Before she knew it, she was sprawled on the ground again, her attacker face down in the dirt, with Liam twisting his arm behind his back in some sort of wrestler’s hold.
“Get his gun, Cammie.”
Her momentary panic subsided long enough for her to scramble to do as she was told. The last thing either of them needed was for this man to get hold of his gun again. She had the feeling that neither of them would fare too well. She held it gingerly by the butt, wondering what the hell to do with the thing now that she had it. She’d never held a gun before in her life. Though come to think of it, this wasn’t nearly the first time she’d been held at gunpoint. Perhaps after she finally returned to her life she should think about visiting a shooting range.
Her knees, hands and back ached where the man had thrown her on the ground and pinned her while he chatted with his friends. Where were they? She nervously looked over her shoulder as if they would suddenly appear from nowhere, just because their friend had been jumped.
“How close do you think his friends are?” she asked, dancing from foot to foot as he secured the man’s hands behind his back with the creep’s own belt and shoelaces.
“They’re close if he’s lucky, because we’re leaving him here.” He glanced down at the thug he’d very neatly hogtied and grinned. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to carry him and I don’t want to feed him.”
He pulled her several yards away from the man and lowered his voice.
“Is there somewhere close by where we can hide?”
“Hide?” God, she was running again. She didn’t want to run. She was so damned tired of running from Neiman Carpenter and his thugs that she could scream.
Liam shook his head in aggravation. “Look, you obviously know who these men are, and why they’re after you. It doesn’t take a genius to know you’d plan for just this occurrence. So, like I said, where can we hole up until the supply copter comes back?”
Cammie chewed her bottom lip then heaved a worried sigh. “You’re right, there’s a place not far from here.” She snorted, then ran a trembling hand through her disheveled hair. “As a matter of fact, you made your grand entrance there.”
He furrowed his brows, then comprehension struck. “You mean the waterfall?”
She nodded. “That’s what it looks like, but it actually hides a cave. Or rather, what used to be a cave. Someone turned it into the opening for a mineshaft. The first thing I did when I moved to this mountain was search for a place to hide in an emergency.”
Liam tilted his head as he gave it some thought. “Fine, we better get there and get there fast.”
“We’ll need to go back to the cabin. I have several changes of clothes for me there, but not for you.”
He shook his head. “No. We can’t risk it.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “We don’t know how many of his friends are around, stalking the woods. One could be watching the cabin right now. I’ll just have to make due with what I have. We’ll wash them after dark in the falls and let them dry inside the cave.”
He glanced down at her and her stomach somersaulted. Liam had tackled a man with a gun to protect her. Even if he wasn’t the only man she’d seen for the last three months, other than Mr. Charisma lying face down in the dirt over there, she would think he was hot. And why was she having totally inappropriate thoughts while danger surrounded them? She must be losing what was left of her mind.
Cammie cleared her throat. “Follow me then.” Knowing their pursuers could catch them at any time lent wings to their feet as they raced toward the waterfall she bathed in. Within minutes, they were waist deep in the frigid water wading to the deep end of the natural pool beneath the falls.
No sooner had they ducked beneath the pounding water than muffled shouts and the thump . . . thump . . . thump of heavy footsteps approached their bolt-hole. “Please, please, please, pass us by,” she whispered into the murky darkness of the damp cave. She uttered a surprised gasp when Liam wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, pulling her into the shelter of his arms.
The steady beat of his heart was reassuring on a subliminal level, but the prodding of his thick erection against her ass spelled danger of a different kind to her wayward and chaotic emotions. Her legs began to tremble, this time from the fierce desire to turn in his arms and beg him to fuck her senseless, to make her forget where she was and why she was there. Just thinking about what it would feel like to have his massive cock filling her had her woman’s cream threatening to coat the crotch of her panties.
God, this cannot be happening to me. Suppressing her desire to speak, she stood still as a stone, not wanting to give away their position. She stood pliant within the circle of his arms as he held her, his hands placed just below her breasts. If he moved his thumbs, even just a bit, he would brush her stiff nipples.
She wanted to groan with embarrassment. How could she possibly get horny while those men tromped about outside looking for her? The sound of muffled voices filtered through the cascading water. They must be horribly close.
“I don’t see them, Tanner.”
“I saw them run this way, damn it. I just don’t know where the hell they went. You don’t suppose they’re hiding underwater, do you?”
“Tanner, their people, not fish. If they’re underwater they’d be dead and we wouldn’t have to worry about them. Let’s get the hell out of here. They’ve probably gone back to the cabin. Pigeons like our girl always do stupid shit like that.”
Cammie stiffened at those words. He was right. She would have gone back to the cabin if Liam hadn’t stopped her. She wriggled against him in an attempt to free herself. He just pulled her tighter against him and backed further toward the cave.
She began to shiver as the frigid water seeped into her skin. Still, Liam held her and backed farther into her hidden tunnel. Finally, when they were several yards into the opening, he let her go and climbed up onto the rocky ledge.
“Give me your hand,” he whispered in the near darkness. “We need to get out of these wet clothes before we freeze.”
She reached up, placed her cold trembling hand in his, and he pulled her from the water.
