Two Alone by Sandra Brown Read Free Book Online Page A

right. Father won't give up until he knows what happened to me."
    Rusty was certain of that. Her father was a powerful man. He was dynamic and had both the talent and the means t o get things done. His reputation and money could cut through miles of red cape. Knowing that he'd leave no stone unturned until she was rescued gave her an optimistic thread to cling to.
    She was also surprised to discover that Cooper hadn't been as withdrawn and impervious as he had appeared to be. Before they boarded the plane, he had kept to himself. He hadn't mingled with the othe r passengers. But he'd noticed e ver yt hing. Apparently her companion was an observant student of human nature.
    Nature was having its way with him right now. While she'd been talking, Rusty became nervously aware of his sex snuggled solidly against her bottom. She blurted, "Are you married?"
    "No."
    " E ver?"
    "No."
    "Involved?"
    "Look, I get my share of sex, okay? And I know why you're su ddenly so curious. Believe me, I feel it too. But I can't do a nything to help it. Well, actually I can, but as we discussed earli er, that isn't a very workable solution under the circum stan ces. The alternatives that come readily to mind would em barr ass us both I'm afraid."
    Rusty's cheeks grew hot and rosy. "I wish you wouldn't." What?"
    " T alk like that."
    "How?"
    " You know. Dirty."
    " You just left a big game hunting lodge. Didn't you intercept dirty jokes? Overhear some lewd comments? I thought you’d be used to bawdy language by now,"
    " Well, I'm not. And for y our information, I went on that hunt ing trip for my father's sake. I didn't particularly enjoy myself."
    " H e forced you to go?"
    " Of course not."
    " C o e rced you to? In exchange for that fur coat, maybe?"
    "No," she grated with irritation. "The trip was my idea. I sug gested it that we take it together."
    " And you randomly chose the Northwest Territories? Why no t Ha waii? Or St. Moritz? I can think of a thousand other places on th e globe where you would have fit in better."
    Her sigh was an admission that he had her correctly pegged.
    On a big game hunt she was as out of place as a rusty nail in an operating room. "My father and brother always went hunting together. Four weeks every year. It was a family tradition." Filled with remorse, she closed her eyes. "Father hadn't been hunting since Jeff was killed. I thought the trip would be good for him. I insisted that he go. When he hesitated, I offered to go with him."
    She expected murmurs of sympathy and understanding— perhaps even whispered praise for her unselfish and noble gesture. Instead all she heard from him was a grumpy "Be quiet, will you? I'm trying to get some sleep."
    "Stop it, Rusty."
    Her brother's voice echoed through her dream. They were wrestling, as only brothers and sisters who either hate each other intensely or love each other intensely can. With Jeff and her, the latter had been true. They were barely a year apart in age. From the time Rust y took her first steps, they had been bosom buddies and playmates. Much to their father's delight and their mothers aggravation, they had often engaged in rowdy hand-to-hand combat and always came up laughing.
    But there was no levity in Jeff's voice now as he clasped her wrists and anchored them to the floor on either side of her head. "Stop it, now." He shook her slightly. "You ’ re going to hurt yourself if you don't stop flailing around."
    She came awake and opened her eyes. It wasn't Jeff's w e ll-re mem bered, well-loved face she stared into, but the man's. The l oner 's. She was glad he was alive, but she didn't like him very m uc h. Wha t was his name? Oh, yes. Cooper. Cooper...? Cooper something. Or something Cooper.
    "Lie still," he commanded her.
    She stopped thrashing. The air was cold on her exposed skin, and she realized that she ’ d kicked off all the furs he'd piled over t hem f or the night. On his knees, he was straddling her chest and bending over her. Her wrists were