Page 25 of Tracking the Alpha
“Okay.”
“You can probably start climbing. I’m almost there.”
She kept her gaze on the stone in front and resisted the urge to glance upward. She would most likely laugh if she saw any of his man bits swinging to and fro. The guy had been through enough without her giggling. Her fingertips found grips easily enough; her sodden hiking boots however protested. She should have taken them off. She gritted her teeth and forged ahead, making her way more slowly than she liked.
“Just a few more feet,” he advised, drawing her gaze upward.
He leaned out from atop the jutting rock, in plain sight of anyone looking.
“Trying to make yourself a target?” she hissed.
“There’s no one nearby.” He sounded quite certain.
Who was she to argue with the man who could hear like a wolf?
Tanis kept inching and had almost reached the lip when catastrophe hit. Her left foot, hiked higher than her right, bore down with all her weight as she pulled herself up. The rock proved less than sturdy and sheared before her right foot had a chance to wedge. Her fingertips dug into the abrasive stone, but she knew it wouldn’t be enough.
Before she could fall though, a hand grabbed her wrist, a strong grip that kept her from plummeting, and heaved her up the final two feet with enough force that she landed on Barrett.
The very naked Barrett and, judging by the hard poke against her lower belly, he was very happy to see her.
Chapter Eight
What should a man—who was also part dog—do when a beautiful woman ended up plastered against him?
The old Barrett would have apologized and moved quickly away.
The wolf would have probably given her a swipe of the tongue and a hearty sniff.
New Barrett—who couldn’t control his dick being happy at having a hot chick squished against it—froze in place before squeezing her closer and growling, “If you wanted a hug, you could have just asked.”
She snorted. “Thanks for saving my butt.”
“You would have been fine. The water would have cushioned your fall.” Much better she landed atop him, though that didn’t help him control the turgid situation below the belt—if he wore one.
“My body might have survived. Dignity and bow, though…” She chuckled, a husky sound that vibrated through him.
Trying to tamp down his erection would be easier if she’d move away, only she remained against him, a woman who smelled and felt all too good.
“We should get inside my cave,” he stated.
“Cave? Is that the equivalent of ‘come check out the art in my apartment’?”
His turn for a low laugh. “Afraid my hideout isn’t that interesting or comfortable.”
“I’m sure I’ve slept in worse.” She peeled herself from him, and he almost dragged her back. What the fuck was wrong with him? He’d just met the chick. Blame his lack of human interaction for craving intimacy with a stranger.
“Hope you’re not claustrophobic,” his lame comeback as he did his best to cover his saluting penis.
“Lead the way.”
He didn’t so much lead as drop down a crevice barely visible amid the jagged rocks, hitting the cave floor with his bare feet and a bend to the knees. Tanis didn’t immediately follow. Her head blocked the streaming moonlight as she peered into the hole.
“I can’t see anything,” she remarked.
“Get on your belly and lower your legs first. It’s only about an eight-foot drop.”
“Only, he says,” was her muttered reply.