“Which way?” he asked as he frowned at the three passageways that branched off from the main tunnel.
“Follow me.”
She felt more than heard him fall in behind her. Heat radiated off him. Even after spending so much time in the icy water, his body temperature was high. He wouldn’t be the one suffering from hypothermia if they didn’t strip soon. Concentrate, dammit! You don’t have a flashlight and you have to rely on memory until you reach the second turn. Just a few more yards.
Unsure in the darkness, she slowed and Liam bumped into her back. He steadied her with his strong hands before letting her go. Cammie fought the urge to stand still before him, bereft. Instead, she continued through the darkness slowly, her hand dragging along the rough wall.
When the wall ended in another turn, she dropped to her knees and fumbled for the kerosene lamp she’d left there. It was old, but it still worked. She found it in the caves when she had been searching for a bolt hole. By leaving the lamp where she did, she figured anyone who stumbled upon it would correctly assume that the miners left it there when they vacated the barren shafts.
Her hand fell against the wooden box that contained the lantern and a large box of matches. She picked up the box, opened it and lit a match. Shaking from the cold, it was difficult to strike the match against the side of the box. Finally, after several tries, she succeeded. After touching the flame to the wick of the lamp, she sighed. Now the going would be faster and they could finally get out of the wet clothes.
Turning left, she continued down another shaft, glad she had the forethought to search this place out. Just thinking of the warmth that she knew awaited them kept her going. Soon, the tunnel began to warm as they neared their destination.
“Is it getting warmer in her, or is it just me?” Liam whispered behind her.
&nbs
p; “Thankfully, it’s getting warmer. I chose this section of cave because there is a hot spring down here. I’m not sure how safe it is, if this is an unknown dormant volcano, but it has to be safer than the cabin right now.”
Cammie couldn’t wait. Tempted to set the lamp down and start stripping, she bit her lip instead and hurried to the small opening at the back of the cave.
“It’s a small opening. I think the miners hit on a natural cave while they were digging. There isn’t much more than a hole leading to this section. It’s another reason why I chose this. Anyone searching for me would see the apparent dead end and turn back, unless they heard something.” She looked at the seemingly tiny opening and Liam’s broad shoulders and chest. She couldn’t stop her slow perusal of the rest of his wonderfully big body. “I hope you’ll fit.” Her cheeks burned at the double meaning. Especially after the slow inspection she’d just subjected him to.
“Don’t worry, I’ll fit.” He leaned forward to look her directly into her eyes. “As a matter of fact, I believe I’ll fit quite nicely.”
Cammie shivered as his warm breath brushed her cheek and the side of her neck. Handing him the lamp, she turned and hurried through the small opening in the rock. He handed the lamp back and squeezed through the small hole.
“It was rather tight, but you made it nice and wet for me and I slid right through,” he said as he stood up and winked.
“Oh!” she turned and hurried down the natural stairway to another tunnel, her mind filled with uncharitable thoughts.
God, how embarrassing. He knows I’m attracted to him, the jerk. And he’s going to make those double entendre comments. I hope he falls and breaks something on his way down.
“You’re attracted to me?”
“Oh god, please tell me that I didn’t just say that out loud.” Her face blazed as she led him into a large cavern, dominated by the two large pools there. One steamed, warming the cavern, the other was filled with clear, cool water.
Cammie started stripping. Let him look. She didn’t care. The only thing she gave a damn about right now was that fact that a nice warm pool of water awaited her. She hadn’t visited this cave often enough over the last winter. She didn’t know what she would have done if she’d been forced to bathe in cold water all the time over the last three years. She’d have gone mad, perhaps.
* * * *
Liam stood and stared as she stripped the wet clothes from her body. When she turned to hang her clothes from the large rock next to the steaming pool, he noticed her nipples were hard. From the cold, no doubt. Jutting forward, they pressed against the white lace cups of her bra.
The dark triangle at the juncture of her thighs held his attention as he imagined he saw the glistening moisture that he knew coated her thighs. He stifled a groan and turned away. Why torture himself this way? She may want him, but she would never allow him to touch her. She knew next to nothing about him.
The water splashed as she entered the pool. He closed his eyes and tried to banish the image of the water sluicing down her perfect body from his mind. But his imaginings only became more intense and vivid. In his mind’s eye, he could see the rivulets sliding down her bare skin, creating shimmering paths over her breasts to her stomach, then over her thighs.
“Aren’t you going to join me?”
Was it just him, or did she sound hurt, uncertain? He shook his head. It didn’t matter. She wouldn’t welcome the touch of a stranger. Taking a deep breath, he jammed his hands into his pockets and sighed. Why did he care? He hadn’t begun to care for the woman already, had he?
“You don’t want me in that pool with you, Cammie. Just get yourself warm. Don’t worry about me.”
He stared at the far wall, his fisted hands in his pockets, stretching the already tight jeans to new limits. His voice sounded harsh and he knew it. But it was all he could do to keep himself at arm’s length. To keep himself from pouncing on her and taking her, no matter the cost.
“Okay.”
