Amber Fire

Nearly a week after the near attack in their camp, and the steamy hot kiss with Jareth, neither big cats nor man had been seen again, and the hard work on the cavern site was exhaustively underway. Exactly why Amber all but ran to the waterfall nuzzled intimately between brilliantly carved canyon walls, moonlight glistening off the water with the inviting promise of sweet relief and privacy. Though, if she were honest with herself, Amber wasn’t sure if she was burning up from a day of relentless digging or from the long nights that had shifted from nightmares to erotic fantasies about Jareth.

No doubt he was displeased that her crew had remained. She’d tried to send them away, regardless of the impact their departure might have had on her grant. She hadn’t done it for Jareth, but for her own peace of mind that they were safe. But most of the crew had worked for her father, and they hadn’t missed the significance of finding a jaguar presence when they were hunting Yaguara, any more than Amber had. Everyone was in cautious, but energized mode. They were here for the long haul.

Determined to relax, if only for a few minutes, Amber raced to the edge of the pond, unbuttoning her shirt and discarding the tranquilizer rifle she’d been carrying around like a second skin. No matter how quiet things had been at their camp, that feeling of being stalked had not gone away, nor had the need to maintain a confident, calm façade for her crew. Which only made her need for this short escape all the more urgent.

Amber stepped to the edge of the water, naked and anticipating the cool, crisp relief of that pond. She waded through liquid ripples, the ground disappearing from beneath her feet, little pulses from the waterfall caressing her limbs, her auburn hair floating to the surface. She sighed and relaxed for the first time in days, settling onto her back, floating weightlessly, her arms and legs gently stroking the water.

For long moments, she simply enjoyed the pulses of the waterfall fluttering along her skin, her mind traveling to one of those midnight fantasies of Jareth. She might not have the flesh and blood man here to pleasure her, but she had those dreams. Back to what it had felt like to be in his arms. What it would feel like to be there again, with him naked. And she had done plenty of contemplating how he would look. So fiercely male, with long, sinewy muscles. What he would be like. Demanding. He would be demanding in all the right ways.

Her hands traveled her body, caressing a path up her sides and then over the stiff peaks of her nipples, outlined by the water. A soft moan slid from her lips. In her mind, it was Jareth’s hands on her body, touching her, and that stiff, hard cock outlined in denim, pressed between her thighs, moving against her, teasing her. The fantasy came to her with such brilliant clarity, it was almost as if he were there, by her side. In the water.

Abruptly, a warning, sharp and daunting, sliced into the fantasy. Her chest tightened. Fear shimmered across Amber’s skin in a rush of goose bumps that sent her bolting upright, hands fluttering in the water as her gaze did a quick sweep of the woods. Amber opened her mouth to call out and quickly pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to demand who was there. And someone was there—she could feel the heavy weight of being watched.

The woods carved a circle around the water, greenery flickering wildly as something brushed harshly against the undergrowth along the edges. A low sound—a growl followed, then another. Jaguar! Amber’s heart jumped as she launched herself forward, swiping her hands wildly through the water in a path toward the gun. Good Lord, she was a fool. She’d allowed the cats’ absence to make her forget just how dangerous they were.

She’d made it about halfway to her destination when she froze in place at the sight before her. From the center of a thickly wooded area came a male form—tall, dark, lethally sexy and dressed in black jeans and a tight black T-shirt.

Jareth strode forward, a dominant force, silently claiming ownership of everything around him. Commanding order. Commanding control, just as she thought he would do in bed… Silence slid through the woods, not even the sound of a bird could be heard. She, herself, didn’t dare breathe.

He stopped when her weapon and clothes rested at his feet. Bent down and lifted her black silk panties on one finger. “Not much on bathing suits, I take it?”

A breath trickled past her lips at the gentle taunt, the tension of seconds before sliding away with its escape. “The swim was spontaneous.” Somehow she doubted he would be a man who did anything on a whim. Not even kiss her. Which meant his dare had been as planned as the kiss.

He dropped her panties, leaned his arm on his knee. “Did you know that jaguars are excellent swimmers? That they, in fact, love the water?”

Amber swam away from him, to the rocky ledge to the left of the waterfall and held on. “I don’t see a jaguar,” she countered, a challenge in her voice. “And we both know they won’t come around as long as you’re here. They’re afraid of you.”

He arched a wicked, sexy eyebrow, not bothering with denial. “Are you afraid?”

“I should be,” she replied cautiously.

“Yes,” he said, his voice a sensual caress. “You should be afraid.”

And yet she had never wanted a man more in her life, and after losing her father, she’d seen how short life could be. “I’m not.” Certainty filled her. This place was what she’d been looking for. And so was this man. Five years of searching had led her to this place, and to this man. She wasn’t letting him slip away.

She pushed herself up onto the rock, water pouring off of her boldly displayed naked body as she settled on top of it and pulled her knees in front of her. “Jaguars love the water,” she said, the pool of water separating them. “Do you?”