Midnight Rainbow Read online

  Now it was her turn to fall silent. The intimacy that had been forged between them had made her forget that he was a warrior first, and her lover second. Despite the gentle passion with which he made love to her, he was still the same man who had knocked her out and thrown her over his shoulder, carrying her away into the jungle. She hadn’t held a grudge against him for that, after the reception she’d given him, but this was something else entirely. She felt as if he were forcibly reminding her of the original basis of their relationship, making her acknowledge that their physical intimacy had not made her an equal in his eyes. It was as if he’d used her body, since she had so willingly offered it, but saw no reason to let that give her any influence over him.

  Jane turned away from him, fumbling with her shirt and finally getting it straight. She wouldn’t let him see any hint of hurt in her eyes; she’d known that the love she felt was completely one-sided.

  His hand shot out and pulled the shirt away from her. Startled, she looked at him. “I have to get dressed. You said we need to—”

  “I know what I said,” he growled, easing her down onto the blanket. The lure of her soft body, the knowledge that he’d hurt her and her characteristic chin-up attempt to keep him from seeing it, all made it impossible for him to remember the importance of moving on. The core of ice deep inside his chest kept him from whispering to her how much she meant to him. The remoteness bred into him by years of living on the edge of death hadn’t yet been overcome; perhaps it never would be. It was still vital to him to keep some small significant part of himself sealed away, aloof and cold. Still, he couldn’t let her draw away from him with that carefully blank expression on her face. She was his, and it was time she came to terms with the fact.

  Putting his hands on her thighs, he spread them apart and mounted her. Jane caught her breath, her hands going up to grab at his back. He slowly pushed into her, filling her with a powerful movement that had her body arching on the blanket.

  He went deep inside her, holding her tightly to him. Her inner tightness made him almost groan aloud as wild shivers of pleasure ran up his spine. Shoving his hand into her hair, he turned her head until her mouth was under his, then kissed her with a violence that only hinted at the inferno inside him. She responded to him immediately. Her mouth molded to his and her body rose to meet his thrusts in increasingly ecstatic undulations. He wanted to immerse himself in her, go deeper and deeper until they were bonded together, their flesh fused. He held her beneath him, their bodies locked together in total intimacy. He reveled in the waves of intensifying pleasure that made them clutch at each other, straining together in an effort to reach the peak of their passion. When he was inside her, he no longer felt the need to isolate himself. She was taking a part of him that he hadn’t meant to offer, but he couldn’t stop it. It was as if he’d gotten on a roller coaster and there was no way to get off until it reached the end of the line. He’d just have to go along for the ride, and he meant to wring every moment of pleasure he could from the short time that he had her all to himself.

  Jane clung to his shoulders, driven out of her senses by the pounding of his body. He seemed to have lost all control; he was wild, almost violent, his flesh so heated that his skin burned her palms. She was caught up in the depth of his passion, writhing against him and begging for more. Then, abruptly, her pleasure crested, and he ground his mouth against hers to catch her mindless cries. Her hot flare of ecstasy caught him in its explosion, and he began shuddering as the final shock waves jolted through his body. Now it was she who held him, and when it was over he collapsed on her, his eyes closed and his chest heaving, his body glistening with sweat.

  Her fingers gently touched the shaggy, dark gold threads of his hair, pushing them away from his forehead. She didn’t know what had triggered his sudden, violent possession, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that, despite everything, he needed her in a basic way that he didn’t welcome, but couldn’t deny. That wasn’t what she wanted, but it was a start. Slowly she trailed her hand down his back, feeling the powerful muscles that lay under his supple bronzed skin. The muscles twitched then relaxed under her touch, and he grew heavier as the tension left him.

  “Now we really have to go,” he murmured against her breast.

  “Ummm.” She didn’t want to stir; her limbs were heavy, totally relaxed. She could happily have lain there for the rest of the day, dozing with him and waking to make love again. She knew that the peace wouldn’t last; in a moment he stirred and eased their bodies apart.

  They dressed in silence, except for the rustling of their clothing, until she began lacing her boots on her feet. He reached out and tilted her chin then, his thumb rubbing over her bottom lip. “Promise me,” he demanded, making her look at him. “Tell me that you’re going to do what I say, without an argument. Don’t make me tie you up.”

  Was he asking for obedience, or trust? Jane hesitated, then went with her instincts. “All right,” she whispered. “I promise.”

  His pupils dilated, and his thumb probed at the corner of her lips. “I’ll take care of you,” he said, and it was more than a promise.

  They took down the tent; then Jane got out the meager supply of remaining food. She emptied the last of the Perrier into his canteen, disposed of the bottles, and broke in two the granola bar that she’d been saving. That and a small can of grapefruit was their breakfast, and the last of their food.

  The morning was almost gone, and the heat and humidity had risen to almost unbearable levels, when Grant stopped and looked around. He wiped his forehead on his sleeve. “We’re almost even with the village. Stay here, and I’ll be back in an hour or so.”

  “How long is ‘or so’?” she asked politely, but the sound of her teeth snapping together made him grin.

  “Until I get back.” He took the pistol out of its holster and extended it to her. “I take it you know how to use this, too?”

  Jane took the weapon from his hand, a grim expression on her mouth. “Yes. After I was kidnapped, Dad insisted that I learn how to protect myself. That included a course in firearms, as well as self-defense classes.” Her slim hand handled the gun with respect, and reluctant expertise. “I’ve never seen one quite like this. What is it?”

  “A Bren 10 millimeter,” he grunted.

  Her eyebrows lifted. “Isn’t it still considered experimental?”

  He shrugged. “By some people. I’ve used it for a while; it does what I want.” He watched her for a moment, then a frown drew his brows together. “Could you use it, if you had to?”

  “I don’t know.” A smile wobbled on her mouth. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  He touched her hair, hoping fervently that she never had to find the answer to his question. He didn’t want anything ever to dim the gaiety of her smile. Bending, he kissed her roughly, thoroughly, then without a word blended into the forest in that silent, unnerving way of his. Jane stared at the gun in her hand for a long moment, then walked over to a fallen tree and carefully inspected it for animal life before sitting down.

  She couldn’t relax. Her nerves were jumpy, and though she didn’t jerk around at every raucous bird call or chattering monkey, or even the alarming rustles in the underbrush, her senses were acutely, painfully attuned to the noises. She had become used to having Grant close by, his mere presence making her feel protected. Without him, she felt vulnerable and more alone than she had ever felt before.

  Fear ate at her, but it was fear for Grant, not herself. She had walked into this with her eyes open, accepting the danger as the price to be paid, but Grant was involved solely because of her. If anything happened to him, she knew she wouldn’t be able to bear it, and she was afraid. How could he expect to walk calmly into a small village and not be noticed? Everything about him drew attention, from his stature to his shaggy blond hair and those wild, golden eyes. She knew how single-mindedly Turego would search for her, and since Grant had been seen with her, his life was on the line now just as mu