Endangered Hearts (8 page)

Her adrenalin was beginning to pump, and on she climbed, the physical labor keeping her from dwelling on the events of the previous night. She moved higher and higher into the branches. As she went up, the convenient branches got farther and farther apart, and she began having to stretch for each new handhold.

Just as she was reaching out for the next limb, there was a sharp crack, and the branch beneath her foot broke in half. In panic, she reached out to grasp the limb before her, and, after much struggle, she managed to pull herself up. She sat there for several long minutes, trying to recover her breath and calm her nerves. Her heart was beating double-time, and she had skinned her hands and knees in her fight to rescue herself.

At first, she didn't realize the precariousness of her position, grateful to be sitting on something solid, but gradually an awareness of her situation began creeping into her consciousness. Looking down, she could see that the next unbroken limb was several feet below her dangling shoes. She stretched as far down as she could without losing her balance, but she didn't even come close to touching the branch. Oh, Lord. What was she going to do now? She looked over and saw Bear dancing around chasing butterflies not too far away. Maybe—nah! No way. Dogs only rescued people in the movies.

She was an idiot to think that she could possibly get Bear to go for help. But she was feeling desperate. And she couldn't think of a single other idea for getting down. The next time she needed to take her mind off something, she'd just pig out on an entire carton of cookie dough ice cream. Right now, she didn't care if she never saw another tree in her entire life. What an idiot she was. A dunce. A nincompoop. A—whatever else. She was running out of words to describe the lunacy that had gotten her into this situation in the first place.

After several more minutes of trying to find a way down, she looked once more toward Bear, now lying on the ground several feet underneath her. “Oh, well,” she rolled her eyes at herself. “I'll try anything once.” She raised her voice and called, “Bear, Bear. Get up, boy."

Bear bounded to his feet and looked at her, his pink tongue lolling out of his mouth and his ears perked up. “Bear, sweetheart, go get help. Get Jack.” The dog just stood staring up at her and let out a loud bark. But he didn't budge from his position beneath the tree.

She tried again. “Bear, go get Jack. Bring Jack here. Jack, Bear, get Jack.” She could hear the desperation in her voice, and so, apparently, could Bear, because he began barking and moving back and forth around the base of the tree.

Out of nowhere, a clap of thunder echoed in the distance. While she had been climbing her tree and getting herself stuck, Abby had not noticed the darkening sky. But she sure noticed it now. “Oh, great. Wonderful. This is just what I need. Not only am I stuck up a tree, but now I'm going to get soaking wet, if not electrocuted.” Abby closed her eyes in exasperation. “Please, Bear, go get Jack.” Again, her only response was more barking, but this time it was much louder. The dog must have thought that this was some kind of new game, and he was participating with great enthusiasm.

She leaned her head against the tree in defeat. Unbelievable. She needed Lassie and instead she had Bozo the Clown. Here she was, stuck, with nothing but an idiot dog for companionship. She felt so frustrated she almost burst into tears. Then she felt the first drops of rain hitting her cheek. Well, shit.

Jack sat beside the pond, relaxing and pretending to fish. Kicked back and propped against a stump, he had a line dangling in the water, but he wasn't really paying much attention. He was thinking about the night he had spent with Abby. It had been so unexpected. The sex had been unbelievable. Even now, just the thought of her eyes glazing over when she climaxed had him hard and aching.

His eyes darkened as he thought of her responsive body, and he wanted to once again feel those soft lips parting beneath his demanding mouth, to breathe in her deliciously aroused scent, to taste the salty-sweet liquid that spilled from her cunt. He wanted to know all the secrets of her sweetly curved body and tempting mouth, to explore it until there was nothing hidden from him. Hell. Something was wrong with him. What was it about Abby that had him so enthralled? It almost felt like he was falling ... Whoa. Wait a minute. He couldn't even think like that. It was just possessiveness. Yes, that was it. Typical male-staking-his-territory reaction.

