Only 04 - Only Love

and shoved that antique shotgun right up the grizzly’s ass!”
    “It was his arm, not his—”
    “If the recoil hadn’t knocked you down, you would be dead right now! Do you hear me, youlittle idiot? You would have died and I couldn’t have done a damn thing about it!”
    Adrenaline and anger combined to overcome Shannon’s good sense. She put her clenched fists on her hips and glared right back up into Whip’s face.
    “So what was I supposed to do?” she demanded. “Stand by and darn socks while that grizzly clawed you into pieces too small to use in a rag rug?”
    “Yes!”
    “Ha! And you have the gall to call me a fool! Well, let me tell you something, yondering man. When it comes to being a fool, you not only win the race, you also take second, third, and fo—”
    Shannon’s tirade ended in a surprised sound as Whip yanked her off her feet and buried his tongue in her mouth. She fought for an instant, then gave back the kiss every bit as fiercely as he was giving it to her.
    Prettyface snarled and circled the grizzly again, then darted in and set his teeth into the furry hide. He shook his head hard, harrying the prey.
    Neither Whip nor Shannon noticed.
    It was a long time before Whip let Shannon slide down the length of his torso until her feet touched the ground once more. The rigid arousal of his body told Shannon the same thing the kiss had.
    Whip wanted her. All of her.
    And all of him was doing the wanting.
    “Oh, my,” Shannon said raggedly, hanging on to Whip as her knees buckled. “I’ve been hoping you would kiss me like that every day since the hailstorm.”
    Whip let out a long, long breath. Then he tilted back Shannon’s head and looked at her with eyes that were no longer the color of winter.
    “Why didn’t you say something?” he asked. “I thought you didn’t want me to touch you anymore.”
    “What was I supposed to do? Walk up to you and say I wanted you to—to—”
    “Yes,” Whip said simply.
    Shannon blushed, bit her lip, and looked up at Whip with eyes as wide and deeply blue as the sky.
    “Cat got your tongue?” he teased.
    She made a fist and hit him lightly on his muscular shoulder.
    Laughing softly, Whip gathered Shannon close and rocked her slowly from side to side, resting his chin on top of her head.
    “How anyone can be so fierce and so shy at the same time is a pure wonder,” he said after a few moments.
    “I’m not fierce. And I’m not shy.”
    “Of course not,” he said gravely. “You’re a tender little mouse who cowers at the first hint of danger. And you’re a brazen little hussy who throws herself at a man.”
    “You’re teasing me.”
    “Not just yet. I’m thinking about it, though.” Whip smiled like a cat licking cream. “I’m giving it a lot of thought, in fact.”
    Shannon couldn’t see Whip’s smile, but she could hear it in his voice. She smiled in turn and nuzzled against his chest.
    Hair tickled her nose.
    She made a startled sound as she realized anew that Whip wasn’t wearing a shirt.
    “What is it?” he asked, holding Shannon away so that he could see her face. “Are you hurt after all?”
    She shook her head.
    “Then what?” Whip asked.
    “You.”
    “What about me?”
    “You’re not wearing a shirt.”
    “I was just getting dressed when the bear showed up. But if it will make you feel better, you can take off your shirt, too.”
    Shannon stared at him, then laughed out loud.
    “Now you are teasing me,” she said.
    She smiled, but didn’t rest her head on Whip’s bare chest again.
    “Does it really bother you to see me like this?” he asked.
    “No,” Shannon admitted softly. “It’s just that the sight of all that silky fur makes me want to pet you like Prettyface.”
    “Head to heels and back again?” Whip suggested in a deep voice.
    For a shimmering instant Shannon looked at Whip from head to heels and back again. The thought of touching him in the same way made her almost dizzy.
    “The look on your face…” Whip said, laughing. “Come on, honey girl. We’ll leave Prettyface to worry over the bear in peace.”
    Whip swung Shannon up in his arms like a child and began walking back toward camp. He didn’t stop until he reached the opposite edge of the forest, where he had made a night camp separate from hers.
    “I’ve been meaning to ask you why,” Shannon said, looking at his bedroll, “but you were so darned touchy I thought better of it.”
    Whip made a questioning sound.
    “Why