Page 62 of Craving Sin (Touch of Evil 13)

He didn't slow as he reached her, didn't stop to assess or question.

Instead, his arms enfolded her in a single fluid motion, pulling her against the solid warmth of his chest. She dropped the bag and yielded to his embrace while circling her arms around his waist. Her forehead pressed against his shoulder, and she inhaled the familiar scent of him—a trace of the sandalwood soap he favored in the morning.

The contact grounded her, anchoring her to the present moment in a way nothing else could. He didn't speak immediately, didn't pepper her with the questions that must have been crowding his mind. He simply held her, his breathing steady against her cheek.

In the background, she was dimly aware of Victor briefing the others on the situation. No one would be leaving this mountain anytime soon.

“…fell into a vertical shaft. No way to determine the depth or if either survived the fall. We tried to…”

The rest of Victor’s explanation faded beneath the sound of Graham's heartbeat against her ear, steady and reassuring.

He was life.

He was safety.

He was the future she had promised herself she would fight for.

Gradually, Graham loosened his hold, pulling back just enough to examine her face. His gaze took her in with methodical care, cataloging every scratch, every smudge of dirt, every line of exhaustion. She understood how his mind worked in times like these.

His hands, warm even through her cold-stiffened clothes, shifted up her arms to cradle her face. He stared into her eyes with an intensity that stole her breath.

“I'm fine,” Brook exclaimed automatically, her reflexive response causing him to shake his head. She tried to reassure him again. “I?—”

“I don't doubt that for a second.”

Graham’s reply confused her.

If he believed her assurance, why the continued scrutiny?

“Your mom? Is she okay? Did the surgery go as?—”

“I left my mother in Arden’s capable hands.” Graham lifted the corner of his lip in amusement. “I’m sure I’ll hear about that when we arrive home. Right now, let’s assemble a rescue team for Russell. We’ll get you warmed up, and then?—"

“Graham, I’m the one who asked Russell to go ahead of me.” Brook would have loved to stay in his warm embrace longer than those few seconds, but they had a job to do. She also needed to follow her own advice and avoid going down the ‘what-if’ rabbit hole. Doing so wouldn’t help their situation. “We need to alert Nathaniel and the Bureau that there is a possibility Jacob has escaped federal custody. Until we know what we’re dealing with down there, we need to assume the worst.”

“We had some members of the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group join us on this side of the mountain.”

Graham shifted to give her a better view of the chamber behind him. A ladder led up to what Brook assumed was the log cabin where Jacob had stayed many years ago. Theo was conversing with someone over satellite radio from the third rung, though he remained visible.

Victor was discussing specific details about the collapse of the ice floor with Sylvie, Bit, and two other men in red jackets. As much as it pained Brook to admit, the best thing she and the others could do for Russell was to allow the experts to do their jobs.

“Bit and I had a feeling that you would choose movement over staying in place, especially given that Jacob wanted you in this ice cave in the first place.”

“He marked the passageways, Graham.”

Brook wasn’t surprised in the least by Jacob’s forethought all those years ago. He planned for every single contingency. He thrived on it.

“We’ll join the others. I’m sure Victor has already informed the others of the markings, but that will help the?—”

“Wait.” Brook reached for his hand, tightened her grip, and pulled him back before he could put too much distance between them. Something was still bothering her. “What were you…”

Graham brought both hands up to cradle her face just like before. His thumbs brushed across her cheekbones with exquisite gentleness, as if she were made of something infinitely precious and fragile.

He only ever touched her in this manner in private.

“I was searching for something. I needed to see if it was still there after today.”

“What was that?” Brook whispered, suddenly acutely aware of how exposed they were to the others.

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