And lust. Pure, unadulterated lust that had him so wound up he didn't even feel a twinge of guilt over taking her last night. And Abby had enjoyed herself, if her screams of satisfaction were anything to go by. He had always been an aggressive lover, and as the years had passed his preference for sexual practices that were not quite part of the mainstream had grown. There was nothing like holding a woman down, knowing that she loved it, forcing her to accept the things that he did to her until she begged for release. And Abby had loved it, obeying his every command as if born to it. He had so many more things that he wanted to do to her. Show her. How much would she allow?

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the distant sound of barking. Looking up, he saw that the sky had turned cloudy and there was a chill to the air. The barks erupted again. Jack knew it was Bear making all the racket since he was the only dog around for miles. What the hell was he was so worked up about? That mutt had probably treed a squirrel. He stood, deciding to go investigate before it started raining. He followed the excited woofs and soon spotted the dog jumping around beneath a huge oak. Jack smiled in amusement at the retriever's antics as he leaped and danced at the foot of the tree.

Feeling a drop of rain on his hand, he realized that if he didn't hurry he would be caught in a downpour. He decided to take Bear with him back to his own cabin and keep him out of the rain. When things cleared up, he could run the dog back to Abby. He smiled briefly at the thought of seeing her again, but just as he started toward the dog, he heard a very feminine, very irritated voice coming from somewhere above his head.

"I wish you would just shut up, Bear. It's bad enough being stuck up here, without having to listen to your ridiculous yapping. How am I supposed to figure out how to get down if you won't be quiet and let me concentrate?"

In amazed disbelief, Jack moved around the tree until he had a clear view of Abby seated on a branch about midway up. With her legs swinging below her, she was shaking a finger at the dog while the other arm was wrapped tightly around the tree trunk. Her hair had escaped from a lopsided topknot, and reddish tendrils were sticking to her sweaty skin. The white tank she wore was streaked with dirt, as were the matching white shorts. She looked like she had been through a mini-disaster.

Several more drops of rain fell from the sky and the boom of thunder echoed in the distance. Jack knew that it wouldn't be long before they were caught in the midst of a real storm. Abby looked wet and uncomfortable perched in the branches of the tree. She also looked as if her temper were on a very short fuse. An intelligent man would not have provoked that temper. An intelligent man would not have shown his amusement.

Jack burst into laughter. His loud chuckles quieted the dog and drew a grateful, then embarrassed, and finally indignant look from Abby. As his laughter continued unabated for several minutes, Abby's expression became more and more irate. Her eyes shot green sparks at him and her chin tilted up.

When his laughter quieted, he moved to stand directly beneath her, attempting to suppress his amused smile but not quite succeeding. Abby stared down at him, an expression of disgust on her face. “I fail to see what is so funny."

Jack nodded. “Yes, you would."

She sniffed at that. “Are you implying that I have no sense of humor?"

He just widened his eyes, laughter dancing in their blue depths.

Abby continued. “Well, I'll have you know that you are quite wrong. In fact, I have an excellent sense of humor. However, I do not find anything even remotely amusing about this situation."

Jack just stood there with a huge grin on his face saying nothing. His eyes met hers, and, unwillingly, Abby's own lips began twitching. Soon they were both chuckling at the absurdity of the situation. As Jack peered up at her eyes sparkling with laughter, he knew that she was someone he would not be able to walk away from. Ever. No more fighting it, no more trying to reason his way out of it. It was love. He loved Abby more than he had ever thought it possible to love anyone.

The laughter died from his face. He stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. Abby's voice pierced his sudden bemusement, “Jack? Are you all right?” Jack shook himself free of his sudden insight. The rain began to fall a bit harder, and he knew that he needed to get her out of the tree as fast as possible. He would think more about their relationship later, once she was safe and sound, preferably flat on her back with his cock buried inside her.

Jack walked around the tree, examining Abby's perch. He made no comment until he had made a complete circle. “Okay, I don't even want to know how you got up there, or why. Let's just get you down before you fall.” He looked her over one more time and moved to stand below her. “All right. Just drop on down. I'll catch you.” He braced himself to catch her weight. A few seconds passed. When she didn't drop down as he'd ordered, he looked up at her and saw the disbelief etched on her face.

