The Bronzed Hawk

by Iris Johansen

  He looked down at her in quick concern. His aquamarine eyes were almost glazed with need as they gazed down at the engorged result of his love play. “You’re cold. Let me warm you,” he said thickly. His hands left her for a moment to quickly unzip his jacket and unbutton his shirt. Then she was gathered securely against his hair-roughened chest.

  Cold? She’d never been less cold in her life, she thought feverishly. Her temperature continued to climb as he began to undulate her body lazily against his own, the dark hair of his chest prickling and teasing her breasts until her breath was coming in little gasps and her hands were digging desperately into his shoulders as if to hold on before she was swept away in the wake of this hot whirlpool of sensation.

  “Ah, you like that,” Nick murmured. “So do I, love. You’re like soft, warm velvet except for those lovely little nipples. They’re like crisp taffeta.” He drew a deep, shuddering breath. “They’re driving me absolutely insane.”

  And what did he think he was doing to her? she thought wildly. She was experiencing a hot, throbbing ache in her loins, and she felt dizzy and weak. The touch of his warm hardness was almost as painful as the thought of doing without it.

  “Nick,” she gasped, her lips burying themselves in the hollow between his shoulder and his throat. “Nick, I can’t stand this.”

  “Neither can I.” He groaned. “I’ve got to have more of you, Kelly. I want to see all of you and touch every inch of you. I feel as if I could devour you and still never satisfy my hunger.”

  With one swift movement, he shifted her off his lap so that she was lying on the floor of the small gondola. He was beside her immediately, lying facing her, his arms wrapped loosely around her while he covered her face and throat with swift kisses.

  “This is crazy.” Kelly moaned, even as her small hands ran lovingly up the powerfully sculptured muscles of his chest to slide around his shoulders and caress his neck. “It’s all happening too fast, Nick.”

  His hands were busy unfastening her belt, and he looked up and grinned. “If I don’t get you out of these clothes, it may not be fast enough,” he said ruefully. “Lord, I’m wild for you, Kelly.” He had managed to unfasten the zipper on her jeans, and one warm hand slid beneath the material to caress the softness of her belly. “Velvet again,” he said thickly. Then as his hand wandered farther, “And my lovely golden fleece.”

  Kelly inhaled sharply and opened her lips to utter a weak protest, but his lips were covering hers again, and she forgot what she was going to say. Then his skillful hands were on her breasts once more, and his lips moved down to caress the sensitive nipples. He began teasing them with the tip of his tongue. Her body jerked and then arched as if she had been stroked with electricity.

  Nick gave her flushed, dreamy face a keen, appraising glance. “Your breasts are so beautifully responsive,” he said hoarsely. “I’ll remember that, sweetheart. I want to make you just as wild as you’re driving me.” He lowered his head and pulled gently with his teeth at one engorged nipple.

  What did he want to do to her? she thought desperately. She was already going out of her mind with the sensations that he was creating in every nerve of her body. She was shaking, and she felt so weak that she doubted if she could move a muscle except at his urging. He seemed to be controlling not only her physical responses but the surroundings around them. He had narrowed the world down until it contained only his intent, dark face and the flaming sky above them.

  Flaming?

  “Oh, my God!” Her voice was hoarse with terror. “We’re on fire!”

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” Nick said chuckling, his eyes on the taut pink bud he was caressing.

  “No!” she cried frantically. “Nick, we’re really on fire. The balloon’s on fire!”

  He lifted his head swiftly to the nylon mushroom above them and the flame that was licking at the base of the chute. He uttered a string of obscenities before sitting bolt upright and rapidly buttoning his shirt.

  “What can we do?” Kelly asked frantically. “Can we put it out?”

  “Not a chance,” he said tersely. He stood up and went quickly to the pile of supplies and blankets beside the burners. “In about two minutes that canopy is going to be completely engulfed in flames, and we’ll drop like a stone. We’ll have to jump.” He had retrieved a bright orange parachute pack and was strapping it on swiftly. “And it’s going to take me that long to get into this thing.”

