And a request like that would also let Tom know that his campaign to drive her slowly mad from frustration was working.
And she didn’t want him to know.
Didn’t want him to know that she couldn’t sleep at night because her dreams were haunted by visions of him.
Didn’t want him to know that she couldn’t concentrate at work because her days were punctuated by tantalizing glimpses of him in the distance.
Didn’t want him to know that she could no longer enjoy the mountains or her work on the team because she was so aware of his presence next to her.
Pulling on her jacket and the rest of her gear, she forced herself to concentrate on the briefing.
‘A woman’s dog has gone over the edge—and she can’t see it. She’s been wandering for ages, trying to track it down, and now has no idea where she is or where the dog might be.’ Sean gave a sigh and shook his head. ‘One day someone is going to make it mandatory to learn to use a map and compass before a person sets foot on the fells. OK, folks. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover. This is the plan.’
He briefed them in detail, using the map, and they set out, dividing up so that they could cover a wider area.
Sally walked briskly in front of Tom, deciding that she’d rather be in front of him than behind him. At least that way she didn’t have to look at his broad shoulders and his long legs.
Thanks to his campaign of looking but not touching, her need for him had grown to such a pitch that she was no longer able to be in the same room as him without having indecent thoughts.
‘Doesn’t matter how fast you walk, Sally, I’ll still be right here.’
His voice came from directly behind her and she whirled around, her eyes blazing.
‘Stop tormenting me.’
‘Why?’ One dark eyebrow lifted in gentle mockery. ‘If you’re indifferent to me, it shouldn’t be possible to torment you, and if you’re not indifferent …’
She ground her teeth. ‘Trust me, I’m indifferent.’
He nodded. ‘So what’s causing those black shadows under your eyes?’ He lifted a hand and stroked a finger down her cheek, smiling slightly as she shivered. ‘It’s the same thing that’s causing the black shadows under mine. And it’s called frustration.’
She glared at him. ‘And who is responsible for that?’
‘You.’ He smiled. ‘By refusing to marry me.’
‘I don’t want to marry you.’ She voiced the words automatically, but even as she spoke she felt the first flicker of doubt. Then she pulled herself together and lifted her chin, her gaze provocative and challenging. ‘I’ve told you, I just want hot sex with you.’
If she’d expected to shock him, she was disappointed.
He stepped closer to her, his blue eyes trapping hers. ‘You can have endless, scorching sex with me—’ his voice was a lazy drawl ‘—once we’re married. Just say the word.’
‘I’m not that stupid, Tom.’ She backed away and shifted the pack on her back. ‘And I’m not that desperate.’
She thought she heard him mutter, ‘But you will be.’ She chose to ignore it, stomping up the path at an increased pace, trying to ease some of her mental and physical frustration through exercise.
An hour later they’d climbed to the top of a ridge and Sally paused. ‘According to Sean, this was where the dog went over.’ She glanced around and then took several steps over. ‘Look—she’s left a hat. She obviously panicked and didn’t collect all her things. So we’re definitely in the right place.’
Tom squinted around, his strong legs braced as he steadied himself against the wind. ‘Can’t see anything or anyone.’
‘Well, if the dog went over there …’ Sally peered over the ridge ‘… then I suppose she would have tried to get down to the bottom, which means she would have taken this path upwards and then down to the right.’
Tom looked at her. ‘That’s only if she knows the territory as well as you do.’
‘If she’d gone straight over the edge, we’d see her body,’ Sally said reasonably, ‘and the chances are that she approached from the other direction anyway, so she’d know that there’s a path that leads down to the bottom.’
Tom nodded. ‘OK. Lead on.’
They found the woman crouched on the edge of the path further along, staring into the sharp drop.