Surviving Passion (4 page)

“A couple of days,” he answered.

Selena frowned with worry. She would have to try to lull him into thinking that she wouldn’t run, but if her act was too obvious, her chances would be ruined.

“Do you have family there?” She inquired casually.

“No.”

Selena rolled her eyes with exasperation. It seemed his conversation skills were worse than hers. Either that or he was trying to be tight-lipped.

“Dan!” she called impatiently.

“What?” he answered, halting his mount and turning about.

She took a deep breath now that his gaze was fixed upon her. “You’re right about pretty much everything you guessed about me. I’ve been alone for a long time and you know what? You are the first person I have spoken to in four years.
Four years
. Can’t you do better than one-word answers or would you rather I talked to myself?”

He seemed a little taken aback by what she’d said and studied her a while before answering.

“There are three families and a couple of young kids where I live. As for me, my mom died when I was born and my dad died about seven years ago. I have no siblings.” It seemed he had nothing more to add. “What about you?”

Selena blanched. There was no reason to lie, but she didn’t want to share information about herself with him. She would have to play by the rules of her own game, for now.

“My mother died ten years ago and my father died four years ago. I have no siblings either.”

“How did they die?” he asked.

She tried not to look bothered by fact that she was the one being scrutinized and answered with as little emotion as possible. “My mother died of cancer and my father was murdered.”

“By who?” he pressed.

Selena pursed her lips. “A few strange men wanted his supplies and they thought he was hiding something. They couldn’t beat it out of him so they killed him.”

“
Was
he hiding something?”

“Yes. Me,” she answered, almost glaring but fighting the urge. “How did your dad die?”

“Ask me another time,” came his guarded response. “Were the two of you alone?”

“Yes.”

He nodded with a look of mingled regret and disapproval before turning to continue on their course.

“What?” she demanded with annoyance.

“It’s easy for things like that to happen if you’re alone.”

“I guess that’s true,” she forced herself to say. The point was not to argue, but to make him ease his vigilance so she could slip away. As it turned out, she didn’t have long to wait.

As twilight fell, she found her opportunity for escape. They had made camp an hour before sunset, not far from a stream. The horses had drank their fill and been relieved of their burdens.

Selena sat down at the foot of a tree, leaning against its trunk. She wasn’t sure why he headed back to the river, but it was near enough that he shouldn’t think he had cause to worry. She kept her eyes on him as she crept to his pack and searched for her dagger. Within moments, she found it and returned the blade back to its rightful spot.

The light was just low enough that the shadows could conceal her; and redwood trees grew in increasing thickness along the hill, providing possible cover. The spongy duff beneath them had always been good at muffling sound. Without wasting a moment, Selena grabbed her things and crouched low, sneaking swiftly toward the denser forest. As soon as she felt she was out of earshot, she zigzagged through the woods at a good speed, trying not to disturb the ground with her footfalls.

Weaving a path up the hill as randomly as possible, she reached the top in minutes, halting at the base of one of the larger trees. Ears straining over her thumping heart in the growing darkness, she listened for his pursuit. If he managed to track her through redwood duff when she wore such soft shoes, then maybe he deserved to catch her, she thought grimly.

Minutes passed like hours and there was still no sign of him. Scanning the trees behind her one last time, she set off again, running along the top of the hill. The forest was conveniently thick around her and she chose an eastern course, hoping that if he were following it would seem an unlikely direction to choose.

Only moments later she heard something behind her to the left and paused to watch and listen. Selena prayed it was a deer as she searched the dim forest with her eyes. It wasn’t.
How the hell does he do it?
Selena thought furiously. He was running easily along the base of her hill not far behind her. A moment later, he looked up the ridge and saw her.

“Damn you,” she breathed.