The hesitation and hurt in her voice was evident. He thrust his fingers through his hair, uncertain. Did she really want him, or was this merely an attempt to repay him for saving her from that mercenary? That question was what kept him from joining her. He felt like he’d known her forever. He wanted more than her body. He wanted her admiration, her respect and her love. He felt his eyes widen at that knowledge. Why should he feel that way? He barely knew her.
He spun around at the sound of a wet splat behind him, just in time to see her panties join her bra on the stone ledge that surrounded the pool. She stared at him for a moment, an unreadable expression in her eyes before she lay back to float lazily on the surface of the water.
He ached to join her in the warmth of the pool. Not because he was cold. His body was already hot, burning up with the need to sink his cock into her silken depths. His balls ached with the need to spill his seed deep into her womb. If he had his way, she would never remember what her life was like without him.
Liam swallowed thickly at the sight of her firm breasts jutting from the surface of the steaming water. There was nothing he wouldn’t give to join her in the deep warm waters of the pool. Yet, he didn’t know her motivation. Did she care for him, even a little? If so, then nothing in this world would keep him from her.
Chapter Five
Cammie rested in the pool, careful to stay away from the far edge where she learned the hot water shot up from below. Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she contemplated her lonely existence. Now she wouldn’t be able to stay on her mountain. Was nowhere safe from the long grasping arm of Neiman Carpenter?
She turned her head and looked out over the cavern. Liam stood staring at her exposed breasts, an intense expression on his face. If he wanted her, why didn’t he just jump in the damned pool? She grinned when an idea struck her.
Paddling to the shallow end, she stood and walked slowly from the water. Intense desire shone in his eyes before he turned his head to give her privacy. Finally warm, she walked slowly to the corner where she kept her supplies and donned the bathrobe she kept in a sealed bag with her other clothing items. She’d leave the bath towels for Liam.
“Your turn. Why don’t you strip and get warm? I have a bath sheet you can wrap around yourself until your clothes dry.” She kept her face averted until she heard his jeans drop next to hers with a wet plop.
Water splashed as he lowered himself into the pool and she grinned. Now I’ve got you where I want you and next I’m gonna fuck you. Pausing, she bit her lip and wondered what it was about him that drove her so close to the edge of sanity. She was never one to throw herself at a man. Why start now?
She raised her hand to her chest and felt the center. She wondered why, after all these years of loneliness, of solitude, her previously anesthetized heart had awakened with such enthusiasm to exercise its abilities. What does it matter why you feel this way? Take it. Grab it and hold on tight. Who knows how long you have with him?
As soon as his back was turned, she parted the robe and pushed. It slid from her shoulders and fell into a heap at her feet. She sauntered to the edge of the water, knowing he kept his back turned—either to give her privacy while she dressed, or make things easier on him. He might have thought if he didn’t have to look at her naked body, perhaps he could rid himself of the huge hard-on he’d tried so desperately to hide from her.
I don’t think so, mister.
She wanted this. She wanted him. In one day, she’d come to care about this man. Whether it was because they had saved each other from certain death, or because she was just so damned lonely up here on this mountain alone, she had no idea. And she didn’t care why she felt for him. If she couldn’t have his love, at least she could have the memory of being with him, even for a little while.
Cammie slipped silently into the pool behind him, as he stood still and silent in the center of the water. He started to swim for the far side.
“Don’t! The hot springs are under there, you’ll get scalded.” S
he had to stop him. The burns she’d received, while minor, were quite painful. She didn’t want him to suffer that way. It was unnecessary.
He turned, his eyes widening when she realized she was right behind him, within arm’s length.
“Why did you follow me in here?” His gaze burned a trail down over her shoulders and chest to settle on the rise of her breasts and exposed nipples beneath the clear water. “I don’t know how long I can control myself. How long I can control the need to pull you into my arms and make you mine in every sense of the word.”
“Who says I want you to control yourself?” she asked, smiling as she moved closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Maybe I want you out of control.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “Are you sure?”
Wrapping her legs around his waist, she pressed her sex against his hard shaft. “Oh, yeah, baby. I’m sure.”
He swallowed and his Adam’s apple bobbed. His cock nudged against her opening and she canted her hips, desperate to feel him stretch her, to fill the emptiness deep inside her.
He grunted as the head of his cock sank within her depths and she groaned in response. “Oh god, Liam. You feel amazing.”
He lowered his head to rest it against her forehead. Sweat glistened against his skin, his rapid heartbeat pounded against her chest. She witnessed the terrible strain that holding back cost him, in the lines bracketing his tempting lips.
The muscles on his arms quivered, and his chest bellowed as he tried to gain control over his body. But that wasn’t what she wanted, what she needed from him. Reaching up with her hands, she pulled his face down to her and whispered against his lips. “Make love to me, Liam. Make love to me as you’ve never done so to another woman. Mark me as your woman, your mate.”
As though the words freed something inside him, he let out an animalistic growl and rammed his cock through her tight pussy until it nestled against the opening of her womb. There were no gentle touches. No soft sighs or murmured words passed between them. Just fierce and unrestrained passion existed as he drove himself into her depths, over and over, pounding into her sheath in a never-ending and ferocious mating.
What to do with a Naked Leprechaun Page 3
