Nate didn’t mean to sound unappreciative, but it wasn’t easy, coming to terms with the reality they could finally see as Alex slowly flashed the small beam around the huge cavern. It revealed tumbled piles of rock and broken support beams, boldly emphasizing the terrible darkness and the extent of their prison.
Nate grabbed her free hand and the two of them stumbled across the uneven floor to the massive pile of rocks and dirt that completely filled the narrow entrance. Miniature avalanches of pebbles and sand continued an intermittent cascade to the floor.
“The shots from that jerk’s rifle must have dislodged the big rock I was on over the entrance.” Nate gripped Alex’s hand tightly, as much for his own peace of mind as for hers.
“It looks like he brought the whole mountain down.” Her voice sounded small to Nate, like a child about to cry.
He tugged lightly at her hand, pulling her into his arms. She went into his embrace without hesitation, and they clung to one another. No words, nothing beyond the comfort of two warm bodies holding each other close. He needed her touch, hoped she needed his as much, and with that thought Nate hoped like hell he could hold it together.
He wouldn’t lie to her. He wasn’t about to tell her everything was going to be fine. There was no point in his trying to brazen through the situation. Maybe, if they worked together, there was a slim chance they could get through this, but right now it felt like a damned slim chance.
He took the small flashlight out of Alex’s fingers, shut it off to conserve the batteries, then hugged her again.
She was trembling, her entire body shaking against him, and he was so aware of her heat, the life in her as she molded herself close to him. He rubbed one hand up and down her spine, calming her as he would a small child, and as he soothed Alex his own fears eased as well.
But he certainly wasn’t calm.
Alex Martin was most definitely not a small child, and Nate’s response was very much that of an adult male to an attractive woman. She pressed herself against him, her hands moving across his back, over his shoulders until she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck in the cloying darkness. Her fingers tangled in his long hair. He groaned, forgetting his bruises, cupping the roundness of her buttocks and pulling her against his painfully aroused cock.
She was molten wax, flowing into and over all the crevices and angles and lines of him, and when he searched for her mouth in the darkness, it seemed perfectly natural that her face would be turned to his, her lips slightly parted to receive him.
Alex expected the firm pressure of his mouth against hers, but instead she felt merely a slight flick of his tongue across her lips. She parted them more, inviting him in. Gently, he tasted the soft inner flesh of her mouth, running his tongue along the edges of her teeth, until she drew him in further, a mating of tongues and mouths and breath.
His scent excited her. He smelled of sweat and dust and the tang of fear, a fear he hadn’t tried to hide. She admired that, the fact he wasn’t blustering about how they’d get out, how everything was going to be just fine. No, instead he surrounded her with his body, and—as much as she hated to admit it, even now—his strength, protecting her, but not lying to her.
Not lying at all.
His gentleness—his honesty—was her undoing. Alex felt her hard-won control slipping away, abandoning her to desire. Leaving her stranded here in the darkness with her hands sliding beneath the loosened tail of his shirt, touching warm, male skin, stroking the long, lean muscles of his back. She pressed her hips against his, felt the length and strength of his erection, the arousal and mind-numbing tension that vibrated between them.
She wanted Nate to hold her forever.
She didn’t want to need him, didn’t want this.
But she did. More than anything else, she did.
Breathing heavily, Nate gently pulled away and rested his forehead against Alex’s. Finally, he chuckled, a rumble she felt deep in her chest, as if the sound had been her own.
“Oh, what you do to me, lady.” He rolled his forehead gently against hers, then kissed her, chastely, on her temple. “This isn’t going to get us out of here.”
She draped her arms lightly over his shoulders, unaccountably relieved by his control. At the same time, why was she just as angry that he had been the one who’d managed control when she’d been lost in need?
But that was her problem, not Nate’s. “No.” She drew the word out on a long breath, like a sigh. “But I’m not nearly as scared of the dark now, either.” She smiled against his throat, her lips turning the smile into a light kiss. “Got any other ideas, Professor?”
“All kinds of ideas, Ms. Martin, but not a one of them’s going to get us out of this damned cave.”
