Physically, he and Lindsey were crammed into a tiny tent built for one, but mentally, he soared over the forest, careened through the valleys, gasping for breath, his heart ready to explode.
Magical, transcendent, astonishing.
Lindsey took him to heights of ecstasy and emotion he’d never experienced, equally scary and intoxicating. The closest he’d ever come to this feeling was during a free-fall parachute jump.
During those missions behind enemy lines he’d faced literal death. Right now, he sped with glee towardla petit mort.
Lindsey’s cry of pleasure reeled him back inside the tent, under the sleeping bag, his hands on her luscious skin as she convulsed around him, flinging him off the edge, his mind shattering.
Holding her as they cooled, he reluctantly pulled out and disposed of the condom, and wrapped her as tightly as she’d allow. The real world was about to creep back in, and he couldn’t shake the fear that if he let her go he’d never get to hold her again.
“I don’t want to move from this spot,” she said. “Ever.”
That made two of them.
Lindsey woke sometime in the night, still entwined with Todd’s warm body.
“Everything okay?” he asked softly, nearly invisible in the inky darkness.
“Perfect.” She snuggled closer, quickly growing attached to the extreme intimacy of being half naked in the dark in the middle of the wilderness with only him. “I’m not sure what woke me up.”
“My watch alarm went off.” He planted a soft kiss on her forehead.
“Oh.” She came fully awake then. As much as she might want to lie here forever, Megan waited. “Thank you for remembering to set one.”
He switched on the red-filtered headlamp he’d hung from a hook above his head. It gave off enough of a glow that they could find their clothing and awkwardly help each other dress while shivering under the covers. He skipped the shirt he’d used for cleanup the night before and donned a long-sleeved technical tee and his parka.
Once he had his boots on, he moved into the vestibule and unzipped the outer flap. “Whoa, shit.” He pulled back, closed the doorway, and began punching the fabric walls.
“What’s wrong?” Lindsey asked, poking her head into the small space. Kneeling behind him, she pressed close and encircled his shoulders, just that simple touch spiking her blood.
He sighed. “It looks like we got at least six inches of snow overnight,” Todd said, squeezing her cold hand. How was he always so warm? “We can dig out enough to take care of business and clear a space to prepare our meals, but we don’t have the gear to hike through this without risking frostbite. Not to mention how unsafe it is if we can’t see the trail.”
Dismay pushed the breath from her lips. “We’re trapped?” Her body froze from the inside out.
He turned in the tiny space and wrapped her in his strong arms. “If you want to go back to town, we could probably make it, but I’m not comfortable taking you further into the mountains in this. Especially when we have to find a new way to get to the compound. That’s how people die.”
“And so Megan has to wait another day.”
Shifting back, he held her shoulders, his face barely visible in the red light from the main tent compartment. “I’m sorry. But we have no idea if she’s even there, or what her condition is.”
“You mean she might already be dead.” Lindsey’s throat ached.
He sighed. “I hope not, but it’s a possibility you need to prepare for.”
Not a chance. “I’ll deal with it if I have to, but for now, I’d prefer to assume she’s still alive.”
“Fair enough, but I have to go with what I know for sure.” His voice hardened. “You’re here, safe, with me, and your continued safety takes precedence over rescuing someone who may or may not be where we think, and may or may not be alive.”
Lindsey felt like the rope in a game of tug-of-war. Half of her was ready to march out after Meg the minute the sun emerged and damn the consequences. The other half wanted to hide away in the tent with Todd until the snow melted. Or forever.
Guilt gnawed at her insides. Both choices had potentially deadly consequences for people she cared about. Todd had quickly infiltrated her heart, and she couldn’t put him at more risk to rescue a woman he didn’t know, who might not even be at their destination. But how could Lindsey live with herself if she didn’t try to get to her friend?
“What time is it?” she asked.
His oversized sport watch lit up, briefly illuminating his wrist and casting a faint glow across the hollows of his cheeks and the darkened beard that clung to his jaw. In the dark, she’d forgotten his hair was no longer red. “A little after five-thirty. Dawn won’t break for another hour.”
“Let’s go out and see how it looks. The weather’s been warm up until now. Maybe the snow will start to melt once the sun rises.”
