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  She nodded as an overwhelming weariness smothered her.

  “Me, too.”

  Her fatigue had come out of nowhere. She struggled to lift her hand to put food in her mouth, and what had seemed delicious a moment ago was just too much work. They sat at the table and ate in silence, not because they had nothing to say, but because speaking was too much effort.

  “You need some rack time before you fall face first into your dinner.” David stood. “Do you need help to climb the ladder?”

  “No, thanks.”

  The A-frame structure of the house meant that the walls of the loft slanted, the high point being above the center of the Queen-sized bed. She was pleased to see a window opposite the ladder, an exit. She’d never considered her surroundings in terms of escape routes, but she did after this morning.

  The bed was made up with a patchwork quilt in pretty red and white fabric. There were two plain cotton pillows, one a neon green and one a muddy brown.

  She climbed under the comforter grateful she still wore her long johns and sweatshirt so changing for bed wasn’t an issue. Surprisingly, she didn’t fall asleep straightaway. Instead she listened as David moved around the room. Finally, the bed sagged as he lay next to her, and then he put an arm around her waist and hugged her close. She lay still, enjoying his warmth, and finally allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Marie jogged along a sandy beach. The sun warmed her skin, and the swirl of the waves as they crashed against the sand calmed her. David stood ahead, his pant legs rolled up to his shins as he waded in the surf. He smiled and waved, and she increased her speed, anxious to be by his side. Suddenly, a loud pop sounded. She ducked and searched the headland for whoever had fired the shot, but there was no one there. Her heart stopped as she spotted David, lying face down in the sand. She screamed and tried to run for him, but her feet were mired, and she couldn’t move. Blood leached from his head into the sea. The harder she struggled, the more her feet sank. Waves continued to crash against his body as more blood poured from his head. She needed to stop the bleeding. If only she could get to him…

  She woke when David swung his legs over the side of the bed. Cold sweat dribbled down her back. She gasped for air and forced herself to regulate her breathing.

  David’s feet thumped against the rails as he climbed down the ladder, using a flashlight to guide his way. He stirred the coals in the fireplace and then added another log.

  She sat up and ran her hand through her hair, once again surprised by the short length. It was hard to let go of the dream, it had seemed so real, which wasn’t so odd when she considered how strange and foreign her reality had become: the thugs, the cold, tracking devices, the fear, and then there was David. Her desire for him was all consuming and solid. She loved him. That was why her nightmare had been so disturbing. She was scared something awful would happen to him, and given their current circumstance, it was a real possibility. He had already been shot once and survived. This time was different because he put himself in harm’s way for her. The only way to keep him safe was for them to part ways. Tears misted her vision.

  He maneuvered up the ladder. The beam from the flashlight made her squint and turn away. He wore only his pants and T-shirt.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” He switched off the light and climbed into bed.

  The dark gave her a measure of protection against his scrutiny. He couldn’t see her expression as she spoke.

  “Why are you crying?” he whispered.

  “I-I-I’m not. I guess I’m tired, and that makes me overly emotional. It’s silly.” She purposely made her words strong.

  “No, it’s not. Lie down. I’ll let you sleep.” He would, too, and then he’d lie awake and guard her. It was in his nature to protect, but it was time for her to protect him. Sometime tomorrow she would form a plan and then slip away. No matter what happened, he would be safe. He might not be able to return to his land, but he would still be in one piece, and that was all she could hope for.

  Tonight she would make love to him, trace every line of his face, and enjoy her time with him. “Every time I close my eyes, I see blood and death. What I need is a distraction.”

  “I can think of only one way to do that.”

  “Me, too.” She tugged her sweatshirt over her head and then climbed on top of him, straddling his legs. Then she leant down and ran her tongue across his lips, coaxing him to kiss her.

  He drew her closer, deepening the kiss. Tingles of pleasure danced along her veins at the feel of his hard body under her, but soon that wasn’t enough. She wanted to feel his skin against hers, run her hands over his warm, hard flesh.

  She drew back, jerking his T-shirt over his head. He submitted to her, allowing her to explore his body. She took her time, running her fingers along his muscled torso. Puckered, raised skin told her there were scars, one near his right shoulder, another near his waist. She undid his pants and slid them down his hips, planning to continue her exploration, but he had other ideas. He grabbed her around the waist and flipped them so she lay beneath him.

  He kissed her deeply until she was wild with need. She ran a hand across his scalp wanting to grasp his hair, but it was too short. Using his tongue, he stoked an intense hunger that burned her soul.

  He trailed small kisses beneath her ear and then traveled lower, along the cord of her neck. She hummed as a warm coil of yearning started in her belly.

  He undid the top snap at the neck of her long johns and then kissed the spot where it had been. He inched lower as he unfastened the button at her cleavage and kissed her again. She writhed, wanting him to stroke her, to build the untamed craving she knew lay within her. When he reached her sensitive folds, he stopped. She arched, offering herself to him. He didn’t caress her. Instead, he worked his way up her body, laying small kisses and licks along the way. He levered her long johns down her arms, gradually easing them lower. She raised her bottom to assist him as he slipped them off.