  “Jump?” Kelly repeated, sitting up dazedly. “I don’t even know how to use a parachute.”

  His lips curved wryly. “I’m afraid any skills you might have would be useless, anyway. I wasn’t expecting a passenger, so there’s only one parachute.”

  “Only one …” she said faintly, her eyes widening.

  “Don’t worry,” he said, his expression terse. “I’ll take care of you.”

  “Don’t worry!” she almost shouted, as she jumped to her feet. “I’m seventeen thousand feet above the ground in a balloon that’s about to go up in flames, and I don’t have a parachute! And you tell me not to worry?”

  “Well, a little concern might not be out of place,” he admitted. “We’ll just use my parachute. Now, get dressed.”

  In her shock she had totally forgotten that her blouse was completely opened. She turned away from him and hastily put her clothes in order.

  “Make sure your belt is tightly fastened,” he said.

  Was the man completely mad? she wondered. Nevertheless, she did what he told her.

  He had the parachute on now, and he quickly rummaged through the supplies as she zipped up her jacket. “Good thing I had this with me,” he said, holding up a small device.

  A mountaineering snap link, she thought dazedly. “Will it work?” she asked as he stooped slightly and attached the link to her belt, then to the harness of the parachute, binding them very close together.

  “Sure, it will,” he said, straightening and simultaneously lifting her. “Now, wrap your legs around me and grab on to the front of the harness—tight. Much as I’d like to, I won’t be able to hold on to you. I’ll be too busy with the parachute.”

  As she held tightly to the harness front, her legs wrapped around him, he hoisted them both up onto the rim of the basket, then swung his legs to the outside of the gondola.

  Kelly shivered in fear. She was jumping out of a balloon with only a snap link and her own strong arms to rely on.

  Nick looked down at her face, his expression suddenly serious. “You’re not really frightened, are you?” he asked quietly. “You know that I wouldn’t let anything hurt you.”

  She raised her eyes to meet his grave, steady gaze, and suddenly her fear was gone. She knew that she’d never be safer than when she was with this eccentric, dynamic man. “No, I’m not afraid,” she said softly, her eyes alight with warm trust and a hint of wry humor. “I’m just ruing the day that I decided to blackmail Superman. I don’t think I’m cut out for flying without wings.”

  “Don’t knock it until you try it, Lois,” he said. There was a reckless smile on his face. “This isn’t the way I wanted to send you soaring, love, but it will have to do.”

  He gave her a quick kiss, then suddenly he lunged forward, sending them both into space.

  FOUR

  THE JAR AS they hit the earth was bone shaking even though O’Brien managed to land on his feet before rolling over. He attempted to absorb most of the impact with his own body. As quickly as he could, he released the snap link. The orange parachute enveloped them, and it was a moment before O’Brien could rid himself of the harness and thrust the layers of cloth impatiently away from them.

  “Okay?” he asked quietly.

  She nodded a trifle breathlessly and sat up. “I’ll have a few bruises tomorrow,” she said, as she rubbed the small of her back gingerly. “But nothing that I can’t handle.”

  “I’m beginning to believe that there’s very little you can’t handle, Kelly McKenna.” Nick stood up a
nd helped her to her feet. “I just may decide to take you on all my skydiving jaunts.”

  “Please don’t,” she said, running a hand through her tumbled golden curls. “Once was enough, thank you.” She peered around her anxiously. The terrain around them was rough and rocky, and they seemed to be on an incline. “You wouldn’t know where we are by any chance?”

  He shrugged. “Not exactly. Somewhere in the hill country near the base of the Sierra Madre I would guess.” He bent down and began to gather up and fold the chute. “Far from any sign of civilization at any rate.”

  Kelly automatically began to help him with the chute, her eyes fixed on his calm face. “Charming,” she said. “And how are we to make our way back to said civilization?”

  “We’ll manage,” he said carelessly. “But after I get this chute repacked, I think we’d better worry about finding some sort of shelter for the night. The temperature can drop pretty sharply in the hills at night.”

