Abby was more familiar with the trails than Roarke, although it had been awhile since she’d hiked them. Still, she offered to lead the way for the first couple of hours. Out of pride she kept up a good pace, which didn’t leave her much energy for conversation.

Roarke didn’t seem inclined to talk, either, so they moved along in silence through the misty rain. Toward the end of the second hour, she was forced to admit that she was woefully out of shape. Her legs hurt and an ache had developed between her shoulder blades from carrying the pack, although hers was half the size of Roarke’s. If he hadn’t volunteered to take more than his share, she’d have been toast.

About the time she was questioning whether she’d made a mistake in coming on this trip, Roarke suggested a food break.

“Sounds good.” Thank God. Grandpa Earl had packed turkey sandwiches once he’d realized neither of them had eaten lunch, and she was carrying them. That would eliminate one thing from her pack. It might not make a huge difference, but she’d take any lightening of the load, no matter how small.

She didn’t plan to let Roarke know that, though. After blackmailing him to take her along, she couldn’t very well complain that she couldn’t handle the hike. Unfortunately for her, the trail had been relatively level up to this point, but soon it would grow steeper.

Glancing around, she noticed a somewhat dry spot under a large fir. “Let’s go over there.”

Roarke followed her under the tree and slid his pack from his shoulders. The rugged look of his tan windbreaker and worn jeans had banished the nerdy professor entirely. In his place stood a guy who would make any woman’s heart beat faster. Abby had tried to be nonchalant about the transformation, but damn, he was serious eye candy. She could imagine that if he walked into a classroom looking like this, his female students would be too distracted to learn anything.

Fishing inside his backpack, he pulled out a small tarp before spreading it on the ground. “I think you have the sandwiches.”

“Yep.” She lowered her pack to the ground and clenched her jaw to keep from sighing in relief.

“How are you doing?”

“Great!” She unzipped her pack and pulled out the sandwiches. “How are you doing?” She handed him a sandwich before taking a seat on the tarp.

“Okay, but I’m used to this. I’m out in the field a lot with my work. Earl didn’t think you’d been hiking or camping lately, so I wondered if the pack is bothering you.”

“Not at all.”

He smiled. “Your eyes just flickered.”

“A bug flew in my face.”

“It’s too rainy for bugs. Is your back getting sore?”

She decided to admit to the crick between her shoulder blades but not the ache in her legs. “A little.”

“I can take some of your stuff in my pack.”

“No way. You’re already loaded, starting with Grandpa Earl’s camera.” She ticked off the other items. “Sleeping bag, tent, the mini camp stove, fuel canisters, cookware, and all the food except for our sandwiches. Once we eat these, I won’t be carrying anything except my clothes, my sleeping bag, and my tent.”

“Which is a lot if you’re not used to it.”

“I’ll be fine.”

He looked as if he wanted to argue the point.

“Seriously, Roarke. Don’t baby me.”

He gave a slow nod. “All right.” Respect flashed in his gaze before he turned his attention to his sandwich. Unwrapping it, he took a bite. “Mm.” He chewed and swallowed. “Food always tastes better out in the woods.” He took another bite.

“It does.” Or it would, if she had the energy and inclination to lift her sandwich. Instead she found herself dreamily focused on his beautiful mouth.

The line of his upper lip dipped into a classic Cupid’s bow that she longed to trace with her finger…or better yet, her tongue. After that she’d explore the small crease in the middle of his full lower lip. Yesterday’s kiss had been too brief. Roarke’s mouth invited a woman to taste it slowly, savoring every part of the experience.

“Are you going to eat that?”

She blinked and hoped to hell he hadn’t caught her gawking at him. Then she realized he was focused on the sandwich still in her lap. “Yes.”

She dutifully started eating. She needed to keep up her strength and it gave her something to do with her mouth since she obviously wouldn’t be kissing Roarke any time soon.

He appeared to be all business so far on this trip, which was as it should be. They each had a one-person tent and sleeping bag. Judging from the way her body felt after only a couple of hours of hiking, she’d be in no condition to do more than crawl in and conk out, so the solo sleeping arrangements were just as well.

Roarke picked up his stainless steel water bottle and took a drink. “One good thing, we don’t have to carry water on this trip. I love being able to refill my bottle from a stream. Water bottles get really heavy.”

“That’s probably why I’ve fallen out of the habit of taking long hikes.” That was her excuse for being so out of shape, and she was sticking to it. “In the desert you have to take so much water that it weighs you down.”

“But you like it there?”

“I do, although I’ve lived in the Phoenix area all my life and lately I’ve been thinking I should experience something else.” Right now she’d like to experience a full-body massage, which wouldn’t be happening, either. But prolonging this topic of conversation meant she wouldn’t have to get up yet. “How do you like New York?”

“The city or the state?”

