Page 53 of Quicksandy

He chuckled. “You’ve got it, lady, but not yet. We’ve got time.” Removing her hand, he laid her on her back, stretched out next to her on his side, and unbuttoned her shirt to bare both her breasts. Her hands clasped his shoulders, fingers kneading his muscles as he sucked her. The sensation was slow, delicious torture.

“Please . . .” Her hips butted against him as the hunger welled in her. She wanted him. Now.

“Getting impatient, are you?” There was a teasing note in his voice. “Not that I mean to rush you.”

“Blast you, Brock Tolman . . .” His kiss stopped her words. Skilled fingers reached down to unfasten her jeans and peel them down off her ankles, along with her panties and boots. His kisses worked their way down her belly until his face was buried between her thighs.

“Oh . . .” This was new, the pleasure so exquisite that she almost screamed. She gasped and shuddered, then lay trembling as he drew back, took a moment to protect her.

Braced on his forearms, he leaned over her. His dark eyes, reflecting golden sparks of firelight, gazed down into hers. “This is real, Tess. Whatever you’re thinking, I want you to know that.”

With one long thrust, he pushed into her, filling all the hungry, hollow places whose existence she’d denied over the years. She welcomed him with her whole body, her legs wrapping his hips, holding him deep. This was Brock, her adversary, her nemesis, the one man who could make her want him.

Their movement, when it began, was driven by urgent need, a wild, churning ride that carried her to a climax that was like the bursting of a thousand stars. He moaned, shuddered, and lay back, still holding her. For now, neither of them spoke. Words would only complicate things.

* * *

Tess sat dozing, her head sagging against Brock’s shoulder. The late-night air was chilly. The inside of the Cessna was a little warmer, but there was nowhere to lie down and no way to watch for a passing plane. Earlier, they’d tried taking turns, one keeping watch and tending the fire while the other one rested, or tried to. But as the night wore on, they’d abandoned that plan and gone back to sitting together on the blanket with their backs against the fuselage.

Their conversation had been awkward, consisting mostly of small talk, avoiding the subject of where to go after their explosive lovemaking. It was as if they’d assumed a silent understanding—with so many dangers and troubles hanging in the balance, this was no time to chart the future of their relationship. Whatever was to happen would happen—even if it was nothing.

“Look—a falling star,” Brock said.

Tess glanced up. “Oh—too late, I missed it.”

“There should be more tonight. Yesterday I heard something on the news about a meteor shower. Are you up for watching with me? Or would you rather sleep?”

“I’ll watch with you. Maybe I’ll even make a few wishes.”

He circled her shoulders with one arm. She nestled into his warmth as another meteor streaked across the sky and burned out over the distant hills.

“Did you wish on that one?” he asked.

“I didn’t have time. They come and go so fast. I’ll try to catch the next one.”

“So what would you wish for, Tess?”

“First, I’d wish for Lexie and her baby to be all right. Then I’d wish for someone to rescue us. After that . . . maybe for you to find the person who’s been causing so much trouble and stop them from ever hurting anyone again.”

“Amen to that.”

She sat in silence, enjoying his warmth and the smoky sage aroma of his shirt as meteors streaked across the sky. “What about your ex-wife?” she asked as the thought struck her.

“What?” He gave her a sharp, sideways look.

“Shane mentioned that you’d been married. Did your wife know about your past? Would she have any reason to want you hurt?”

Brock shook his head. “I met Ashley at a party, years after I’d gotten out of prison and changed my name. I never told her about my past—which might have been a mistake. She was a pretty little thing, more of an ornament than a partner. When I proved too busy to pay enough attention to her, she had an affair. We decided to end the marriage before things got ugly. I gave her a decent settlement. She remarried soon after that, and I lost track of her. End of story.”

“So there’s no way you’d suspect her?”

“Even if she had a reason, killing a bull and planting a bomb wouldn’t be her style. She’d be more likely to come after me with a team of lawyers.”

“So we can cross her off your list of suspects?”

“So far, I don’t even have a list of suspects.” He paused, suddenly alert. “Shhh—there’s something out there, beyond the light. Do you hear it?”

As Tess listened, her ears caught a faint but familiar snuffling, squealing sound. “Javelinas. They’re probably just curious. Or they think we might have food.”

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