt again. And I’m here because I changed my mind about the movie. I decided to grab something to eat instead.”
“Well, I appreciate what you did, but my purse wasn’t worth risking your life for.”
No. But you are.
“It wasn’t a big deal. I knew the police were on their way. I wanted to save you the grief of having to cancel your credit cards.”
And he’d needed to know, for certain, that the purse snatcher hadn’t had other motives. His gut told him the man wasn’t connected to Mendacci, but he’d have to wait until Jessica, the Sentinels’ research guru, worked her magic to be sure. When Jess got through analyzing the guy, they’d know everything from his blood type to what brand of toothpaste he used. But he couldn’t afford to wait for her report before getting Brianna out of public view. It was time to take her off the beaten path for a bit.
First, he needed to get her back to the resort. “Officers, if you have everything you need, may we leave?”
“Of course. We understand Ms. Atwood doesn’t want to press charges, but we’ll still be taking her assailant back to the precinct. This isn’t his first brush with the law. He has a string of priors, and there’s an outstanding warrant for his arrest.”
It didn’t come as a surprise to Luke that the guy was seedy. Thanking the officers, he escorted Brianna back to his car.
“Thank you,” she told him as he drove her back to the resort. “I don’t want you to think I’m not grateful for what you did, but before you give in to the urge to go all superhero on bad guys again, you might want to keep in mind that chasing down an armed purse snatcher ranks right up at the top of the ‘incredibly-stupid-things-to-do’ list.”
She has the stupid part right.
He was getting sloppy in a job he normally excelled at. He’d never allowed his professional standards to slip. But he was afraid the lines between professional and personal were blurring with Brianna. That lack of focus could result in his making the same kind of mistake that had led to Tanya’s death.
Tanya had gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd, and subsequently put herself in a dangerous situation. He’d been so caught up with extricating himself from her life that he’d missed the signs she was in trouble. He should have latched on to the subtle clues, but instead he’d chalked up the inconsistencies in her behavior to the stress of their crumbling relationship.
He should have looked deeper. In hindsight, he realized that if he hadn’t been so busy unplugging from her life, he might have been able to save her.
Tanya had died because he’d been too distant. Now he was placing Brianna at risk because he’d gotten too close. Emotions were so very dangerous in his line of work. He had to get a grip, or Brianna would end up paying the price for his lack of self-control.
“He took something that was yours,” he shrugged. “I couldn’t let him get away with it. It’s a guy thing. Sometimes the testosterone goes to our head.”
“I think you may be suffering from a case of bad-boy delusion.”
“I thought women liked a bit of bad boy in their men?”
She had to acknowledge that there was a certain appeal to the bad boy vibe. And yes, Luke did harbor an enticing touch of scoundrel. But he wasn’t “her” man. And he never would be.
“Nope. Too much trouble,” she bantered, striving for levity.
“I’m not that much trouble.” he winked.
When they returned to their room, he demonstrated just how bad—in a very good way—he could be.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Watching Brianna drift off to sleep, Luke tried not to delve too deeply into the stirrings of emotion he felt for her. Better to tuck them aside. He didn’t want to forge a bond with her. He needed to walk out of her life as soon as this assignment was over. And that was how he wanted it.
Really.
While Brianna slept, he stepped out onto the balcony and phoned Liz for an update on the man they’d apprehended.
“The purse snatcher doesn’t appear to have ties to Mendacci,” Liz reported. I think Brianna was a random target.”
Unease still niggled at him. “Unless Mendacci recruited this guy expressly because he knew that’s exactly how it would appear if the man got caught.”
“That’s a stretch, but I won’t say it’s not a possibility. There’s certainly no harm in being extra cautious, in any case.”
“I’m thinking this might be a good time to go off the grid with Brianna for a few days,” Luke told her. “Maybe take her camping.”
“Camping?”
“Yeah. She mentioned she’s never been, and since she’ll be presenting a training seminar to a group of outdoor adventure writers, she might welcome the chance to experience a taste of what they encounter in the course of their work.”
“Do you think she’ll go for it? Personally, I wouldn’t trade a five-star resort or your deluxe vacation digs for a tent in the middle of the woods, no matter how scenic that forest was. Give me electricity and running water any day.”
“Oh, I can be very persuasive,” he countered.
“I’m sure you can. Okay. If she agrees to a side trip, e-mail me with your itinerary and I’ll alert Donovan. He can shadow you from a safe distance in case you need backup out there.”
“Great. I’ll be in touch.”
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Luke proposed the camping trip to Brianna later that afternoon.
“You want to do what?” she asked, her incredulous tone echoing Liz’s earlier bewilderment. She was looking at him like he’d suggested she pole dance naked over a bed of hot coals.