  He positioned himself between her thighs. She couldn’t lie still, couldn’t wait to feel his long length within her. She sat up, finding him in the darkness. She kissed him, hoping to communicate her need with actions instead of words. He wrapped her in his embrace and lowered her to the bed. The crisp hairs of his chest grazed her breasts. She groaned and rubbed against him like a cat. He deposited small nips and licks along her lips, and then he deepened the kiss, plunging his tongue into her mouth. The back and forth between a low, soft caress and deep, sensual kiss heightened her pleasure.

  His hand moved to her chest, and then his thumb brushed her nipple. She pressed her breast against his palm, reacting to the sheer pleasure of skin on skin. She grasped the warm flesh of his penis. He grabbed her wrist, and in one smooth movement, pressed her against the mattress. He snared her other hand and pinned both above her head. “If you continue, it’ll all be over.”

  “I can’t stroke you while you can drive me nuts. That hardly seems fair.”

  “I just want you to catch up.”

  She wrapped her legs around his waist so his erection pressed the entrance to her vagina and lifted her hips. The sensation sent shock waves of pleasure coursing through her body, her nerve endings electrified.

  “Oh, God.” He plunged into her, and then stopped.

  She cried out at his entry, overwhelmed, as if every fiber of her being was overextended, coiled and wanting. It had been years since she’d experienced sex, and she had never felt this all-consuming heat that started at her core and cascaded through every molecule. She needed more. She wanted completion. She wanted to feel him pumping within her. She was so close, so near.

  He hadn’t released her hands. They were still pinned above her head. She was stretched beneath him, primed, and ready to shatter. If only he would move. She arched. The action drove him deeper within her.

  “Don’t.” He held himself taught.

  “I need you. Hard and fast.” She heard the plea in her voice but didn�
��t care.

  “Listen, it’s been a while, so fast is what you’ll get.”

  She arched again, driving him deeper still, not able to wait.

  He cried out as his control broke. He pumped, pounding into her. In a blinding flash, her body responded, matching his thrusts as her need drove her to the edge. She rode the wave of fevered pleasure as a white ball of light exploded behind her eyes. Her orgasm seemed to go on forever until it gave way to the darkness of the room and the gentle warmth of the man lying on top of her.

  ****

  Marie had no idea how David managed to maneuver up the ladder, carrying the leftover dish of chicken and vegetables.

  “I thought I’d feed you. You need to keep your strength up.” He grinned as he sat on the bed and placed the food between them.

  The only light came from the flashlight, which sat on his nightstand. It illuminated his naked body, casting stark shadows across his muscled chest. She popped a piece of zucchini into her mouth. “You need the fuel more than I do.”

  “I do?”

  “Yes, for the rest of the night, you’re doing the heavy lifting.” She waggled her eyebrows and was delighted when he laughed.

  His light-hearted mood only lasted a second. “I need to find a way to get in touch with Finn.”

  “Won’t your friends—”

  “I don’t want to bring them into this. If there are charges, then they’ll be seen as accessories. As it stands, we can tell the police I knew about this place from my visits to the area. We can keep Tim and Michael out of it.”

  She should have known he’d want to shield his friends. He would die to safeguard them just as he’d put himself in the line of fire for her.

  “But Tim said they were working on a way to get you to Canada.”

  “Running’s a last resort.”

  If they ran, he could never return to his land and the life he had planned for himself.

  “You’re right, so how are you going to contact Finn?”

  “There’s a gas station in Hopefalls.”

  “Where’s that?”

  “It’s a small town about twenty miles east of Tim’s ranch. They should have a payphone there.”

  She estimated they’d traveled about ten miles from Tim’s place, so that meant he would have to travel thirty miles to get to the phone. Given the winding mountain trail they’d navigated to get here and the condition of the road, he’d probably be gone at least an hour. That gave her a window, but she needed a plan…

  “What are you thinking about?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing.”

  “Your face was scrunched. If you think any harder, you might set fire to your head.”

  “I was just thinking about everything that has happened in the last two days,” she fibbed.

  “It’s a lot to deal with.”

  She nodded, surprised at how easily she’d lied. She should feel guilty, but in her heart, she knew it was the right thing to do.

  “Maybe I can help you forget.” The glint in his eyes and the smile on his lips made her heart do a little flip. Oh God, she would miss him.

  Leaning over him, she put the food on the floor and then knelt beside him. “Let’s leave the flashlight on this time.”

  “Whatever makes you happy.”

  She ran a hand down his chest, feeling his muscled ribcage and abdomen. Then her hand moved lower. He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes as he gave himself up to her exploration.

  Chapter Thirty

  Marie opened her eyes to find herself lying across David’s chest. She eased away from him. It had been seven years since she’d experienced the rigors of lovemaking, and her thighs screamed in protest as her feet hit the floor. Her breasts were sensitive and sore, probably from where his stubble had rubbed her delicate skin. His five o'clock shadow could also be blamed for her chapped face, chin, and lips.