Chapter 8
“I’ll get us out of here, Alex. I promise.” Her body was a warm presence beside him, a welcome contrast to the cold stone against his back. How long had they been sitting here?
How in the hell was he going to keep his promise? “Somehow, I’ll get us out of here.”
Would saying it over and over make it happen?
“I know.”
“I mean it. We’ll find a way out.”
“I know we will. I’m not afraid.”
Well, I am!
But he ran his fingers down her soft cheek and said, “I promise. I’ll figure something out. Just give me a minute.”
“Who are you trying to convince, Nathan? Me or you?”
Valid observation, sweetheart.
He wished he could see her face, mere inches away but lost completely in the endless night of the cave. Her voice was its usual deep timbre, no fearful quaver betrayed it. She sounded perfectly at ease, sitting here on the floor of the cave so close to Nate he felt her warm imprint from knee to hip to shoulder.
He had a sinking feeling she was laughing at him, that her clear blue eyes held an extra twinkle at his expense. Damn it, didn’t she realize they could die in here? What right did she have to sit there sounding so complacent?
“I don’t know what to do!”
The silence was as absolute as the darkness.
Oh, crap.
Embarrassed, he took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I shouted.” He bowed his head, ashamed. “I have absolutely no idea how we’re going to get out of here.” He felt Alex go rigid beside him. Frustrated, Nate scooted away, denying himself contact with her warmth.
Alex felt the rigid control she’d been forcing for the past half hour begin to shred. How dare Nate be afraid! She was cold where his body no longer touched hers. She knew if she tried to say anything, anything at all, the frayed thread of sanity that held her together would be lost.
She sensed Nate, but when she tried to see him she looked into a great black hole . . . darkness in whatever direction she faced. God, how she hated the dark.
His voice, coming from scant inches away, startled her. “Have you got any brilliant ideas?”
“Your sarcasm isn’t very becoming, Doctor.” She wanted him back, that honest, caring man who’d kept his arm around her shoulders. He’d helped her hold terror at bay. Had anchored her when she felt as if she might fly apart, her mind and body scattering into a million pieces.
Then he destroyed any sense that he actually cared for her at all when he softly, without intonation said, “Well, this whole damned thing was your idea, remember?”
“My idea? My idea?” Her voice cracked and her ragged shout echoed in the darkness.
For the first time since the cave-in, Nate felt Alex’s underlying hysteria. She was afraid. She just hid it better than he did. And to think he’d been baiting her! Nate opened his mouth to apologize but she cut him off.
“As I recall, Dr. Murdock, you were the one who knew where the mine was. You were the one who fell off the damned rock and got caught by the bad guys. And . . .”
He heard her get up, knew she was standing now, unseen, but he could picture her facing him, hands on hips, eyes glittering.
“You wanted to be the boss.”
He felt a swish of air as she turned away.
“So, boss, make a decision,” she whispered. “Get us out of here. You promised, remember?” The last words came out on a sob and all the tension left Nate.
“But if you can’t do it, you’re fired. Okay?”
Her broken whisper painted the truth in big, stark letters. She was absolutely terrified and he felt like an idiot. She wasn’t laughing at him at all. “Alex, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. C’mere, okay, sweetheart?”
“I’m not your sweetheart.” She sniffed, and Nate reached into his pocket for a handkerchief. He tried to find her in the darkness and turned in the direction of her quiet sobbing.
Something soft, lumpy and twisted caught his foot. He yelled out as he went down, sprawling in the dust.
“Nate? What happened? Where are you?”
“Here. I’m okay. Just a minute. Let me get the light.” The narrow beam from the tiny penlight was a small beacon leading Alex to Nate. Once she reached him, he directed the light at the pile of equipment that had snared him. All of their climbing gear and a couple of smaller bags left behind by the three smugglers.
“How come we didn’t see this before?” Alex was already digging through one of her bags.
“It was over here against the wall in the shadows. How could I have forgotten about this stuff? There’s no way they could have fit it in that little helicopter. It’s too small a craft,” Nate said, pulling the last of the ropes from around his feet.
