Lani shrugged him off and stepped away. She slung her duffel to the ground, ignoring him and the slight tremor in her hands as she unzipped the bag. From the corner of her eye, however, she was aware of every breath he drew, of the tension that stretched his tan and black uniform taut across his shoulders, and of the strength of his tall, hard body.
A body she knew too damn well. One she’d clung to in the darkness.
Randy came up, squatted beside her, and reached inside the bag for webbing and a carabiner clip. “I’m gonna anchor the rope around that oak.” He pointed toward the tree just to the right of the cave entrance.
Lani nodded and swallowed to ease the dryness in her mouth. “Be sure to make two loops around the base with the webbing.”
“Think I don’t know what I’m doing? Maybe I should make it three since it’s your ass going down there.”
She forced a grin and shoved at his shoulder. “Just make sure you don’t tie it off with a slip knot, rookie.”
As Randy walked away, the sheriff’s long shadow fell across her gear. “The kid’s name’s Matt Costello. He’s sixteen.”
Lani’s stomach tightened. “What the hell were those three doing out here on private property, anyway?” Determined not to let him rattle her further, she kept her gaze averted.
“Having fun. Danny McKelvey hired them to move his cattle to the last stock pond he has with any water in it. They were wrangling livestock on this hill yesterday. Someone nearby was dynamiting—it shook the ground and opened up that cave.” His booted feet shifted in the sand. “Matt and his friends decided to make an adventure of exploring the cave today.”
Lani drew out her vertical pack and stuffed a first aid kit inside. “Some adventure. Let’s hope Matt isn’t already dead.” Then she pulled out a long length of new kernmantle rope and threaded one end through the metal slats of her brake bar rack, leaving a tail to tie off the rope.
“Lani…” His voice dropped—intimate, tight.
She didn’t want to look up, didn’t want to see the accusation in his dark eyes. “Can we leave this ’til later?” The pain of their last parting was still too raw.
“Dammit, when will ‘later’ be?” he said, his voice hard-edged and bitter. “You don’t answer my calls.”
“Later,” she said, the word sounding like a curse. She needed time and distance to remind herself why it had to be this way. His husky voice and warm, spicy scent tended to steal her resolve. If she closed her eyes, she could still remember how it felt to lie inside the circle of his strong arms—cherished, safe.
“Fine, but I’m going inside the cave with you,” he ground out.
She jerked up her head. “You hate caves. You won’t go ten feet without breaking into a cold sweat.”
A flush colored his sharply defined cheekbones. The man didn’t like betraying his weaknesses any more than she did. “I won’t get in the way.”
His tacit admission to his failing found a chink in her armor, but she hastily reminded herself she needed to push him away for his own good. “Well, I don’t need to worry I’ll have to rescue your ass, too.”
His jaw tightened. “You’re a stubborn cuss, you know that?” He took a step toward her, forcing her to tilt her head to look up his long body. “I’ll only go as far as the drop-off. This case is my jurisdiction.”
“But it’s not your rescue.” Angry at the flare of panic his intimidating stance produced, she bent and shoved the rope, carabiner clips, rope climbing devices, and a spare harness into her pack. It wasn’t his fault—the man hadn’t a clue how his large, rigid body affected her.
Pretending indifference, she stood, stuffed gloves into her pocket, then unbuttoned her overshirt and let it drop to the ground. Any object or clothing that might get bunched up or caught in her rigging had to go. Next, she removed the leather belt from the loops of her uniform pants.
The hiss of his indrawn breath brought an unwanted reminder of just how easily he could be aroused—by her.
Worse, she was reminded how close to the surface her own unwanted desire remained. Sweat dampened her T-shirt, and it stuck to her skin. Her nipples tightened, visibly pushing against her sports bra.
His gaze flickered over her chest, and his mouth thinned.
Wishing her long-sleeved tee was thicker and appalled at her body’s betrayal, Lani reached for her seat harness and stepped into it, jerking it up her hips. She adjusted the loops around the tops of her thighs and cinched it closed around her waist. Then she picked up the vertical pack and slid her arms through the straps.
When he reached for the strap at her waist, she forgot how to breathe. Pulling it tight, he buckled the ends together and the backs of his knuckles grazed her belly.
So close now that his lips were level with her gaze, Lani swallowed.
“Later,” he whispered.
After one step backward and a deep, ragged breath, she turned sharply on her heels and headed back to the cave.
“Lani!”