‘Hey, sleepyhead. The walk to the glacier yesterday must really have knocked you out,’ Carly teased.
‘Something like that.’ Rowena flushed.
‘Here, have some coffee.’ Carly poured her a mugful. ‘Everyone’s talking about you, you know.’
What? The grapevine here was even faster than the one at Lizzy’s? Rowena stared at Carly in shock. She knew?
‘You really keep your light under a bushel. I had no idea you were a doctor.’
‘Oh, that.’ So it wasn’t common knowledge about Luke and her. Yet. Rowena felt the tension ooze out of her shoulders.
‘You didn’t tell me you rescued Stephen.’
‘That’s because I didn’t. Luke did.’
Carly scoffed. ‘He went into the water, yes—but you did your share afterwards. Melissa told us last night over dinner. She said you were brilliant, explained everything to her. Why didn’t you say before that you’re a doctor?’
Rowena shifted in her seat. ‘I’m here to walk. To raise funds,’ she muttered.
‘And you don’t like the limelight.’ Carly nodded. ‘OK. I won’t go on about it. But I’m still impressed.’
‘Tell me that when I get blisters and you have to put the plasters on for me,’ Rowena said lightly.
To her relief, Carly didn’t start talking about Luke. And Luke himself had joined another group for breakfast, though she was aware of his eyes on her the whole time. They finished breakfast and got their rucksacks ready, then joined the rest of the group. The next section of the trek, through Valle del Francés, began over scrubby moorland. They stopped by Skottsberg Lake—where, according to Luke, the winds in the summer caused waterspouts on the intense blue waters—and then headed upwards through the forest, over wooden steps that helped the weaker members of the group as well as protecting the plants.
It started to rain as they crossed the first suspension bridge over the Francés River, and Rowena glanced down only once, regretting it instantly when she saw how fast the river was flowing. After the second bridge and a brief stop, the rain got harder, and Rowena trudged through the rocky terrain, her hands stuffed in her pockets for extra warmth. Her face was cold, she had the nasty feeling that her jacket had reached its limits of being waterproof, and the rain was getting heavier. Just a few hours ago she’d been warm and dry, wrapped in the sleeping bag with Luke. Well, with Luke wrapped round her, his body taking her higher and higher, and—
‘Ow!’ She slipped, twisting her ankle.
It hurt, but it had been her own fault. She should have been concentrating on what she’d been doing, not lusting after Luke. Or thinking about the night ahead, when she’d again be curled up in a sleeping bag with him…
‘Are you all right?’ Carly asked.
‘Yep. I’ll be fine in a minute.’ It wasn’t a severe sprain, just a twist. ‘I wasn’t paying attention.’
‘Thinking of it being hot and dry back home?’ Carly asked wistfully.
‘August heat waves don’t last that long. It’s probably cold and wet again by now.’ Though not quite as cold and wet as it was here. Especially here, in this narrow gorge, with the fast-flowing river thundering beside them.
They climbed up a steep section of rocks past a waterfall and made their way through a dense forest. When they came out at the top of the valley, to Rowena’s relief it had stopped raining.
They stopped for lunch at the viewpoint and the bowl of tomatican, a stew of tomatoes, corn and beans, served with wedges of corn bread, was enough to hit the spot and set them up for the rest of the day’s walking. But Rowena was drawn away from the others for a while—she just couldn’t stop staring at the incredible view.
She’d never seen a mountain panorama before. Not like this. Glaciers and snow-covered peaks to the east; shimmering blue and turquoise lakes to the south; the French river and the forest in the valley below. It was stunning, definitely worth the miserable day’s trudge. Her ankle was still slightly sore, but she looked up and forgot all about it when she saw the birds flying overhead, their wings stretched out to get the most from the thermal currents.
‘Condors,’ Luke whispered in her ear, standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.
She knew she’d remember this moment for the rest of her life—the clear blue sky, the majestic condors soaring above the mountains, and the warmth of his body pressed against hers.
He dropped a kiss on the nape of her neck. ‘Later,’ he said softly, and moved away.
Later. The word completely destroyed her ability to concentrate, and that afternoon Rowena had a hard time keeping up with Carly’s light chatter, let alone watching where she was going. Every so often she could hear the crash of ice falling from the Paine Grande, though the forest was too dense for her to see what was going on. Marshy wetlands took them to another viewpoint, then a descent to a muddy area leading towards the lake and their base for the night.
Later. She was dimly aware that she was hungry, but she had no idea what she was eating at dinner. All she could taste was Luke’s mouth, Luke’s skin. She didn’t see him at dinner, and by the time she headed for her tent that evening she was a mess of nerves and tension. Maybe he’d changed his mind. Maybe.
And then he crawled into her tent with a bottle and two glasses. ‘You left early. Tired?’ he asked softly.
No. But seeing him, remembering the night they’d spent together, made her breathless.
‘Hey.’ He rocked back on his heels. ‘If you’ve changed your mind, I understand, and I won’t give you a hard time.’
‘No.’ The whisper was ripped from her.
‘Just…you don’t do this sort of thing and you feel out of your depth. Welcome to the club.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘I nearly didn’t turn up. Just in case I wasn’t welcome. And this…’ he raised the hand with the wine and glasses ‘…isn’t some sort of bribe. So don’t think I’m taking you for granted, will you?’
In answer, she reached out, drew his hand up to her mouth, and kissed the backs of his fingers.
He shuddered. ‘Hell. I meant for us to talk first. Have a glass of wine, get to know each other a bit better. But you’ve driven everything else out of my mind.’ He tucked the wine and glasses safely to one side, switched off her torch, and shifted to lie with her on top of the sleeping bag. ‘I need to touch you.’ His voice was thick with desire. Like dark melted chocolate. He moved her so that she was straddling him, and she leaned down to kiss him. In the dark, she couldn’t see his eyes, his expression, but the swelling hardness between her thighs told her exactly how he was feeling. Just like she was. Turned on and blown away by the strength of their reaction to each other.
She ran the tip of her tongue along his lower lip. He sighed, and his hold on her waist tightened. He shifted his hips and she smiled.
‘Impatient?’ she murmured against his ear.
‘I’ve been thinking about you all day.’ His voice dropped an octave. ‘I saw you leaning over something earlier. Those jeans…And then I remembered exactly what was underneath them. I only just stopped myself doing the cave-man thing.’
‘Oh?’ She’d never thought she could have that kind of power over a man. Hadn’t let one close enough since she’d been a teenager. Maybe, she thought, she should have taken a risk like this sooner.
Or maybe it only worked with a man like Luke.
He tugged at her long-sleeved T-shirt, freeing the hem from the waistband of her jeans, then he slid his hand under the fabric, placing his palms flat against her stomach. ‘You feel good.’
So did he.
He