Suddenly the cavern lit up with the brilliant beam of Alex’s compact halogen flashlight. “Sure beats the heck out of this little thing!” Nate flicked the miniature light off and put it back in his shirt pocket. He grabbed another bag. “What have we got here?” He moved closer to the beam of light and began to search the nylon pockets.
“It’s a veritable supermarket.” Alex held up one hand filled with wrapped packages. “Look. Extra energy bars, there’s a hammer, water bottles, matches . . .” She smiled up at him, her face ghostly in the brilliant beam from the flashlight.
Nate could see the dried tracks of tears in the dust on her cheeks, but her eyes were sparkling. Her smile touched him, a tangible warmth that flowed over him like smooth syrup. His vertigo returned when he shook his head to clear the sudden image of Alex, and the visual of her went swirling around and through him. He paused a minute to get his bearings, then turned his attention back to the bulky pack.
“Same here. I’ve got granola and dried fruit and enough rope to hang myself.” He looked up at her, then took a deep breath. “I really am sorry, Alex. I didn’t mean to yell.” God, how he hated to apologize. His ex-wife had always made such a big deal out of his admitting the errors of his ways.
Every error, in great detail.
“I’m sorry, too. I was so scared. I’ve always been afraid of the dark. Of tight spaces. Dark, tight spaces . . .” She ran her finger across her throat in a slashing motion. “Not good.”
Nate looked down at the flashlight in her hand. He hated what he had to tell her.
She beat him to it. “I know.” She sighed. “We have to conserve the batteries. I’ll turn it off.”
“We’ve got matches. Let’s see if enough of the timbers have splintered to give us some kindling. Hold the light for me.”
Nate built a neat little teepee of sticks and scraps. He carefully shredded some clean tissues and placed them under the pieces of wood while Alex focused the flashlight on the fragile pile.
The first match Nate struck blew out, and he eyed the remaining half dozen dubiously. Cupping his hands around the next one as soon as it caught, he held it against the tissue, then breathed a sigh of relief when the paper began to burn.
Finally, with a tiny spurt of energy, the small pile of sticks sparked. Once he had a steady flame going, Nate added more wood. Within moments the interior of the cavern was alight with a soft orange glow that repelled the darkness. Together he and Alex watched the smoke as it swirled up against the ceiling before disappearing into the gloom.
Nate sat back against the cave wall, fighting the dizziness and nausea that returned whenever he moved too quickly. He was tired, but almost afraid to fall asleep because of his head injury. He needed to stay alert for Alex’s sake as well as his own.
“How long do you think we’ve been in here? Any idea what time it is?” Alex’s voice sounded calm, but again Nate sensed her fear. She was trying so hard to be brave, to stay in control.
Nate grunted. Just their luck. “Don’t you wear a watch either?” He chuckled and shook his head. “I have absolutely no idea. A couple hours, maybe.” He studied the stone walls around them, noticing the tiny bits of quartz in the surface that shimmered in the reflected light from the fire.
They looked like tiny flickering stars.
“It’s probably getting dark outside,” he said. He looked at Alex, and once again the gravity of their situation slammed into him. She sat a few inches away—so very close—with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Nate thought she looked as if she were holding herself together, quite literally, to keep from flying into a million tiny pieces.
He had to hold it together, if only for her. “My stomach tells me it’s at least dinnertime,” he said, thankful for the laugh when Alex’s stomach answered him with a long, low growl.
He reached into the pack and found some dried fruit and a couple of energy bars. “This will have to sub for steak and potatoes. I think the cook has the night off.”
“I don’t usually eat red meat.” Alex looked downright smug when she added, “Right now I could probably eat the cook. Hand me that bar.” Again, she laughed when Nate backed away in mock fear.
They sat together in companionable silence, munching on their energy bars and fruit, savoring each sticky bite. Nate stared at the smoke swirling against the stone ceiling, an idea nagging just beyond conscious thought.
“I didn’t think mines had stalactites.” Alex’s statement broke the silence. “Don’t they take thousands of years to form?”
