“Good. Now get in.”
They drove to his house and collected clothes, then made the quick trip to her place. Angel used lock-pick tools to open her door. It took him about thirty-five seconds.
“I’m impressed and not the least bit surprised,” she said as she dumped the blankets by the door and pulled off her wet and muddy boots. Her ruined socks followed.
Angel closed the front door, dropped his duffel on the floor, then removed his boots and socks. They walked down the hall to the master bath. She turned on the shower. As the water heated, she stripped off her clothes.
She was careful not to look in the mirror. She didn’t want to know how bad it was. She was still shaking and felt a little light-headed. Shock, she thought. Not a huge surprise.
They went into her shower. Until that moment, she’d never appreciated the second showerhead. Now she turned it on so they were both under the hot, steamy spray. Angel reached for the shampoo and poured some in his hands.
He washed her hair, then his own. They rubbed soap on each other’s bodies and cleaned off the mud. Somewhere in the rinsing process, she realized how slick his skin was and how his hands lingered on her br**sts.
She turned to face him and saw desire in his eyes. As she reached for him, he stepped close.
“I could have lost you,” he said right before he kissed her.
His tongue tangled with hers. His hands roamed over her body, exciting her wherever he touched. She felt his erection against her belly.
She put her arms around his neck. He lifted her up against the wet, warm tile wall of the shower, then pushed into her. She wrapped her legs around his hips and hung on as he filled her over and over again.
He supported her by her butt, his fingers digging into her curves. The hot water flowed over them as heat grew inside her. With each stroke, she was more and more aroused and at the same time conscious of the mountain of emotions coursing through her. Relief, shock, gratitude and terror mixed with sexual need. The combination threatened to overwhelm her. She was close but not sure she could make it over the edge. Not sure she wanted to. Losing control now would be—
Her orgasm claimed her without warning. Pleasure poured through her and she cried out, her voice nearly a scream. Angel continued to fill her, drawing out her release, even as the emotional barriers fell and she began to sob.
He waited until she’d stopped shaking to finish, then lowered her to the floor and held her until the water started to cool.
* * *
ONE CHANGE OF clothes, a quick hair blow-dry, a brandy and a bowl of soup later, Taryn was feeling more like herself. They sat on her sofa, watching HGTV. It was the most normal channel she could think of. It was after midnight, but she wasn’t the least bit sleepy. She was still too wired.
Angel sat next to her, his arm around her, her head on his shoulder. She’d stopped shaking and was starting to feel as though the shock was wearing off.
“Better?” he asked.
“Yeah. I don’t know how you did your military stuff. Going through this much stress, day after day.”
“You get used to it.”
She raised her head and looked at him. “Seriously?”
His gray eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled. “No. You never get used to it. You just get better at faking it.”
“At least I didn’t throw up.”
He chuckled. “I’ve always admired your standards.”
She laughed, then the humor faded. “I’ve never been so scared.”
He took her hand in his. “You were brave and you kept yourself in the game.”
“Now you sound like the boys.”
“I’m serious. You could have freaked out and you didn’t.” His gaze locked with hers. “To be honest, I didn’t think you’d let go of the tree.”
She knew what he meant. “You didn’t think I’d trust you enough.”
“That, too.”
Funny how in that moment she hadn’t thought about her father. She’d understood what was happening and had known she had one chance at escape. So she’d jumped and Angel had caught her.
She knew he would have done the same for everyone, but she liked to think he’d been a little extra worried about her. She snuggled close again. “I want to call Bailey and Regan’s parents in a bit. Check on the girls.”
“Good idea. I can’t believe they went down the trail instead of staying in the parking lot.”
“I know. Regan wanted her bracelet.” She touched her chest. “Just thinking about what happened terrifies me.”
“They could have been killed,” he said flatly.
She felt the tension in his body and had a feeling he was thinking they all could have been killed.
“You’re not going to yell at me for going after them, are you?” she asked.
He kissed her. “No. You did the right thing.”
“We are so going to have a talk about following instructions and being sensible at the next grove meeting.”