"What do you mean, ‘just drop on down'? Are you insane?” She tightened her grip on the tree. “No way, Jose. You go get a ladder. I'll wait right here."

Jack's brows rose. “If you think I'm leaving you here, in the rain and stuck up a tree, while I hike all the way to my cabin to bring back a ladder that will probably not even reach you, you're crazier than you look. And believe me, you look pretty damn crazy right now, woman.” He brushed back his hair, which was getting wetter and wetter as the rain came down now in a steady drizzle. Bear crossed over to stand by his leg, and he reached down to rub his head in an absent-minded gesture, his attention fully focused on the woman dangling above him. “You've got two choices.” He looked her in the eye, and she gulped. “Number one is to do as I suggested and drop down. I promise that I will catch you. You won't get hurt."

"And what's choice number two?” she asked.

He smiled evilly. “Build a nest."

Abby didn't know whether to laugh or throw something to wipe that arrogant smirk off his face. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, worse than having to back down in front of a cocky male who knew he was right. Especially when said male was the only source of help for miles around. She widened her eyes and let her lower lip tremble. “But, Jack,” her voice softened, “what if you drop me? I-I-I'm scared. Please ... please don't make me jump. I could break an arm. Or a leg. Please...” Her voice trailed off, and she lowered her eyes in feminine helplessness.

There was absolute silence for several long moments, so she ventured a look at him. She knew right away that she had failed in her attempt to change his mind. Failed miserably. Jack was openly grinning at her performance.

"No good, huh?” she asked.

"Afraid not, angel.” He shook his head. “But it was very interesting and enlightening, I must say.” He laughed when she made a face at him. “I'll have to keep this little performance in mind the next time you try to pull a fast one on me."

That comment struck her as strange. It sounded like Jack expected them to be together for a while, when in actuality she knew that what they had was only temporary. Just sex, right? Come to think of it, his demeanor during this whole episode had been strange...

"Come on, Abby. I'm waiting."

She bit her lip. “So you're really gonna make me jump, huh?"

He resumed his position beneath her. “It's not going to be that bad, I promise. Just ease yourself forward and drop. I'll be right here to break your fall. You're really not all that high."

"Are you sure?” she asked, not kidding this time.

"Sure, I'm sure. Now, come on, chicken. We're already soaking wet, and I'd like to get out of these clothes in the next decade or so.” His tone was challenging, and Abby responded to it.

"I'm not a chicken,” she denied. “It's just—well, oh, all right. I'll do it. But if you drop me, Jack, so help me..."

"I won't drop you. Come on, now. Move forward on the limb. That's it. Now grab onto that other branch—good, good.” And with Jack patiently guiding her through, Abby prepared to jump.

"Jack...” she tried one last plea.

"Jump, Abby,” he commanded.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Abby released her tight grip on the limb and dropped toward Jack's waiting arms. Unfortunately, the momentum of her fall sent her down with considerable force, and they both crashed to the ground. At the same moment, the floodgates seemed to open, and rain poured down on their unprotected bodies.

They lay there, their limbs in a tangled heap. Abby recovered first and pushed herself up to peer worriedly down into Jack's face. His eyes were closed. “Are you all right, Jack?” she asked in breathless concern, afraid that the fall had knocked him unconscious.

His eyes blinked open against the rain, and he stared dazedly at her. Then he managed a weak grin. “Sure. I'm great. Just great. Thanks for asking."

Abby relaxed, relieved that she was finally down and neither of them was too badly hurt. “I told you this was a bad idea."

"All right. I admit it. It was a bad idea. You were right. I was wrong."

"Well,” she smiled. There was nothing she liked better than to be proven right. She could be magnanimous in victory. “No harm done. And at least I'm down and relatively unscathed.” Her voice was filled with grateful humor. “For a while there I thought I was going to be stuck up in that tree forever."

He smiled and so did she. The laughter faded from her eyes as she became aware of the close proximity of their bodies, and the rapidly growing bulge pressing against her. She attempted to push herself up, but his arms encircled her waist and halted her tentative movements.