“I noticed that earlier.” Nate finished the last bite of his energy bar, then stood, groaning in pain and holding one hand against the wall for balance. His head hurt and his ribs ached where Ed’s boot had found its mark. The ends of his fingers were raw from sliding off the rock, and his shoulders felt wrenched out of place.
“I never thought of research as a contact sport, but I feel worse right now than I used to after a football game.” He glanced at Alex and caught her looking at him. He wondered what she was thinking.
“You played football?”
“Yeah,” he said, walking around the cavern, staring at the unusual rock formations. “In college. With Roger Dalton. That’s how we know each other.”
“You look the part. You’re both big men.”
“Uh-huh.” Concentrating on the cavern, he stopped beneath the wax-like formations hanging from the ceiling along one side. “You’re right. These take a long time to form.” He turned and smiled at Alex. “Now, if your question was about a specific Native American basket design, I could tell you all kinds of things, but I think I must have skipped ‘stalactite 101.’”
“You and me both.” Alex stood and walked across the cavern to stand beside Nate. “I’ve seen some fantastic formations in caves before, though. On assignments with my father. I know they’re caused by water dripping from the ceiling, carrying tiny amounts of minerals and depositing them. It’s a long, slow process.”
Nate was paying attention, but at the same time his gaze wandered beyond Alex, following the smoke from the fire. An idea was forming, swirling through his mind much the way the smoke drifted and swirled along the ceiling. He just wished his mind was clearer. It was so difficult to organize his thoughts.
He walked out into the center of the huge cavern, away from the fire, licked his forefinger and held it in the air.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Alex started across the room, but Nate motioned to her to stand still.
“Don’t move. I don’t want you to disturb the air currents.”
“I don’t get it,” was all she said, but she stood very still, watching Nate.
“The smoke, Alex. Don’t you see? It’s got to go somewhere or we’d both be choking right now. That means there’s an opening someplace big enough to create a draft. It’s drawing the smoke outside.” He moistened his finger again, turning slowly to face the far end of the cavern. “There’s a definite draft coming from that direction.” He pointed into the darkness. “This cave probably goes deep into the mountain. We need to follow the air currents, Alex. Maybe find an opening where we can get out.”
He heard her sharp intake of breath. Then her questions, one after the other, bursting out without pause.
“What about Roger? Won’t he come looking for us? Don’t you think we should wait here? We could end up wandering for days and never get out. That’s not safe. Do you think it’s safe?”
When he didn’t answer directly, she fell quiet and stared into the black nothingness beyond the glow of the fire.
Somehow, he had to convince her. Break through the terror she was trying so hard to control, but how to convince her that staying here was tantamount to asking for a slow death?
“Roger may not come looking for us for a couple of days. I left a note on the tree telling him we were checking up on a possible drug smuggling operation, but I didn’t leave any explicit details. Besides, there’s no reason for him to search here. He won’t have any idea where to look for us.”
He stared into the darkness, watching the direction the smoke appeared to flow. Then he turned to Alex. Illuminated in the flickering glow from the fire, her Mayan features seemed even more pronounced. It was easy to picture her here in this cave thousands of years ago, looking much as she did now with her long hair falling down her back and the proud tilt of her head.
The image seared itself into his mind, a brief flash of preternatural power, and then it was just Alex standing there, watching him. Waiting to see what he was going to say.
“There are small rock falls along these cliffs all the time. Roger won’t see anything remiss just because there’s a new pile of rubble. There’s nothing that would make him decide to move tons of rock to look for us. He might think we were kidnapped by the smugglers, but I can’t imagine him knowing to look in a caved-in mine for us.”
Nate sensed Alex’s fear, her unwillingness to venture deeper into the cave, and he ached for her. He couldn’t force her to trust him. This was a decision she’d have to make on her own. He was well aware of the battle going on inside and agonized over her inner struggle, but this had to be Alex’s decision.
She stared at the fire, then at Nate. She looked exhausted, her energy obviously spent. It had been a long day, one that was both physically and emotionally draining.
“Can we rest first?”
She sounded so sad, like a little kid lost. Nate fought an impulse to gather her up in his arms, to hold her and make everything all right.