his forehead, see if he had a
temperature, and her breasts pressed into his chest. Alex grunted in pain.
“Oh, Alex, I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you? You were so hot I was
afraid you were running a fever.” She tried to reach up again, but Alex caught
her wrist.
“The fever I’m running is a lot lower down. If you don’t quit
wiggling, I’m going to show you exactly how hot I am.”
Her eyes widened in shock and her face flushed. He didn’t have
a fever; he was aroused. “Oh...”
“Look, Sabrina, we’re stuck out here. We’re sleeping
together—sort of. I’m a man. It’s only natural for a guy to get turned on when
he’s half-naked and pressed up against a beautiful woman.”
Her heart was thumping. None of it registered except the last
few words. “You think I’m beautiful?”
The muscles across his chest tightened. “For chrissake, what do
you think? Don’t you ever look in the mirror?”
A soft warmth slipped through her, driving away the chill. Alex
Justice thought she was beautiful. In the two years she had lived with Ryan
Gosford, he had never said anything remotely similar to that.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you? That’s it? Do you have any idea how hard it is for
me to keep my hands off you? For that matter, how hard I am just sitting here
beside you?”
She swallowed, forced down the urge to lean over and press her
mouth against his just to see what he would do. “It’s only...only the
circumstances. You don’t even like me. And I don’t like you.”
This last was said in an effort to convince herself. Alex was
exactly the kind of macho, take-charge, steal-your-heart-and-walk-away kind of
man she refused to allow into her life.
She’d been down that road a few years back when she had dated a
pro-football quarterback. She had fallen head over heels for Caleb Redmond, and
he had said he loved her, too. They had planned to get married, even talked
about having children.
Then he’d dumped her six months later and taken up with one of
the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, leaving her heart in tatters.
She’d known better. She’d fallen for a West Point grad when she
was in college, a soldier headed for the Middle East. That relationship had
crashed and burned, as well.
Macho men were all alike, all just interested in making a
conquest or sleeping with you until something better came along. Alex was no
different.
She eased a little away from him, trying to put some distance
between them, ignoring the rush of cold that slipped beneath the foil
blanket.
The arm around her tightened, drawing her back against his
side. “Just stay put. If you don’t, both of us are going to freeze our asses
off.”
She ignored a shot of irritation, forced herself to relax and
settle back against him, absorbing his warmth. By the way he was scowling he
didn’t like the situation any better than she did. It seemed unlikely that
either of them would get any sleep.
She must have dozed off. When she awakened again it was
morning. The sun was up, a fire started, and Alex was nowhere in sight.
A shiver went through her. He’ll be
back, she told herself. He wouldn’t just leave her—not even to go for
help.
Would he?
Rina pulled the foil blanket around her shoulders, forced her
stiff muscles into action and shoved to her feet—or foot, as it were. Her head
immediately started pounding, she ached all over and her ankle throbbed. But the
flames beckoned, promising their warmth.
Limping in that direction, she sat down near the fire beside
the pile of dry branches, which appeared to have been replenished, and began to
feed the flames, determined not to let them burn out until the desert air grew
warmer.
By then Alex would surely be back.
Rina searched the horizon for any sign of him, but didn’t see a
thing.
Five
A s he made his way back to camp, Alex
checked his wristwatch. It wasn’t quite noon but he’d accomplished a lot. There
was a huge SOS made of rocks in an open area on the other side of
temperature, and her breasts pressed into his chest. Alex grunted in pain.
“Oh, Alex, I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you? You were so hot I was
afraid you were running a fever.” She tried to reach up again, but Alex caught
her wrist.
“The fever I’m running is a lot lower down. If you don’t quit
wiggling, I’m going to show you exactly how hot I am.”
Her eyes widened in shock and her face flushed. He didn’t have
a fever; he was aroused. “Oh...”
“Look, Sabrina, we’re stuck out here. We’re sleeping
together—sort of. I’m a man. It’s only natural for a guy to get turned on when
he’s half-naked and pressed up against a beautiful woman.”
Her heart was thumping. None of it registered except the last
few words. “You think I’m beautiful?”
The muscles across his chest tightened. “For chrissake, what do
you think? Don’t you ever look in the mirror?”
A soft warmth slipped through her, driving away the chill. Alex
Justice thought she was beautiful. In the two years she had lived with Ryan
Gosford, he had never said anything remotely similar to that.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you? That’s it? Do you have any idea how hard it is for
me to keep my hands off you? For that matter, how hard I am just sitting here
beside you?”
She swallowed, forced down the urge to lean over and press her
mouth against his just to see what he would do. “It’s only...only the
circumstances. You don’t even like me. And I don’t like you.”
This last was said in an effort to convince herself. Alex was
exactly the kind of macho, take-charge, steal-your-heart-and-walk-away kind of
man she refused to allow into her life.
She’d been down that road a few years back when she had dated a
pro-football quarterback. She had fallen head over heels for Caleb Redmond, and
he had said he loved her, too. They had planned to get married, even talked
about having children.
Then he’d dumped her six months later and taken up with one of
the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, leaving her heart in tatters.
She’d known better. She’d fallen for a West Point grad when she
was in college, a soldier headed for the Middle East. That relationship had
crashed and burned, as well.
Macho men were all alike, all just interested in making a
conquest or sleeping with you until something better came along. Alex was no
different.
She eased a little away from him, trying to put some distance
between them, ignoring the rush of cold that slipped beneath the foil
blanket.
The arm around her tightened, drawing her back against his
side. “Just stay put. If you don’t, both of us are going to freeze our asses
off.”
She ignored a shot of irritation, forced herself to relax and
settle back against him, absorbing his warmth. By the way he was scowling he
didn’t like the situation any better than she did. It seemed unlikely that
either of them would get any sleep.
She must have dozed off. When she awakened again it was
morning. The sun was up, a fire started, and Alex was nowhere in sight.
A shiver went through her. He’ll be
back, she told herself. He wouldn’t just leave her—not even to go for
help.
Would he?
Rina pulled the foil blanket around her shoulders, forced her
stiff muscles into action and shoved to her feet—or foot, as it were. Her head
immediately started pounding, she ached all over and her ankle throbbed. But the
flames beckoned, promising their warmth.
Limping in that direction, she sat down near the fire beside
the pile of dry branches, which appeared to have been replenished, and began to
feed the flames, determined not to let them burn out until the desert air grew
warmer.
By then Alex would surely be back.
Rina searched the horizon for any sign of him, but didn’t see a
thing.
Five
A s he made his way back to camp, Alex
checked his wristwatch. It wasn’t quite noon but he’d accomplished a lot. There
was a huge SOS made of rocks in an open area on the other side of
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