Deeper than the Night - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,31

Kara. I'msorry."

Kara chewed on her lower lip, wondering how he'd know when it was "safe." Tall pines lined the winding road as they climbed upward. They had been traveling all night, stopping only to buy gas or to get something to eat, although Alex ate very little. Their last stop had been at a grocery store, where Alexander had bought several blocks of ice and an ice chest, along with enough food to supply a small army. Soon, they would arrive at his place. And then what?

She was all too conscious of the physical attraction that hummed between them, vital, irrefutable, almost tangible. How could they live in the same house day after day without . . . A wave of heat flooded her cheeks at the thought of being in his arms, in his bed. How could she feel this way about a man she hardly knew?

She didn't remember falling asleep, but she woke with a start when the car came to a stop. Disoriented, she sat up and looked around.

"It's all right, Kara," Alexander said. "We're here."

Here proved to be on top of a mountain. "But . . ." Kara frowned at Alexander. "Where's the house?"

"It isn't a house, exactly."

"What is it then, exactly? A cave?"

A faint smile curved his lips. "In a manner of speaking."

Without further explanation, he got out of the car and removed two of the cardboard boxes from the trunk.

With a sigh, Kara reached into the back seat. Grabbing the packages that contained her new clothes, she slid out of the car and followed Alexander along a short dirt path that led to what looked like a dead end. Her heart seemed to jump into her throat as she peered over the narrow ledge. One misstep would send her plummeting a thousand feet into the valley below.

She moved closer to Alexander, watching in silent fascination as he placed his hand over an oddly shaped striation in the rock face. There was a low rumble, and then, to Kara's astonishment, a portion of the rock slid back, revealing a large cavern hewn out of the mountain.

Shades of Star Trekand Indiana Jones, Kara thought. She stood at the entrance for a moment, then followed Alexander into the dark maw.

She saw the movement of his hand. The mountain closed behind them. Light flooded the antechamber.

Kara blinked as she glanced around. The walls of the cavern were fashioned of smooth white stone. She looked up at the ceiling, but could not detect the source of the light.

"Coming?"

Kara glanced at Alexander, who was watching her carefully. "You are going to explain all this, aren't you?"

"Later."

"Later? I don't think so." She dropped her packages on the floor on the ground, actually and stared at him, her arms crossed over her chest.

Alexander moved down the narrow passageway. "I'm going to put this stuff away, then go back and get the rest," he said. "Your room is the first door on the left at the end of this passage."

"Infernal man," Kara muttered.

Retrieving her packages, she made her way down the corridor. She passed a dark room on her right the living room, perhaps? Another few steps took her to the first door on the left. There was no knob, no lock. With a grimace, she stared at the blank wooden door; then, remembering how Alex had opened the portal to the cavern, she placed her hand against the wood. The entrance slid open, and after a moment's hesitation, she stepped inside.

It was a small, oval-shaped room. There was a double bed topped with a dark blue quilt, an elegant three-drawer dresser made of antique oak, an oil lamp fashioned of brass with a delicate glass chimney, and a beautiful Navajo rug woven in muted shades of blue and green. Nothing else. A small round window made of thick glass overlooked the valley below.

She crossed the floor and touched the window, wondering how he had managed to put a window in the side of a mountain. The glass felt odd, hard and soft at the same time.

Frowning, she turned to regard the room again. It was spartan, she thought, but what furnishings the room contained were exquisite.

It took only a few minutes to unpack, and then she went to look for Alexander, determined to find the answers to the questions tumbling through her mind.

The room across from hers appeared to be the kitchen. It held a small, square table, a single chair, a Coleman stove, several ice chests, and a small sink. Where,