EDGE (15 page)

Damn, if he would let her see him hurting. Not when she’d single-handedly saved herself earlier.

They needed to get a fire started. To hell with how he hurt, she wasn’t out of danger yet. Hypothermia was the threat now. She had to get out of those wet clothes.

He hoisted himself out of the tight kayak, giving his good leg most of his weight. Still he stumbled and almost fell.

“You okay?” she asked, reaching out to steady him.

“Fine,” he said through clenched teeth. She had no business worrying about him. Not when she was still dripping wet. “Why aren’t you getting warmed up?”

“I will once everyone is on shore,” she fired back, his mood setting off hers. “There isn’t a lot of time for lunch. The tide will cover this beach in about thirty minutes. So quit lollygagging and get something to eat.” She turned away from him.

“Mel.” Cache laid his hand on her arm. “I’m sorry.” He didn’t know how to express how sorry he was. If the pain hadn’t caught him by surprise, he’d have handled this better. “I don’t usually lose sight of my surroundings like I did out there today.” It had been years, if not decades, since he’d been caught up in a subject. “I deeply regret that I put you in danger.”

“The Edge isn’t SeaWorld, shutter boy. You must, at all times, be aware of the danger. Everyone here, animal or human, has one goal, survival, even if it means the end of you.”

He nodded his understanding, afraid if he opened his mouth he’d find his foot in there again.

She swiveled away from him and hiked up the beach, struggling out of her life jacket. Bending over the nose of her kayak, she pulled out a change of clothes from the waterproof hatch. He should have known she’d have a simple solution to her predicament. She produced a towel and headed toward a thicket of willows.

Cache found a rock to rest against, and Sergei handed him a sandwich he didn’t want. When Mel reappeared, she was in dry clothes and using the towel to soak up water from the braid of her hair. She stored the wet items back in the hold of the kayak and took a sandwich from Sergei, biting into it with relish.

Tom joined him. “This is one damn scary place.”

He didn’t want to talk to Tom. He wanted to watch Mel.

“How does she live here year round?” Tom asked, following Cache’s gaze. “Winters have got to be hell.”

“Hmm.” Go away, he wanted to say.

Mel wolfed down another sandwich along with a can of Dr. Pepper. Sergei handed her a candy bar. She nodded her head at something he’d said, and used her teeth to tear into the wrapper.

Cache got up and returned to the kayak. Grabbing his camera and looping the strap around his neck, he focused on Mel through the viewfinder. She filled his frame until there was nothing but her. Wisps of golden hair had dried and escaped her braid, playing coy with the caressing breeze. Her eyes rivaled the deep blue waters on which they’d drifted. Alabaster skin glowed under the noonday sun and a smile flirted with her lips.

He clicked the shutter, moved for another angle, and clicked it again and again. Those unforgettable eyes suddenly stared at him straight on. Click. They narrowed into slits. He shot frame after frame until she turned away and stood in Sergei’s shadow, blocking his view.

“Nice,” Tom said, slapping him on the back. “Really nice.”

“Shut up, Tom.”

The trip back to the lodge was uneventful, though it seemed like it would never end. Fire continued to burn in Cache’s leg, flaring into his hip. Mel had fallen behind with him. Though they didn’t speak, he knew she’d picked up on his condition.

Finally, there was the beach. Tom and Sergei waited for him, while the boys and David were already gone.

Mel passed him and beached her kayak. Then she was there steadying his. “Nice work, shutter boy.”

Cache had no idea when Mel had informed Sergei and Tom of his sorry situation. It never would have dawned on Tom that he was in pain. Tom only cared about Tom. Both men grabbed an arm and helped lift him from the boat. He would have fallen if they hadn’t held onto him while his leg adjusted.

He needed to walk. Get blood moving through his veins, pumping oxygen to his muscles, but all he wanted was to chase pain killers with a stiff drink.

His concentration was broken as a tall, sandy-haired, muscle-packed man jogged down the beach to greet them, Rinka on his heels, her tongue hanging out, gazing up at him in adoration.

“Hey, babe.” He wrapped his Popeye arms around Mel and squeezed her to his broad chest. Rinka circled the pair, excitement in the wagging of her tail. The three of them looked like a family.

“Garrett? What are you doing here?” Mel asked.

“I got a few days off and thought I’d check on you. How are you doing?”

“Fine.” Mel glanced in Cache’s direction.

Who the hell was this guy and how long had he and Mel been sleeping together?

No strings, my ass.
Looked as though she was plenty good at stringing men along.

Cache shrugged off Sergei and Tom’s help and ambled toward the “couple.” “Hey,” he interrupted their reunion.

