“You doing okay back there?” Liam called. His steps slowed. “We can take a break if you want.”
“I’m all right,” Sarah replied. She sounded a little out of breath, more from her internal wrangling than the physical exertion. Her muscles ached, though they had found a steady rhythm, one that kept them crossing ground.
“You sure?” Liam stopped and turned.
Sarah halted beside him, wishing she could keep her breathing more even. She managed a smile. “I’m okay. We can keep going.”
Liam’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t question her quasi-lie. “All right. We’ll be where we’re camping soon, and then I wanted to show you a few things.”
“Not more drilling, right?” With her mental turmoil, she doubted she could handle seeing more signs of man’s destruction of the environment. Taking off her hat, she wiped her forehead with a handkerchief she kept in her pocket. She pulled the knit cap back over her head, not wanting to think about her hair sticking up in a million directions. Cold weather did not make good hair days.
“No, not more drilling. It bothered you that much?” Liam started walking down the trail, slower this time.
Sarah weighed how to respond. For someone who didn’t like deception, she sure was doing a lot of it lately. First to Walt, then to herself. She should have been upfront with him about the kiss she’d shared with Liam. Except if the afternoon soap operas with which she indulged herself on weekday afternoons during her lunch were right, telling your fiancé you kissed another man never went well. Even if you weren’t quite sure you wanted to marry your fiancé.
“I’d prefer to see something prettier,” she replied after long moments. “I don’t want to be too biased with my report.” She hoped he believed her.
Liam stared at her for a moment. She half expected him to call her out.
Not right now. Not while I’m trying to wrap my head around this assignment, Walt, and our kiss.
Her sister had teased her about going to
Alaska
and finding a hunky man. She feared she’d done just that.
She followed Liam in silence the rest of the way to their camp site. He found a place near a stream that ran so clear she could see small silver fish darting among the rocks. The clearing backed against a stand of evergreens that would keep the wind away. Setting his pack down, he brought out the tent and began to pitch it. Sarah knew her duty. Gather firewood. She thought of that ill-fated attempt when she’d encountered a grizzly bear and hoped she wouldn’t find the same thing here.
A little over an hour later Liam had the tent setup and the food secured from wild animals. He used the wood she’d found to build a fire, and a kettle hung from a tripod filled with boiling soup. If it weren’t for the chill in the air and the fact that she wore way too many layers it could be a normal camping trip that she’d never taken before. She sat on a log, arms wrapped around her for warmth.
Liam sank to the makeshift bench beside her. “You ready to see more of my world?”
His low voice rumbled through her like the subtlest of caresses. “Your world? I thought we were just in
Alaska
.” She meant the words to sound teasing.
“Honey, this is my world.” He turned and reached for her. Tucking a strand of her dark brown hair beneath her blue cap, he let his fingers stroke her cheek.
Sarah shivered.
“Look at you dressed in your new hiking gear, your boots barely broke-in. You don’t belong here anymore than I belong in
Washington
,
D.C.
. I’d be like a tiger in a cage.” Liam’s thumb lingered against her lower lip, and for a moment, Sara battled the temptation to slide her tongue between her lips and taste him.
Sarah pulled away, startled by his words. “Who said anything about taking you back to D.C.?” She saw his point though. He belonged out here in the wild with wide-open spaces. Besides, not much call for ecotourism in the greater D.C. area.
“Exactly,” Liam replied, almost as if he tried to convince himself of something. He bolted to his feet. Holding out his hand, he offered it to her. “Why don’t you follow me?”
Sarah stared at his hand almost as if it would bite her. Drawing on a reserve of strength, she laid her gloved palm in his. Even through the clothing, heat radiated into her. She moved beside him and he released her hand. She tried not to mourn the loss.
Liam led her to the edge of the creek. “I want you to take a look at this. You can see the bottom of the pool. This water comes from a glacier hundreds of miles away. The spring that it feeds is located upstream. Look at those fish. Did you know this species isn’t found anywhere else?” He squatted by the water and pulled off his glove. “Take a drink.”
“Is it safe?” Sarah remained standing beside him.
Liam nodded. “I wouldn’t ask you to drink if it isn’t. Trust me on this. This is my world, remember?” He flashed a smile that warmed her all the way to her toes.
Nodding her head, Sarah pulled off her glove. She bent down and scooped up a handful of water. By the time she brought it to her mouth only a few trickles remained, but they were enough to send the crisp, mineral taste bursting across her tongue. She closed her eyes and savored the rarity of fresh, untreated water. “That’s wonderful,” she said, licking her lips to be sure she got the last drop.
