Chapter Four
Aaron kissed her temple and then withdrew. “Are you warmer now?”
“Yes, much.” She felt empty without him, but pleasantly aching, too.
He reached around, unzipped the sleeping bag, and then moved to sitting. “Get in.”
“I’m okay.”
“You won’t be warm for long.” He bent and kissed her bare shoulder. “Your sexy layer of sweat will freeze if we’re not careful.”
“Okay.” She knew he was speaking the truth. She’d normally have spent the night fully clothed in a situation like this, and in the sleeping bag. Yet here she was, pressed up against Aaron, and feeling as warm as if she’d been sitting by a roaring fire back home.
She put her feet, still in socks, into the bag and slid down it. “You coming in?” She wasn’t sure there was room, but they’d figure a way.
“No, I’m fine.”
“But—”
“Trust me.” He tucked his cock into his pants, and then wrapped his arm over the sleeping bag and pulled her to him.
She was aware of his body pressing against the length of hers and the heat from him penetrating the high-tech material. Glancing up at his face, she found him staring down at her.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, stroking her cheek and pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.
She smiled. “I look better when I haven’t spent the day being chased around the mountains.”
“You couldn’t look any more beautiful than you do at this moment.”
She huffed a little, knowing it wasn’t true. She likely was a mess.
“Your cheeks are flushed,” he said, “from the efforts of our mating. Your pupils are wide with satisfaction, and your lips…” He paused and swept his mouth over hers. “Swollen from our kisses.” He shook his head. “A woman couldn’t be more beautiful to a man as when she’s fresh from being his.”
Her heart tripped over itself. Damn, the guy was good. He might not be a guy of many words, but when he did speak, well … she was almost in danger of thinking he could get right into her heart.
She smiled. “I’m worried you’ll be cold.”
“Can’t you feel my heat?”
“Yes.” She paused. “But how come you are so hot? The temperature is well below freezing up here.”
He said nothing.
“And you never wear a coat or thermals.”
“I guess my body temperature runs higher than everyone else’s.”
“Isn’t that a bit odd?”
“Not to me.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Shh, now. Try to sleep. You’ve had a long day and there is much to do tomorrow.”
“Yes. I need to collect the other two cameras.”
He moved closer, tucking her head beneath his chin and stroking her hair.
Chloe shut her eyes and sighed. Within the hour, she’d gone from fearing for her life to being utterly satisfied and content.
And it was all because of Aaron.
She soon fell into a deep sleep. Dreams stole up on her. The leopard was on her mind, its graceful body moving through the snow. She imagined she could smell it. At one point, she even thought of its black-dotted fur pressed against her cheek—soft, warm, and dense.
Aaron was in her dream too, with the snow leopard. His eyes so knowing and seductive, staring at her in a way that made her think he wanted to fuck her again.
She squirmed within the bag and stretched her legs out. She was cooler and she realized it was morning. The orange glow from the tent penetrated her eyelids. She opened them, knowing as she did so Aaron wasn’t there.
Disappointed, she sat. The zipper was open and the startling white of the snow told her it was a blue-skied day.
Next to her, on the base of the tent, was a dent where Aaron had lain.
She brushed her hand over it and collected several coarse hairs sitting there. They were golden mainly, and long and thick. But they weren’t where his head had been when they’d gone to sleep. They covered the whole length of where he’d stretched out.
Puzzled, she reached for her thermals and dragged them on. Then her sweater and jacket. After retrieving and donning her knickers, trousers, and boots, she moved to the edge of the tent.
A fresh layer of snow had covered the hideous chicken blood. Thank goodness. And there was no sign of the poor creature’s body.
She licked her lips and her stomach rumbled. She needed a hot drink and food. She’d expended a lot of energy the evening before.
With a smile at the memory of Aaron’s enthusiastic lovemaking, she flicked the tent open with the intention of finding a flat rock to set her small gas stove on.
She paused and glanced around, wondering if Aaron had beaten her to it and set up for breakfast already.
Nothing.
She couldn’t see him.
Stepping out, she placed her booted foot next to a print in the snow.
A paw print—a huge paw print.
She gasped and drew her hand to her mouth. The snow leopard had returned. It had been right there. At the entrance to her tent. It had likely taken the chicken.
Fear swarmed within her. Where the hell was Aaron? The creature could still be nearby. Oh, God, what if he’d gone for a pee and it had followed him? Eaten him for its breakfast.
She took a few more steps away from the tent, searching desperately for Aaron’s footprints. She needed to follow them, to see if he was okay.
But there was nothing—only the paw prints sinking deep and heading away from the tent.
She frowned, confusion swamping her brain. Surely Aaron hadn’t left her side so long ago the snow had covered his prints. It didn’t feel, though she’d been sleeping, as if he’d been gone for any length of time.
She had a moment of warring with herself, wondering what to do. Should she follow the leopard prints, see where they took her? Should she lock herself back in her tent and hope the creature didn’t find her?
