Sanctuary(69)

"You used to bite me. I've still got your teeth marks back of my left shoulder."

Laughing, she shook her hair back. It was going to be painful to brush the tangles out, but she had to admit, it had been well worth it. "You do not."

"Hell I don't. Mama calls it my Hathaway brand."

"Let's just see." she tugged at him until he rolled toward his side. she peered down, squinted, though she could see the faint white scar clearly enough. Her brand. It gave her an odd little thrill to know he carrled it. "Where? I don't see anything." she shifted closer. "Oh, you mean that little thing? Why that's nothing. I can do much better now."

Before he could defend himself, she clamped her teeth on his shoulder. He yelped, flipped her over, and rolled until they were tangled in the blanket. His hands managed to reach here, reach there so that she was as breathless with freshening desire as with laughter.

"I'd say it's time I put my mark on you."

"Don't you dare bite me, Giff." she giggled, struggled, rolled. "Ouch! Damn it."

"I didn't bite you yet."

"Well, something did."

He moved fast, visions of snakes slicing into his brain. He rolled her, gained his feet, and scooped her into his arms in one lightning move. Her jaw dropped open as she watched his eyes, suddenly hard and cold, scan the ground.

"Golly," was all she could manage, as her romantic's heart flopped in her chest.

Nothing slithered or crept or crawled. But he saw a glint of silver. He set Lexy on her feet, turned her around. A faint red scrape marred her delicate shoulder blade. "You just rolled over something, that's all."

He kissed the scrape lightly, then bent to pick up the dangle of silver. "Somebody's earring."

Bright-eyed, Lexy reached back to rub absently at the little pain. Why, he'd picked her up as if she weighed nothing at all, she thought dreamily. And he'd stood there, holding her, as if he would have defended her against a fire-breathing dragon.

Images of Lancelot and Guinevere, of misty castles, floated into her head before she managed to focus on the earring Gaff was holding. It was a bright trail of small silver stars.

"That's Ginny's." With a slight frown, she reached out and took it from him. "It's from her favorite pair. Wonder how it got here."

Gaff lifted his brows, wiggled them. "I guess we're not the first people to use the forest for something other than a nature walk."

With a laugh, Lexy sat on the blanket again, setting the earring carefully beside her before she reached for her bra. "I guess you'd be right. Long detour from the campground and her cottage, though. Was she wearing them last night?"

"I don't pay much mind to my cousin's earbobs," Gaff said dryly.

"I'm almost sure . .

she trailed off, trying to bring back the picture. Ginny'd been wearing a bright-red shirt with silver studs, tight white jeans cinched with a concho belt. And yes, Lexy thought, almost certainly her favorite silver star dangles. Ginny liked the way they swung and caught the light.

"Well, doesn't matter. I'll get it back to her. If I can find her."

He sat down to pull on his Jockeys. "What do you mean?"

"she must have found herself a hot date at the bonfire last night. she didn't show up for work this morning."

"What do you mean she didn't show up? Ginny always shows up."

"Well, she didn't this morning. I heard the hubbub over it when I came down for the breakfast shift." Lexy dug in her tote for a hair pick and began the arduous process of dragging out the tangles. "Ouch, damn it. We had a bunch of check-ins and -outs over at the campground, and no Ginny. Kate sent Daddy and Jo over to handle it."

Gaff pulled on his jeans, rising to snap them. "They checked her cabin?"

"I finished up before they got back, but I'd expect so. I can tell you, Kate was in a tizzy."

"That's not like Ginny. she's wild, but she'd never leave the in the lurch that way."

"Maybe she's sick." Lexy rubbed the earring between her fingers before tucking it into the little pocket of the shorts she'd put on to drive Giff crazy. "she was knocking back the tequila pretty steady."

He nodded in agreement, but he knew that even hung over, she'd have done her job or seen to her own replacement. He remembered the way she'd looked, staggering over the beach in the dark, waving at him and Lexy, blowing them kisses. "I'll go check on her."

"You do that." Lexy rose, enjoying the way he watched her legs unfold. "And maybe later . she slid her arms around him, up his back. "You'll come check on me."

"I was giving that some thought. I was figuring I'd come by, have dinner at the inn. Let you ... serve me."