“Both, I guess. I’ve never been there. You get a fair amount of snow in the winter, I guess.”

“We do. I don’t mind the snow.”

“You must live in the city if you’re a professor at NYU.” She was almost finished with her sandwich, so she slowed down to prolong the break.

Roarke didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave, either. “Mostly I do live in the city,” he said, “except when I’m out in the field. But my normal routine is to stay in the city during the week and then head out to the family place on weekends. The city’s all hustle and bustle, but the country is relaxing. It’s a nice contrast.”

Of course. It all clicked into place. His family, which she assumed was wealthy given the extravagant watch he wore, had a place in the country. She’d already concluded that Roarke’s family tree included other werewolves like him.

The Gentrys were also wealthy and owned a place in the country. Maybe she was making too big a leap, but she had a hunch that some of the Gentrys were werewolves, too.

A chill traveled up her spine. In all these years, the Gentrys hadn’t been a problem to Grandpa Earl, but still…she’d feel so much better if he sold out and moved to Arizona.

Roarke gave her a questioning glance. “You’re quiet all of a sudden. What’s up?”

“Nothing. I was just wondering what it would be like to live where it snowed all winter.”

“Sorry, but your eyes flickered. Try again.”

So much for small talk. “I just wondered if any of the Gentrys are werewolves.”

He met that statement with stony silence. But he didn’t deny it.

A second chill shot up her spine. “So some of them are?”

“Abby, it’s better if we don’t discuss this.”

“Just answer me one thing. Is…is my grandfather in danger?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Werewolves avoid calling attention to ourselves. Harming your grandfather would be a very stupid move on Cameron’s part, and he’s not stupid.”

She thought of something else. “Don’t wolves live in packs?”

“Generally.”

“Do you?”

“You know what? We should probably get going. It’s late.”

“Your family is a pack, isn’t it? And so are the Gentrys. Are there more werewolf packs in other cities?”

“Abby…”

“There are, aren’t there? Are all the families wealthy, too?”

Roarke sighed and looked out over the damp forest. “I had some crazy idea that during this trip we might be able to have simple, normal conversations, but that’s ridiculous. Every conversation will wind back around to this subject, won’t it?”

“Well, excuse me all to hell, but how can it not? Show me the woman who could carry on a simple, normal conversation with a werewolf and I’ll show you Malibu Barbie!”

His mouth twitched, as if he might be trying not to laugh.

“I mean, really. I didn’t try to spy on you, but it happened, and now I can’t help thinking about it. You’ve told me not to ask questions, but if I were in your shoes -- or in your paws -- I’d want the person who knew the big secret to at least draw the correct conclusions.”

He gazed at her. “So you think I should give you more information about Weres?”

“I do. The cat’s out of the bag, the horse is out of the barn, and the werewolf’s out of the woods. I think at this point the more I know, the better chance I’ll have of avoiding disaster.”

“Or the more ammunition you’ll have to blackmail me.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not naturally a blackmail kind of person, Roarke. I did it this one time so you’d have to bring me along on your search. If you’re worried I’ll milk you and your rich werewolf family for the rest of my life, forget it. That’s not me.”

“I know, and I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Apology accepted. Besides, I don’t need more ammunition to blackmail you if I were so inclined, which I’m not. Those pictures say all there is to say. Anyone who’s met you would recognize you, and the news would be out.”

He seemed to consider that. “You have a point. The pictures are pretty damning.” He glanced at her. “You are so lucky it was me you saw and not someone who would have a…different response to the threat of exposure.”

“Are we talking about Cameron Gentry?”

“He’s not someone to mess with.”

“You said werewolves wouldn’t harm humans.”

“No, I said we don’t like to call attention to ourselves. But if a human learns about us, the potential for unwanted attention already exists and we have to initiate damage control in whatever way we see fit.”

She became aware that she was alone in the woods with a werewolf who saw her as a threat to his kind. She told herself not to panic. “Do you have a damage control plan for me?”

“Don’t look scared, Abby. I’ve promised you that you’ll be okay. This is my fault, my problem.” He balled up the sandwich wrapper and leaned over to tuck it in a pocket of his backpack.

“I still need information.” She put her wrapper in her backpack, too. “I think it’s ducky that you’ve sworn to protect me with your life, but unless you plan to hang around twenty-four-seven for the next fifty or sixty years, I’m not sure how you’d do that.”

“I’m working on it.”

“Okay, but in the meantime, if you’d give me a crash course, sort of an Idiot’s Guide to Werewolves, I’d be better able to protect myself.”

“The thing is, I’m not supposed to tell you—”

“I realize that. But you weren’t supposed to allow me to see you change into a wolf, either, were you?”

“No. That was a careless mistake I regret more than you can imagine.”

“Oh, I can probably imagine more than you think, and that’s the crux of my argument. I have a whale of an imagination. If you don’t tell me how the werewolf world actually works, I’ll concoct my own version. Is that what you want?”

