“If this is about what happened very early this morning—”

“Yeah.” He exhaled slowly. “I noticed you haven’t mentioned it.”

“Were you waiting for me to bring up the subject?” Sierra said.

“I think so, yes. And the fact that you haven’t mentioned it is making me nervous.”

“Don’t worry, it was just a kiss,” Sierra said. “I have a strict rule when it comes to sleeping with clients. It’s a definite no-no. Last night things got a little weird because people had tried to kill us and we had saved each other’s lives and we had just realized you had been poisoned. All in all, a lot going on. You spent hours fighting to regain control of your talent. I was awake all night helping you. Our physical response to each other was a natural reaction to the stress.”

He nodded. “Got it. Let me know when you run out of reasonable explanations for what was the most amazing kiss of my entire life.”

Sierra’s eyes widened. “Amazing?”

“I’m terrified to ask the obvious question but I can’t resist. Was it good for you, too?”

She drew a deep breath as though she was preparing to jump out of an airplane and she wasn’t sure the parachute would open.

“It was . . . amazing,” she said. “Definitely the best kiss ever.”

“Then why—?”

“I was afraid you were just feeling grateful because I helped you get over the effects of the poison.”

“I was feeling grateful. But that was not a gratitude kiss. I don’t do gratitude kisses.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive. Gratitude hugs, maybe, but definitely not gratitude kisses.”

“Okay,” Sierra said. “That’s good to know.”

North told himself he was satisfied. For now.

“Let’s get some sleep,” he said. He unbuckled his holster and put it down on the floor within easy reach. Then he arranged his pack as a pillow. “We’ve got a long hike in the morning.”

CHAPTER 31

Sierra awoke to find herself intimately tucked into the curve of North’s lean, hard frame. They were both fully dressed, but his arm was draped around her midsection and her butt was nestled into his thighs.

For a moment she lay absolutely still, afraid to make a move. She had never awakened in a man’s arms because she never did sleepovers. Waking up in North’s arms was an interesting experience.

After a moment she opened her eyes to the light emanating from the black glass walls of the tunnel. At the mouth of the cavern the radiant green fog was dissipating. Dawn had arrived.

She was stiff and sore from sleeping on the hard floor but she was reluctant to move out from under the comforting weight of North’s arm.

It was North who moved first. He released her and rolled to his feet in an easy, lithe movement. He went to the mouth of the cave.

“Fog’s lifting,” he announced. He turned around to face her. “Time to hit the road.”

Sierra stretched cautiously, wincing a little at the stiffness in her shoulders, and climbed to her feet.