Carved in Stone (11 page)

He already knew where that would lead.

He wanted to get started, but they’d both reached the end of their respective ropes. He hurt everywhere. His head hadn’t quit spinning. He could have a concussion; his problems could be a lot worse tomorrow. The risk of stranding Alex with a man incapable of going anywhere was much too real.

But Alex . . . He couldn’t push her. Not now. Her eyes were dark pools in her face, the cuts and scratches and bruises giving her the appearance of an assault victim.

But wasn’t that exactly what she was?

And it had all begun with him. Nate wasn’t at all proud of the way he’d acted so far.

Starting with that stupid verbal assault when she first arrived, then again when she was frightened, trapped here in the cave with him only because she’d been courageous enough to try and save him.

She’d been injured by splintered rock from the bullet, hurt again when the rockslide threw sharp bits of stone against her with enough impact to leave bloody welts along her arms. And now Nate wanted to drag her deeper into a cave, knowing she feared the dark, fully aware there was no guarantee at all where or if they could ever find a way out.

Not his finest hour. He’d love to blame it on that blow to the head, except he’d been an absolute bastard from the very beginning. He turned and grinned ruefully in her direction, a lopsided smile that Alex slowly returned.

“We’re quite a pair, aren’t we.” He reached out and grabbed her hand, walking her closer to the fire. The cave had grown cooler since the rockslide, and Nathan deftly untied the sleeves of Alex’s flannel shirt from around her waist and helped her slip it over her bruised and bloodied arms.

She smiled her thanks, then snuggled into the warm shirt while Nate emptied out the larger of the two packs of climbing gear. He spread the nylon bag out flat on the ground, giving Alex a clean spot to lay her head.

“You’re right. We’re both tired. We’ll get some sleep, then when we’re rested we’ll do a little exploring.” He watched her settle herself in the dust next to the fire, her head and shoulders resting on the bag.

A small frown creased her brow and she looked up at him. “Nate? Do you really think we’ll find a way out?

“Yeah, I do. This whole mountain could be full of tunnels. It’s a strange combination of rock, some granite but a lot of it looks volcanic, I think. There could be all kinds of passages. There are lava tubes northeast of this range. Maybe here as well. You never know.” He stretched out next to Alex, his head next to hers on the makeshift pillow.

“We’ll sleep for a couple of hours, then look around a little.” He rolled his head to one side, to see if she agreed.

Alex was already asleep, a tiny frown still marring her brow. Nate tried to get comfortable, but the lump on the back of his head and the bruises from Ed’s kick weren’t the only things keeping him awake.

He’d never been so aware of a woman before, of each breath she took, each small movement she made. Alex rolled over on her side, her face to Nate, her head snuggled firmly against his shoulder, one arm thrown across his chest.

Nate stroked her back lightly, his eyes wide open in the gloom of the dying fire. He knew he should get up and add more wood, but she slept so peacefully he didn’t want to disturb her.

What he really wanted to do would definitely disturb them both. Every time he touched her, his body felt charged, alive with sensations he shouldn’t feel for a woman he barely knew. This strong an attraction could wreak havoc on a working relationship. He wondered fleetingly if he could call it sexual harassment, the way she turned him on, and smiled at the thought of trying that one in court.

He’d known her for barely two days and already he felt more in tune with Alex than he had with his ex-wife during their two years of marriage.

The chemistry was definitely right with Alex. It hadn’t been there with Linda. Of course, he hadn’t even missed it, because he’d had no idea what it should feel like.

It wasn’t merely chemistry lacking in his marriage, either. Not once had Linda looked to him for comfort, or solace, or even, if he was honest, for love.

But if he was going to be honest, he had to use the same criteria on his feelings for his ex. Work had always come first, and when he found time for her he’d given it grudgingly. She must have sensed that, known once he left college and started his true life’s work their relationship would change.

