Stranded but not Alone (Midnight Moanings Collection) (8 page)

“No. Smell that?” he asked against her ear.

“That’s your smelly glove—get up,” she said, then sucked in air when he lifted his solid mass off her.

“Don’t wimp out now, Sim. That’s either wolves or a fox. Stay low, and close—and next time I tell you to do something…”

“I’m not leaving you out here, Commandant.” She hissed through clenched teeth and peered out through the spindly forest. “I think whatever it was is gone now.”

“More likely watching us.” He groaned. His hand rested on her back after helping her to her feet. “Get up the hill.”

Without a word between them, they made it over the hill and the rain-snow mix became too slick to walk on. They maneuvered through the trees, taking turns carrying the bags. On the steep inclines, Seth pulled her up the hill as she used the roots and rocks to brace her step. Few words passed between them, yet they worked as a team.

The wolves begin to howl in various parts of the forest.

Her foot sunk deeper than it should have and she went down on all fours. Pain shot through her ankle and radiated up to her knee. Her teeth clenched down on her lips.

“Sim, what happened?” Seth came down beside her.

“My foot. I think I stepped between some roots.” She sucked in a breath as he tried to maneuver her ankle. “Wait! My knee… ow. Don’t move me. I think I twisted my knee.”

Perched on a rock, he tried to push her pants leg up. “I can’t tell if it’s twisted. Does this hurt?”

“A little,” she said, rubbing her hands over her thigh.

“Your foot, twisted?”

“No just stuck. My knee is on fire though.” She groaned, praying the pain would pass soon.

“Rest a minute,” Seth said, angling glances through the downed branches.

She felt exposed sitting out there, and if she got the two of them shot, she wouldn’t be able to live with that hanging over her head. Simone straightened her spine and sucked up the pain radiating across her knee. “We can’t sit out here. The other guy could be right behind us.”

Seth touched a hand to her face. “Think you can make it over that hill tonight?”

“As opposed to what?”

“We could make camp in that cave over there.”

The little indention he called a cave was an eave. She spoke close to his ear when she asked, “How bad did it get in Communist Russia for you to think I want to sleep in a
dent
in the rock?”

He rubbed her knee. “You have a tub of hot water we can soak in once we freeze in this rain? And I can’t properly tend to your knee out here.” He combed his fingers through her hair and then picked her up.

Up in the dark damp space it wasn’t so bad. She’d been in caves before with her little brother when they had canoed Painted Rock in Northern Michigan. She could picture those pink stripes veining through the rocks lining the water, but this damp little cave wasn’t majestic. Just plain icky, the ceiling was covered in vines and the walls were cold and damp.

“Sim, scoot back here where it’s dry.” His outstretched hand bumped her as she neared him. “Now I bet you snuggle with me.” Rolling her pants leg up, he touched her knee. “It’s not broken, but it is swelling some. You won’t make it over the hill like this.”

Head tilted up, she placed a hand on his chest and leaned into him. “Are we safe here?”

“Safe enough. Rest your knee while I’ll get some snow to help the swelling go down. I’ll get more branches to cover the entrance.”

“Don’t let me freeze to death out here.”

They couldn’t make a fire to keep warm so they removed their jackets, layered on the sweaters from their duffle bags and put the jackets back on. “I won’t let you freeze, Sim.” He folded the bag over, laid it on the floor, and eased her back. “Go to sleep. I’ll run over to that tree and pull some of the boughs off. I’ll keep you warm.”

She watched him leave, and for a split second, she wondered if he would return. Great, the cold made her paranoid. Tucking her arms beneath her to conserve body heat, she waited. Small sounds kept her from closing her eyes. Quiet was the loudest sound in the dark.

She rocked side to side. The notion of someone chasing her anywhere had to be a colossal case of mistaken identity. Heck maybe whoever it was could Seth is his brother and he’s mixed up in something ugly. Now Johnny and his boys are coming after the wrong brother with the stranded tourist. Hearing commotion around the entrance, she stopped rocking. Relief washed over her seeing those linebacker shoulders blocking her view of the woods. “Sim, you okay back there?”