Liam grinned. “Thought you might like it. Come on.” Effortlessly, he rose to his feet and led her downstream. They followed the creek for a while before turning between two large pine trees that looked as if they’d been there for decades. The trees formed a gateway that led to a meadow that she supposed during the summer months would be completely dotted with wildflowers. Now only a few blooms, most of them battered by the weather, dared to top the tall green stems. Not even the wind penetrated the trees surrounding the clearing. It was so quiet she swore she heard her own heart beating.
A natural cathedral. There were no other words to describe it. A large rock sat in one corner. Several birds flitted from branch to branch in the trees behind the rock. She felt, if she closed her eyes, she could sense the very earth singing to her.
Suddenly, she became aware of Liam staring at her. She blinked. He looked as if he wasn’t quite sure what to think, and Sarah knew that was a good thing. She didn’t want him pigeonholing her into where he thought she fit. She wanted to show him she was more than her resume.
Tension grew between them. She pressed her lips together. Aware of him, of how well he fit into this environment, she realized with a start that she wanted him in a way she never wanted Walt. He seemed too superficial, too much a part of her
Washington
lifestyle. Here, she thought nothing of
Washington
, only of the beauty surrounding her and the man who would show her nature’s marvels. Her breath caught in her throat.
No, it couldn’t be this way. “It’s beautiful,” she said in an attempt to put some distance between them. Perhaps by breaking the silence with the sound of her own voice, she could bring them back to reality. Except this was reality where Liam was more than a tour guide. And they both knew it.
“Yes, it is.” He stared straight ahead, neither looking to the left or the right.
“What else did you want to show me?” She licked her lips, then feared they might chap so she fished lip balm from a zippered pocket and applied it liberally.
“What do you want to see?”
Sarah gaped at his question and the images that roared through her head. It had to be the exertion, not anything else, that made her want to watch him strip off his clothing, layer by layer, until he stood bare-chested in this hideaway. She let her eyes wander over his muscled chest, trying to imagine the whorls of hair between his pectorals, the arrow of darker hair leading beneath the waistband of his pants.
The sharp cry of a bird pierced the air. The sound drew her from her musings, aware she was staring at Liam like a starving woman. Damn Walt for his views, and damn him for never making her feel this hot. Heat radiated from her cheeks, and she turned away, certain she blushed. “You know it’s tough, what they’re asking me to do,” she said in a way to distract her thoughts.
“The report?” Liam asked, almost as if he knew there were other things, like keeping her hands to herself, that might be difficult as well.
Sarah nodded. “Yeah. I mean, don’t get me wrong, this is beautiful, and I’d hate to see it ruined as much as the next person, but that’s not going to fly in Washington. They want cold, hard numbers, and right now the administration and the oil companies see the wealth of crude that lies beneath the surface. You know how valuable that is. Hell,
Russia
just put a flag beneath the north pole in an attempt to claim the resources there.” Sarah removed her cap and dragged her fingers through her hair. They caught on snarls, and she pulled off the elastic constraining her hair. She slicked it back again, once more securing the unruly mass, then tugged her cap down over her ears. Only then, when her heart didn’t pound ninety miles an hour, did she turn and face Liam.
“So what do you want to see?” he asked again.
“Environmental impacts. Not that I really want to see it, but that’s what’s going to sway the people. There will always be those who don’t care. They see the world as theirs to exploit. I know I’m not going to change their minds. But, there are lots of people out there who simply don’t understand. They see
Alaska
as a huge wilderness void. No one lives up here, so what’s the harm? Those are the people I need to convince. Yeah, I know my audience is primarily politicians, but some of them think, too. Can you show me environmental impacts?” Sarah asked, thankful once more to be on the confidant turf of her job.
“If you give me a bit of time, yeah. Think about it, for every place where they drill they will need to bring in infrastructure. That means roads and heavy equipment. There’s places where the soil has washed out and wildlife habitat has become fragmented. I need to consult my maps. It’s getting late. I wouldn’t want to take you out on a wild goose chase tonight, but I could show you that. Probably tomorrow, even,” Liam replied. “You’re up against some tough sonsofabitches, you know that, don’t you?”
Sarah smiled. “You don’t have to be a shark to swim in the same waters. You just have to know where to hide.” It had been the same words she’d told her sister, Natalie, when she’d gone to work for a Senator. Now, with her husband out of work because of a construction injury, her little sis swam with the best of the sharks.
And I taught her how to do it.
Sarah didn’t know whether to be proud or ashamed.
Liam chuckled. “Guess that’s true. Come on, let’s head back to camp. I want to make sure we’re settled in before dark, and I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“Hungry as a bear, huh?” Sarah asked as she fell into step behind him.
