Free Touch of Darkness by Christina Dodd

hem. The best way off was an ultralight that Tasya had brought over for some nefarious reason.
    And he'd sworn never to fly. Not like that. Not with the wind in his face.
    Death had come too close today; the cave-in had closed his eyes and his ears, the earth had weighed too much, and for a few horrified minutes, he'd thought they'd both breathed their last. He'd thought the Varinskis had won.
    Then he'd fought his way out to stand on the ledge, dirt cascading off him—and the damned tunnel had collapsed behind him.
    He'd had to go back in. Into the airless darkness to rescue Tasya—or die with her.
    He'd served as midwife and pulled her free, and now, whether she liked it or not, the strength of that portent bonded them together. Foolish woman. She didn't understand. But he walked the sidewalk of legend every day, and lived with the proof of evil. In his mother's prophecy, he had seen the evidence of God.
    Now with death's cold stench still in his nostrils, two great wants tore at him—wanting to fly, wanting her. Both needs heated his blood, and all the frigid water in the world couldn't wash them away.
    And Tasya offered one while withholding the other. She didn't understand . . . anything.
    He thrust the razor at her. "Shave my head."
    "Shave your—"
    "There's no faster way to change my looks. I need to be unrecognizable."
    She half grinned, and dropped into her best Mae West imitation. "I don't know how to break it to you,. big boy, but a guy who's six foot four is recognizable anywhere."
    He didn't grin back. "The gold at the site is big news. The explosion is even bigger news, and the newspeople are here to cover it. Our disappearance will lead to speculation—first, that we're buried in the tomb, then when our bodies aren't found, that we set the charges."
    She blinked, startled. "That sucks."
    "Yeah. But it's reality. If you want to get somewhere safe and upload those photographs, shave my head."
    She got serious. "Everyone's going to look at you."
    "Hortey, everyone expects big-ass guys to look tough, and the meaner I look, the less anyone wants to look directly at me, or talk about me, or think about me."
    "Yeah." She stared at his brown hair, dark and wet, then at the razor in her hand.
    During the night they'd spent together, she'd touched his hair, over and over, running her fingers along his scalp, stroking the strands.
    In her eyes, he saw the memories.
    For sure, she didn't want to shave his head. But she gave a jerky nod, and pointed to the ground.
    He sat, cross-legged in front of her, and took care not to flinch as she slid the razor carefully along his scalp.
    "What are we going to do about me?" The razor was new and sharp, but with only the water to ease the passage, she still removed the very top layer of skin.
    "You're going to wear my hat and sunglasses, and as soon as we can find you different clothes, you're changing your style."
    "Do you always think this fast?" She was getting the hang of it, the razor sliding more smoothly.
    "It's part of my training."
    "Air Force training, you mean."
    So. She'd researched him. But there was no way for her to research his family. Konstantine had. covered their tracks so well, no reporter could trace their background. "The Air Force taught me a little, but mostly it was my father. A survivalist, remember?"
    She lifted the razor away from his scalp. "Are you making fun of me?"
    He stoically stared straight ahead. "No." "Smart. I'm already scraping you raw. I wouldn't want to slip and cut you."
    For the first time since arriving on the island yes terday, he grinned and relaxed. They teetered on the edge of disaster, and she threatened him. Not because she didn't comprehend the danger—she most definitely did—but because no matter what the circumstances, she didn't take shit off anybody.
    She stirred his body to madness, yes, but even if she hadn't, he would still adore her. "Don't worry about scraping me. Or cutting me. I heal quickly." Very quickly. "Tell me