Unfortunately, Linda married Nate when he was a college football hero. The quiet life with a college professor was a far cry from the excitement of marriage to the star quarterback. She never forgave him for refusing the football offers to turn pro, but Nate hadn’t even considered them. He’d never wanted any other life than the life he had now.

He just didn’t want it alone. But finding a woman to share his passion for folklore and legends, research and teaching wasn’t easy. Most women he knew wanted security, a good income and a certain amount of prestige.

Nate’s first love would always be teaching. Teaching new generations of students to revere the fanciful past, the legends that man had created to explain his unexplainable world. But a professor in the obscure field of folklore and antiquities would never make big money.

At least their divorce had come without recrimination. There had to be passion for anger, and the passion had long since died. In fact, the marriage had been over long before it ended, and the final dissolution was merely a vast relief to both.

Linda had accused Nate of not understanding her.

Unfortunately, he’d understood her all too well.

Now, if he could only figure out Alex.

He wondered about her, about her quirky ways. She could be acerbic and insulting one minute, warm and compassionate the next. She’d risked her life more than once today, leaning out over the precipice to shoot photos of the smugglers, trying to sabotage the helicopter, and especially when she entered the mine to rescue him.

There was no denying the fact she’d saved his life. The timber he’d been tied to would have crushed him when it fell.

He really hadn’t thanked her enough for what she’d done, but he’d blame that on the fact she kept him totally twisted up inside. One minute Alex seemed attracted to him, another minute she pushed him away. She must have a hell of a lot of baggage, considering all the issues she seemed to have with control, with men, specifically with him. He didn’t get it. Not his reaction to her, and most definitely her shifting reactions to him.

If she had him this confused in only two days, he mused, what would happen over the course of six weeks? A lifetime? He’d never be bored. Confused maybe, but never bored.

And what about the pottery? The smugglers, their drugs, and the mysterious pots were well on their way to safety. Probably headed for the Bay Area. From there the crooks had easy access, whether by plane or by ship, to the rest of the world.

And at this point, Nate and Alex didn’t even have access to an exit.

Alex awoke to almost total darkness. The fire had burned to a low mound of glowing embers, no longer capable of lighting the cavern. She didn’t have to see to know that somehow as they’d slept, she and Nate had become as intertwined as lovers.

Her face was pressed into the warm hollow of his throat, one leg thrown carelessly across his thighs. His arms encircled her loosely, one hand along her back, the other lightly cupping her breast. Her face grew hot at the familiarity of his touch. Thank God his even breathing meant he still slept.

Completely awake now, Alex relaxed into the sensations of Nate’s embrace. His arms were strong, smoothly muscled and warm where they touched her. She could feel steel beneath the skin where her leg rested across his solid thighs, the strength of him evident even in sleep. His long hair, loosened from its leather thong, fell against her cheek. It felt like silk, so smooth and soft. A single strand tickled her nose.

His hand encircled her breast as naturally as a lover’s, and she imagined how they would look together, his fair skin against her dark. Without warning, she felt herself respond, a tightening in her belly, the sweet pain as her nipples contracted, a heaviness in her breasts.

She grew damp and her vaginal muscles clenched in frustration. Fighting the reaction, she consciously denied the attraction she felt for him. Loving meant giving up control, depending on someone else.

Her independence had been a long time coming.

Men were all the same. Her father treating her as nothing more than a nuisance, then stealing her work. Her only lover jealous of her skill. Jake’s defection had hurt the most, because Alex had never counted on her father. She had started to rely on Jake, to require his approval. Without even realizing it, they had fallen into the same abyss that trapped so many couples.

He took the lead, and Alex blindly followed.

But then Alex had learned that Jake was cruelly different, his goals premeditated. He’d cultivated their relationship, using Alex’s contacts and skills to improve his own chances in the competitive field of professional photography.

Alex had swallowed his story, hook, line and sinker. So in love with the idea of love itself, she’d been totally oblivious to Jake’s selfish goals until she could no longer ignore the comments and the subtle derision that masked his professional jealousy. She’d been so thrilled with each small success Jake had. Why couldn’t he be as happy for her?