“Waiting on my human blanket.” She propped up on her elbow and watched him protect her from the elements. Why did that feel so right having him with her?

After covering them in the branches, she accepted his warm body huddling around hers. His arms provided a cradle for her, and she snuggled against his chest. The warmth made her moan with pleasure.

“Sim.”

“Hmm…”

“Why did you come back for me when I told you to run?”

Simone folded her hands against his chest. “I came back because I thought…”

“That was dangerous, Sim.” He cut her off, his lips brushing over her forehead. “You’re one brave lady.”

She gave in as he lifted her hips tight to him and entwined their legs.

“We’ll stay warmer this way.”

“Is this how you shared body heat with the guys in the military?”

“Fortunately, I never had opportunity to find out,” he told her. “Your fingers are cold. Put your hands under my sweatshirt.”

Heat rolled off him like a furnace, and she curled into that warmth. The stiff rasp of his stubbled chin abraded her forehead. She didn’t mind. “Oh, that’s better. Thank you.” She slid her flat hands along his ribs and around to his lower back. He sucked in a breath.

“Jesus, woman, you’re hands are colder than I thought.”

“My entire body is cold, Seth,” she said. Following the heat of his muscled back, she wedged her fingers in his waistband. He made no protest and rubbed vigorously up and down her back, down her hip cupping her bottom until the entire length of their bodies touched. Strangely enough, it was the least sexual thing she’d ever felt. Glorious heat moved through her skin from his large hands. “You give off serious heat, Seth,” she muttered, her face buried in his neck.

“You’re like an ice box, lady. You need more body fat.”

“An insult wrapped in a compliment,” Simone muttered. “How long do you think we’ll be in here?”

“I don’t know, but I’d say we’re safest in here for now.”

Simone flexed her fingers along his waist. “The first guy’s accent wasn’t German.”

“He was a Scott. The second man was German.”

“Very,” she added. “Your accent is thicker though.”

“I’m Russian, not German.”

She blanched at the soft bitterness in his tone. She’d seen it before when she met Kim. She would tell her it came across as rude. Lumping a person into a group because you’re too unconcerned to ask where they are from. Simone rubbed a hand up his back, feeling the tension in his muscles. “In America you get accustomed to hearing English even with people from other countries. Even now when my girlfriend speaks Hindi, it startles me. It takes a minute to register an accent when I can’t see a face.”

“Don’t apologize, Simone.”

“I wasn’t.”

“You were,” he insisted.

She angled her face up brushing her lips across his chin. Stubble rasped her skin. It felt oddly nice. A great contrast from Ronald’s ever GQ appearance. Never letting himself enjoy life, always striving for the next promotion. Stubble represented him finding enough peace with her to let go and enjoy the moment. Seth liked to tease her, which showed another level of comfort between them.

“Seth, I think you argue with me to keep your body temperature high.” Had those few seconds of comfort with him brought on her heat?

“I’m arguing so I don’t kiss you again. Now close your eyes and be quiet or I will.”

“You kissed me out of frustration. I took out your guy back at the shanty. Next time use your elbow. You get more mileage out of your hits that way.” She felt his Adam’s apple slipping up and down as he swallowed. The gentle whisper of a tongue being drawn over a full bottom lip made her body tense. Had she ever noticed all that in the light on any man? No.

“Your father must be one patient, tolerant man to have taken you camping, Sim.”

She touched his face. “Hey…” she started.

He pressed into her. “Shh. Go to sleep.”

She looked past him through the branches covering the entrance. “No, Seth, it’s snowing, harder now.”

He leaned away from her. The cool air immediately found her, stealing his body heat and ripping a chill through her. Seth cursed under his breath, and whatever language it was had too many consonants and not enough vowels for Simone to come close to figuring out what he said.

