Maybe she should have resisted, especially the way he’d been acting yesterday and today. But she was so cold.
She snuggled into his chest. He wrapped those warm, strong arms around her, and his body heat seeped into her, chasing away the chill little by little. She sank into the steady rise and fall of his breathing, the thud of his heartbeat.
For a moment, the only sounds were the drumming of rain outside and the soft rustle of their clothing as he eased back against the rock wall behind him, bringing her along.
Mandie closed her eyes, savoring the closeness, the respite from the tension that had stretched between them.
Enoch’s hand rubbed up and down her arm, almost absently, as if he’d forgotten he was doing it. The rough calluses on hispalm and fingers tugged the damp fabric of her sleeve, sending a shiver through her that had nothing to do with the cold.
“I’m sorry,” Enoch spoke abruptly, his voice a low rumble that she felt as much as heard. “For how I’ve acted lately.”
Mandie tilted her head to look up at him. In the dim light, his face above his beard was all angles and shadows, his blue eyes nearly black. “What do you mean?”
He exhaled, his breath ruffling her hair. “I’ve been…distant. It’s not fair to you.”
She bit her lip, considering her words. “Is it…because of the kiss?”
Enoch tensed, his arm tightening around her. For a moment, she thought he wouldn’t answer. Then, “Yes.”
Her heart sank. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have?—”
“No.” He cut her off, his voice rough. “Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault.”
Mandie frowned. “Then why...?”
He was silent for so long, it didn’t seem he would respond. “I don’t know how to do this, Mandie.”
Her insides tightened. “How to do?—”
A sound broke through her words.
A low growl, somewhere back in the cave. Was that…?
Enoch stiffened, his hand going still on her arm. He eased his head toward the sound.
His grip on her tightened, and she turned to see what he’d seen.
At first, she could make out nothing in the darkness of the cave depths. Then two glowing eyes came clear.
They moved, and she caught the shadows of a head.
A cougar?
Her pulse thundered, her mind swimming for what to do. Would it attack? Did they have a weapon?
Enoch eased her sideways, moving out from between her and the wall. “When I say to, run for the entrance.” His words came out barely more than a breath.
What was he going to do?
The animal padded forward a step, toward the daylight of the cave entrance, though it never seemed to take its eyes off them. She could see it better now, the grayish fur and the swinging tail.
Enoch shifted, reaching for his belt. The glint of a knife blade caught Mandie’s eye.
He’d come armed, thank the Lord. But a knife against a cougar? Even without the burns on his back, it wasn’t a fair fight.
The animal crept a step toward them, muscles rippling beneath its sleek coat. Its ears flattened against its skull.
“Get ready.” Enoch breathed the words, his body coiled tight as a spring.
