He paused to catch his breath and take in his surroundings. Behind the boulder was a small cavern in the side of the cliff just deep enough to fit two people lying down. If they really liked each other.
Rain sat cross-legged on the floor eying him warily. “We used this place sometimes when we were tracking.”
He raised an eyebrow. She spoke of him often, and he had wondered at their relationship. He knew it was stupid to be jealous of a dead man, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. “You and Sutter?”
Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, and she sniffed them back as though determined not to let him see. “Yeah.”
He cleared his throat. “Very cozy. Romantic.”
She stared at him like he’d grown a second head. Then she cracked a laugh. “Romantic? Me and Sutter? Are you nuts?”
Well, that answered that. The green-eyed monster slunk back into its corner. He felt like an idiot. “I just thought ... you seemed so close ...”
“Yeah. We knew each other since we were kids.” She rolled her eyes at him. “He was like my brother. I don’t know what you do where you come from, but where I come from you don’t have sex with your brother.”
“Good to know.”
She gave an exasperated sigh. “Why don’t you get the bedrolls out while I get the fire going? “
“Won’t the fire draw the drags?”
“Not in here. The winds in the ravine disperse the smoke and the boulder blocks the heat and light. Never had a problem.” She turned her back on him and busied herself near the entrance of the cave.
Micah shook his head. He’d never met anyone like her before. Prickly, exasperating, smart, fearless and downright sexy. Holy crap, he was in trouble.
RAIN STARED AT THE bedroll, her heart thumping somewhere up in her throat. She hadn’t noticed until after they finished eating. Instead of making two separate beds, he’d made one big one.
Her mind returned to the scene back in the compound cavern. When Micah had kissed her. When she kissed Micah. The butterflies in her stomach were going crazy. Part of her wanted to yell at him and part of her couldn’t wait to crawl in and get cozy with the man.
“So,” amusement colored Micah’s voice, “right side or left?”
Rain had never shared a bed before. Not to sleep, anyway. She’d always been a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of girl. “Doesn’t matter.”
“Good.” He grinned at her. “I sleep on the right.”
“Fine with me.” Her voice was a little hoarse. “I guess we should get undressed?”
His smile widened. “Yeah, that would be a good place to start.”
She ignored him and unlaced her boots, kicking them to the side. He whistled tunelessly as he got rid of his own boots. Then his shirt, revealing the golden skin and rippling muscles underneath. She gave him a good glare, which he ignored.
She had no idea why she was so flustered by the attraction between them. Nor why he was so calm about it. As if it was ordinary. She frowned. Maybe for him it was.
Maybe he’d had dozens of women and he’d felt the same about each one of them. Maybe this was normal for him. What did she know? And why was she getting so worked up over it anyway? It was just sex, after all.
She watched him furtively out of the corner of her eye as his hands smoothed the blankets back. She imagined those hands smoothing over her naked flesh. Her face heated.
Rain hesitated, her hands at the snap to her jeans. Micah raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong, Rain?”
“No.”
He gave her a long look then sank down next to her so he was sitting inches away. He tilted her head up, making sure she was looking him in the eye.
Damn, he was big. His shoulders were ridiculously wide, his legs long and thick with muscle, lightly dusted with silky, dark hair. Rain wasn’t used to big men. Padre Pedro was the tallest man she’d ever known, and he was under six feet. And why on earth was she thinking about Padre Pedro?
“Truth, Rain.”
His eyes were so ridiculously blue. And fringed in such thick lashes. Lashes like that should be illegal. She heaved a sigh. “I’m not used to ... I don’t ...” She gave her head a shake. “I don’t feel things.”
He frowned. “What are you talking about? You feel lots of things.”
“No, I mean,” she flipped her finger back and forth between the two of them, “man woman things.”
“Don’t tell me you don’t get turned on because I know that’s not true.”
She flushed. “Um, not that. I mean emotional shit.”
“Ah, you mean you don’t get attached.”
“Yeah. That. I don’t get involved.”
A smile quirked the corner of his mouth. “Are you feeling involved now?”
She glared. “Yeah. I know its bullshit. I know you probably don’t feel the same way, but I can’t help it.” Her cheeks were on fire. She felt like some kind of idiot. She was so not good at this stuff.
“Ah, Rain.” He wrapped his hands around her shoulders, tugging her to him. “All I’ve got is emotional shit.”
“What do you mean?” Her voice was muffled in his chest, his smooth skin hot under her cheek. She liked the feel of him. Warm. Solid. Strong.
His hands slid up and down her back, then down to her ass, shaping. Kneading. Sending sparks zipping along her nerve endings.
“I mean, I’ve spent God knows how many years feeling nothing. And now that’s all I can do. From the moment I laid eyes on you, all I’ve done is feel.” He nuzzled the side of her neck.
She shivered at the sensation. This was nothing like the wham-bams she’d had in the past. There’d never been any of this touching