He stopped and looked over his shoulder. For a moment, Sarah feared she’d said something wrong. She half expected him to correct her. Instead, he gave her a long, slow wink. “Something like that, yeah.”
“Well then we better hurry,” Sarah teased.
“As the lady wishes.” Liam strode forward, leading them back to camp at a brisk clip.
Sarah followed, not minding the pace. She still had time to look around and notice the beautiful scenery surrounding them. Her comments about Liam being hungry as a bear made her think of those lumbering creatures. She wondered if she’d see one again. A shiver darted down her spine at the memory. Wrapping her arms around herself, she rubbed them trying to ward off the ominous chill the mental images created.
She’d let Liam worry about the bears. With her report, breaking up with Walt, and wondering what would happen to her sister’s job if she wrote the findings her conscience dictated, she had enough on her plate. She trekked silently behind him as they made their way back to camp.
Twilight painted the sky with orange and pink streaks. Shadows gathered at the bases of the trees, creating dusky hiding places. The twitter of birds settling down for the night created a cascade of noise overhead. Somewhere in the distance an owl hooted, the lonely sound chilling Sarah to the bone.
Liam took provisions out of the cache and began mixing up dinner over the fire he kindled back to life. Watching him work, Sarah realized she was superfluous. She took a seat on a nearby log to watch his economical movements. She couldn’t help but admire the strength in his body, the way he appeared completely at ease in this rugged terrain. She tried, and failed, to imagine Walt out here. That had been one of the main problems of their relationship. She wanted more outdoor activities; he spent all his time in his office. Walt wasn’t in the picture anymore. Liam was right in front of her, and if she wasn’t mistaken, as attracted to her as she was to him. It was going to be a long night.
Liam pressed the bowl of soup into Sarah’s gloved hands and wondered how long it would be before she tired of stew made from dehydrated meat and vegetables. Sure there were other things he could cook out in the brush. If he were alone it wouldn’t matter. He’d hunt for his food and eat quite well. With Sarah, he had to be careful. Her comment about him being as hungry as a bear hit too close to home.
He took a seat across from her, hoping the fire placed a barrier between them that he couldn’t cross. Just thinking about crawling into the tent, tucking his sleeping bag next to hers, had him painfully hard. His own perverse need to torment himself had him taunting her in the clearing. And then she’d had the audacity to flirt back with him. Liam swallowed hard and forced a bite of stew down his throat. He wanted to show her, well, everything. Except he didn’t poach.
“Hey, can I ask you a question?” Liam asked, realizing that wasn’t the smoothest opening in the world.
Sarah looked up from her meal. She licked her lower lip, capturing a stray drop of broth. “Sure, what’s up?”
I am.
“Before we headed out, I came up to your room to go over our projected path out here. I heard you arguing with someone. Everything okay back home?”
Her brow furrowed. She pursed that lower lip, plumping it up and making him want to pull it into his mouth and suck on it. “As okay as they can be. You probably heard me arguing with Walt. We don’t exactly see eye-to-eye on this project. So I made a decision that I should have made a long time ago and broke off our engagement.” She shrugged. “No big deal, really.”
Liam couldn’t believe his ears. No big deal? If a woman like Sarah broke off a relationship they’d shared, he’d sure as heck consider it a big deal. “So you’re okay with this?” He tried not to sound too eager, tried not to remember how pliant her lips were beneath his.
“Should have happened a long time ago. I had second thoughts even when I accepted his proposal. Things were rough even then. I kept telling myself that things would change once we were married and he is a prominent
Washington
lawyer. It was like a fairy tale, except I never got to the good parts.” She shrugged, though tiny worry lines bracketed her eyes. Though her words sounded normal, he saw the sadness in her eyes. No matter what she might say, she wasn’t taking this decision lightly. Which further reinforced why he had to stay away from her.
Liam set his bowl between his feet on the ground. He’d do dishes and clean up later, probably after she’d gone into the tent to sleep. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out.” Not really, but it sounded good for him to say the words.
Don’t get involved. Once she has her information and write her report, she’ll fly back to
Washington
. There isn’t anything you can do, and you shouldn’t get involved.
His stern mental words fell flat.
Because he could see them together. For a citified girl, she handled the wilderness very well. Her passion for the environment showed. He had no doubts she’d write the report, one he suspected his superiors would like and hers would hate. She had guts. He had to give her that. So why was he thinking of standing up, crossing the space between them, and sitting down on the log beside her so he could kiss her sadness away?
