Page 76 of The Promise
"He was…" She swallowed, trying to find the words. "Buried…in the cave-in. All I found was…his hand." The tears started again. She was nothing more than a blubbering baby. "I thought…Oh God, Michael…I thought it was yours."
He pulled her close, rocking her soothingly in his arms. "I'm here, Cara. I'm fine. It's going to be all right, sweetheart, I promise. Somehow, it's going to be all right."
She tried to nod, to rally, to let him know she was okay, but the tears just kept coming. Reaction. That's all it was. Reaction. She'd just let them come andthenshe'd pull it all together.
But right now, this minute, she just wanted him to hold her. She'd be strong in little while, she solemnly promised herself—in just a little while.
Michael feltCara stir in her sleep and reached to smooth a wayward curl from her face, stunned to realize just how much she'd come to mean to him. He didn't know when it had happened, but somewhere along the way, she'd become a part of him.
He sighed, pushing his feelings away. Now wasn't the time.
Time.
He groaned at the irony of his thought. Unless he'd missed something, their time was running out. He leaned over the small lantern, adjusting the wick so that it would continue to burn slowly. The little light was the one good thing he'd found in his search of the tunnel.
He turned again to survey the space around him. The light faded to black long before the rubble from the cave-in began, but even though he couldn't see the wall, it taunted him with its impenetrable mass.
There was no way out.
The flame in the lantern flickered and Cara moaned in her sleep. He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair, wondering how fate could possibly have allowed them to survive all that they had, only to leave them trapped here until the air ran out.
He cast a glance upwards. It seemed that somebody up there had a vicious sense of humor. He swallowed bitter laughter. And Patrick. What of Patrick? Was he still alive? Clenching a fist, Michael swung at the air.
He had never felt so helpless.
He was the one who was supposed to take care of everyone. Fine job he was doing. His father was dead and Patrick was…well, if not already dead, then certainly on his way to being so.
And Cara… His eyes dropped to her sleeping form. Oh dear God, what had he done to Cara? He'd sent her right into the arms of that sniveling excuse for a human, Vargas. And then he'd only managed to rescue her after the bastard… He felt bile rise in his throat as the scene between Cara and Nick replayed itself in his mind.
At least the son of a bitch was dead, but not because of anything he'd done. Michael sighed. Some protector he'd turned out to be.
"Where'd you get the light?" Her eyes flickered open and she smiled up at him.
"I found it by the wall."
She nodded sleepily. "So what's the prognosis?" She sat up and yawned delicately, stretching her body so that her arms were above her head, her breasts thrusting upwards as she arched back.
His body tightened in response. Hell, all she had to do was move and he was hard. He squatted down beside her, the warmth of her smile easing the pain in his gut. He strove to keep his voice light. "We're stuck here, I'm afraid."
She met his gaze unflinchingly. "Forever?"
He nodded, unable to say the words.
"I see." She nibbled at her lower lip.
"I'm sorry, Cara."
She frowned up at him, the delicate arches of her eyebrows flattening. "For what?"
He shook his head and shrugged. "Everything."
She reached out, laying a gentle hand on his cheek. "This isn't your fault, Michael."
He covered her hand with his, still holding her gaze. "Of course it is. If I hadn't gotten shot then none of this would have happened."
She laughed, the light tinkle echoing through the shadows. "Right. You purposely got shot so that you could travel a hundred years through time and screw up my life. I'm sorry you were shot. I'm sorry your father was killed. But I'm not sorry I found you again."
He studied her face, trying to understand how she could possibly mean what she was saying. She turned her palm, capturing his fingers and pulling his hand to her lips. With a soft slow movement, she kissed it, the gesture sending shivers of desire shooting through him.