  “Perhaps you can give me a crash course on body temperature control,” Kelly said flippantly, buttoning the tab collar at the throat of her jacket. It was already quite cool.

  “Sorry, sweetheart, it doesn’t work that way.” He chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you warm.”

  She had no doubt that he could at that, she thought. She could not deny the strong sexual chemistry that existed between them, but it didn’t change her reasons for not wanting any kind of relationship with O’Brien. She’d be a fool to let herself become involved in an affair that would only mean pain. She would just have to guard carefully against any further sexual encounters with Nick O’Brien. Which might not be all that easy, she thought. Nick had been just as lost in that haze of wild passion as she, and he was obviously used to getting exactly what he wanted from women. It was extremely unlikely that he would give up any plans he might have for seducing her now that he’d had a taste of how wildly they could please each other. She would just have to think of some way to discourage him and still hold on to her own control. It would be a task, she thought, that just might prove more dangerous than that jump out of the balloon.

  Once the chute was repacked, Nick slung it over his shoulder. “Let’s go,” he said. Taking her small hand in his, he propelled her briskly down the incline toward the foothills.

  Kelly found it oddly companionable walking hand in hand down the rock-strewn hill through the gathering darkness. Strange that she experienced this total unconcern regarding the dilemma that they were in. She felt almost lighthearted, as if she were starting out on a brave new adventure, and she knew that her serenity was due to the man beside her. It was difficult to be frightened or worried when he was so assured and competent. Perhaps that comparison that she had drawn with Superman wasn’t so far off the mark, she thought.

  They had reached the bottom of the hill, and Nick’s pace quickened as he moved purposefully toward a clearing sheltered by a sparse growth of surrounding cottonwoods. Darkness had fallen fully now, and the clearing looked oddly desolate and menacing in the shadowy guardianship of the trees.

  O’Brien took off the parachute pack when they reached the clearing and dropped it on the ground. “Stay here,” he ordered. “I’ll go gather some wood and build a fire.”

  “I’ll go with you and help,” Kelly said in a determined tone. She might as well start out as she meant to continue. O’Brien needn’t think that he was going to treat her like some helpless little clinging vine. She would carry her full share of the work and responsibility in this situation.

  In the darkness she couldn’t see the expression on O’Brien’s face, but his voice was rich with amusement. “I think I detect the signs of women’s lib surfacing. All right, Goldilocks, I wouldn’t dream of suppressing that independent spirit.”

  It appeared that he meant exactly what he said. He not only let her help gather wood and carry it back to the clearing, but also set her the task of finding stones to bank the flames while he busied himself with the actual building of the fire. When she had finished encircling the burning wood with several large, flat stones, she sank down beside it and sighed in contentment.

  She watched O’Brien lithely move about, first stacking their reserves of wood in a readily accessible pile near them, and then unpacking the parachute and spreading it on the ground before the fire.

  When he’d finished, he sat down on the brilliant nylon and patted the place beside him. “Come over here and join me, Goldilocks, and we’ll fire-gaze together,” he invited.

  “Fire-gaze?” she asked, getting up and moving slowly to join him on the chute. “I’ve heard of star-gazing but never fire-gazing.”

  “Fire-gazing is much more interesting,” he said, as he put an arm about her shoulders and pulled her close. “You can almost hypnotize yourself into seeing any shape or image you want to see.”

  “Like seeing a camel in a bank of clouds?” Kelly asked, her green eyes sparkling.

  He shook his head reprovingly. “You’re wandering into an entirely different field,” he said sternly. “Now cease your flippancy and apply yourself, woman.”

  “Yes, sir!” she said meekly, and settled herself more comfortably in the curve of his arm. She had an idea that obeying Nick’s invitation to join him was going to prove a serious mistake, but for the moment she was too content to move.

