Hiding Out At The Circle C

There was no way she could have known what a magnificent body he had, until now. Tall, lean and incredibly sculpted, he had muscles and contours in all the right places and then some. And this wasn't a gym-made body, either. Nope, she thought dizzily. This body was born of pure physical labor.

Who would have thought?

'You figured you'd been found, didn't you?' Cam crossed his arms over that wonderful, bare chest and lifted a brow.

She chewed her lip, forcing herself to look somewhere, anywhere, else. 'Maybe,' she mumbled.

When he remained silent and still, she risked a glance at him. And found him looking at her, his eyes swimming with the knowledge that he'd thoroughly flustered her with his near nudity. The man, damn his gorgeous hide, appeared to be enjoying every minute of it.

'Okay, Haley, let's review. First you're a housekeeper without a job. Then you're a housekeeper on the run. Then you're a geologist, still on the run, but from a co-worker who can't find you. What was the latest? Oh, yes. You're in charge of a team of geologists. Now…' He paused and smiled politely, coldly. 'Now what's the story?' He dropped his arms and strolled toward her. 'Keep in mind, here, I probably won't believe you.'

He spoke lightly, but she could see the tension in every line of his body. And after what she'd learned about his dead wife, could she blame him? Guilt swamped her. 'I didn't lie yesterday.'

'No?' He stroked a finger down her cheek and looked at her with a mixture of angry frustration and reluctant affection that made her swallow hard.

He didn't deserve this. 'I am a geologist. And I'm on the run because…'

'Because…?'

'Just because.'

Regret filled his gaze. Regret and defeat. 'You know what I discovered yesterday? That I'm ready to try again. I wanted to try again with you.' He shook his head slowly and dropped his hand to his side. 'But I can't do it. I can't survive another relationship based on mistrust and lies, no matter how much I want you.'

'I'll…' She swallowed hard. 'I'll go pack.'

'No.' He caught her shoulders. 'No. I don't want that. You seem to be safe here. I just wanted you to know how I feel. I wanted you to know how hard it is to walk away from you, but I have to. God, Haley, I have to.'

The emotion in his husky voice made her throat clog. 'I barely know you,' she whispered. 'I don't trust easily.'

'You know me well enough. What you see is what you get.'

Well, what she saw had her knees going weak at the moment. 'I need to think. I can't do that around you.'

His gaze swept over her body. 'That makes two of us.'

Her mouth worked, but nothing came out. He was that attracted to her? She wanted to sit down and laugh, but she was afraid it would sound hysterical. She was the nerd, the butt of all the rocket- scientist jokes. And this man had no idea, no idea at all.

He pulled her closer. Though her mind demanded a protest, she flowed smoothly toward him, colliding gently with his warm, hard-and very nearly nude-body. 'I… I thought you were going to walk away from me.'

'I am. In a minute. I need to kiss you first,' he told her huskily. 'Because I can't seem to get that last kiss of ours out of my head.'

His lips lowered to hers, and she had one final coherent thought as her arms rose up over those wide, sinewy shoulders and around his neck.

The cowboy felt damn good.

As his mouth moved purposefully over hers, igniting an incredible heat, his hands slid up so that his thumbs rested just beneath her breasts. The blood rushed from her head as her body arched against his, hungry for more.

Cam ended the kiss and lifted his face, staring into her eyes. 'Now that just gets better and better, if you ask me. Shame to walk away, isn't it?'

Hugging her tightly, he raked his teeth alongside her neck, evoking a set of delicious shudders that his clever hands then soothed away. Mindless, she clung to him, her thoughts drifting from one new sensation to the next.

'Haley?'

His tongue played with her ear, teasing, arousing. She forced her mind to work enough to answer. 'Hmm?'

'Tell me who you really are,' he whispered, his mouth hot against her skin. 'Tell me the truth.'

It took a good second for her thoughts to return, but once they settled, she shoved back and stared at him. 'That was low.'

'What?'

Those guileless, sexy eyes didn't fool her. The mind that lurked behind them was as sharp as hers. 'You thought you could seduce me into telling you…'

'Into telling me what?' His intense gaze contrasted with his easy, relaxed manner.

People were dead because of her, she reminded herself. Dead. Someone had used her discovery to make a catastrophic earthquake in South America, just as a test. An entire village had been wiped from the planet. Forever gone- because of her.

Cam might hate what she'd done, but she could tell him. And in doing so, she would risk his life. And Zach's, Nellie's and Jason's, too. Could she do that, just to unburden her mind? 'I did tell you the truth. You just didn't believe me.'

'Make me believe you.' Frustration wasn't even close to what Cam felt. He wanted to shake her, wanted to demand answers, wanted to know what really haunted her, day and night. But most of all, he wanted her warm and pliant in his arms again. And the knowledge he couldn't force her to do any of those things hit hard. He had to do as he'd said. Walk away.

Struggling for calm, he said, 'Apparently I've made the right decision.'

She took a deep breath, obviously torn. And damn her, but he wanted to know why. 'I'm sorry,' she said, turning away. 'I'll go-'

'No,' he said quickly, his heart twisting at the thought. Reaching for her hips, he turned her to face him. 'If you left now, Nellie would never forgive me. I meant what I said, Haley. Stay. You're safe here.'

She leaned back to look at him, bracing her hands against his chest. He wanted to think it was because she just had to touch him, but knew by her expression that she did it to force his distance.

'I just meant,' she said, looking uncertain, 'that I should go get breakfast started.' She hesitated. 'I wasn't lying when I said I was on the run, Cam. I appreciate the place to stay.'

Worry had a taste, he discovered. Bitter. She wasn't lying about the terror, no one could be so convincing. 'Why won't you let me help?'

'You can't.'

'It's dangerous,' he stated flatly. Questions raced through his head, and so did that insidious gut-wrenching fear that he was being a fool-again. But he understood pressuring her would do no good. And he wasn't about to start sounding like a nagging husband. No way. Not again. 'It's seeing you so stressed that gets to me. It's not right.'

'I'm used to stress,' she said carefully, removing herself from his arms to cross hers over her chest. 'It's this other I'm not so used to.'

''Other'?'

Looking uncomfortable, she pulled back. 'This… You know.'

He couldn't help it, he laughed. It relieved him to know she was as hopelessly attracted as he was. 'No, I don't know. Tell me.'

'I'm not used to you, all right?' She glared at him when he tucked a strand of her