Angels Fall

felt wonderfully swollen, tenderly bruised.
    Her response, her demands, had the control he hadn't expected to need thinning to its last taut wire. He could see himself taking her right on the hood of the car, just ripping off whatever clothes were in the way and driving into her until this raw, ripe tension was released.
    "Easy." His hands weren't completely steady this time as he took her arms. "Let's ease back a little."
    She could barely hear him over the roaring in her head, so she let that head fall limply to his shoulder. "Okay. Okay. Wow. We can't—we shouldn't—"
    "We did. We damn sure will again, but since we're not sixteen, it won't be in the middle of the road on the hood of a car."
    "No. Right." Is that where they were? She managed to lift her head, focus. "Jesus. We're in the middle of the road. Move. You have to move."
    She leaped down, dragged her hands through her disordered hair, tugged at her sweater, her jacket.
    "You look fine."
    She didn't feel fine. She felt used—but not nearly used enough. "We can't… I'm not ready to… This isn't a good idea."
    "I'm not asking you to marry me and bear my children, Slim. It was a kiss, and a damn good idea. Sleeping together's an even better one."
    She pressed her hands to her temples. "I can't think. My head's going to explode."
    "A few minutes ago, it felt like another part of you was going to explode."
    "Stop. Would you just stop? Look at us, groping each other, talking about sex. A woman's dead."
    "She's going to be dead whether or not we go to bed. It you need a little time to get your head around that, fine. Take a couple days. But if you think, after that, we're not going to have each other, then I was wrong. You are stupid."
    "I'm not stupid."
    "See. I was right." He turned to stroll around the car.
    "Brody. Will you just wait a goddamn minute."
    "For what?"
    She stared at him, big and male and rugged, backed by the towering spread of the dramatic Tetons."I don't know I absolutely don't know."
    "Then let's get back. I want a beer.
    "I don't sleep with every man I'm attracted to."
    Now he leaned on the open car door. "According to you, you haven't slept with anybody in two years."
    "That's right. If you think you're going to take advantage of my… dry spell—"
    "Bet your skinny ass I am." And he grinned as he slid into the car.
    She marched her skinny ass to the passenger door and huffed her way inside. "This is a ridiculous conversation.
    "So shut up."
    "I don't even know why I like you," she muttered. "Maybe I don't. I may have responded to you the way I did because it's been a long time since I had any… intimate personal contact."
    "Why don't you just say you haven't gotten laid?"
    "Obviously, I don't have your elegance with words. But my point is, just because I responded doesn't mean I'm going to let you dump me into bed."
    "I don't plan to knock you on the head with my club and drag you off by the hair into my cave."
    "Wouldn't surprise me." She fumbled out the shield of her sunglasses. "And while I'm grateful to you for believing me, for supporting me, I—"
    He braked so hard she jerked against the seat belt. "One has nothing to do with the other." His voice was dangerously cold. "Don't go there."
    "I…" She closed her mouth, took a breath when he began to drive around. " That was insulting, you're right. It was insulting to both of us. I told you I couldn't think. My body's all churned up. and my brain's inside out. I'm pissed off, I'm scared, and I'm horny. And I'm getting a headache."
    "Take a couple of aspirin, lie down. And let me know when horny leads the pack."
    Reece stared at the mountains. "This has been the strangest couple of days."
    "Tell me about it."
    "I want to talk to the sheriff. You could just drop me off there."
    "Go home, take the aspirin, call him."
    "I need to talk to him face-to-face. Drop me off." she repeated as they crossed the line into Angel's Fist. "Go have your beer." When Brody didn't respond, she shifted in her seat to face him. "I'm not asking you to go with me. I don't want you to. If Sheriff Mardson doesn't think I can stand up for myself, he has less reason to believe me."
    "Suit yourself."
    "I'm trying to."
    When he pulled over in front of the sheriff's office, he sent her a curious look. "What's for dinner tomorrow?"
    "What?"
    "You're feeding me."
    "Oh. I forgot. I don't know. I'll think of something."
    "That sounds delicious. Go on, get this done. Then get some sleep. You look ready to