His life entailed long hours in the wilderness and rough living when he wasn’t camping. Out here, with no one around but his brother and whatever family members decided to visit, she’d get lonely, bored, or both. He shoved thoughts of her aside. Best he do what the Quintursa wanted and get her back on a plane back to
Washington
as soon as possible.
“It’s okay,” her soft words fell into the night air. “Things hadn’t been good for a while.”
He should have let the matter drop. Instead, he rose to his feet and moved to the log beside her. Sitting down, he turned to face her. “You shouldn’t have to deal with a relationship that hadn’t been “good” for a while.” He made little quotation marks around the word good. “I’ll admit I haven’t known you that long, but I don’t believe anyone should have to settle for just good.”
Sarah stared at him. “Are you trying to come onto me?” She didn’t move away from him on the log, though she clutched her bowl as if it would be a shield against him.
“Do you want me to?” Liam asked. Once again, there he went with the teasing questions. Deep in his gut he knew letting Sarah get too close was a bad idea. A very bad idea.
Sarah didn’t answer. Instead, she ducked her head and looked away. “I don’t think we should do this.”
“Do what?” Liam stroked her chin. Cupping it gently, he turned her to face him. “We haven’t done anything…yet.”
She shuddered. So passionate, so responsive. He wondered if he’d survive sleeping in the same tent as her tonight. Maybe it was time to take his bear for a walk.
“I know,” she whispered.
“Hey, you have nothing to be ashamed about.” Liam brushed his thumb across her full, lower-lip. “Is that what’s bothering you? That you think our kiss somehow affected your relationship with this Walt guy? From what I’ve heard, he sounds like he wasn’t good enough for you.”
Whoa! Where had that come from?
“That’s what my sister said.”
“Then your sister is a very smart lady.” Finally, Liam felt as if they were getting somewhere.
Suddenly, Sarah bolted to her feet. She set the bowl down on the log beside them, then strode toward the edge of the fire. Wrapping her arms around herself, she stared into the flames. She rocked gently back and forth. “I can’t do this,” she whispered.
He reached for her. Cupping her chin, he tilted her face toward his. “Do what? We’re just talking, Sarah. I won’t do anything that you don’t want me to do.” He forced his fingers to remain still though he wanted to brush his thumb across her full, lower lip. He held her for a moment longer, then let his fingers drift away.
Sarah turned to stare at the fire again. Keeping her arms wrapped around her torso, she drew deep, shuddering breaths. “The report. You. Me. I shouldn’t have volunteered for this, but I knew if I didn’t then whoever came out here to do this wouldn’t be impartial. I’m afraid too many of my coworkers are in the pockets of special interest groups, though Hodges Associates prides itself on being a lone wolf.” She snorted. “Yeah, that’s a song and dance if I ever heard one.”
“It is?” Liam battled the nagging sense of worry. The Quintursa had been on him about Sarah. Perhaps they weren’t worried so much about her as her company. “That can’t be good if there’s questions about your company’s reputation.”
Sarah laughed. “You think?” She removed her stocking camp and pulled her hair out of its pony tail. Running her fingers through it, she gathered it back into the elastic and replaced her hat.
It was a nervous gesture, but watching her, Liam wanted to be the one tangling his fingers in the silken strands. A whiff of her lavender perfume, even after all the hiking they did, teased his nose. “I don’t know. I’m stuck out here in the bush. You tell me.”
“Well, there’ve been rumors. Nothing substantiated, and to most of
Washington
even with our problems we’re as impartial as it gets. But I know should I turn in the report my heart tells me to write, not only will I possibly face repercussions at my job, but my sister works for a senator. I’d hate to think anything I did would affect her. Politics is a tight community. Everyone knows everyone else. It’s always possible.” She shrugged. “I guess I shouldn’t worry about it. I don’t have to go back for a while.” Turning to him, she smiled.
Like the glaciers at the top of the world, Liam melted. “No, you don’t,” he agreed. He leaned forward just to capture a bit more of her scent.
Her gaze dropped to his lips. She swayed toward him, the moment taught with anticipation. Her arms unfolded, dropped to her sides, and then she reached for him. Her slender gloved fingers wrapped around his arm, drawing him to her. Her lashes fanned against her pale cheeks as her eyes closed. Liam couldn’t resist her gravity.
His lips dropped to hers. He tasted her, careful to keep his desires in check. A gentle brush, enough to let her know he wanted to kiss her, yet nothing to scare her off.
Her fingers tightened on his arm. Against his mouth, her lips parted. He tasted her, a warm hint of breath with spices from their dinner. Fingers curling, he reached for her. Caressing the edge of her cap, he slid his fingers beneath. Soft strands slid between his fingers. Her stocking cap tumbled to the ground behind her.
