“You need to shave,” she murmured, and found that her hand was already reaching out to touch the untrimmed growth of beard on his face. “This hides too much. You’re already difficult to know.”

“Am I?” He moved the towel over her hair, soothing and arousing by turns.

“You know you are.” She didn’t want to turn away now, from the look that could infuse such warmth through her chilled, damp skin. Lightning flashed, illuminating the tent brilliantly before plunging it back into gloom. Yet, through the gloom she could see all she needed to, perhaps more than she wanted to. “It’s my job to find out more, to find out everything.”

“And my right to tell you only what I want to.”

“We just don’t look at things the same way.”

“No.”

She took the towel and, half dreaming, began to dry his hair. “We have no business being together like this.”

He hadn’t known desire with claws. If he didn’t touch her soon, he’d be ripped through. “Why?”

“We’re too different. You look for the unexplainable, I look for the logical.” But his mouth was so near hers, and his eyes held such power. “Hunter…” She knew what was going to happen, recognized the impossibility of it and the pain that was bound to follow. “I don’t want this to happen.”

He didn’t touch her, though he was certain he’d soon be mad from the lack of it. “You have a choice.”

“No.” It was said quietly, almost on a sigh. “I don’t think I do.” She let the towel fall. She saw the flicker of lightning and waited, six long heartbeats, for the answering thunder. “Maybe neither one of us has a choice.”

Her breath was already unsteady as she let her hands curl over his bare shoulders. There was strength there. She wanted to feel it, but had been afraid to. His eyes never left hers as she touched him. Though the force of need curled tight in his stomach, he’d let her set the pace this first time, this most important time.

Her fingers were long and smooth on his skin, cool, not so much hesitant as cautious. They ran down his arms, moving slowly over his chest and back until desire was taut as a bow poised for firing. The sound of the rain drummed in his head. Her face was pale and elegant in the gloomy light. The tent was suddenly too big. He wanted her in a space that was too small to move in unless they moved together.