He met her gaze and held it. “No, that’s not what I want.” His kiss-worthy lips tightened into a grim line of determination.

“What do you want?”

He stared at her in stoic silence. But gradually his green eyes warmed, and emotion thickened his voice. “Use your imagination.”

Desire rose in her, hot and fast, touching her in intimate places, making her ache in ways that had nothing to do with hiking.

His gaze smoldered for an instant longer. Then he blew out a breath and got to his feet. “We need to push on. So far I haven’t detected any evidence of the Sasquatch, so we’ll have to go deeper into the forest.”

“That’s fine.” She was still slightly dazed by the realization that he wanted her, even though he was fighting the attraction tooth and nail. Ha. That phrase took on a whole new meaning when referring to a werewolf. Still, knowing Roarke was attracted to her would keep her ego warm for a good long time.

But it didn’t do much for her stiff muscles. She winced as she got to her feet and hoped he’d missed seeing that. A quick glance in his direction confirmed that he was watching her and frowning.

“I suppose you’ll argue if I suggest redistributing the load,” he said.

“You suppose right.” She picked up her backpack and ignored the jab of pain between her shoulder blades as she put it on. “I invited myself along on this search and I intend to be an asset, not a liability.”

He chuckled. “Good luck with that.”

“Hey!”

“Face it, Abby. No matter what your stated intentions, your very presence here fries my brain. I’m afraid you’re a liability whether you intend to be or not.”

She liked the idea of frying his brain, but she didn’t like being labeled a handicap. “I’m handy with a camp stove. I’ll cook our dinner.”

He glanced at her as he hoisted his pack to his shoulders. His very broad shoulders. “Thanks. That would be great. Cooking’s not my strong suit.”

She wondered what he’d be doing if he were out here searching as a wolf instead of as a man. Better not to think about that. But she still believed she should have more information about this hidden community of werewolves. She’d ask him again over dinner.

He swept an arm toward the trail. “After you.”

“Maybe you’d rather lead.”

“Nope. You know the area. I’ll follow you.”

“Okay.” She suspected he was also letting her lead because then she could set the pace. Although she appreciated the chivalrous gesture, it only emphasized how her presence was hampering him.

As she started up the trail, she battled her conscience. He’d be so much better off out here without her. But then she pictured going back to Grandpa Earl and explaining that she had abandoned the Bigfoot search to Roarke.

While her grandfather would be happy to hear of a positive sighting from Roarke, it wouldn’t be the same as if Abby saw the Bigfoot pair. She was Grandpa Earl’s eyes and ears on this trip.

That meant she had to maintain a brisk pace even if it killed her. As the trail wound upward, she took a deep breath and walked faster.

* * *

Roarke tried to keep his mind off sex as he followed Abby up the trail, but his constant view of her cute little tush wasn’t helping. The navy material stretched temptingly across her backside as she trudged doggedly up the incline. He figured she was pushing herself to keep from holding him back, which was endearing but could make her a basket case by tonight.

That wasn’t the only problem with having Abby out in front. They were heading into a slight breeze, which neatly blew her intoxicating aroma smack into his face. Not only did that add to his lusty thoughts, but the sensory overload from Abby might prevent him from picking up the scent of the Sasquatch.

He paused. “Hold up a minute.”

She stopped and turned, her breathing labored. “Is something wrong?”

“I want to lead, after all. Your scent is interfering with my ability to track the Sasquatch pair.”

“Oh! That’s not good.” Her cheeks grew pink. “Sorry about that. I used deodorant this morning, but I suppose with all the physical exertion I might—”

“Abby, it’s not that you smell bad.” He smiled at her assumption, which showed how truly human she was. “If anything, you smell way too good.”

“I’m sure that’s not true. I’m starting to work up a sweat, and if we end up camping near running water, I’ll take a sponge bath. That should help.”

“I don’t think you understand. Your natural scent is…very attractive to me.”

She stared at him in obvious disbelief.

“I told you both my sight and sense of smell are better, even when I’m in human form, than the average man’s.”

“Then you should be more easily grossed out.”

“Oh, I can be, especially if a woman wears lots of heavy perfume.”

She grimaced. “Or has been on the hiking trail a little too long.”

“No, that only makes your scent more arousing.”

“Roarke, that’s crazy.”

“No, it’s your first lesson in the Idiot’s Guide to Werewolves. When we first met, I’d recorded your scent and found it pleasing long before I paid attention to how you looked. The stronger your natural aroma, the more I like it.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope.” And if he didn’t get moving right now he’d have to do something about the lust boiling through his veins. “Follow me. I’ll take it easy.”

Without waiting for her reply, he stepped around her and started up the trail. Another second of standing there and he would have reached for her. Once he did that, he was liable to forget about everything else, and he had a job to do.