There was nothing she could do. She was stuck here. So far from home. Behind the fog, the glow of the sun was descending behind the mountains. Night was coming.
Anxiety skittered across her skin like tiny pinpricks.
Hawk had been wonderful, but what if he stopped being so nice? Men changed—they did, and she was alone with him. No one was around for miles and miles.
Slowly, she backed toward the forest as her heart set up a horrible thumping inside her ribs.
As if he’d heard her move, he glanced over his shoulder. “Kit.” One word in a quiet baritone.
She stopped. Shook her head. Pulled in a breath. Get a grip, girl. “Sorry. What?”
“Got a tent for you. Or you can sleep in the helicopter.”
“My own tent?”
He nodded, watching her carefully. His movements were slow.
What should she choose? The helicopter had a door, yet there wasn’t any flat space. The seats sure weren’t comfortable.
Hawk would be able to get inside it anyway.
No, don’t think that way. She tried to unclench her fingers. “A tent would be great. I can help put it up.”
Since the bendy, light poles threaded through long tubes on the outside of the domes, the two tents went up so easily it was ridiculous. Hawk tossed a sleeping bag and inflatable pad into each.
“You’re awfully prepared,” she said.
“I keep extras for my brothers.” He half smiled. “Never know when we might get stuck somewhere.”
Like right now, huh?
The tents weren’t that small, but— “I can see how you wouldn’t want to share with Bull.”
He snorted, then pointed to her tent. “Set up your shit.”
Leaving the door unzipped, she crawled in, inflated the pad, and laid out her sleeping bag.
Over by the stream, Hawk doused the fire before disappearing into the trees. When he returned, he handed her a small tote bag.
She peeked in to find an unopened travel toothbrush and paste, a bottle of water, several towelettes, and a flashlight. The surge of happiness made her laugh. It really was all about the little things in life. “This is awesome. Thank you.”
“Right. Come.” The half-hidden laughter in his voice was a warning.
He led her to where a strand of yellow flagging marked their dishwashing location. “This area is for cleaning up. Watch.” He showed her how to open a bear-proof container. “Leave your tote bag in the container. Garbage goes in this sack.”
Bear precautions, right. “Got it.”
Hawk patted a pile of clothing. “Wear these. Your clothes’ll go in the helicopter for the night.
“Sure, but…why?”
“Best not to sleep in clothes that were around food.” He pointed to an area farther away with red flagging. “That’s the latrine.”
Easy enough to find. “All right.”
“Clean up. I’ll hear if you yell.”
In other words, he’d be close enough to help, but far enough for privacy. “For a deadly mercenary, you’re awfully thoughtful.”
In the dim twilight, his teeth flashed in a grin. “Mako had rules about women.”
How sexist—and how reassuring.
When he walked away, she hurriedly brushed her teeth, then stripped down and did a thorough job of washing up. The towelettes’ peppermint fragrance sure beat smelling like wood smoke and sweat.
The spare clothes were obviously his. The drawstring on the sweatpants kept them up, but she had to roll the legs up. The soft t-shirt and sweatshirt were huge and still smelled faintly of laundry soap.
After she returned to the tents, Hawk took her dirty clothes to the helicopter.
Standing in front of her tent, Kit wrapped her arms around herself as she looked around. The twilight was fading into black, and the shadowy trees around the clearing were closing in. Anything could be hiding in the darkness.
A shiver ran through her.
Her tent sat right next to Hawk’s and still seemed awfully far away.
“Problem?”
She jumped. Hawk stood in front of her. He’d approached so silently. Did bears walk that quietly? Or cougars? Or…
“Can I sleep with you?” she blurted out.
He chuckled. “I’m less scary than bears?”
Looking down, she shook her head. How cowardly could she get? “Nevermi—”
“Hey. Kidding.” He touched her cheek, featherlight. “Bet you didn’t camp out as a kid.”
“No, I’m pretty much a city girl.”
“Mako had us in the woods from the day we arrived.” He leaned down, lowered his voice. “We were scared spitless.”
Her embarrassment lifted, even as she protested, “You were little boys.”
“Hardened street kids. New is scary, till you know the dangers and what to do.”
“Oh.” He was right. “Thanks.”
“And yeah, you can sleep here. There’s room.” He ducked into his tent to move his bag and pad to one side.
In a tent with him. All alone.
Yet the thought wasn’t frightening any longer. Well, not much.
She deflated her pad, then set everything back up beside his sleeping bag in his tent. Unzipping her sleeping bag partway, she scooted into it. Even through her clothing, the chill made her squeak.
Already in his own bag, he chuckled, and the sound relaxed her even more. There was no superiority or meanness in his amusement.
And he was letting her stay in his tent.
The need to show gratitude grew uncomfortable, and she raised up on an elbow and leaned over to kiss him. Her mouth had just brushed his when he gripped her shoulder with one hand.
“Not a good idea.” His low voice filled the tent.
“But—” How could she thank him?
He ran a finger down her cheek. “You need sleep, and so do I.”
Her shoulders hunched with shame. With humiliation. He didn’t want her. Didn’t want—
“If you jump me in the middle of the night, okay. Only I don’t have condoms.” His rumbled laugh stroked over her skin and eased the ugly feelings inside.
“Oh.” He was giving her a chance to settle. To think before she acted.
And he’d spoken of condoms. It felt as if her face was bright red. This talking about stuff was hard, wasn’t it? “Um. I have an implant, actually, so I can’t get…um, pregnant.”
She had it before marrying Obadiah, and avoiding an argument about not having a child right away, she’d never told him. Her wariness about discussing important matters should have been a red flag telling her not to get involved with him. Later, she learned he’d searched her medicine cabinet to make sure she wasn’t taking birth control pills. The jerk.
“I was tested for everything at the hospital.” At least the PZs hadn’t given her any STDs.
Lying on his side, looking at her, Hawk was immobile. After a second, he said in a gravelly voice, “I get checked; all good. No one since the last test.”
Oh. Were they really going to do this? She held her breath.
He shook his head. “It’s a small tent. Let’s see how you do.”
As if she were Aric’s age, he pulled her sleeping bag up over her shoulders, tucked her in, and brushed her hair out of her face.
Without a word, he settled back into his own bag.