And therein lay his real dilemma. He could lie to her, and he could lie to himself, as much as he liked. But the truth was, if he wanted to discover if what lay between them had the strength to end in such a dream, then he was going to have to release her from the moon magic and allow her the choice of being with him. Or not.
But if he released her, he risked losing her again, and once was more than enough. Yet, by not releasing her, he faced the risk of losing her anyway. He might hold her physically, but he'd never be able to lay claim to anything more.
And he wanted that more. Wanted all she was willing to freely give.
So was it love?
Having never been in love, he couldn't honestly say what it felt like. But he very much suspected that if he didn't already love her, then he was certainly headed that way. Fast. And the more he tried not to think about it, to concentrate on the reason he was here rather than what he was feeling, the more control seemed to slither from his grasp. She'd had that effect on him at Rosehall, and it hadn't lessened in the ten years they'd been apart.
Maybe what he should really do was just talk about it. Get it all out in the open and let it hang there for discussion. But his gut clenched and his throat threatened to close over.
Talking about emotions wasn't something he'd ever been prone to do, and it was a hard habit to break, even for something—someone—as important as this.
She was right. He was a coward. He'd faced many a criminal with a loaded gun aimed at his face, and never once had he been as terrified as he was just now.
Her lips brushed his tenderly. “Some deep thoughts you appear to be having there,” she said, the glow in her eyes making him wonder if she'd perhaps been following them. “Hope all this talk of babies hasn't made you skittish."
"Not in the least. In fact, it's nice to know the free spirit has mellowed."
"I haven't mellowed that much, as you'll find out if you don't stop doing what you're doing."
He raised a teasing eyebrow. “And what might I be doing?"
"Like you can't smell my arousal.” Her sudden smirk was saucy. “That's like saying I can't feel your erection."
"It's attracted to heat, and there seems to be a lot happening at the moment.” He leaned down and kissed her like he intended to make love to her tonight—long and slow.
The sharp ringing of the phone brought the moment to an end. She broke away with a sigh, then leaned across and snagged the handset off the wall.
"This had better be good,” she said, her voice smoky with frustrated desire.
He wasn't sure what the person on the other end said, but the sudden tension stiffening her body told him it wasn't good news.
"I'll be there in ten,” she said, and hung up.
"What?” he asked immediately.
Her stricken gaze turned to his. “There's been another murder. They think it might be Ike."
Chapter Eleven
Savannah pulled on the hand brake then crossed her arms over the steering wheel as she stared up at the old walking trail. Despite the sun flaring against the golden hues of the Aspens, the trail itself lay wrapped in a darkness as complete as the clouds gathering above.
It couldn't be Ike lying dead up there in that darkness. It couldn't be.
But what was she going to do if it was? She'd sent him after Denny, despite Cade's protests that he was too inexperienced. If Ike was dead, then she was responsible, as surely as if she'd loaded the gun and pulled the trigger.
"You okay?"
Cade's voice was soft, full of an understanding that almost unleashed the tears building inside.
She nodded, licking her lips as she battled for control. She was a ranger, damn it, and she would continue to act like one, no matter who was up there.
"Grab your coat.” She wrapped a shaking hand around the handle and opened the door. “Bad weather has a habit of coming in fast up here."
He nodded, getting his coat and the crime scene kit from behind the seat as she climbed out of the truck. The wind skidded around her with icy sharpness, filled with the scent of the oncoming storm. They had to get up there before the rain hit and destroyed any chance of finding evidence. She zipped up her coat, but the sound of a truck engine coming up the hill behind them made her spin around.
It was a red truck she recognized. Ronan's. And Steve was sitting beside him.