Part 22 (1/2)
”Wonderful. Tell them they're going to need torches. The door is jammed.”
”Ten-four, Chief.”
Reese chuckled. ”Good job, Ed.”
”Thank you. Is Googan conscious yet?”
”Yeah. I told him you were going to take over his job, you're getting so good with this radio stuff.”
”Ten-four.”
”How'd you find Ed?” Googan asked.
”He was behind you on the road. He saw it happen.” She squeezed his shoulder. ”You're d.a.m.n lucky someone saw it go down.” She looked up when she saw the emergency lights flas.h.i.+ng across the canyon. ”Rescue is here,” she said. ”Won't be long now.”
”Thank you for staying with me.”
”Don't thank me, Googan. You'd have done the same for me, right?”
He smiled. ”Sure. Do you think you could call my mother?”
”Of course.”
”She lives in Gunnison now. Eloise has her number.”
”I'll call her. I'll have her meet you at the hospital, how's that?”
”That'd be good,” he said, his voice low.
She patted his shoulder as his eyes slipped closed again, but his breathing was even and steady. She looked up to the canyon rim, seeing two dark figures as they began their rappel down.
CHAPTER THIRTY.
Morgan stared into the fire, absently shaking her gla.s.s, hearing the ice tinkling the sides, the shot of scotch long gone.
She hoped Reese wouldn't mind, but she'd found the bottle of scotch, still unopened. And she needed something to calm her nerves.
Not that the alcohol had done much to reduce her anxiety, she noted as she placed the gla.s.s on the mantel. So here she waited, at Reese's cabin, fearing for Googan's life, fearing for Reese's safety.
Even though she told herself it was silly to worry, that it was Reese's job, that she was plenty capable...still, she worried. And that was disturbing in itself. They weren't a couple. They weren't in a relations.h.i.+p. Yet she had ignored common sense and driven up the mountain to make sure it wasn't Reese who had plunged off the side. And here she was, waiting at Reese's place, waiting as if she had a right to wait for her.
”It's just s.e.x. Just s.e.x,” she said. Nothing more.
0.
But it was starting to feel like more. Barely a month into this...this arrangement and she was already having a hard time keeping it in the context it was meant to be. No strings, no commitments, no nothing. Just s.e.x.
The slamming of a truck door brought her around and she glanced up just as Reese opened the door. Their eyes met across the room and Reese gave her a half-smile.
”I'm really glad you're here.”
Morgan swallowed hard, curbing the impulse to fling herself into Reese's arms. She watched silently as Reese stomped her boots on the mat and shook the snow off her coat before hanging it up. But when Reese stepped into the room, the light showing the stress on her face, Morgan gave in to her instinct and walked across the room, wrapping both arms around Reese. Reese held her tight, burying her face in Morgan's neck.
”He's alive,” Reese said. ”A miracle, but it looks like his truck flipped once and landed upright.”
Morgan pulled away slightly. ”How bad?”
”Badly broken leg. Compound fracture in two places. His head was split open on his forehead, but he was conscious.”
Reese went to the fire and held her hands out to the warmth. She spotted the empty gla.s.s. ”Found my scotch, huh?”
”I hope you don't mind.”
”Actually, I'd love some myself.”
”Let me get it for you.”
”Morgan?”
Morgan turned, meeting her gaze.
”About you coming out there tonight-”
”I'm sorry, Reese. I know I shouldn't have-”
”No, no. It was...it was nice. I'm not used to anyone being worried about me.”
”I panicked. I-”
”It felt good, Morgan. I felt like, well, it's been forever since I've felt like I was a part of something, of someone...like I mattered. And when I saw you, saw the fear in your eyes...it meant a lot.”
Morgan felt her defenses slip at Reese's words, felt the tiny stirrings of her heart. She moved closer, curling her hand behind Reese's neck and pulling her close, meeting her lips for the very first time. Their kiss was gentle, exploring, and she let Reese pull her into her arms, her mouth opening, her tongue shyly meeting Reese's, moaning as Reese's hands slipped to her hips and brought their bodies flush together.
Forgotten was the scotch, forgotten was her no kissing rule.
They stood there for what seemed like hours, just kissing...
touching. But their pa.s.sion for each other soon demanded to be heard, and Reese lowered her to the rug, the fire burning hotly as her hand slipped inside Morgan's jeans, Reese's mouth never once leaving hers.
Morgan came almost instantly and she clung to Reese, no longer fearing for Reese's safety, but fearing for her own heart instead.