She cupped his shoulder, getting his attention. “Still don’t think it’s safe enough for a fire? We haven’t heard anything in hours.”

“You done sharing your body heat with me?” he asked, his hands firm on her ribcage.
There’s that comfortable tease that was becoming very attractive
, Simone thought. He kissed her nose in the dark.

“Lie on your stomach, tuck your arms in. You’ll stay warm. I’ll see if I can find more dry branches,” he said.

Simone stretched her legs out, her knee tender but better. Drifting off to sleep, her mind drifted back home and she found herself curled up on the sofa. Seth snuggled in behind her. His rich deep voice seduced her.

“You finally got some rest, back there,” Seth said as he squat low in front of the entrance, looking intently into the night.

“I was asleep?” she said. Rubbing a hand over her eyes, the fresh scent of pine invaded the small space. It made her long to get back to the states, Michigan in particular. “How long was I asleep?”

No answer came. She watched him deep in thought. His fingers clasped together over his knees. His profile was chiseled out of stone.

The ground proved hard and cold, as she knelt on one knee and did a weird knee-to-foot crawl over to him. Simone slid her arms around his slim waist, resting her head on his back. The soft thump of his heart brought a measure of comfort to hers. Seth’s arms folded over his chest, portraying restraint and composure. The attraction between them remained constant. She let him have his quiet and rubbed her hands up and down his torso to warm him. A low rumble told her he enjoyed her touch.

He inhaled then slowly exhaled. “Don’t worry. I’ll get us out of here.”

“I’m not.”

He reached back and tapped her hip. “Go get off your knee.”

“I’m not on it. The swelling’s gone down. Still tender though.” She withdrew from him. His hand shot out and grasped hers, stopping her mid turn.

Night shadows played over his face, catching a sparkle of moisture in the corner of his eyes. Had he been crying or were those unshed tears forming? Something was eating him up on the inside and beginning to surface. Then she heard it when he spoke. “You trust me?” This confident man needed reassurance from her.

Simone brought her hand up, searching for his jaw. When she found it, she pressed her lips pressed against his. His lips moved with hers. Slow and patient. A faint moan hit the air and he deepened the kiss, cupping his hand behind her neck. Closing a hand over his jaw, she pulled back and felt his mouth curve under her touch. Simone took in a breath when her hand came away moist—tears. “I don’t know if I’ve ever trusted anybody more.” Pressing a hand over his heart she said, “I’ll be over there if you need more reassuring.”

“Don’t tease me, Simone.”

“I’ll be over here.”

Seven

She jerked as someone began shaking her.

Simone processed the voice telling her to get up; the spicy scent of man had her cracking open her lids. Seth’s large form hovered over her on the ground. He tapped her face.

“Sim, get up! We need to go—got company.”

The blurry space came into view. “What?” She sat upright and banged her head on the low ceiling at the back of the cave. After a few curses, she oriented herself enough to join him by the entrance.

“There’s a pack of wolves down by the water. We need to get out of here.”

Clutching the slightly swollen kneecap, she scooted out to the entrance. “Wolves now? What next, moose?” She grabbed their things and scrambled to her feet, biting her lip when the ache in her knee hit her. She threw her bag over her shoulder, followed by her bow, and they abandoned the little cave.

Scrabbling up the wet roots poking out of the ground, they made it to a tree higher up. The darkness made for a precarious climb. Slippery roots were used as ladder rungs to move over the wet terrain. The fresh scent of crushed pine needles came up through the snow to stroke her nostrils along with the bitter scent of her fear.

At the base of the tree, Simone’s heart pumped like a racehorse’s as she added Seth’s bag to her own over her shoulder. He hoisted her up into the tree. Under her clothes, her body was slick with perspiration.

She grabbed a handful of his sweater as he swung a leg up. Just as he pulled himself into the tree, loud barks and snarls poured from the woods.