The answer, at least to Alex, was obvious. Because he was a man, and men always had to be the best, always in charge, always in control. And since that was the case, then Alex would just learn to live without a man, because she was determined to be successful. The only way that was ever going to happen was when she took control of her own life.

It sounded good in theory. But the reality was Nate’s hand encircling her breast, the steady thud of his heartbeat against her ear, and the warm strength of his embrace. It was the gentleness, the courage and the laughter, as much a part of him as his thick auburn hair and strong calloused hands.

It was all so confusing! He wasn’t at all like Jake. Nathan respected her skills. In fact he seemed impressed with her abilities, and he honestly listened to her suggestions.

He wasn’t like her father either. Nate was kind and compassionate, quick to hug and offer sympathy and words of encouragement. He wasn’t like any man she’d ever known. That in itself was enough to frighten Alex. She didn’t understand him, and she didn’t know what to expect from him. But most frightening of all, she didn’t know what he expected from her.

There was definitely something between them. She’d never known this kind of awareness, had never responded to a man’s kisses the way she did to Nate’s. He made her forget everything but the present.

Which was probably a good thing, since the future didn’t look very promising.

The cavern had grown cooler while they slept, and Alex snuggled closer to Nate. Time had stopped for her, here in total darkness. She wondered how long it would take them to find their way out. She refused to admit they might die here.

She opened her eyes as wide as she could in the dim glow from the coals of their fire, trying to let in as much light as she could. In a very short time, she and Nate would have to leave here and go deeper into the mountain, into unfamiliar tunnels and caverns without any light but their small flashlight. The utter darkness seemed to close in around her.

Alex shut her eyes, the only way she knew to control the dark. But with her eyes closed, all her other senses came alive, and everything she sensed was Nathan. The rough scrape of his beard, even along the line of his throat where she rested her face, his warm skin, damp from sleep. The scents—a heady mix of sweat and dust and man. She felt the steady beat of his heart, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, the soft whisper of his breath against her hair.

And the gentle pressure of his hand across her breast.

When she let her thoughts drift slowly to her own body, she realized that all her sensations, all her feelings, had coalesced into a deep yearning to have Nate touch more of her.

She felt the imprint of his fingers cupping her breast like a current feeding a steady heat throughout her body, a line of contact from breast to womb and back again.

Sex with Jake had been nothing more than a physical act. It was something Alex’s body did with Jake’s body whenever Jake was interested. He’d been her first lover, her only lover—and she’d decided after Jake that sex was grossly overrated.

Nate’s kisses generated more passion than she’d ever experienced. Alex bit back a groan as she imagined what his lovemaking would be like, if they ever actually had sex.

Nathan’s fingers clenched in his sleep, tightening their grip on her breast. His touch shot a brilliant coil of need through Alex, and her spontaneous reaction was to press her leg more firmly across his thighs, to roll her hips against the strong muscles of his leg.

She gently tangled her fingers in his long hair, brushing the loose strands away from his closed eyes. There was no
if
about it. She knew they would make love.

She only wondered if it would be worth the final cost.

Chapter 9

“God, I feel like someone used my head for batting practice.” Nate groaned, still groggy from sleep as he struggled to sit up.

“Someone did.” Alex’s dry answer came from the far side of the cavern. Nate wondered vaguely what she was doing over there, so far away from him. He had very explicit memories of her body pressed against his while they slept.

Those memories were a lot nicer than the reality of an aching head and bruised ribs, contusions and scrapes and pulled muscles, none of which had been helped by sleeping on the hard-packed cavern floor.

The fire crackled and an orange glow flickered against the black shadowed walls. Alex must have added wood to the embers while he slept. Nate watched her a moment longer, enjoying the pure grace of her movements, the length and stretch of her as she knelt on the dusty floor, examining the contents of the nylon packs.