Mel pushed out of Garrett’s arms, her hands fluttering as she made the introductions. Was that a blush staining her cheeks?

“It’s nice to meet you,” Garrett was saying, scratching Rinka between her ears. The husky had her eyes closed in utter bliss.

Yeah, yeah. Whatever. “Did you plan to inform Garrett we were horizontal last night?”

She gasped but quickly recovered. “We did not sleep together.” There was no mistaking the anger flushing her face.

“Now, wait just a minute—” Garrett said.

Cache interrupted. “As a rule I don’t poach on someone else’s hunting ground. In my defense, I had no idea Mel was involved with you. Now that I do, I’m informing you that I’m not leaving the picture.”

“In deference to the obvious pain you’re in, Cache, I’m not going to flatten you. Now get the hell out of here while you still can.” Mel glared at him and Cache finally realized that while he meant what he’d said, he was out of line…somewhat.

He stared at Garrett. “Remember what I said.” With that, he hobbled his way up the beach with as much dignity as he could muster to where Sergei and Tom watched in fascination.

“Are you out of your mind?” Tom asked. “Did you
see
the size of that guy?”

“Shut the hell up,” Cache said.

“He is how do you say vord? Twitterpated.” Sergei said.

“He’s what?” Tom asked, falling in behind Cache.

“Veak in knees,” Sergei said. “Heels over head, you know. Twitterpated.”

“He’s something. Insane comes to mind,” Tom said.

“Will you two put a lid on it?” Cache said, grateful they finally arrived at the lodge. Sweet oblivion awaited him inside in the form of prescription drugs, but all he could think about was Mel alone with Garrett.

Garrett helped Mel secure the kayaks. “Want to tell me what that was all about?”

As soon as she figured it out for herself, she’d be happy to. “I’m not sure.”

“Then explain the horizontal part.” Garrett tossed the end of the rope to her.

“We kissed. It was nothing.”
Wasn’t it?
She secured the kayaks and then double-checked the knots.

“Didn’t sound like nothing on his part.” Garrett took her hand and moved them to a log where they sat. Rinka circled and lay at Garrett’s feet. “Talk to me, Mel.”

“I’m sorry, Garrett. It just happened.” She fisted her hands. “Kissing him was stupid and I regretted it right after it happened.” Well, to be honest, after she’d grabbed him and kissed him again and they’d ended up on the bed. If he’d agreed to her ground rules, they would have probably spent the night horizontal.

“I know our relationship has been…friendly, and while I’d like it to continue, we’ve never made promises to each other.” He looked deep into her eyes. “You are free to care about other people.”

“Do you
care
for other people when we aren’t together?” Mel regretted asking as soon as she said it. “Don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.” She took a deep breath. Regardless of what happened between her and Cache, she needed to clear things up between her and Garrett. “Garrett, I enjoy our friendship. You’ve been there when I really needed a friend and a lover, but…” She couldn’t find the words to continue.

“But I don’t make you so furious that you want to fillet me like a fish and stake me out for bear bait.”

She laughed. “Something like that.”

Garrett took both of her hands in his. “I knew some day you’d meet someone who lit that fire inside you.”

Cache lit something inside her. “I can always use a friend.”

He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “Mind if I get to know this Cache of yours?”

“He isn’t my Cache, and you can get to know anyone you want to.”

“Whether or not he’s yours, he’s thinking of you as his.” He nodded when she went to disagree. “It’s a guy thing. The man declared you his territory. If that’s not what you want, just give me the word and he’s fish food.” He gave a heavy sigh. “I guess I’ll be bunking down with Sergei this trip.” He lifted his brows in question. “Right?”

“Thanks, Garrett.”

He nudged her shoulder with his. “Anytime, babe.”

“What’s this I hear from Quentin about you being baptized out there today?” Linnet was waiting for Mel in her bedroom when she finished her shower.

The warm water had never felt so good and she’d almost filled the tub and taken a bath, but the thought of being submerged again so soon stopped her.

“The boy thinks we’re all going to be converted,” Linnet continued, her arms folded across her chest. She wore another flirty sundress in pink and blue with thin straps that left her arms bare.

Mel shivered, still cold, and added a sweatshirt to her jeans and t-shirt. “It’s something Sergei said to him when he’d taken a dip the first day. Probably got lost in the translation.”

“What happened?” Linnet wasn’t leaving without a full accounting.

Mel filled her in but left out the terrorizing fear she’d felt when she’d been stuck under the water with the killer whales swimming around her.

The vitality leached out of Linnet and she sank onto the edge of the bed.

“I’m fine,” Mel reassured her.

“I know that. I’ve eyes in my head. Hell, girl.”