At that moment, Selena pondered giving up, but she was just too scared. What if catching her set him off? Should she risk it for the chance of escape? In the course of a second, her indignity decided for her.
He has no right to do this
, she thought venomously. It stung her to realize he was a much better tracker than she was. Her perception and stealth had always been her great pride, but he had turned them into a joke. She had never resented anyone more in all her life.

Well he might catch her, Selena decided, but she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to throw everything she had into wrenching her freedom back from his grasp. All these thoughts flashed through her mind in a heartbeat before her decision was made.

She ran. She ran harder and faster than she’d ever remembered running. Down the hill she flew, taking giant bounds to cover more distance. The wind whipped her long hair behind her like a flag of defiance. She ran, unhindered by the changes of the ground. Uphill or downhill, her stamina never faltered, yet she could tell he wasn’t far behind her. She wanted to scream out her frustration. Maybe it was because she needed three strides to match one of his, maybe he was more determined, or simply the better runner, but eventually the distance between them diminished.

She was wildly desperate as the thudding sound of his feet grew louder. He was close now. Selena knew he would have her, but she simply was not capable of moving any faster.

All at once he caught her hips in his powerful hands, halting her momentum instantly. To avoid crashing into her, he spun Selena to the side and slowed himself, then hauled her firmly against the trunk of a redwood. This time she tried a blow to the throat before he caught her wrists and held them at her sides against the tree. When she kicked, he countered by pinning her hips with his own.

Selena tried to wrench out of his grasp and squirm from his hold, but as before, he pressed himself harder against her. She paused in her struggling, chest heaving as she fought to breathe through the enveloping heat that radiated from him. She leaned her head back against the tree to find cool air and clamped her eyes shut as she struggled to calm down. This would have been impossible if he was anything less than perfectly still, but for several long minutes, neither of them moved. As long as he didn’t try anything, she could discipline herself.

When she finally opened her eyes, her furious stare met Dan’s implacable gaze. It read, “I’m here. You aren’t going anywhere.” He didn’t have to say the words. He had proven it. He was inescapable as long as he chose to be. Selena knew then that she just had to accept it, no matter how much she hated it. Whatever the extent and nature of his motives, he had clearly made up his mind.

I can’t beat him,
she forced herself to admit. That familiar war erupted again inside her. Resentment and attraction tangled in response to his power, like two fighting snakes. The combination made her feel sick, especially now, when she was trapped by him like this.

It had been a long while since she had stopped struggling, yet he continued to pin her with his body and with his eyes. This knowledge began to reverse the progress she’d made with her breathing. Selena wondered again if she’d pushed him too far.

To her incredible relief, Dan finally backed up and let go of her wrists. Just when she thought the moment had passed, he placed his hands on either side of her shoulders and leaned against the tree, dropping his head to breathe and stare at the ground. Selena stood still between his arms, waiting.

When Dan looked up, he was just above eye-level with her. There was something new in the look he gave her then, but she couldn’t read it. Selena’s heart rate suffered a spike as his paralyzing gaze fell to her lips and clung there intently. In a flash, Selena remembered a time when she’d been stalked by a cougar. The fervor of its focus felt paltry in comparison. Refusing to submit, she forced her eyes to stay on him. It was probably one of the hardest things she had ever done, and it didn’t seem to be helping. Dan clenched his jaw and the tension hit a fever pitch as, almost imperceptibly, he moved in closer.

Selena began to tremble. Her heart hammered harder than ever as she fought savagely to keep still.
Anything could trigger him. Or is it already too late?

His gaze continued to linger on her mouth and the intensity became suffocating. Selena thought she might lose consciousness. It was all she could stand and finally she averted her eyes abruptly from him, turning her face away and breathing raggedly. Selena wished desperately that she could disappear. She had never felt more vulnerable than at that moment, standing there at his mercy, waiting for him to strike.

He drew away. The air around her felt infinitely lighter. She almost didn’t dare to believe it. When she finally looked up again, he was just standing there, watching her calmly in the growing darkness. She had to drop her eyes again, unable to meet his stare. Feeling lucky but undone, Selena turned back to the direction of camp, and started walking.

