Spark
Kobo
Calvin Ritchie wants solitude and isn't about to let a wildfire stop him from doing exactly what he wants. An action-adventure movie star, he is in Ouray for a weekend as far away from prying eyes as he can get. He is at a crossroads in his life. As part of a group of fallen angels that needs to either find redemption or be damned for eternity, Calvin is being tested by both light and dark forces.
When a sexy movie star wants to hire her to guide him into Box Canyon despite the wildfire raging miles south of town, local mountain guide Willow Leslie says yes. Never one to turn down an adventure—or a big payday—she ignores the warnings and trusts her skills as they head out for a holiday weekend.
What they don't know is that an arsonist is loose in the forest and has started a second fire that traps them in the canyon. Bound by survival, they embark on a journey of erotic exploration and internal reckoning as the flames spread closer each day.
Will Calvin find that spark of redemption he needs to rescue them from certain death? Can Willow learn to trust someone other than herself enough to let love melt her jaded heart?
An excerpt...
She couldn't deny being riveted by the sight of him. The way he leaned, his lack of fear, the look on his face, the breeze tossing his hair across his eyes, the muscles of his arms clearly defined as he raised them out to his sides as if he were about to leap.
She grabbed his wrist...just in case.
She gasped at the jolt of electricity that sizzled across her skin at the contact.
He met her gaze, stepped back from the edge, and his smile softened to one of understanding. "I wasn't going to jump."
She couldn't release her hold on his arm. When he looked in the eye, she felt certain that he could see her soul. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't let him go.
He took a step closer and traced his thumb across her mouth before sliding it to the back of her neck. He leaned forward and whispered, "Go already. I'm hungry and I trust there is lunch waiting at the yurt, right?"
"Right." Her gaze locked on his lips. Never in her lifetime had she experienced such a rush from physical proximity to another human being. She felt like she had been encircled by live electrical wires zapping with a deadly current that would kill her if she touched them.
"Can I call it a round tent? I don't like the word yurt."
"Whatever you want to call it."
As if sensing her distress and knowing he was the reason for it, he bent his head until his mouth stopped a fraction above hers. "I know what my dare is going to be, want to hear it now or wait?"
"Wait." The mention of the dare snapped her from her reverie.
She released his wrist and carefully stepped backward toward the waiting rope. With a laugh, she leapt over the edge and rappelled inches from the surging water. Cool spray danced cross her arms, her legs, her face. She stayed focused on the rope sliding through her hands and the aim of her feet landing against the rocks before pushing back out to fall through the air over the waterfall. Cool spray from the falling water kissed her skin.
At the bottom, she looked up and saw the silhouette of him watching her. She gave him the sign and felt the tug of the rope in her hand as he connected it to his harness.
She always laughed when caught up in the moment like this. There was nothing quite like being immersed in nature, surrounded by the curving red canyon walls, and damp with spray from a waterfall not many people on earth would ever see. Tucked in this ravine—away from the usual tourists—these canyons she crawled through were paradise in her mind.
Calvin rappelled down with more expertise than she had expected. Impressed, she momentarily forgot about the strange effect he had on her. When his feet touched the ground in front of her, she let out a whoop of joy.
He disconnected the rope and leapt into the spray. The power of the crush of water pushed him under for a minute but he rose up with a shout. He shook the hair from his eyes and rolled onto his back in the natural pool.
"We still have a long hike in front of us!" she yelled as she gathered their ropes and removed her harness.
"There's no rush."
He floated, arms at his sides. His shouts and laughter echoed off the narrow canyon walls.
She sat on a boulder and simply watched him play in the water. When he finally stepped onto shore, she admired the way his t-shirt clung to his chest and the way his jeans hugged his hips and long legs. He shook his head like a dog to get the water off before pulling the shirt over his head.
Water slid down his bare skin. She clenched her hands at her sides and shifted on the rock. The idea of licking him consumed her until she had to close her eyes—licking his thighs, his cock, his abdomen, his chest, his shoulders, his neck.
She opened her eyes and looked at his face. She had already seen him nude once today and, if this was going to become a routine for the duration of their trip, she needed him to know that she wasn't intimidated—even if that was a lie.
Off came the wet jeans.
Off came the boxers.
There he stood in all his glory before squatting down to rifle through his pack.
Once he looked away from her, she closed her eyes and sighed. What the actual hell? How am I going to resist climbing all over that?
"Ready to go?"
She snapped her eyes open and blinked. He had already changed into dry clothes. Wet hair curled across his forehead and a few droplets slid down his neck. He smiled as if he knew he was working his way under her skin.
"You're an interesting woman, Willow Leslie," he whispered when she managed to gather her gear and hike without uttering a word.
"Why? Because I don't swoon at the sight of your cock?" She stepped on the exposed stones crossing the stream to get to the other side. "Sorry, Cal, but if you're going for shock value, you'll need to do better."
Please take that as a dare, Bud. She grinned to herself. Please, oh please, take that as a dare.
He said nothing, but she could almost feel his gaze piercing through her backpack and into the space between her shoulder blades. He obviously didn't know how to handle a woman who liked playing the game as much as he did.
Maybe he would be worth breaking her 'hands off' client policy.
Maybe she could risk it as long as she kept her heart out of the game.
Maybe she had finally met a man who stimulated her sense of adventure simply by being himself.
She smirked and hoped his dare would be worth the wait.
