The Minister's Maid (5 page)

Or was it?

A familiar marking up ahead on the right wall of the tunnel briefly flashed in his vision as the light from the torch moved over it. Automatically looking down and left, he saw the pitch black opening at the base of the wall behind a couple of large boulders. The opening was no more than two feet high and four feet wide. It would be a tight fit, but the opening dropped into a small ledge that was hidden from view, and there was a narrow path along the cavern wall that came out in a tunnel about a hundred yards away. If he and Betsy could just drop through that hole and stay quiet, Derek would never know what happened to them.

Unless he'd explored that niche too.

If it was just him, he'd risk it. But the ledge was narrow, and when he and Harley had been exploring they hadn't been able to see any kind of bottom beneath. If Betsy fell...

Looking up, he frowned when he saw Derek several yards ahead with the flashlight, but no Betsy. He searched with his eyes and started to move forward when small, strong fingers grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the crevasse. When he looked down, she held a finger to her lips just before she lowered herself to the ground and slipped inside, motioning for him to follow. He hurried behind her, blood pumping fast as she disappeared below the ledge.

Thankful to feel her beside him in the absolute blackness, he held her back when she would have moved. Feeling with his free hand until he found her face, he bent to whisper as loud as he dared.

"Don't move. Our best chance is to just stay still, and quiet."

She nodded against his hand, leaning close. He put his arm around her, marveling at how perfect she felt snuggled up against his body, even given the circumstances.

Overhead, the quick scuffle of boots in the dirt and a string of curses echoed off the tunnel walls.

* * *

Ian's heartbeat was loud in Betsy's left ear as she laid her head on his chest. Above them, Derek raged, yelling expletives and threats that she knew he'd make good on if he found them. Every muscle in her body wanted to run, to get as far away from him as she could, but Ian's arm around her shoulders anchored her to him, leaving her little choice. Even whispers might carry out of the narrow opening they'd come through, giving their position away. She just hoped Ian knew what he was doing.

Finally Derek grew quiet, and Betsy shivered against Ian's body, grateful for the gentle squeeze of his arm. At least when Derek was yelling, they knew where he was.

A beam of light flared above them, occasionally illuminating a natural rock formation, but mostly just disappearing into darkness. Then a handful of rocks and dirt flew out from the opening, missing the ledge and falling into nothingness. A curse, and then the light disappeared as footsteps scuffled away from the opening. Betsy let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"I hope you're dead, but if I find you, bitch, you're going to wish you were. And that's a promise." Derek's voice rang strong, echoing in the open space. When it finally faded away, she listened, the silence complete save Ian's steady heartbeat in her ear.

A couple of minutes passed, and she tried to pull away, but Ian held her still. He leaned down, his lips caressing her ear as he spoke so softly even she could barely hear him.

"It could be a ploy," he said, his hot breath tickling her skin. "We need to stay still for a little while longer. Just to be sure. Can you do that?"

She tilted her head up enough to put her lips in the vicinity of where his might be. "I could be persuaded," she whispered, closing the distance and thanking her lucky stars when her kiss landed square on his mouth. He didn't hesitate, just opened for her and then she was lost in warm, wet, honeyed sensations as her tongue met and mingled with his. Her body tingled, her nipples burned, and she shifted her legs, trying to find relief from the aching want between them.

Then her whole body was shifting, sliding, and she grasped Ian's arms with both hands as gravity beckoned her over the lip of the rock.

"Ian, I'm...oh my god. Don't let go!" Fear and adrenaline shot through her veins, and instinctively she kicked her legs, stifling a scream when it just pulled her farther down.

"Shh..." Ian said, his strong fingers locking around her arms and pulling her back from the brink. "It's okay. I've got you." He gave another good tug, and she experienced a moment of weightlessness before she found herself sprawled across Ian's lap. The relief was overwhelming, considering the stories Harley had told her about the black holes he and Ian had found deep in the caves. If she'd fallen over the edge, no one would even hear her scream when she hit the bottom

Knowing only that she had to celebrate life, she felt her way up Ian's shirt to his neck, grabbed him and pulled his head down to hers for another soul-searing kiss.

