That image flashed through her brain fast and hard. While he probably hadn’t meant the innuendo, her body didn’t catch that fact. “I can deal with danger,” she mumbled.
“You just can’t let a man take care of you, now can you?”
Even the words made her uncomfortable. “I’ve never known one to stick around long enough to try.” She wanted to ask more about the knife wound, but he probably didn’t want to share stories from the service.
“No dad?” he asked.
“Nope. Took off when I was just six, and I don’t remember him.” But she remembered her mother, who’d done her best. “We were poor, and my mom drank too much, but she loved me.” Her vulnerability felt overwhelming in her naked state. “She died of cirrhosis of the liver right before I turned twenty.”
He shifted his bulk. “I’m sorry. No husband or fiancé in your world right now?”
“Now you ask that?” she whispered, oddly comfortable, considering she sat naked in a sleeping bag with a man twice her size—straddling him. His answering smile almost softened his face. “I’ve dated some, but work has always taken precedence.” Truth be told, she’d never found a man as interesting as work. Until now. “What about you?”
It was impressive how he kept his gaze on her face and hadn’t snuck a peek at her breasts. “I fell in love with my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Wimplevat, who baked the best snickerdoodles in the entire world. No other woman has ever come close.” At her chuckle, he released the bag and settled back. “Okay. I’ve dated some and even had a fiancée once, but I guess the military always kept me moving.”
A different spurt, one that felt like jealousy—which was totally ridiculous—took her. “What happened to the fiancée?”
“She didn’t like my job and moved on with a doctor,” he said. “Last I heard, they have six kids and are doing well.”
The desire wandering through her body provided yet another ache to deal with on top of everything else. The fire crackled, and a log dropped loudly. “You’re easy to talk to.”
“Nobody has said that to me in my entire life.” He probed her temple. “Did you hit your head?”
She laughed and smacked his hand out of the way. “Seriously, though. I do owe you a thank you for saving my life.” He’d jumped right into the freezing cold to free her from the branch, endangering his life.
“My pleasure,” he rumbled. “I figured I’d get you naked at some point, but this wasn’t what I had in mind.” A playful tug on her ear accompanied his words.
She embraced the lighter topic. “Are you teasing me?”
“Yeah. Glad you’re alert enough to notice. You had me worried for a couple of minutes there.” He leaned up to check the fire behind her. Apparently appeased, he settled back down in an impressive ripple of muscle she wished she hadn’t noticed.
“I didn’t ask. Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked.
“Fine. I’ll give it another half hour and then I’ll stoke the fire again.” His body provided a strong and heated wall around her, and she’d never felt so vulnerable and out of her element.
Hypothermia suddenly became the least of her worries.
“You’re safe, Ophelia,” he said, as if reading her mind. “I promise.”
Her body relaxed, even as her mind remained alert. Maybe she should try to talk about business. The idea of that dead body in the snow flashed through her mind. The killing had appeared odd, possibly ritualistic, and Brock knew more than he said. She could tell. “What do you think killed that man? The one from EVE?” She needed to visit the EVE facility as soon as possible to figure this out.
“I don’t know,” he murmured, no longer seeming so close, yet he hadn’t moved.
She sighed. “Yeah, you do. I’ve never seen anything like it. What kind of animal would do such a thing?”
He didn’t answer.
All right. She’d pursue that question later. She had plenty more to work with. “We have nothing to do but talk. Why don’t you tell me who you think shot Hank?”
He sighed. “We have plenty to do. I’ll stoke the fire now.”
Just when she almost got through to him, he shut her out. Well, if that was how he wanted to be, she’d get practical, too. “There must be a radio in one of those bins. Shouldn’t we check in?”
He still hadn’t moved. “No radio. The batteries freeze, so it’s not worth it for the kids to stock them with the other supplies.Plus, they’re expensive, and money is tight in Knife’s Edge.” The firelight danced across his face, hinting at a wildness she’d never encountered in another person. What was it about Alaska?
“Do the kids have some sort of town job, or do they stock the huts out of duty?” she asked.
Brock grinned. “The town hires them to make a little extra money, and they do a good job.”