Three

            When dawn broke, Dan’s stirring drew Selena slowly from another surprisingly deep sleep. He stood stretching and turned to face the little river down the hill. Selena sat up and smoothed her hair, blearily trying to shake the grogginess off and wishing the night before had been less grueling. Dan turned to look down at her.

            “I’m going to get some food now. Are you going to run away?”

            She wanted to run at that moment. It was ridiculous that after years of nomadic life, solitary travel and many narrow escapes that this time she had been so easily caught. It repulsed her. Memories came flooding back, so painful and terrifying she tried to blink them away. This was not the first time she’d been held against her will. She was twelve at the time and just starting to blossom. A man in their camp had followed her into the bushes as she’d been blithely scouting for blackberries. His name was Karl. She was on guard instantly, but he tried to coax his way nearer with sickly sweet compliments until he grabbed her roughly. When her father found them, Karl had pushed her to the ground and ripped her shirt. He was trying to kiss her while she fought. He’d backed off when he was caught in the act, and fled camp for a few days. Her parents knew that his restraint would no longer hold up when he returned since his intentions were no longer a secret. Selena’s mother had explained how lucky she was that her father hadn’t found them any later. From then on, she understood how dangerous men were. Aside from her father, she hadn’t spoken to another man since her family struck out on their own. Not until now.

            Selena felt so bitter, intimidated and self-conscious that she couldn’t manage to give Dan a reply. Worse yet, a fleeting glance at his eyes proved that she was still too weak to hold his gaze.

            Mercifully, he had resumed his earlier indifference toward her. For this, she was vastly grateful, but her relief only went so far. Selena knew he could change his mind at any moment. All she could do was pray he didn’t. So far, though, it was like last night’s chase and capture had never happened.

            With no escape plan to occupy her, Selena watched Dan stride down the hill to the river. She closed her eyes and tried to think. There was no good in running. She wouldn’t attack him again, even if she could. He was too fast, more skilled. He’d win. Selena opened her eyes and stared up through the softly rustling redwood canopy above. The sky was cloudless above their webby branches and the air was already warm. If it weren’t for the fact she was a prisoner, Selena thought, she could have really enjoyed a day like this.

            Her eyes returned to the stream, sparkling with light as the sun touched it warmly. Dan had removed his shirt and stood hip-deep in the flowing water. His perfectly toned body and smooth skin made Selena’s stomach flinch and she pulled her eyes away quickly. Seeing him half-naked felt intimate, and after last night, it was too much. Selena leaned forward, tugged at her hair and breathed a long sigh.
What is wrong with me?
she wondered, feeling exasperated by the warring emotions she clearly had no ability to control. Very slowly, she peeked around the curtain of her dark hair and watched him.

            Dan stood leaning over the water with his arms submerged to the biceps. He was fishing by hand, Selena knew. She wasn’t too bad at it herself, but based on everything else she knew about him, she guessed he was better. She was right. He crouched in wait, concentrating patiently, watching them swim, then sank down with almost imperceptible slowness and pulled them from the water one by one. Selena was puzzled and no longer bothered to hide the fact that she was staring. There was no quick grab or fast movement of any kind. Now she stood and faced him, paying close attention, but when the process was repeated Selena still couldn’t understand what he was doing.

            She and her parents had used lures and snares for the most part but when fishing by hand, you had to move fast when they were in reach. Her curiosity finally overrode her caution.

            “Okay,” she breathed. With a mixture of resignation and trepidation, she started down the hill.

            He didn’t look up when she came to a stop at the edge of the bank, just far enough away not to scare the fish. The next would be his fourth catch and the first three lay flapping uselessly on the bank.

            Again, he focused on a target, followed it slowly, sank down, and pulled up another. When he flung it up the bank, Selena caught it and prevented any further suffering.