He sighed heavily. He was surprised he’d said it. Adele had fallen in love with him when he was blind, but that didn’t mean she understood all that condition implied. Circumstances had taught Adele in the most graphic fashion that while her husband might function at the top of the scale for a man with a disability, when it came to being a true husband—when it came to keeping her safe—John was definitely handicapped. He usually didn’t allude to that bitter fact because it sounded like he was feeling sorry for himself. It was a simple truth, however, what he’d just blurted out to Jennifer.
Well, sometimes it was easier to admit the truth to strangers rather than to friends.
“It’s okay. It doesn’t matter,” he said.
“You mentioned this used to be your father’s property? He passed away?” she asked quietly after a moment.
“Yeah. About five years ago. Adele—that’s my ex-wife—was never too interested in coming here. It’s pretty rough country. Vulture’s Canyon is the nearest town, and it isn’t exactly a cultural mecca.”
“So you decided to indulge in an artistic, manly style retreat in the woods,” she murmured, her voice low and husky. His nerves stretched like yanked strings. He could hear her smile. He suddenly had a sharp urge to feel her lips beneath his fingertips. “There are some advantages to being divorced, I suppose,” she added.
“Yeah. There are,” he replied.
* * *
They talked for another hour. Jennifer grew increasingly thankful that she’d been trapped with a smart, adept man, yet at the same time she grew increasingly anxious as the cave became darker and darker as the sun set.
“Maybe I’d better check on my cell phone reception again,” she said.
“If you’d like.”
His neutral tone told her loud and clear he didn’t have much faith that she’d get a signal in this hellhole. She stood and withdrew her phone.
“By the way,” he called. “I’ve designated that dark corner over there the men’s room. That particular corner,” he said, pointing in the opposite direction, “is the ladies’ lounge.”
She chuckled. “At least I won’t have to worry about a long line.” She stared at her phone. “Nothing,” she murmured. “I suppose I should wander around again and see if I can pick up a signal anywhere else in the space.”
She inspected the pitch-black shadow at the periphery of the cave. It seemed alive somehow, encroaching on them steadily, a malignant force that could swallow them whole. She glanced back at John. He sat completely still on ground, his head tilted, his sightless gaze just to the left of her. It was as if he waited to see if she’d move.
She held her breath and plunged into the darkness. It even felt different. The black, dank air seemed to have weight that pressed on her skin and lungs. She hastily checked her phone. The light on the device seemed dimmer now than it had earlier. The darkness was growing stronger, absorbing the weak light. It penetrated to her lungs . . . clutched at them. She surged toward the light like a swimmer needing oxygen soars toward the surface of the water.
She gasped for air when she reached the dissipating, grayish-pink light of the setting sun. An uncomfortable pressure pressed down on her chest. She couldn’t draw breath.
Oh, God, don’t leave me here in the dark.
When had John stood? Why was he coming toward her with that strange, tense look on his face?
“It’s okay. Slow down. The dark is just like when you close your eyes. Go on. Close them. I’ve got you.”
A cold sweat had broken out on the surface of her skin. Her entire body shook in panic. By degrees, she became aware that she inhaled his clean, woodsy scent. Her cheek rested on a dense pectoral muscle. He held her shoulders. His smell and the solid sensation of his body anchored her frantic spirit. She turned her face into his shirt and sobbed. Tears skittered down her cheeks, escaping her tightly clamped eyelids.
A tiny convulsion seemed to go through him.
“Shhh, it’s going to be okay.” He touched her hair, his caress gentle and soothing for such a large man. Minutes passed too quickly as he held her and crooned words of comfort.
She breathed him in, letting his scent calm her. Slowly her heartbeat altered from a frantic skip to a steady, pounding throb. She went still as sensual awareness broke through her panic. The tone of their embrace had altered. She molded her body next to his and felt him go still. Triumph soared through her breast when she felt him harden next to her.
She lifted her face and went on her tiptoes. Perhaps it was madness, perhaps it was single-minded on her part, but she would have done anything to escape from this nightmare. John could offer her escape from her terror. She kept her eyes closed, like he’d directed, but she pictured his vivid blue eyes, his strong jaw, his firm mouth.
A shudder went through him when she kissed him. She sandwiched his lower lip between her own, nibbled at him, coaxed him, but much to her frustration, he didn’t immediately respond. He’d lowered his head to meet her caress, but beyond that, he seemed hesitant. Desperate, she ran the tip of her tongue between the seam of his lips, liking his taste . . . liking it very much. His cock leapt against her belly, but he also applied a slight pressure on her shoulders, pushing her away.
“No, Jennifer.”
“Yes,” she whispered, pressing closer and raining feverish kisses along his jaw.
“You’re afraid. You don’
t know what you’re doing.”