Her concern for Aaron won out, and she moved cautiously toward the gap in the rocks the Shaman had darted through. The paw prints were clear to see, right down the middle of it.
Emerging on the other side, with the view of the mountains stretching before her, she stopped, her palm pressed against the cool cliff face.
Standing, with his back to her, was Aaron.
He was about ten meters away, staring at the stunning vista.
Her heart rate picked up. He appeared unharmed. Though how he was tolerating standing in the snow totally naked, she had no idea.
“Aaron!”
He turned.
For a moment, she drank in the sight of him. He was a truly gorgeous specimen of a man. Tall, lean, strong. His body hair making him appear a little wild. His cock hung heavily and his legs bulged with muscle.
“Come and put some clothes on, before you get frostbite,” she called.
He said nothing, but started to walk toward her.
“And the leopard is about,” she said, checking her surroundings again. “I’ve seen its prints, near the tent.”
“Shame you didn’t have a camera set up,” he said, reaching her and cupping her cheeks. His hands were perfectly warm.
Thoughts of the leopard vanished as she looked up into his eyes. Instead she allowed memories of him kissing her, stripping her naked, sinking deep, to flood her brain.
“Good morning,” he said quietly and then kissed her.
She held onto his forearms and melted toward him.
After a minute of exploring her mouth and making her giddy with longing, he pulled back. “We should get some warm food and drink inside you.”
“I can think of something else I’d like inside me.”
A smile tugged at his mouth. “I like how your mind works.” He reached between them and took hold of his cock. It was semi-erect now, and he gave it a few languid strokes. “But I am worried about you getting cold. And the light won’t last long today. We have four kilometers to cover, right? To get the cameras and get back to the village.”
How does he know?
Only she and Jim had been privy to the information.
He must have seen her frown. “I’m guessing,” he said. “It’s where I’d put them if I were you.”
“Oh, well, yes, you’ve guessed about right.”
He released his cock and took her hand. “Come on.”
She followed behind him, enjoying the view of his naked ass. It was high and pert, but like his chest and arm, had a set of parallel scars on the left buttock.
“How’d you get those scars?” she asked.
“Which ones?” He kept on walking and tugged her through the gap in the rocks.
“All of them. They’re all the same.”
He shrugged. “Fighting.”
Fighting?
“Who with?” she asked, horrified at the sort of weapon that must have been used on him.
“Males.” His tone was curt.
“Men. Why?”
He kept on going, pulling her toward the tent.
“It’s a territory thing.”
She frowned. What did he mean? Was it a jealous fight? Was territory a word he used for his lovers? “Do you mean you fought over a woman?”
“Kind of.”
They reached the tent and he pulled on his clothes and boots.
“I couldn’t see your footprints,” she said, indicating the paw prints leading from the tent and now interrupted by theirs.
“No?”
“No.” She hesitated. “It’s strange.”
“Lots of strange things happen on the mountain, Chloe. You must know that. You’ve spent enough time here.”
“I guess.”
“So where is your gas canister?”
“It’s here.” Reaching into her rucksack, she decided to let the matter drop, for now. Aaron really was the most unusual guy she’d ever come across. As much as he was totally heart-stoppingly, drop-dead gorgeous, he was also an enigma with a tendency to speak in riddles.
****
Within the hour, they’d left the small valley and were nearing the first camera point.
As they approached, a familiar sense of anticipation welled within her. She hoped she’d been successful in retrieving footage of the shy leopards. Though the one she’d encountered didn’t exactly appear timid.
“It’s here,” she said, checking her map. “Behind this rock.”
The wind had picked up, but the sky was still a stunning, rich blue. Chloe edged around the rock and was relieved to see her camera intact.
“You’ve been lucky.” Aaron pointed to the ground. “A mother and cubs.”
“Really?” She studied where he was pointing. “That’s incredible. Oh, I hope the footage is good.”
“Should be.” He shrugged. “Three cubs, all milling about.”
She took the camera and carefully put it in her rucksack. The thought of getting back to her room and checking out what had been captured was very exciting.
She wondered if Aaron would like to join her.
“And the next one. To the east, right?”
“Er, yes.” She glanced east, the way he was indicating, and the vertigo-inducing track they’d have to negotiate.
“About an hours’ trek?”
“I believe that’s how long it took us last time.” She paused. “But how…?”
“Like I said, they’re the areas I would search for snow leopards. Good hang out places.”
“You know a lot about snow leopards.”
“More than you do.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss over her lips. “Come on.”
He set off at a brisk pace, seeming every bit at home on the perilous path as a mountain goat would.
Chloe was more hesitant. One slip and she’d plunge to her death.
He must have noticed because he turned and reached for her hand. “It’s okay. Stick close. I won’t let you fall.”
“Thanks.”
He smiled and carried on. She was more confident with his firm grip and glad she wasn’t doing this part of the trip alone.
In fact, she was glad she wasn’t doing any of it alone. The mountain might be visually beautiful, but it was as fierce as the weather and the creatures it was home to.