Unbound, Alex’s hair flowed in velvet folds across her shoulders, over her arms, even to the floor when she tilted her head. It contrasted dark as midnight against the darker shadows.

Nate clenched his fingers, imagining the soft strands against his skin, their feather touch drifting along his chest and thighs. He wanted to reach out and touch her long mane when it fell forward over her eyes. Instead, he watched as Alex pulled the mass into a wild ponytail at the nape of her neck. Still kneeling, she reached back with a practiced, graceful motion to deftly tie the hair into a loose knot. When it was secure, she raised her head and stared at Nate, a silent regard that had his breath stuttering in his chest.

Her hands held the heavy coil of hair at the base of her neck, and she hung there a moment, an exotic image bathed in firelight. Her lips parted slowly. She licked them, and the pink tip of her tongue left a shimmering trail around her mouth.

He actually tasted her mouth, the memory of their kiss. And he wanted more. His gaze lingered on the faded blue-green plaid of her flannel shirt and the thrust of her small breasts against the worn fabric. He swallowed loudly, the sound audible in the silent cave. While he stared, she slowly lowered her arms, watching him watch her. The air around them sizzled with expectation.

Something had changed during the night, some decision had been reached beyond Nate’s awareness. He felt the difference this morning, and it unnerved him.

He shuddered briefly, involuntarily breaking the spell.

Alex flinched at his reaction. She’d been so obviously aware of the intent way he’d been watching her, and it was more than obvious she was just as aware when he withdrew. Biting down on her lower lip again, she turned away from Nate, back to the pile of nylon packs and climbing equipment.

A moment had ended. What might have happened, wouldn’t. Not now. He wasn’t certain if he was relieved or disappointed.

“What are you doing?” he finally asked, his voice catching on such a simple question’s double meaning. Without waiting for her answer, Nate lurched to his feet and stood awkwardly off balance, trying to set his world straight.

For a brief moment there were two Alexes, kneeling together in the dusky half-light of the cave. He blinked her image down to one, and wished he could take the worry out of her eyes.

Alex frowned, wondering once again how badly Nate was hurt. Men! They always had to act so tough. She couldn’t let him know how worried she really was.

“I thought I’d look through the rest of this stuff.” She waved her hand over the scattered equipment. “There’s not much we can use.” She rubbed her hands along her flannel-clad arms, feeling the chill of the cave’s cool interior through the fabric. “It’s warmer here with the fire, and I’m still cold. It’s gonna get a lot colder when we go deeper into the mountain.”

She dug around in her pack of climbing gear, not really certain what she was looking for until she found it. Laughing, she held up a tiny bar of soap still in its Best Western Motel wrapper, then tossed it to Nate. He caught it easily, and she noted his quick reaction. That had to be a good sign.

Alex shook her head, still laughing. “It doesn’t seem fair, does it? I could kill for a bath, and fate tempts me with a bar of soap. I’d love to grab an extra water bottle and wash, but I will resist because I am woman, and I am strong.” She took a dramatic sniff under one arm. “In more ways than one.”

“Well, I’m certainly pleased to note that you’ve faced temptation and mastered it.” Nate fell easily into her banter. It was so much easier than the tension that so easily grew between them. “Because we only have a couple of bottles of water, and if we don’t get out of here soon, or at least find water, we are gonna be in deep doodoo.”

“Yeah. And we wouldn’t even be able to wash it off.”

Nate groaned, shook his head grinning, and then picked up the last of their kindling and added it to the coals. He sat next to the fire, legs folded Indian fashion. Alex wondered what he was thinking. He stared unblinking into the flames as they caught and leapt and filled the cavern with light.

She set the packs down and walked across the uneven floor until she was beside Nate. He reached up and pulled her down beside him.

“Couldn’t find anything else, huh?”

He looped one arm casually over her shoulders, and she leaned against him, snuggling comfortably close to his side, loving the solid strength in him. Steady, like someone she might actually be able to depend on.