Chapter 5

Ian tried to pull back, but Betsy held his head down with her hands at the back of his neck. She kissed and nuzzled his lips, tired of being put off. She wanted...needed to feel him inside her. She knew it wasn't smart, considering where they were, but she was tired of being careful. She wanted hot, fast and reckless, dammit.

"Betsy..." Ian whispered against her lips, pulling harder against her hold now. "It's not safe." She licked his lips, and he instinctively met her tongue with his own. "Stop," he said, even as he nibbled the lower lip she offered. His left arm still wrapped tightly around her back, his right hand slid down her side, his thumb brushing over her breast and across her nipple before continuing on to caress her hip. She shifted a little, careful to stay within the safety of his lap, letting her legs fall open. Ian took the hint, his fingers moving between her legs, flitting over her denim-covered mound.

Betsy moaned quietly into his mouth, lifting her pelvis against his hand to ask for more. Then he was undoing her jeans and his cold fingers slid inside, quickly finding her too-sensitive center and circling the tender nub.

"Oh god, Ian...more," she said as he nibbled at her neck. One long finger slid into her moist core, and she nearly cried out at the heady sensation. "Yes...yes...oh god, yes!"

He thrust in and out, each movement bringing his palm across her clit and bringing her closer to completion. Her hands balled up in his shirt she held on tight, riding his hand as much as she dared while he nibbled at her neck and shoulder. One more flick of the thumb and her world exploded, his mouth covering hers just in time to capture the cry she couldn't manage to hold back.

Slowly he extricated himself from her pants, and she felt...empty as she caught her breath and managed to fasten her jeans. She lay there quietly in his arms, letting her breathing slow and wondering what was supposed to happen next.

"I think it's safe to assume Derek's gone," Ian said, his voice rough and low. "We should probably go back up and continue through the tunnels. The ledge down here is slippery, and if one of us fell..."

Betsy nodded even though he couldn't see her, carefully pushing herself up to a sitting position beside him. "Okay," she said, not trusting her dry throat with more, and disappointed that he seemed to have no comment about what they'd just shared. Then again, she wasn't sure what she wanted him to say. So perhaps it was better to just pretend it hadn't happened. For now.

"How are we going to get back up there?" she asked, frowning in the darkness. "I didn't really pay attention to how I got down here, just made sure I swung in close to the wall and held on, like Harley told me to when he told me about the caverns. And without a light, I'm not sure how we even know which way to go."

"I know the way," Ian said, shuffling around beside her. "And we can use my cell phone for light when we need it." She felt the air stir around them, fairly certain that he'd gotten to his feet. "Reach up and feel for my hand." She waved her hand in the air, slowly, until finally her fingers contacted his.

Feeling for the wall at her back with the other hand, she let him pull her up, careful to keep her balance. He tugged her forward, and she followed with small steps, all too aware of the irony. "The blind leading the blind," she murmured, keeping her other hand on the wall for orientation. Ian stopped and so did she, relieved when he turned on his cell and pointed it away from them.

For a minute.

"Oh my god," Betsy breathed, looking out into the open expanse of nothingness that Ian's cell phone illuminated. There was just enough of the cave wall in one side of the beam to give a sort of orientation, but Ian's foot was balanced just barely on the ledge. One more step to the right, and he would have fallen off into space.

"Don't look out there. Look up here."

She forced herself to raise her head as he moved the light to reveal more of the wall. The texture in the rock almost looked like footholds, and Ian held out his hand to her, beckoning. She shook her head, positive there was no way she could scale that wall.

"We should go the other way," she said, refusing to look at him. "There's nothing to grab, no way to get back up."

A touch on her arm made her twitch, but she finally looked at him, expecting condescension or worse, amusement. But he only nodded, holding the phone out for her to take.