“You’ll be presenting to a group of writers who live and breathe the outdoors. Since you’ve never been camping, I thought you might like to experience some of the stuff our correspondents do when they’re out in the field researching feature stories. It will be fun.”
“Fun, huh?” she muttered dubiously.
“Sure. You said you wanted to try camping someday. This is your chance to experience sleeping under the stars.”
“I like the idea, in theory, but I’m not a fan of places without indoor plumbing or electricity. And I hate creepy-crawlies.”
“You’ll be sleeping under those stars with me. I’ll protect you from the creepy crawlies.”
And everything else.
Brianna rolled her eyes, then threw her hands up in mock surrender. “Okay. You win. I’ll go camping with you.”
“Terrific. I’ll get some gear together, and we can head out.”
“You mean right now?”
&nbs
p; “Sure. The conference planning is coming together magnificently. As a matter of fact, we’re ahead of schedule. We can afford to take a break.”
“There’s one little hitch in your plan.”
“What’s that?”
“I packed for work, not for traipsing around in the wilderness. I don’t know much about camping, but I’m pretty sure stilettos and pencil skirts aren’t standard attire.”
“No worries. I’ve got it covered. There’s a sporting goods store on our way. I’ll get you everything you’ll need.”
“I can’t let you do that. I can buy my own gear.”
“The trip is my idea. I insist you let me take care of outfitting you for it.”
His expression must have warned her there was no sense in pursuing the argument, because she reluctantly went along with him. At the store, he helped her select a pair of hiking boots, a sleeping bag, and a backpack. He added thick socks, as well as a wind-and waterproof jacket to the cart.
Stopping by the food aisle, he selected a few staples. Brianna picked up a bag of dehydrated beef Stroganoff, wrinkling her nose.
“Do people actually eat this stuff?”
“It tastes better than it looks. Don’t worry, though. It won’t be on our menu. I plan on introducing you to the gourmet side of cooking in the great outdoors.”
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Mere minutes after their arrival at the campsite, Luke had their tent up. Brianna helped him unpack, and together they transformed the little spot of wilderness they’d claimed into a cozy retreat.
“If I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes, I would never have believed it was possible to cram all of that stuff into one backpack,” Brianna marveled.
“When it’s done right, camping is an art form. Now for the pièce de résistance. The campfire.”
“This is the part where you rub a couple of sticks together, right?”
“You have much to learn, Grasshopper,” he teased. “Constructing a properly built campfire is a real skill. First, we need to select the right stones for the outer ring. Mid-sized and heavy are best.”
She held a rock up for his inspection. “Like this?”
He took the stone from her hands, shooting her a grin as he subjected the rock to a mock-thorough appraisal. “Decent size. Good heft. Nice finish. Yup, this one is a keeper.” Curling her ponytail around his hand, he drew her close until their lips were a hairbreadth apart. “You deserve a reward for such being such an apt student.”
Molding his lips to hers, he proceeded to show her just how appreciative he was.
Chapter Fourteen
Out of a possible score of one to ten on the “deeply appreciated remunerations scale,” the kiss merited an eleven. And as for toe-curling intensity on the passion-invoking scale? Well, there simply wasn’t a number high enough. How could something so infinitely sweet still manage to pack such a punch?
The chipped nail she’d sustained retrieving the rock was a small price to pay for a reward like that. She’d happily track down ten thousand boulders for him, broken nails and all, for seconds of that kiss. And thirds. And yes, she was being greedy. But who wouldn’t be with a blow-your-mind lip-lock like that?
Luke pulled away with a wry shake of his head. “If I keep getting sidetracked by your beautiful mouth, we’ll never get this fire going.”
“Are you sure we really need a campfire? I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty hot already.”
“Hot? Lady, that doesn’t begin to describe you. You redefine sizzle. But since I want you to experience all the intricacies of a true camping experience, we need a campfire. Besides, I plan on cooking dinner for you over an open flame.”
“Dinner sounds great, but I hope making love by the light of that campfire also features somewhere in your plans?”
“Was that ever in doubt?” he winked. “But first, let’s make some sparks.”
Brianna tried to concentrate on Campfire 101, she really did, but she kept getting distracted by Luke’s gorgeous derriere. He looked amazing in denim. And he looked like he belonged in these woods. He wasn’t at all intimidated by the fact that they’d left civilization and all its trappings behind hours ago. He fit in as naturally here in this rugged, untamed wilderness as he did in the wilds of the corporate world.
He even managed to make searching for kindling sexy. Watching him place dry moss, needles, and sticks within the ring of stones they’d constructed became a bewitching form of foreplay. She was practically panting with need by the time he demonstrated how to position the sticks they’d gathered to form a tepee in the center of the ring.