“No.” She held up a small compass and smiled grimly at Nate. “But I found this. It glows in the dark, if that’s any consolation.” She looked around the large cavern, then turned her attention to the pile of rubble that spilled out of the narrow entrance to the cave, and sighed. “I really appreciate your giving me the time to rest, but I know we can’t put off leaving any longer. Energy bars and tepid water just don’t make it, and I’m serious about the bath.”

Nate laughed and squeezed her shoulders. “Well, we can’t let a little BO bother us, can we? But you’re right. There’s no point in staying here.”

He lifted his arm from around Alex’s shoulders, and she missed his warmth as soon as the contact was broken. She stood first and held out her hand. Nathan grabbed it and she pulled him awkwardly to his feet. He still seemed to be in so much pain, she worried about him. She’d hardly slept, wondering if the concussion she knew he had was more serious than he’d let on.

Nate reluctantly let go of Alex’s hand, grateful for her simple act of helping him stand. He straightened and stretched, then limped across the uneven ground to check the pile of equipment, conscious of her concern, aware she still watched him. Lord but she was confusing! Sensual and wanton one minute, teasing and playful the next.

And now, caring and obviously worried about him. Who the hell was the real Alex? She could be offended by the most innocent of comments, then insult him outrageously in return. Last night she was afraid to go deeper into the cavern. This morning she seemed impatient to explore the mountain’s depths.

During the night he’d convinced himself he was going to figure Alex Martin out or die trying. Unless they got out of the cave, he was definitely going to get the second half of his wish. But as far as understanding her? No way.

“Nate, look! My camera bag!” Her sudden cry dragged him away from his morbid thoughts, and he turned in time to see Alex struggling to pull a large carryall out from under a fallen timber. By the time Nate reached her, she’d managed to jerk it free and dump everything out onto the ground.

Most of the expensive lenses and cameras were either badly dented or totally destroyed. Alex didn’t appear to be the least bit upset by the damage. She continued digging through the debris.

“I’m really sorry, Alex,” Nate said, confused. She should be devastated by her loss, not elated. After all that had happened, Nate wondered if she’d finally gone numb. “I’m sure the university will replace all that stuff.”

“Why should you be sorry?” Her heavy brows knotted into a frown. “Oh. You don’t understand. I’m not worried about the cameras. They’re replaceable.” She continued checking pockets and zippered pouches. “Here they are! Batteries!

She waved a large package in front of Nate. “For the flashlight. You have no idea how much I hate the idea of stumbling around in the dark.”

Her face was smudged and scratched, her smile wide and unaffected. Nate was certain he had never seen anyone more beautiful in his life.

“Are you sure you can carry that much stuff?” Nate asked. “You look like a pack mule.”

Watching her preparations had left Nate feeling frustrated and exhausted. Once she’d found the batteries, Alex had become a woman possessed. She quickly gathered and packed her gear, ignoring Nate’s few suggestions.

Now she had a long section of their climbing rope looped over one shoulder, and her large fanny pack filled with the energy bars, dried fruit, extra water, and granola strapped around her waist. One water bottle was clipped securely to a belt loop on her jeans, and she paused a moment to stare at the hammer and a small pile of miscellaneous items. It was obvious she didn’t want to leave anything behind, but there was only so much they could carry.

She handed Nate an apple, keeping the last one for herself. She took a big bite and chewed for a moment, then swallowed before answering bluntly, “Well, you can’t carry much. You’re so banged up you can hardly walk, much less carry anything.”

She handed him a water bottle. Angry, Nate took it from her without meeting her eyes. He was in a lot more pain than he wanted to admit, but he didn’t need Alex reminding him she was currently the stronger of the two of them. Carrying a heavy pack might be out of the question, but he didn’t have to like it.