  She soon found that Nick was right about the magnetic effect of gazing into the fire. She was in a state of drowsy bemusement sometime later when Nick stirred himself to get up and throw more wood on the fire. She hadn’t been aware of Nick’s hand toying idly with her curls, but she missed the feel of those lazily caressing fingers when he moved away. She shook her head as if to clear it. She was already feeling cold and lonely without his sheltering arm, and she knew that this sort of dependence was extremely dangerous.

  When Nick returned to his place beside her, she shifted a discreet distance away and turned to face him. “Perhaps we should start trying to find our way out of these hills tonight,” she suggested nervously. “We don’t have any food or water, and there’s no telling how long it will take us to find help.”

  O’Brien’s blue eyes narrowed in thoughtful appraisal at her change in attitude. “Tomorrow will be soon enough,” he said slowly. “We can’t do much but stumble around in the dark until we get our bearings. Once it’s light, I’ll set about canvassing the area for water and food to supply us for our hike. We’ll be in much better shape after a good night’s sleep. And speaking of sleep,” he continued silkily, “I think it’s time we retired, sweetheart.”

  Before she could reply, he had pushed her gently back on the nylon chute and was bending over her, laughing down into her startled face. “Shall I help you undress?” he asked politely. Then as she shook her head firmly and opened her lips to protest, he sighed. “It’s just as well. I might be a bit too enthusiastic getting you out of your clothes, and they’re the only ones you have. For the last hour I’ve been wondering how cream velvet and golden fleece would look against this silky orange chute.”

  Kelly could feel that odd weakness beginning to affect her limbs at the picture his words invoked. She was beginning to quiver inside with that same hot sensation she had known such a short time before.

  “No!” she said, pushing him away with a force that surprised both of them. She sat upright and scrambled away from him. “No, it’s not going to be that way, Nick. I’m not going to be one of your one-night stands. It was all a mistake.”

  His expression hardened. “The hell it was,” he said roughly. “It was fantastic, and you know it. I’ve been going out of my mind wanting you since before we jumped out of that balloon, and I’m not letting you cheat us both because of some crazy prejudice you have against my lurid past.” His lips curved in a mocking smile. “I think you’ll have to admit that in less than five minutes I can make you forget all about your precious scruples.”

  Kelly bit her lip uncertainly, as she gazed into his dark, ruthless face. How could she deny what they both knew was true? Y
et she must find some way of discouraging him from instigating that threatened assault on her senses. Her mind searched wildly for an answer. The obvious solution was to make him so angry with her that he would forget about the overwhelming physical attraction between them. The question was how that was going to be accomplished. She knew that insults would have no effect on Nick; he was the most confident, self-assured individual she had ever known.

  “You might make me want you, but it wouldn’t change my mind,” she said stubbornly. “I won’t sleep with you, Nick.”

  For a moment she thought the flicker behind Nick’s cool stare was the anger that she was looking for, but it was quickly masked by a sardonic expression. “Why should I be the only one left out?” he asked silkily. “Do you compile a dossier on all your men before deciding which one to take to your bed?” His lips thinned bitterly. “You were even willing to jump into bed with that damn editor if you’d lost your bet. Why shouldn’t I be allowed the same privileges as the rest of your male harem?”

  Her eyes widened at his words. For a moment she did not even make the connection; then she felt a wild urge to laugh aloud. True, she had not told Nick the reason for the wager. She started to explain when she noticed the hard, tight line of Nick’s jaw and the glaring expression in his eyes. He was jealous! He had told her that he was possessive of her, but she had not believed him. Yet, if he was a bit jealous, she might be able to use it to her advantage.

  “It’s funny that you mentioned a harem,” she said lightly. “We both seem to have a passion for variety. Of course, you’re older and have more experience than I, but as I was reading over your dossier, I felt a real sense of kinship with you.” She lowered her eyes to the fire, her long lashes veiling her gleaming jade eyes. “Though it really wasn’t fair of me to so familiarize myself with your affairs when you knew nothing about mine.” She lifted her gaze to meet his eyes with what she hoped was a look of complete innocence. “Would you like me to tell you about my first lover?”