One second she’d been talking, the next she was airborne, although not for long. The ground came up very quickly and turned out to be much harder than it looked. She slammed into it with a force that knocked the wind out of her.
For that heartbeat there was nothing, then she gasped for air, choking as she inhaled. Every part of her hurt. Her ears rang and her head seemed to be spinning.
“Someone has a lot of explaining to do,” she muttered, cautiously sitting up.
She moved her legs, pleased that nothing seemed injured. She drew in more breaths and found her head clearing.
Cat!
She saw her friend was also sitting, looking stunned. Thunder shook the earth. They both turned and watched part of the mountain fall away. A huge cloud of dust rose toward the sky.
“Are you all right?” Nevada asked.
Cat nodded.
“I should have been paying more attention,” Nevada said, thinking she should also be standing, but it seemed too difficult.
“I’m fine.” Cat crawled toward her. “Are you hurt?”
“No. Just shaken.” She laughed. “Like a James Bond martini.”
Cat grinned.
Nevada heard shouts from behind them. Great. Someone had noticed them flying by and was about to make a fuss.
“I’m not going to the hospital,” she muttered.
Cat moved closer and put her hands on Nevada’s shoulders. “You’ll be okay,” she said, then lowered her head and kissed her.
Nevada knew she might have some kind of post-explosion trauma thing going on, but she could still recognize a kiss when it happened. Warm, soft lips settled against hers. That’s what she noticed first. Soft, not firm. Gentle. Cat’s perfume surrounded her and those powerful artist’s hands gripped her shoulders.
Nevada sat frozen, not sure what to do. Pushing away seemed the best option, but she didn’t want to be mean about it. Nor could she figure out exactly where to push without giving Cat the wrong idea.
Before she’d worked out a plan, she heard someone yell.
“Gold!” a man’s voice cried. “Can you see the gold?”
Cat drew back. Nevada shifted away and told herself this would be an excellent time to stand up and run. Before she could, Tucker, Will and several of the guys surrounded them. She could hear someone yelling for the paramedics. Tucker knelt beside her and shook her slightly.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded, sounding furious. “You could have been killed.”
He looked pissed and worried and somehow, in a twisted, girly kind of way, that made her feel ever so much better.
“I wasn’t,” she pointed out.
“Damned annoying woman,” he muttered, before leaning in and kissing her as well.
This time the contact was familiar and arousing. As he straightened and continued to glare at her, she couldn’t help smiling. Funny, after all these years, she’d suddenly become popular.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
TUCKER STOOD OVER NEVADA as if warding off demons.
“I’m really okay,” she said for the fourth or fifth time.
He continued to ignore her.
Just as disturbing as her near-death experience and the realization that she could have been killed by the explosion or subsequent slide was the fact that Cat had made her move. Tucker rarely had to work to keep a woman in his life. Knowing his competition was playing for the other side made him uncomfortable.
He was aware that he’d told himself he needed to back off where Nevada was concerned. That they were too involved. But right now he didn’t give a damn about that. He wanted to stand over her, beating his chest, although he couldn’t figure out what that would accomplish.
One of the firefighters raced over, the EMTs right behind.
“Are they hurt?” the firefighter demanded, dropping to her knees by Nevada and holding a penlight up to her eyes.
“I’m perfectly fine, Charlie,” Nevada said, starting to stand.
“Don’t even think about it,” Tucker and the firefighter snapped at the same time. Nevada kept her butt on the ground.
“I’m all right, too,” Cat called, her expression bemused. “Doesn’t anyone want to fuss over me?”
“I will.” An EMT dropped to her knees and reached for Cat’s wrist. “How are you feeling, ma’am? Dizzy? Does your head hurt?”
“Did you just say ma’am?” Cat closed her eyes. “I’m dizzy now.”
Nevada chuckled.
Tucker glared at her. “Don’t laugh,” he commanded. “You might be hurt.”
A second EMT joined Charlie. They examined Nevada while Tucker watched anxiously. He was aware of a group of men climbing up the side of the mountain and shouts about something he couldn’t hear. There was a lot of activity he would have to deal with later. Right now Nevada was his main concern.
About two minutes later, the EMT removed the blood pressure cuff. “You’re fine.”
Tucker was less convinced. “What if she hit her head?”
“I didn’t,” Nevada told him.
“You might not remember.”
She rolled her eyes. “My head doesn’t hurt, I don’t have any ringing in my ears. I’m okay.”
Cat was pronounced all right as well, but she didn’t seem as anxious to get up. Nevada scrambled to her feet. She held out her arms and turned in a slow circle.