“Once I’ve walked for a while, maybe I’ll feel a little stronger,” he said. This unfamiliar role made him uncomfortable. He liked being in charge. Suddenly he’d been relegated to taking orders.

Alex might be stubborn and opinionated, but thank goodness she was also level-headed. He certainly didn’t have the energy to deal with hysterics, including his own. Nate slowly gazed around the dark cavern, wondering again if they’d ever find a way out.

He glanced back at Alex and noticed she was picking up and then discarding different stones from the ground. Every move she made now appeared to have a higher purpose, leaving Nate feeling foolishly excluded.

It might be easier if his mind were a little clearer. He watched Alex scratching at the wall with a piece of broken rock and felt more confused than ever.

“What’re you doing?” He walked closer to the wall of the cave, stumbling a bit when the floor appeared to tilt. There was a wriggly arrow etched along the worn surface, scratched into the rock at Alex’s eye level.

Alex smiled up at him and held the fist-sized piece of stone under his nose. “If we had bread crumbs, we could leave a trail, but since we don’t, I figure we can mark the wall along our route. That way, at least we’ll know if we’re walking in circles. Otherwise we could end up right back here.”

“You sure you haven’t done this before?” Nate asked. “Or maybe you’re just related to Indiana Jones.” At her answering snort, he bowed, almost losing his precarious balance. Bracing himself against the wall, Nate swept his hand out in front of them in the general direction of the darker hole at the back side of the cavern. He glanced at Alex, then saw her shudder, straighten her shoulders, and plaster a smile on her face.

“Since you seem to be the expert, Indy.” He gestured toward the darkness. “Lead on.”

Her smile briefly wavered, then she shoved the loop of rope higher on her shoulder and headed into the depths of the cavern.

The tunnel she led him through twisted and turned, climbing gradually upward into the mountain. It was a natural fissure that branched into other tunnels, most of them barely the width of Nate’s shoulders.

She stopped periodically and asked Nate to check the compass.

He appreciated the occasional breaks and the chance to catch his breath. Neither he nor Alex mentioned the obvious fact that he was tiring faster than she. He tried not to think of the pain.

According to the compass, they were moving primarily in a southeasterly direction, but more than once they entered branches of the tunnel that narrowed to mere inches or ended abruptly in solid rock or loose piles of stones from old cave-ins. Then, following the arrows Nate had scraped into the rock wall, they would retrace their steps, searching for tunnels leading in other directions.

At first Nate tried to keep up a light conversation, anything to disguise the sense of isolation, the suffocating knowledge that each step carried them deeper and deeper into the mountain. Before long, however, the sound of their voices, echoing breathless and small in the darkness, was more discomforting than the scuffling of their footsteps and the steady scrape of rock on rock as he marked their trail.

It felt to Nate as if silent hours had passed before Alex’s voice broke the quiet monotony of their trek.

“Do you think you can fit through here?” Alex directed the beam of light at a dark gash in the tunnel, an area partially blocked by a rockslide that could have occurred minutes or centuries before. The gap was wider at the top but still would be a tight squeeze, especially for Nate.

“I sure don’t want to go back. We’ve followed this section a long way.” He slipped ahead of Alex, checking the width of the opening, then turned and flashed a huge grin at her. “Well, Indy-Alex, I think I can make it, but I’ll go through first. If I get stuck, you call 911.”

“Great idea,” she answered dryly. “But I don’t have any change for the phone. So don’t get stuck, okay?” She handed him the flashlight slowly, as if she were reluctant to part with it.

“By the way,” she added, sounding uncharacteristically young and frightened, “you can stop calling me Indy anytime you want, Professor. It’s dark and scary in here, and I’m feeling less adventurous all the time.”

Nate grinned reassuringly, then took the light from her, aware of the brief spark when their fingers brushed together. He touched her cheek, cupping the side of her jaw in his calloused palm. Her face was ghostly in the artificial light, dirty and tear-streaked, and it drew him closer until he hovered, his lips a breath away from hers.