Page 34 of Whispers Of Horses

For nearly an hour, we drove in tense silence through winding roads. I had no idea where the heck Mathis was taking me, but I absolutely refused to give in and ask. So, when the sign for the Mesa Verde National Park appeared, I was flabbergasted. Why the hell would Mathis drive me all the way here? This was certainly not where I would have expected him to take me. The silence between us continued as he pulled into the park entrance and paid the fees. We wound through small roads until I leaned forward, catching sight of the incredible cliff dwellings which had popped into view.

I’d come here on a field trip in junior high, but that was years ago, and until that moment, I hadn’t recalled just how spectacular this place really was. Adobe buildings emerged from the cliff wall, built right into the side of the golden-red mountain. Doorways and windows were built into the walls, where once the Pueblo Indians had dwelled. The archeological site was such a surprise, I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat, shifting about like a child, trying to get a glimpse of every bit of it.

Beside me, Mathis chuckled. “Don’t worry Callie. You’ll see it all. We are going to go right inside.”

Looking over at him for the first time in the long drive, I frowned. “Why did you bring me here?”

Mathis copied my frown as he watched the road. He seemed to take a moment to consider his words before replying, “My uncle brought me here the first summer I visited him. I loved this place. I’ve been meaning to come back, and well, today, with you, just felt right. I thought it would be a good place to get your mind off things, or even to allow you to think clearly.”

My heart fluttered. What the hell! Was this guy, like, perfect? Didn’t he have any flaws, any downfall? It wasn’t fair! I was so screwed up, with so many flaws and so much crap I had to wade through, and God had to toss this perfect temptation into my life. Dark Temptation. The name floated into my thoughts, and I realized how utterly similar the man and the stallion were. Beautiful, as though sculpted from the same flawless stone, strong, and above all, unattainable. Both were temptations thrown into my path, one I shoved away, and the other I desperately needed to win over. The realization hit me hard, and I was stunned into silence, lost in thought as I stared at the dwellings drifting ever closer to me.

Mathis parked the truck in the lot adjacent to the entrance to the mesa dwellings, hopped out and jogged around the front. When he opened my door, I frowned. “I don’t think they’ll let me take the pup in with me.”

Mathis grinned. “I’ve got it covered, don’t worry.” He took Billy from my arms, and we wound our way up the path. Once we were away from the parking area, Mathis set Billy down to allow him to wonder about, and to my surprise, he grinned back at me.

“Isn’t this place amazing? It doesn’t matter how many times you come here, it’s like the first time, every time.”

I blinked silently, caught in the look of child-like excitement on his face, and overwhelmed with attraction. Recovering, I nodded quickly, averting my gaze from his, and tried to reel in my uncontrollable lust. Geez, I needed to get ahold of myself. Just because I’d had one night of mind-blowing sex with this guy didn’t mean it would be like that if it happened again. Right? Uhhhg, I was so screwed.

The ranger at the entrance to the Pueblo structures stepped out of his booth. “Hello, welcome to the Mesa Verde Park. I’m sorry, but all our tours are over for today.”

My heart fell, to be so close, and not have the opportunity to enter this magnificent place, but I nodded, and began turning back.

Beside me, Mathis called out, “Hey Nick, how ya been?”

My head whipped around as the Ranger jogged the ten feet or so toward us, letting out a big laugh. “Damn, Mathis, is that you? Long time no see, buddy. How you been?”

Mathis winked at me before turning back to the Ranger. “Yep, it’s me. Nick, this is Callie,” looking at me, he motioned toward his friend. “Callie, this is Nick, an old friend of mine.”

Nick was a good-looking man in his own right, with his sandy blond hair and pale-blue eyes, but he didn’t hold a candle to Mathis. His look was more California surfer guy, while Mathis was all rugged and wild. Perhaps it was that feral streak in him that had me so enraptured. Nothing about Nick-or any other man for that matter-had ever made my body hum with appreciation and hunger the way Mathis did.Holy shit,I realized the direction my thoughts had travelled, and gave myself a mental shake.Snap the heck out of it, Callie!

Nick extended his hand to me, His cerulean blue eyes lighting with interest as they trailed over my face and down my body before slowly returning to my eyes. “The pleasure is all mine, to be sure.”

I smirked, wondering if those lines worked out well for him. He had an accent, and I was pretty sure I’d hit my mark when I’d thought of him as a California boy. “Hi, Nick. It’s nice to meet you.”

Nick gave a dramatic affront, pretending to shiver as he shook his body. “Ooh, the unattainable kind. No wonder Mat here looks like he’s a complete goner. Everyone loves the chase.”

He winked at me, and I just rolled my eyes as I chuckled. I could tell it was all in good fun. Nick didn’t come off as the type you’d take too seriously. Beside me, Mathis gave his friend a reproving glare.

“So, Nick, I know there’s no more tours today, but I was kind of hoping you might be able to do your old pal a favor?”

Nick’s face broke into a mischievous grin. “Oh…oh, for you, Mat, I can definitely do that. Lucky for you, I’m the closing Ranger. You just leave that lil fur ball with me and take your time. I don’t head back to base for another two hours.”

Mathis grinned. “Thanks, Nick. I owe you one. We’re just gonna take a quick tour and be back.

Mathis grabbed my hand, yanking me forward before I could protest, but not before I caught the lewd look Nick tried to cast us. I shook my head.Men…

Stumbling forward, I yanked my arm back, “Hey, calm down, Mathis, Where’s the fire? You’re going to yank my arm outta socket.”

Mathis softened his hold on me but didn’t completely release my hand. “Sorry,” raking his hand through his hair, he chuckled. “I guess I just got a little excited to show you this place.”

For a second, we seemed to be caught in some vortex of time. Mathis stared at me with a cute boyish embarrassment, and I looked back at him, completely oblivious to anything other than this man. I could hear the staccato of my heart beat increasing, was aware of the pulsing of blood through my veins, but more than anything, I was tuned into the indescribable connection of this moment, and this man.

Mathis broke the connection, turning his back, he applied gentle pressure on my hand, pulling me forward up the path, past the sagebrush and into the first ancient structure. Just as it had in my adolescence, this place enraptured me. I looked around with the wide, innocent eyes of a child, drinking in every detail as though I would die of dehydration. The red-hue of the clay which had been used to create the walls of what had once been homes was dulled from time, but you could still imagine what it must have looked like.

We snaked our way through the labyrinth of doorways and walls, stopped to look at old pottery, and images which had been carved into the walls. You could see the tale-tale signs where a fire had once been made to cook food, or where a family had nestled together at sleep. It didn’t escape my attention that Mathis kept my hand in his through the entire tour. Nor did I miss the way his gaze would fall upon my face whilst my attention was centered on the amazingly simple, yet artistic architect of this ancient Native American settlement. I tried to ignore him, to shove the feelings of desire and hope that he brought to life inside of me, but it was proving more and more difficult.

A brush across the small of my back by his work-roughened hand would send thrills of lust flaring through me. A smoldering look from his molten topaz gaze made me want to press myself into him and give it all up. Worse than all the lust, all the sexual attraction, was what I saw lurking in that gaze. I saw an offer of hope, of adventure, and a chance at love. It scared me deep down to my core. It would never work. As soon as he found out what a cookoo-cachoo I was, he would high-tail it away from me as fast, and as far as possible. And Mathis wasn’t like the other men I’d dated. Hell no, Mathis was one-hundred times deadlier. This was a man I might not be able to let go, a man I might not be able to recover from losing. I think I’d sensed that from the very moment he and I made eye contact back in a little dusty bookstore in New York city. This man would be my undoing if I didn’t do what I did best, and soon. Run.

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