Free Deadly Race by Margaret Daley Page B

she stared at Slade, she felt herself being drawn deeper and deeper into the swirling sea green of his eyes. She ran her tongue over her lips again to moisten them. Inch by inch he bent toward her, all while their gazes were linked. She was rooted to the ground, paralyzed by a womanly need demanding attention. They had nearly died today, and she needed to feel alive. She couldn’t resist tasting the “forbidden fruit” one more time.
    “Yes, we’re halfway home.” His whispered words washed over her.
    Her lips parted slightly as his mouth fit over hers and his fingers combed through her hair to hold her head still. One of his hands moved down the length of her spine to mold her body closer to his, while his other stayed clenched in her hair. He drove his mouth into hers in a fierce kiss.
    When he drew slightly away, their ragged breaths merged in the small space between them. Ellie felt lightheaded and wished that she could attribute her state of mind to their harrowing experience. But she couldn’t.
    “You haven’t lost your touch. You are a good kisser,” she replied breathlessly, determinedly putting some physical and emotional distance between them. “We’d better not be here if someone decides to come looking.”
    Maybe if she walked all afternoon, when they camped for the night, she would be too exhausted to think, much less long after Slade. She was counting on that, because at the moment she had no idea what happened to her willpower. She must have left it back at Mr. Martinez’s villa.
    “Before we leave, we should check the plane to see if there’s anything we can use in it.” His words came out tight, as if he was battling for self-control, too.
    “Maybe there’s some food.”
    Slade laughed. “What happened to that diet you were going to go on?”
    “You know diets.” She took a quick inventory of his body and added, “On second look, I’m sure you don’t know diets. But take my word, they are easy to start and even easier to quit.”
    “I doubt there’s any food. It’s not considered regular equipment for a plane, but then I guess you can dream.”
    “Food isn’t a dream. It’s one of life’s necessities.”
    Slade tore at the branches in his way. “What are some other necessities?”
    “The usual, shelter, clothing, water.” She wasn’t sure what he was getting at, but somehow she knew she was going to regret the direction the conversation was taking.
    “Nothing for the soul?”
    Placing her hands on her hips, she fired back, “Such as?”
    “Those are the same things an animal needs to survive, but we humans require more. Like the ability to dream.”
    “Not to love?”
    He tossed a small limb to the side and opened the cockpit door. “Yes, of course, to love, to feel emotions.”
    “I guess you can deny those intangibles for a while, but soon you find yourself dying a little inside.”
    “Are you speaking from experience?” Climbing into the cockpit to check behind the seats, he scanned the area.
    “I was engaged once. It didn’t work out.”
    He looked at her through the broken windshield. “What happened?”
    “The usual. Our love wasn’t strong enough.”
    “Strong enough for what?” he asked, bending down to retrieve some items.
    “To weather deceit.”
    Slade tossed out two blankets, some rope, a flashlight and a toolbox. “Did you catch him with another woman?”
    “Several, to be exact. He was married and also had a mistress while he was engaged to me.”
    “Then you’re better off without him.”
    “Is that how you feel about your ex-wife?”
    “I married on impulse and lived to regret it. I won’t make that mistake again. Marriage isn’t for me.” He appeared in the entrance into the cockpit. “No food, I’m afraid.”
    For a moment he had allowed her a brief look into his past. But the moment was now gone, and Ellie realized she wouldn’t get anything else out about him. His expression was closed to her. “What are you going do with