Wilderness Passion by Lindsay McKenna Read Free Book Online

gave him a wicked smile. “I suppose you think we only jump up and down when we look at microbes through a microscope?”
    He grinned, reaching out and capturing her arm. His fingers closed firmly about her elbow, leading her around the end of the trailer. “My contact with the biological field has been, let’s say, kept to the bedroom level, not the lab level.”
    She was thankful for the darkness because it hid the blush staining her cheek over his comment. “I don’t know if I’m ever going to get used to your honesty,” she admitted.
    He stopped at the door of the third trailer and opened it “Most city folks don’t get along with mountain people.” Giving her a half smile, he gestured toward the open door. “There’s an extra bedroom on the right—that’ll be yours for tonight. If you want to wash up, you can use the shower first. Just be sure to conserve the water if you can. We have a small heater and it runs out of hot water easily.”
    Libby gave him a stunned look. “This is your trailer?”
    “The company’s,” he corrected. “Go on in.”
    Shrugging, she entered the small, confined trailer. It was sparsely furnished with only the essentials, the linoleum floor well worn by time and many footsteps. After the desire she had seen in his eyes as he had looked at her, Libby wasn’t sure about staying there. But she had no choice and quickly accepted the reality of the situation. And a quick warm shower relaxed her to the point that when she fell into bed, she dropped soundly to sleep.
    * * *
    S HE AWOKE SLOWLY , vaguely aware of the warmth of a hand against her shoulder. Moaning softly, Libby turned onto her back, her hair spilling across her shoulders. “Libby, it’s time to get up,” Dan called. He gave her another, more insistent shake. “Come on, city girl, let’s get moving.”
    He had stood over her for a few moments before awakening her. Libby’s hair was a golden frame around her head. Dan fought a strong urge to run his lean fingers through it, to see if it was indeed as silken as it appeared. He was transfixed by the guileless quality of Libby’s face as she slept. Without the business facade it was the face of an innocent woman-child. A wild, wishful urge filled Dan. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Libby were his woman and they were simply taking a long hike in the wilderness to share the joy of the forest? He sighed heavily, frowning. How could she attract him that way? Dan knew that Libby Stapleton was touching him on many levels. Suddenly he didn’t feel as threatened by her credentials. And it made him breath a sigh of relief, because despite everything he was drawn to her.
    Dan removed his hand from her shoulder and she missed his strong, warm touch. Barely lifting her lashes, she looked through them. Dan stood above her, hands resting loosely on his narrow hips, a lazy curve to his mouth as he watched her. Rubbing her face with her hands, she mumbled, “W-what time is it?”
    “Five-thirty in the morning.”
    “Uhh, that’s impossible—I just fell asleep,” she murmured, her voice husky.
    He smiled, reaching down and caressing the crown of her head. “You have beautiful hair. Come on, Rapunzel, I’ve got hot coffee on.”
    Libby stumbled blindly out into the glare of the kitchen, dressed in jeans, a long-sleeved blue shirt and her hiking boots. Her hair, still uncombed, curled naturally about her oval face, making her look more like a young girl of twenty than a woman of twenty-nine. Dan stood against the sink, a cup balanced in one hand.
    “Here,” he offered. “It has cream and sugar in it.”
    Mumbling her thanks, Libby took it and sat down at the table, one hand against her head, closing her eyes. “My God, do we have to get up this early every day?”
    “You’ll get used to it.”
    Sipping the coffee cautiously, she muttered, “I doubt it.”
    Very little registered in her groggy mind during that first half hour. Libby was aware of the delicious smell of