Liam cupped the back of her neck. He traced her lower lip with his tongue, and when she opened her mouth and swayed toward him, he took it as an invitation. He deepened the kiss, his willpower all but gone. Today, tomorrow, her job, his, the drilling, even his bear faded away as the languid pleasure of kissing a beautiful woman. She opened beneath him like a flower, a bud full and ripe. Hints of her lavender wrapped him a cocoon shielding him from the world. Sarah gave a tiny, hungry moan. The sound worked straight to his groin. He thought of nothing else but taking her back to the tent and showing her exactly how wild he could be.
Holding Sarah, kissing her, made him acutely aware of his solitary existence. With the fingers of one hand curled around his arm, her other reached up to stroke his cheek. Fingers tangled in his hair and pulled his lips closer. Sarah was a woman who took what she wanted. From the way she inched closer to him and possessively cupped his head, she wanted him.
Liam struggled not to give in. It’d be too easy to tumble into sex with Sarah. He’d sported the image of a free-spirited ecotourist guide. Wild places, even wilder nights of sex, he didn’t mind that men like him held the image. Except that with Sarah, he wanted it to be more.
He started to pull away.
Sarah pulled him tighter to her.
Forcing his fingers one by one to release from her flesh, he managed to part their lips. “Sarah, wait,” he gasped. Closing his eyes, he drew breaths into his lungs. His heart pounded. His body throbbed. The very act of trying to calm his senses made him more acutely aware of Sarah, from the lavender scent to the hint of arousal on the air. He scooted back on the log, then when that wasn’t far enough lurched to his feet. “I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have. You’re a client.” Any other time he might have laughed at what should have been Sarah’s line. After all, he was a man. His inner bear demanded he take what he wanted. From her flushed cheeks to kiss-swollen lips, Liam knew Sarah desired him.
She gave a shuddering breath. “I suppose I have to say you’re right,” she whispered. Rubbing her eyes, she buried her face in her gloved hands for a moment. Then, squaring her shoulders she looked up at him. “Even if I don’t have to like it.” A trace of a smile curved her lips.
“Yeah,” Liam agreed. “Besides, I don’t have any protection with me.” There, he latched onto the practical reasons why he couldn’t have sex with Sarah like a lifeline.
Sarah laughed. At him. “You thought we were going to have sex? It was a good kiss, I’ll grant you that. But sex? You are sure of yourself, aren’t you?” Her gaze raked him from head to toe, lingering a bit too long beneath the waist of his jeans.
“We’re both adults. I don’t think there’s a need to dance around the issue.” Liam remained standing. He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to find a away to delicately extract himself from this conversation. Even talking about sex with Sarah had his nerve endings humming. The Quintursa had given him a mission. He’d better start doing it and quit fantasizing about the sexy political lobbyist sitting on the log in front of him. “I’m going to clean up. If you want, I’ll sleep outside the tent tonight.” He spun on his heel to grab the bucket he’d fill with water that was heating over the fire.
“I’m not afraid to sleep with you,” Sarah said to his retreating back.
Liam glanced over his shoulder. “It’s not the sleeping that I’m worried about.” Giving her a wink, he proceeded to start his chores aware of Sarah staring at him the entire time.
~* * *~
Last night’s kiss rattled Sarah more than she cared to admit. Sleeping in the tent beside Liam, hearing the rise and fall of his breathing, knowing if anything wanted to get to her it’d have to get past him first should have reassured her. It didn’t. Instead, she lay there, watching him sleep, wishing she had the guts to reach over and stroke the strong line of his jaw. His chiseled lips begged for her kisses, and she knew if she draped herself over his hard chest, she’d fit him like a hand to a glove. Wade had never made her feel like this.
And perhaps that’s what bothered her. Not only was her concentration shot because of the report she had to write, but she had a too-sexy-for-his-own-good tour guide more than willing to make her feel things Walt never did. Just looking at him across the camp tingled. So when she told him she wanted to do a bit of hiking, not far from the camp, but on her own, he’d grunted, told her to be careful and call if she needed anything. As she followed a trail she’d looked back and caught glimpses of him through the trees. Then, neither he nor the camp was there anymore.
For all intents and purposes she stood alone in the woods. All alone in the woods. For someone born and raised in the city, she wasn’t afraid. To the contrary, she found the farther she walked from camp, the more grounded she felt. Overhead, birds twittered in the trees. Rustling leaves spoke of small animals. The scent of loam and greenery filled her nose. The crisp air chilled her cheeks, making her curl her fingers in her gloves and then tuck her hands into her pockets.