“You did. A few times. You can stop. I want to be here with you.”
His sincerity was clear.
She turned and stared into his face, searching for understanding. “Why? Why are you doing this? I know what I want, I know why I’m here—”
“Or you think you do,” he interrupted.
Becki poked him in the gut with an extended forefinger. He grunted in pain as he released her. “Stop with the assuming. I’m grateful you brought me away from the vultures, and I said I trusted you. Doesn’t mean I want you putting words into my mouth and meanings to my actions before you hear what I have to say.”
Marcus leaned on the wall beside her, trapping her in the bathroom space. “Or maybe you should accept that you’re saying loud and clear what’s in your head without having to open your mouth.”
Oh really. “Mind reader now, are you?”
“If you want to call it that.” Marcus caught her hand in his, tugging her after him. He moved slowly, like she was a wary animal. Maybe she was. . . . Becki kept her footing steady as Marcus smoothed his knuckles over her cheek, his perceptive gaze darting over her face. “I won’t push. Not yet. But I’m here for you—one hundred percent, just like you asked.”
She sighed, letting go of her tension. “Sorry for snapping at you.”
“It’s understandable. Come on, let’s burn off a little of your aggression before we dig to find out what David gave us for supplies.”
She dressed warmly, with sturdy hiking boots and thin but comfortable gloves. Gore-Tex jacket and a toque in her pocket, just in case. A nice long walk after sitting would feel good.
They were outside and pacing easily down a game trail before she realized he’d avoided her question—the one where she asked for his reasons. In spite of his teasing, she knew why she was hiding in the wilderness.
What had made him willing to drop everything?
Marcus stirred the chili one last time, then turned to watch Becki pace the cabin.
Although she wasn’t marching back and forth in the strictest sense of the word. It was as if all the unused energy she’d had to contain during their drive was still escaping, even after their walk and the impromptu workout she’d forced him to do that involved jumping jacks and torturous abdominal moves.
She’d found a box of candles in the box of groceries and had gathered all the possible candleholders from everywhere in the room. An eclectic collection of old bottles to antique brass. She’d filled them one at a time, carrying each back to a select spot. Now she systematically lit them one after another, leaving tiny beads of glowing yellow in her wake.
He dimmed the propane lantern on the wall behind him to allow her handiwork to shine brighter.
Becki turned slowly, pulling off her sweater and draping it over the back of the couch. “This cabin is beautiful. Although that stove is going to cook me out of here if we’re not careful.”
“I turned down the damper already,” Marcus said. “I agree—it gets going and it’s like the middle of summer in here.”
She stood and stared at the flame, the dancing flickers from the stove meshing with the smaller torches she’d created to fill the space with luxurious warmth. The soft light caressed her skin. Turned the entire room unearthly.
He could barely speak. Intruding seemed sacrilegious.
Her hands reached for the ceiling as she stretched, lowering her arms and twisting to face him, a contented smile on her face. “Supper nearly ready? I’m starving.”
“I love a woman with a good appetite.”
She moved to his side and helped arrange things on the table. “Which should mean you cooked enough for both of us. Worst thing ever—first dinner dates that the pots are scraped clean and my stomach is still grumbling.”
Marcus guided her to a chair, leaning in close to take a long inhale of her scent. “I promise to feed you well. I think David packed for three, so we’re good.”
She scooped chili into both their bowls, licking a drop from her finger as she passed his serving over. “David was a bit of a miracle worker to get all that together so quickly.”
“Typical David,” Marcus admitted. “I sort of suspect he figured out before we did that we’d head for the hills. He’s good that way. Part of what’s always made him do so well with the school. He knows when to step in, when to let things slide. Who’s the right person for the right job. When to kick my butt and when to leave me alone.”
She nodded slowly, staring at her bowl. “I hope I don’t have to disappoint him.”
Miracle of miracles. Would she actually talk about what she was really running from without him having to drag it from her? “In what way?”
She dipped her spoon into the chili, then lifted it, licking the bowl of the spoon as she clearly debated what to say. “Just thinking out loud. This is tasty, Marcus.”
She set to eating as if she were starving, and he let the comment pass. He’d said he would give her space, and that was what he would do. As much space as a twelve-by-twelve cabin would allow.
But even if she wasn’t willing to share right now what she was afraid of, he wasn’t going to let her deal with it alone. He wasn’t going to wait until she called for help before he did something to help her through the hurting.
Small talk. Dishes. They’d shifted to the couch, and she curled up at his side without being asked. It was natural and comfortable, which meant it was totally time to shake things up.
Time to move decisively.
“I think we should play a game,” he proposed.
Becki snorted softly, stopping where she’d been drawing circles on his forearm with her finger. “If you suggest Truth or Dare, I’m going to make you sleep on the couch.”
Marcus shifted her to the side so he could see her face more clearly. “Hate that game or something?”
“Hello—what do you think triggered that stupid assault on the exterior of the Banff Springs so long ago? Although there were shots of tequila involved as well.”
“I was sure there had to be alcohol involved in that somehow,” Marcus taunted. “No, nothing so childish as Truth or Dare.”
“Strip poker?”
“I cheat.”
Becki smiled. “Risk? Monopoly?”
Marcus shook his head. “As if you could sit for an entire board game. You’d have it upset with all your wiggling before I got to bankrupt you.”
A log cracked, and they both glanced at the tiny fire he had going. “Twenty Questions? That’s what it seems like.”
“No. Let me help you. It’s like Simon Says, but simpler. All it involves is you doing whatever I tell you.”
He heard her quick intake of breath. “That might be fun.”
“Well, you did mention you expected lots of sex over the next few days. I’d hate to disappoint.”
“Ohhh . . .” she drawled, “It’s going to be that kind of ordering me around. And here I thought you’d have me tap-dancing or something like that to entertain you.”
“Trust me. I plan to be very entertained.” Marcus waited, gazing into her eyes. Looking for a clue of what she needed right now that would get her past the coming confusion.
Her smile twitched, but she sat straighter, leaning toward him. She planted a hand on his chest, then brought their mouths together for a slow, sweet kiss. Languid tongues and easy pressure. Just enjoying each other as if they had all the time in the world. No deadlines, nothing hanging over them.
God, he wanted that to be the reality for her.
When she pulled away he’d nearly decided to forgo the games and take her to bed. Nothing needed but the slow steady feed of the passion between them. Only her expression as she found her feet before him?
Longing, and yet fear. Not of him, he was sure of that. Of the future. Of what closing her eyes might reveal.