Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
“Oh, my goodness. It’s huge in here.” Nora crawled inside the entrance Sebastian had crafted while she’d huddled beside the fire making sure it didn’t go out. “Come on, Chance.”
Her dog followed happily, all those years of agility paying off because he wasn’t scared of tunnels.
Sebastian had built the snow cave in three sections with a trench wide-enough for one person to stand up hunched over, running down the middle.
The highest shelf had the sleeping bags spread out on the surface, and Chance took the opportunity to make that his bed although he’d have to squeeze over soon enough.
The next level down was off to one side, and Sebastian had a small fire going with a hole poked in the roof for the smoke to vent.
There was another deep shelf on the other side holding Sebastian’s backpack and gear.
He’d piled a supply of small branches in here, too, that would keep them going for a while.
She’d left him outside arranging her clothes in a way that would hopefully enable them to dry out and not be buried forever.
The quinzhee was designed in such a way that the coldest air sank down into the trough and they’d stay warmer on the upper level. In survival circumstances, a matter of degrees could be the difference between life and death.
She wore her socks and his woolen thermals and his hat and was so grateful to be alive with all her fingers and toes.
It was more than luck, although luck had helped.
But the main reason she was alive was because Sebastian had saved her, and that made her heart give a little flutter—hopefully not A-fib—every time she thought about it.
Of course, he’d have saved anyone in that situation. She wasn’t special, but his words from earlier made her feel special.
A shiver worked its way up her spine and over her shoulders. She wasn’t totally warm yet, but she was no longer hypothermic.
It felt good to have her faculties back. Hopefully, she wouldn’t embarrass herself again.
Sebastian crawled inside. His wide shoulders brushed the sides of the entrance he’d made. He placed their multiple handguns and hiking boots in the tunnel. “I buried my rifle case beside the shelter.” He pointed to his left.
She nodded.
Hopefully, she wouldn’t need it.
He handed her a bag of something hot and fragrant with a fork sticking out of the top. Her stomach gurgled. Apparently, the near-death experience didn’t affect her appetite. Good to know.
They leaned their butts against the lower ledge on either side of the trench and ate their rations in silence. She watched him as covertly as possible, realizing how wildly attractive he was. It had taken her a while to see past the stern facade, but now…
Now, it was hard not to stare.
Finally, uncomfortable with the silence, she asked, “Did the others find any sign of Eastman or Summer today?”
She knew he’d updated Novak and knew he’d have told her if there’d been any progress, but it was a safe conversation.
He shook his head, took her garbage and fork, then poured her a drink of mint tea, which she took gratefully.
“I explained what happened here but assured everyone that you’re okay.
The others are all back at the cabin. We’ll check the gold mines first thing in the morning, and then Novak will make a decision as to where we search next. ”
“No one found anything?”
His bottomless, dark eyes locked onto hers, worry for the missing nine-year-old visible in their depths. “Nothing.”
She stared into her tea. What must that little girl be going through?
Her own abduction had been different. John Kingston had taken her to use her for as long as she’d been able to survive. He’d wanted her innocence, her fear, her compliance, and total control over her right to exist.
She forced the memory away. She hated giving Kingston space in her brain. She wanted him erased from her mind, but perhaps that’s why he was forcing himself into her dreams. There were still things she needed to deal with, and Summer’s abduction had brought them to the surface.
Eastman had presumably taken his daughter because he loved her.
It didn’t mean he wouldn’t hurt her, deliberately or otherwise.
Thankfully, there was no suggestion of sexual abuse—not that anyone outside the household might know.
But the wife had never brought that up in her divorce filings, and Nora figured she would have, had it been something she suspected.
None of that negated the fact Summer was out in the wilderness somewhere with an alleged killer at one of the most treacherous times of the year.
None of it meant the child wasn’t terrified.
Nora shuddered, and Sebastian sent her a sharp look. “Get under the covers and keep warm. I’m going to check and feed the outside fire, then we may as well try to get some sleep.”
He took out the garbage but left the thermos.
She finished the tea and reattached the lid, then lay down on the sheeting and climbed into the survival blanket.
