Whatever it was—a big ugly bird—screamed, too, flapping its wings and jumping away from her. Then it spread its wings and, with a few hops, took to the sky.
Heart hammering, she watched it fly away, big black wings flapping.
Then off to her left she heard what sounded like a choking sound. Zach stood there, biting his lower lip, clearly trying very hard not to laugh.
“It’s not funny!” She sat up, feeling more than a little surly. “What was it? And what was it trying to do?”
“That was a turkey vulture.” He’d quit laughing, but there was a broad grin on his face. “I think it thought it had found some very fresh meat for breakfast.”
Hot now, Natalie pulled off her jacket. “It scared me to death.”
“You scareditto death. Imagine how you’d feel if you stuck your fork in a nice, juicy steak only to have it moo and jump off your plate.” He started laughing again.
“What if it had taken a chunk out of my . . . ? Where were you?”
“I was over there taking a leak.” He squatted down next to his pack, drew out sanitizing hand wipes and wiped his hands. “Go back to sleep, Little Miss Grumpy. I promise, I won’t let the mean birdies eat your behind, though I can’t blame them for wanting a piece of it. It is pretty damned delicious.”
His playful words stirred memories of last night’s crazy sex in the bushes, breaking through her bad mood and making her smile. She’d never experienced anything like it. It had been animal sex—primal, rough, out of control, and with just a hint of real danger. Though she’d had sex with Beau in that position before, she’d never been able to climax. But with Zach, it had been so easy, so natural, so—
No. Don’t compare them. You can’t compare them. Beau was your fiancé, the man you would have married. Zach is just . . .
What was he?
Her protector with benefits? Her temporary lover? A desert fling?
Too tired to think about it and in dire need of her own bathroom break, she crawled across the blanket, then stood, careful not to bump her head on the rock overhang. Every muscle in her body screamed. “Ooh . . . God.”
“Sore?”
She whimpered, in too much pain to care how undignified it was.
“Let’s get some breakfast in you, and then more ibuprofen. And then you really do need to sleep.”
“What time is it?”
“About seven thirty. You’ve been asleep for a little over two hours.”
No wonder she felt like death.
And then it hit her.
He hadn’t slept at all.
CHAPTER 17
AWAKENED BY THE oppressive midday heat, Zach opened his eyes to see a small blue and tan lizard doing what looked like push-ups about a foot away from his face. Up and down it moved, then froze and looked at him in what was clearly a territorial display. It pumped out a few more, then froze again. “Yeah, you’re bad.”
Zach glanced at his new watch for the time and temp—1320 hours and 114 degrees. He sat up, frightening the lizard away. Then, leaving Natalie to sleep, he grabbed his rifle and binoculars and did a perimeter scout, looking for any sign of human beings nearby. Baboquivari Peak rose to the northeast, reigning over the parched landscape. Apart from insects, lizards, birds, and a few pronghorns off in the distance, nothing was moving in this heat. Everyone was pinned down until sunset.
By the time he returned to their little haven of shade, his hair was damp, his T-shirt stained with sweat. He set the rifle down, munched a handful of nuts, then washed them down with a long drink from his hydration pack.
Beside him, Natalie lay sleeping, her face turned toward him, cheeks flushed from the heat, strands of hair sticking to her damp skin. He didn’t think he could ever get enough of looking at her. Her creamy, almost translucent skin. Her thick, dark lashes. Those graceful, dark brows. Her sweet little nose. Those high, delicate cheekbones. The dimples that showed when she smiled. Her soft, full lips.
Watching her sleep, it wasn’t hard to believe that a woman’s face had once launched a thousand ships and started a war.
Three days max, McBride. That’s all you get.
He reached for a gallon of water, one that he hadn’t yet mixed withsuero, the lemon-flavored electrolyte powder. Then he fished through his pack for the bandanas, wetted one, shed his shirt, and wiped the cool, wet cloth over his chest, throat, and face before tying it loosely around his neck, where it would help keep his body temp down.