rode out on southeasterly winds. Clouds were still sifting trough the trees like wood smoke. The weak sun hung as low as possible in the sky, seeming to perch precariously at the horizon line for a beat, then sank down in a blaze of glory. After that…utter darkness.
In that darkness, the air was heavy with humidity from the storm and fragrant with late autumn wildflowers and pine. It was gorgeous, and Harley felt a rush of excitement and adrenaline from all of it, the moon-streaked landscape, the wildlife’s natural music.
The company.
“What now?” TJ asked when she’d put her camera away.
“Make camp.” Which was really his expertise, not hers. She felt a little nervous pulling it off in front of his watchful eyes, but he’d let her lead all day long, and didn’t seem in any hurry to take over.
She knew that was out of deference to her, that he wanted this to be her gig as much as she wanted it for herself. She appreciated it, more than he could know. Being out there, being in control and in charge, had fueled her soul in a way she hadn’t expected.
Even with the unexpected emotional trip down Memory Lane, and finding the dead coyote.
Standing in the clearing where she’d planned on staying the night, TJ shook his head, pointing to signs of a recent campfire. She stared at it, wondering if whoever had shot that coyote had camped there.
Beneath the ambient moonlight, he took her hand. “Not here.”
“A little higher?”
“Definitely.” He squeezed her hand. “I’d like our backs up against the mountain and a good view in front of us.”
She nodded, and for the first time all day, let him lead, which he did with expected efficiency, using his Maglite. He moved them along as fast as they could go in the dark, and in less than ten minutes, he’d found a better spot. It was higher and, as he’d wanted, had the added advantage of them being able to keep their backs to the wall.
As they stood at the new spot, Harley realized for the first time that they were going to spend the night.
Together.
Her body gave one traitorous little quiver of excitement, which her brain worked hard to shut down, though it wasn’t entirely successful.
It’s not like the last time you spent the night with him, she told herself. For one thing, this time, you’ll be fully dressed.
No getting naked, she repeated to herself several times.
No getting naked.
CHAPTER 8
“Here, where the ground is dry.” TJ used his flashlight to better reveal the spot in the clearing. He dropped his pack on the ground and looked at Harley, who nodded but didn’t speak. She was hugging his jacket to her and seemed pale. He figured it was due to the combination of the shock of finding the dead coyote and being cold and wet. “I’m going to get wood for a fire,” he told her. “You need to change into dry clothes.”
“No,” she said, and pointed to a fallen log. “Sit.”
He arched a brow. “Excuse me?”
“Yeah,” she said toughly, ruining it by shivering. “You’re going to sit. And stay. Just like you told me to stay before.”
“But you didn’t stay.”
“Okay, true,” she said. “But you’ve already walked through a rainstorm, climbed a tree, got a hole pecked into your hand, and dragged rocks for a grave for that coyote, all for me. Hell, you even gave up your warm jacket. So now you’re going to sit and let me do the rest, as I would have done for myself anyway.”
He wanted to argue, wanted to say he could get a fire going in three minutes flat, and that she needed to get warmed up quick. But those things were counterproductive to his plan, which was getting her back to relaxed and enjoying herself. He really wanted that for her, so he obediently sat. “You going to cook for me, too?”
They both knew damn well she could burn water with little to no effort, but she shot him a considering look over her shoulder. “You know what, Mr. Smart-ass?” she murmured. “I think I will.”
Now he paled.
And she smiled.
Another mission accomplished, he thought, but as she turned her back to him to gather kindling for the fire, his smile fell away. Because he…was not relaxed. He had questions, lots of them. Most centering around the little bombshell he couldn’t stop thinking about.
They’d had sex.
Jesus Christ, he’d had sex with Harley, his greatest fantasy come true, and he was too much of an idiot to remember any of it.
Harley came back with a load of twigs and branches in her arms. She kneeled in the center of the clearing and started with the small twigs, graduating up to sticks, crisscrossing them over each other so the hot air would rise through them and help them catch. Then she set a big log on top before she lit the kindling, and he opened his mouth to correct her.
But she was frowning, concentrating deeply, and muttering to herself as she worked, looking frustrated and chilled, and so fucking adorable he shut his mouth.
He’d had her. Naked. Beneath him.
And he didn’t remember.
Yeah. That was going to haunt him for a damn long time to come.
In spite of not letting the kindling catch fire before she put the big hunk of wet wood on it, the fire actually smoked and flickered. He watched as she kneeled there in the dirt over the small flame, blowing on it, babying it along with soft coaxing murmurs that cracked him up, and then blowing some more, which didn’t crack him up but made him hard.
“Look,” she said triumphantly, turning to him, catching him staring at her mouth. “I got it.”
“Nicely done.” His voice was hoarse, and he cleared his throat. “You’re going to change now, right?”
She turned back to her fire and watched it proudly.
“Let me rephrase,” he said. “You are going to change now.”
She shot him a look over her shoulder. “I knew you were too alpha to sit there and follow directions for long.”
“I’m not all that al-” He stopped at her get real look. “Fine. Am I allowed to get up and move closer to the warmth?”
She smiled. “Sure.”
Except just then, the fire died.
“Dammit,” she said.
“Maybe you didn’t talk to it enough.”
She shot him a look and he let out a laugh. “It’s not your fault, Harley. Everything’s wet.” He opened his pack and pulled out a bag of Fritos.
“Hungry?” she asked.
“Yes, actually, but not for food.” Even in the dark he could feel her blush. “The chips are my emergency fire starters,” he explained.
“Get out.”
“I’m serious. All the grease makes them highly flammable.” Crouching beside her, he removed the big log from her pile, then opened the bag and placed a chip beneath the stacked kindling. He lit a match and set it to the chip, which immediately lit.
“Wow.”
He waited a few moments until the pile was really flaming before he added the log.
“Neat trick,” she said.
He stared at the flames. “It was Sam’s.”