"The other way is worse, trust me," he said, pressing the phone into her hand when she didn't immediately take it. "I'll climb up, I've done it before. Then I can pull you up."

Every muscle in her body wanted to stop him, and she felt tears building up in her eyes. "No, you can't. You'll--"

"Stop." The word wasn't a request, but a command issued in a tone of voice she hadn't heard from Ian. It was strangely comforting, and if she were completely honest, a little arousing too. Realizing he was still speaking, she forced herself to pay attention.

"I'm going up. Hold the light just above me, like so." He took her hand and repositioned it to light the area he'd indicated. "As long as you keep the light just above me, I'll be fine. Stay close to the wall and don't let go."

He moved to the wall and reached over his head, his fingers latching onto a piece of rock. Betsy trembled as she watched him pull himself up, carefully placing one foot, then the other on the wall and finally starting to climb. She moved the light as he'd told her, keeping it just above him as he hugged the face of the wall, and then his arm disappeared to the side and he pulled himself onto the ledge above.

Playing the light on the underside, she was relieved when his head appeared above her.

"Go to the ladder, Bets...hold your hand up as high as you can for me."

Wishing she could stop shaking, she did as he asked, holding the phone in one hand, and reaching up with the other. His long fingers came down, down over the side of the ledge, but his arm wasn't quite long enough. She could hear him breathing in the stillness, the sound almost eerie in light of what she knew he'd say next.

"You're going to have to climb to where I can reach you."

Betsy shook her head, even though she knew he couldn't see her. "I can't. Really, Ian. You know how clumsy I am. I just--"

"You can, and you will." He leaned over the side to look at her again, and she couldn't see his eyes, but she could feel the intensity of his stare. "You can do this. You don't have a choice. Put the phone down on the ground pointing up, and then take it one hold at a time. Just two steps and I should be able to reach you. We'll get out of here, and go find your treasure before Derek does. He wants you to die - you heard him. You don't want him to win, do you?"

He was right. Betsy took a deep breath, set the phone on the ground and rubbed her sweaty hands on her jeans. Grabbing a hold above her head, she pulled herself up, setting her foot on the highest step she could manage before bearing down with all of her weight. Her other hand searched for a grip and she tried to ignore the pounding of her heart as she felt along the wall, her fingers finally settling in a wide crack. One more step up, one more pull, and her hand landed in Ian's warm, sturdy palm.

More confident with his support, she found another foothold that allowed her to shimmy up beside him and half-fall into his waiting arms.

"Good job," he said, hugging her tight as he rocked her back and forth. "I knew you could do it."

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak as she waited for her heart to slow down. Cooling down, she started to shiver, unable to stop even with Ian's body surrounding her.

"We'd better get you out of here," he said, standing up and pulling her to her feet. "I'm going to boost you up, okay?"

Once they were both back in the tunnel, he took her hand and started walking. She wasn't sure which way they were headed anymore, her brain refused to cooperate in the dark as he led her around a corner and through another passage. Then he stopped, and something scraped the ground ahead of them, sending a rush of panic through her again as she squeezed his hand.

* * *

Ian squeezed Betsy's fingers as he pulled the wooden door open. "It's okay," he said quietly, pulling her forward. "There should be a flashlight just over..." he leaned to his right and found the rough wall with his hand, then followed it down to the ground. Finally his wrist bumped a hard, square object, and he smiled. "Right here. Hang on for a second - I need both hands." He pulled out of Betsy's grasp with some effort, then opened the cooler and retrieved the flashlight, thankful it was still there. Pressing the button, he illuminated the tunnel with a beam of yellow light, momentarily blinded after how long they'd been in the dark.

"How did you know which way the door was?" Betsy asked, her voice a little calmer, though still shaky. "I've lost all sense of direction down here."

Ian shrugged. "Harley and I wanted to be prepared in case we ever got stuck down here without a light. So we practice moving around in the dark. Though I'll admit this is the first time I've done it without a guide rope. Freaky." He held out his hand and she put hers in it without hesitation.