She tried not to shiver because she didn’t want to worry Sebastian, but shivering was as involuntary as breathing and generally a good sign.
The snow cave was paradise compared to outside, where the temperature had continued to drop.
But she was still effectively inside an ice cube, and her exhaled breath frosted in the air.
Sebastian crawled back inside and fed several small branches to the fire, which crackled in the corner. There was another hole in the roof on the other side of the quinzhee, and he ran his knife around it to make sure snow hadn’t plugged it.
He hesitated beside the bed. Cleared his throat. “I think the best way to ensure we both survive the night is to climb into the survival bag together and then cover ourselves with my sleeping bag to share body heat.”
She nodded, and he pinched his lips together and stripped off his jacket and pants.
He still wore a thermal layer of underwear and socks.
She pushed the bag down around her hips, and he maneuvered inside, the two of them pulling the cover up around their shoulders.
Sebastian spread the unzipped bag over them again.
Chance curled into a ball at their feet.
Nora lay on her side trying to hold herself away from the guy. She’d embarrassed herself earlier by telling him she thought he was hot and felt self-conscious now because what she really wanted to do was press herself against him, explore that body, and feel his mouth on hers.
Definitely not appropriate.
She sucked in her lips to keep from blurting out anything stupid like, “Let’s have sex.”
Sebastian faced her and frowned. “If you aren’t comfortable with this, I can go sit outside by the fire.”
She pulled a face. “You just said you’d die out there.”
“I was exaggerating. I thought this would work, but not if you’re nervous or worried I’ll—”
“I’m not worried. I just don’t want to crowd you.”
“Crowd me? How can we not crowd one another when we’re sharing a sleeping bag?” He held her gaze. “You know you can trust me, right?”
Of course she trusted him. He’d saved her life today at great risk to himself. “It’s not that.”
“What then?”
Heat rushed into her cheeks. “Nothing.”
He eyed her blush with sudden interest. Lifted her chin when she tried to look away. “What’s really bothering you? I thought we were friends now.”
Friends? Was that what this weird churning was? She didn’t think so.
How could she admit that she was thinking about more than sharing a little body heat? She didn’t want to make this situation more uncomfortable for either of them.
“You know you can tell me anything, Nora. I mean it. I won’t tell anyone.” He was insistent.
Was that attraction in his gaze? Her eyes searched his face looking for clues.
Maybe he was thinking the same thing she was but was too much of a gentleman to act on it and needed her to make the first move because of the work dynamic.
Technically, he wasn’t her boss, but he might have convinced himself otherwise.
She knew he felt responsible for her, which she did not appreciate.
She could take care of herself… most of the time.
She made herself relax. She trusted him. She did. She just didn’t want to make a fool of herself. “What if it changes things between us?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “I won’t let it. Tell me what’s up.”
Could it be that easy? It didn’t need to be complicated. She liked sex. It had taken a lot of years and therapy, but she’d gotten there eventually. And every time she chose a lover, she felt as if she were scoring another point against the bastard who’d tried to destroy her.
She reached out a hand to touch the two-day’s growth of beard at the side of Sebastian’s mouth. Felt him tense beneath her fingers.
She didn’t do relationships. She didn’t expect forever, but she wanted one night with him. This might be their only chance.
She leaned forward and gently kissed him on the lips. She felt him hold his breath. Pulled away to see his expression but couldn’t read him. “I almost died today. It reminded me that life is short and we should make the most of it while we have the chance.”
She kissed him again, and he opened his mouth for her to slip her tongue inside to taste him. He shuddered and then trapped her hand against his chest when she went to touch him.
“Wait.” His voice was strained. “You had a traumatic day. Adrenaline can do weird things to your brain.”
“I don’t want this because of some adrenaline rush, Sebastian.
” His pupils flared a little when she said his name.
“I’m attracted to you. I want to be with you for one night.
Where no one has to know and we don’t have to worry about anything except being inside this snow cave until the blizzard stops. ”
He pressed her hand harder against him, his eyes liquid with longing. “I don’t want to do anything you might regret.”