“I’m a little disappointed a magnifying glass doesn’t play a part in this,” she teased when he handed her a match to ignite the dry tender. Considering the heat he generated, she was surprised the wood hadn’t already spontaneously combusted. Wiping her damp palms on her jeans, she struck the match and set the flame to the kindling. It caught immediately, sputtering to life.
He chuckled. “You’re doing fine. Now, we’ll build the intensity.” He leaned in, exhaling gentle breaths over the fire. “Slow puffs build the heat.”
If it got any hotter, she’d incinerate. It wasn’t the campfire’s flame singeing her inside and out—it was the intensity of her attraction to the man at her side. She was hyperaware of his every breath, his every movement. All she could think about was stripping him naked.
Fortunately, he diverted her wayward thoughts to more practical things before she could act on the various seduction scenarios she was contemplating.
“Now we’re ready to cook,” he pronounced once the fire blazed steadily.
“I miss my microwave already.”
“The trade-off will be worth it. You’ll see,” Luke chuckled.
A short while later, the delicious aromas emanating from the pot he’d hooked over the open fire proved his point. He held a spoonful of stew to her lips. “Here. Tell me what you think.”
His scrumptious offering had her taste buds dancing in delight. “Yum! It’s fantastic!”
“Good. I’ll let it simmer another fifteen minutes to really set the flavor, and then we’ll eat.”
While they waited for the stew to be done, he slathered rolls with a thick coating of garlic butter and wrapped them in foil to toast over the flame.
It was a fabulous dinner, and Brianna told him so. “I still think you missed your calling.”
“Thanks. I like creating new variations of old favorites and figuring out how to make traditional recipes work in the outdoors. I’ve thought about writing a cookbook someday featuring gourmet campfire meals.”
“You should. I’m sure most campers resign themselves to hot dogs and beans, not realizing they can whip up an incredible meal without that much more effort.”
For dessert, he initiated her in the art of making s’mores, toasting marshmallows to golden perfection before sandwiching them along with squares of chocolate between graham crackers.
Enjoying her first bite of the wonderfully decadent, gooey treat, Brianna sighed her contentment. “I could get used to this. I’m so glad you suggested this trip. It’s really peaceful out here.”
“It’s one of the reasons I love camping. It’s nice to get away from the mad dash of humanity and escape to a place where the pace is slower. It reminds you what’s really important.”
“And what’s that for you? Important, I mean?”
“Family,” he answered without hesitation. “That puts my sister Lauren at the top of the list. And there’s my shelter project, of course. I like to think I’m making a difference in some small way. What about you? What matters most in your life?”
“Family tops my list, too. I thought I’d lost all the family I had left when my mother died, but then I was blindsided by the discovery that not only do I have a father, I have a brother as well. Still, it’s hard to come to grips with the fact that my mother blatantly lied to me all those years.”
“That has to be tough,” he sympathized.
It was beyond tough, and it was something she didn’t want to dwell on tonight. Not when she was enjoying this little spot of heaven on earth with Luke.
“I seem to recall you mentioning making love under the stars featuring in your plans for the evening,” she reminded him.
“If that’s a hint, Ms. Atwood, you don’t have to ask twice.” Without hesitation, he retrieved a comforter from the tent and spread it out over a blanket of pine needles. Scooping her into his arms, he set her down on the soft bedding.
Their lovemaking was earthy and wild and unbounded. Welcoming him in the most intimate of embraces, Brianna was certain she would implode from the sheer intensity of the sensations he was engendering. Afterward, he carried her into the tent and tucked her into their zipped-together sleeping bags. He cuddled in beside her, pulling her close, and she drifted off to sleep in his arms.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Brianna woke the next morning to find she was alone. It didn’t take her long to figure out where Luke had disappeared to. She only had to follow her nose. The wonderful aromas of freshly brewed coffee and frying bacon wafted into the tent on the fresh morning air. Shrugging into shorts and a tank top, she ventured out to find him.
Standing on tiptoe, she pressed a kiss to his lips. “Good morning, handsome.”
“Good morning, beautiful. I didn’t think you’d be up so early. I planned on serving you breakfast in bed.”
“I’d rather enjoy breakfast out here, where we can enjoy the view. It smells delicious.”
“I prefer the view of you in that sleeping bag,” he winked. And then he kissed her again, making her forget all about breakfast.
“We could go back to the tent,” she said, smiling, when he reluctantly tore his mouth from hers.
“If we do, I’d certainly ravish you and all this food would go to waste.”
“Give me a second. I’m trying to decide which sounds better, the bacon or being ravaged by you.”
“Are you telling me my sexual prowess can’t compete with a slab of bacon?”
