breath.
Beads of sweat trickled down her back and between her breasts. Several times she wiped perspiration from her forehead with the back of her hand. He didn’t even look like he had broken out in a sweat, damn him.
Was this a race or something?
60
Desert of the Damned
“This is a little out of our way but I’d like to take you up on this one trail to show you the view. It’s…well, you’ve got to see it for yourself. Then we’ll stop for lunch.”
“Lunch sounds good,” she said, doing a poor job of not huffing and puffing. She really needed to get back into shape.
His face lit up as he glanced back at her. “You okay back there? Need a break?”
“No, I’m fine.” Her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest and her lungs ached but she didn’t want to admit it.
“Keep drinking water or you’ll get dehydrated.”
She took a swig of water and slipped the bottle back in its carrier and took a few deep breaths before speaking, hoping not to sound winded. “How far?” She resisted the urge to say, “Aren’t we there yet?”
“Not very.” Glancing back at her again, he slowed down and smiled. Maybe he finally realized she’d reached her physical limit but wouldn’t admit it. “It’s a little steep here. Give me your hand.” She took it and he half pulled her up the narrow path covered with loose fine gravel. Her boots slipped and he grabbed her by her waistband to keep her from going down to her knees.
“Thanks, I’m not much of a mountain goat,” she said, laughing.
“No worries, it’s a bad spot. The view is worth the climb.”
At the top, he released her and grinned like a boy with a new bicycle. “What do you think?”
She turned ‘round in a complete circle and whistled. “Oh my.” From this viewpoint she couldn’t see any houses or signs of civilization in any directions. “It’s like we stepped back into the Old West.”
He smiled. “So how long have you lived here? I can hear the slight Southern twang in your accent.”
“It slips out now and then. I moved here eight months ago when my company merged the labs.”
“Quite a change.”
“Arizona is not Florida.”
He must have noticed her hesitation because he asked, “You miss Florida, don’t you? Why did you leave?”
“I couldn’t find another job before my company offered the transfer, and the pay increase was good. I thought I’d give it a shot.”
He glanced back over his shoulder at her and the serious look he gave her sent a heat wave undulating through her body. Images came to mind of the two of them curled up naked on Dante’s Indian blanket making love in all the ways that Dante hadn’t. It had been so long since she felt a man filling her, thrusting inside her. Amy blinked the images away and sucked in a deep breath.
61
Kathy Kulig
“That must have been hard for you to move away from your friends and family. I’m sure you miss them.” He didn’t give her a chance to respond, just pointed to a large flat rock for her to sit on as he slipped off his backpack. “We can stop here.”
She wriggled out of her backpack, dropping it beside the rock. When she sat, she tried massaging the ache and stiffness from her fatigued muscles. She wondered if she would be able to get up after lunch. “Great, I’m getting hungry.”
“You’re going back,” he said, more as a statement, not a question.
If she was planning to leave Arizona why should she get interested in this man?
And why not tell him right off? “I’ve put in for a management position.” She glanced at him but saw no response. Just as well.
“I know I couldn’t leave the Sonora Desert,” he said, “not only for me but I keep and eye on my grandfather. He’ll never leave. Hope the job works out for you. You need to find a place you can call home.”
His words sent a little thrill through her. How long had it been since she met a man who cared anything about another’s well-being? And he was considering hers
Beads of sweat trickled down her back and between her breasts. Several times she wiped perspiration from her forehead with the back of her hand. He didn’t even look like he had broken out in a sweat, damn him.
Was this a race or something?
60
Desert of the Damned
“This is a little out of our way but I’d like to take you up on this one trail to show you the view. It’s…well, you’ve got to see it for yourself. Then we’ll stop for lunch.”
“Lunch sounds good,” she said, doing a poor job of not huffing and puffing. She really needed to get back into shape.
His face lit up as he glanced back at her. “You okay back there? Need a break?”
“No, I’m fine.” Her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest and her lungs ached but she didn’t want to admit it.
“Keep drinking water or you’ll get dehydrated.”
She took a swig of water and slipped the bottle back in its carrier and took a few deep breaths before speaking, hoping not to sound winded. “How far?” She resisted the urge to say, “Aren’t we there yet?”
“Not very.” Glancing back at her again, he slowed down and smiled. Maybe he finally realized she’d reached her physical limit but wouldn’t admit it. “It’s a little steep here. Give me your hand.” She took it and he half pulled her up the narrow path covered with loose fine gravel. Her boots slipped and he grabbed her by her waistband to keep her from going down to her knees.
“Thanks, I’m not much of a mountain goat,” she said, laughing.
“No worries, it’s a bad spot. The view is worth the climb.”
At the top, he released her and grinned like a boy with a new bicycle. “What do you think?”
She turned ‘round in a complete circle and whistled. “Oh my.” From this viewpoint she couldn’t see any houses or signs of civilization in any directions. “It’s like we stepped back into the Old West.”
He smiled. “So how long have you lived here? I can hear the slight Southern twang in your accent.”
“It slips out now and then. I moved here eight months ago when my company merged the labs.”
“Quite a change.”
“Arizona is not Florida.”
He must have noticed her hesitation because he asked, “You miss Florida, don’t you? Why did you leave?”
“I couldn’t find another job before my company offered the transfer, and the pay increase was good. I thought I’d give it a shot.”
He glanced back over his shoulder at her and the serious look he gave her sent a heat wave undulating through her body. Images came to mind of the two of them curled up naked on Dante’s Indian blanket making love in all the ways that Dante hadn’t. It had been so long since she felt a man filling her, thrusting inside her. Amy blinked the images away and sucked in a deep breath.
61
Kathy Kulig
“That must have been hard for you to move away from your friends and family. I’m sure you miss them.” He didn’t give her a chance to respond, just pointed to a large flat rock for her to sit on as he slipped off his backpack. “We can stop here.”
She wriggled out of her backpack, dropping it beside the rock. When she sat, she tried massaging the ache and stiffness from her fatigued muscles. She wondered if she would be able to get up after lunch. “Great, I’m getting hungry.”
“You’re going back,” he said, more as a statement, not a question.
If she was planning to leave Arizona why should she get interested in this man?
And why not tell him right off? “I’ve put in for a management position.” She glanced at him but saw no response. Just as well.
“I know I couldn’t leave the Sonora Desert,” he said, “not only for me but I keep and eye on my grandfather. He’ll never leave. Hope the job works out for you. You need to find a place you can call home.”
His words sent a little thrill through her. How long had it been since she met a man who cared anything about another’s well-being? And he was considering hers
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