  The cabin was dim. The bleak light shining through the window told her it was nearly dawn. The fire had died sometime in the night when they’d been too busy enjoying each other to care about the frigid temperature.

  David rolled on his side, his chest rising and falling in the rhythm of sleep. She held her breath, praying he wouldn’t wake.

  It took a while to find her clothing, most of which was scattered about the loft, but how her sweatshirt had managed to land on the couch was beyond her. She climbed down the ladder, wincing at every creak. She needed some alone time. Moisture vapor escaped her mouth as she breathed. She shrugged into her long johns, sweatshirt, and coat and then sat on the couch. Today was the day when they parted ways. Her throat tightened at the thought of leaving him behind, but then she remembered her nightmare. How would she feel if she saw him gunned down? That idea made her stomach lurch. She needed to be strong and form a plan.

  Something nagged at her in the back of her mind, some small detail that she knew would be important if only she could put aside all the distractions. She had to stop her mind from wandering. She was a scientist, which meant she was cerebral. She thought things through and considered the facts. So what where the facts? She had created a solar panel that did remarkably well in tests. Damn it, it did great in tests. It was revolutionary. It could change the world and provide her with the financial independence and professional recognition she craved—and that was why people were trying to kill her.

  But what about David, what did he have to do with it? The man who wanted her dead, Marshall Portman, had set David up, and now he was accused of abducting her, and they were being hunted. Twice, David had taken her where she wanted to go, and both times attempts had been made to snatch her, and he had been forced to take action again.

  Her mind jumped to the moment at the airport when one of the thug-twins had grabbed her arm. She remembered his sweaty hands and his body odor as he whispered in her ear, Don’t make a sound. She shook away the memory and forced her mind back to the task at hand. She could fix the kidnapping charge. She could call the police and tell them everything. No, David had heard Portman say he had people in place who would bury the truth. But how far did that influence extend? Granite City and Elkhead County definitely, but what about other jurisdictions? If she went to the police in another county, or state, would they believe her word over that of the Granite City-Elkhead County Police? It was doubtful, especially considering she hadn’t heard Portman’s claims. David had, which made her accusations hearsay.

  Okay, she couldn’t go to the police and she trusted David. But he wasn’t all-powerful. He was hurt. He had been to hell and back when he’d served in Afghanistan, and now he was in danger again because of her.

  She inhaled. What else did she know? Marshall Portman wanted to destroy her prototype because it threatened his way of life. Why she hadn’t seen that from the beginning was beyond her. She had been naïve to believe she could develop a new way to harvest electricity and think everyone would welcome it. Where did that leave her?

  First, she had to tell the world that David hadn’t abducted her. She couldn’t go to the police, and the media coverage seemed biased at best. Although there was that one report from Big Sky News that questioned David’s guilt…

  The fear she’d felt two days ago at the airport rose again unbidden. The reason her subconscious kept replaying that scene escaped her. She needed to conquer this, examine it logically. She repeated the details in her mind. The twins had wanted her to go quietly, but she knew once they had her alone, they would hurt her, so she’d screamed.

  That was it. Portman wanted to silence her. What would he do if the whole world knew about her prototype? He would discredit her, and that was fine. He would call into question her qualifications. He would even bring up her past affair with Daniel and her claim on his research. The smear campaign would end her career. Her life as a scientist would be over, but David would be cleared of all charges. If Portman discredited her publicly, there was no point in killing David. She would go on the news and tell the world that he hadn’t kidnapped her. She would tell t
he whole story, and then David could go back to his land and his life as a beekeeper.

  The decision about which station to go to was easy—Big Sky News. She even knew their location. She’d seen their ugly neon sign two days ago. They were adjacent to the PDE building. Her stomach rolled at the idea of going back to Granite City. She tensed, straightening her spine. She could do this—for David.

  She emptied the purple backpack that held their provisions and loaded it with her possessions from the box. She had meant to sneak away later in the day, but this would be better. Now she had a plan, she wanted to put it into action as soon as possible.

  Silently, she picked up the car keys, being careful not to rattle them, and tiptoed to the door. Then she crept out into the snow.

  This time she would save herself and the man she loved. It didn’t matter what happened to her. She refused to run away from her responsibilities. Her days of being a cowardly mouse were over.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “Get up Master Sergeant Quinn.”

  David shot out of bed. His vision blurred. He needed his weapon and his tack. His hands padded the bed—not there. He felt the wall—

  “David, David, it’s me Sinclair. Wake up.”

  He stopped. Sinclair? He wasn’t in Afghanistan. He was in a cabin. He’d made love to Marie and then slept. “Sin,” he said, using the pet name he knew she hated, “can you give us some privacy?”

  “Us? There’s just you. I’ve been trying to wake you for the last five minutes. Your girl cut out.”

  He spun around and stared at the bed. Empty. In two strides, he was at the railing that separated the loft from the rest of the cabin. He couldn’t see the bathroom, but he didn’t need to. Emptiness enveloped him, a sucking hole in his chest. Marie was gone.

  “Dude, you need to cover up.” Sinclair stood at the foot of the bed, her gloved hand covering her eyes.