“I’ll plead the Fifth,” she said, shooting a quick look at him.

“Right now I wish I had a fifth.”

At that, her laughter erupted. Even Boyo lifted his head at the happy sound of it.

Within seconds, Tanner joined her. The sound was music to Bri’s ears.

“What exactly are we laughing at, do you know?” he asked as his laughter subsided.

“At ourselves, I think,” she answered, drawing a deep, sobering breath. “It was fun, though, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Tanner was quiet a moment, doing some deep breathing of his own. “What do you want to know?”

“What?” His sudden question threw her.

“You said before that you wanted to know more about me,” he said. “So what do you want to know?”

“Everything.” The word burst out before she could hold it back.

“Oh, is that all?” He lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “That should take no longer than…oh, five, six hours. Of course, if I remember correctly, we went over our respective favorite things at lunch in Durango. Didn’t we?”

“Yes, I know, but I meant…well, other things.”

“Like what?”

“Have you ever been in love?” Oh, damn, why was she having trouble with that darn love word? Nevertheless, she waited, not breathing, for his answer. If he would answer.

He didn’t hesitate. “I thought I was once.” His shoulder shrugged and she breathed again. “I was wrong. Have you?”

Bri wouldn’t allow herself to be less candid than Tanner. She even took it a step further. “Once. I was wrong, too. He was a handsome, charming snake, a cheat and a user.”

“Gee, could you be a bit more specific?” he said, his voice teasing.

“He was a rat,” she said, deadly serious. “I came back to the dorm one night from the library to find him in bed with my roommate. I threw him out first. Then, without a shred of remorse, I used my father’s influence to get her out of the room and into another dorm.”

“You are tough.”

“I was mad.” Memory anger colored her voice. “At least I didn’t do either one of them bodily injury.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said. “For an instant there I was afraid you were going to tell me you punched her out and took a skinning knife to him.”

“Son of a gun,” Bri deadpanned. “Why didn’t I think of that at the time?”

Tanner let go of a smile right before he brushed his lips over her mouth. “Next question?”

His breath bathed her lips, stole her breath, tangled her thoughts.

“Did you fall asleep?” His lips were now at her ear again, teasing, tormenting.

“No.” It was barely a croak.

“Are you out of questions?”

“No, I’m…thinking.”

“Does it hurt?” His tone was solicitous.

She gave him a look.

He grinned, unrepentant. “We could discuss favorite holidays. Mine’s Thanksgiving. The turkey and trimmings, you know. Anything else?”

“Well…” She hesitated a moment, then took the plunge. “I was wondering about Candy.”

He frowned. “The dark chocolate you’ve been doling out like it was gold?” He licked his lips, stirring a wish inside Bri that it were her lips being laved. “I love it, the darker the better.”

“No.” Bri shook her head in an attempt to shake off the sudden need of his mouth and quickly asked, “Would you like some now?”

“No, thank you.” He chuckled. “Was that one of your questions?”

“No, and I think you know it,” she said, suspicion growing. “I mean Candy of the Hamptons.”

“What about her?” She could almost hear his frown in his voice.

“She seemed…oh, I don’t know, kind of possessive of you. Are you…?”

“I believe I answered that at the time, Brianna.” Impatience rode his tone. “There is not now, nor has there ever been, anything personal between us.”

“I’m sorry.” Bri was quick to back off. “I know it’s none of my business.”

He sighed. “There is no business so far as Candy is concerned. I’m not interested in her the way you mean.”

“Personally, sexually?” Bri asked boldly.

“No, sweetheart, I’m not. Wouldn’t do me any good if I were. She’s engaged to the man who was waiting for her in the restaurant. Besides, she’s not my type. Too forward, too easy.”

Bri frowned. “What does that mean?”

“What you think it means. She’s been with too many men. Not that it’s any of my business. But I’m a lot more particular than some other men.”

Satisfaction swept through Bri like balm. “I think I knew that.”

She knew he shook his head as if in puzzlement, not only because she felt the motion but also because the strands of his long hair brushed against her cheek and tickled her neck.

“If you knew, why ask?”

Bri scoured her mind for a reasonable or at least plausible answer. “Uh…I’m nosy?”

“And a lousy liar,” he retorted. “You wanted to know because you didn’t like her on sight and thought asking me how I felt about her would give you some idea about my character-or lack of same.”

Smart-ass. Bri kept the instant thought inside her head, where it belonged. But, of course, he was right, so she supposed she might as well admit it.

“Yes,” she confessed, not at all contrite.

“Sneaky, Brianna,” he chided her, amusement lacing his tone. “Clever but sneaky.”

“Obviously not too clever,” she said wryly. “You were on to me at once.”

“Okay, then I’m clever.” He pulled her even closer to him.

“Yes, you are,” she said, trying and failing to swallow a yawn.

“Sleepy?” he murmured.

“Yes,” she answered, thinking it was pointless to deny what had to be apparent to him.

“Twenty Questions over for tonight?”

“I suppose.” She sighed. “Except…what’s your favorite color?”

“Well, it used to be blue, like in jeans,” he answered. “But now it’s auburn-red, like the gorgeous color of your hair.”

Said hair quivered at the back of Bri’s neck. “Thank you.” Her voice quivered, too. She was losing ground here, and fast. Bri knew if she didn’t call a halt now, she could happily whistle goodbye to her need for sleep for some time.

“What’s yours?”

Huh? Bri frowned in the dimness. Oh, her favorite color! What the heck was it? Biding for time to remember what should be obvious to her, she stifled a fake yawn against his neck.

“Don’t lose sleep over it.” His voice was both soft and tender. “You may answer and resume your third degree of me on the trail tomorrow.”

Bri heaved a deep sigh of relief.

He chuckled.

Bri sighed heavier, wishing he wouldn’t do that. “Oh, did you have to mention that? I was trying to forget I would have to get back on the horse tomorrow.”

“You’ll do just fine and you know it.”

“Yes.” She yawned again and stopped fighting her heavy eyelids. “Good night, Tanner.”

“Warm and comfortable?”

“Deliciously.” Her voice was slurring.

He chuckled. “Then go to sleep.”

“Okay.” The next instant, Bri was out. She never heard him say good-night to her.

As he had two nights before at Hawk’s place, Tanner lay awake for a long time after Brianna fell asleep, breathing in the smell of herbal shampoo in her hair, the elusive natural woman scent. It was a heady aroma, pure female, delicious. He’d love to taste her.

He drew another, deeper breath, trying to calm his senses. All it accomplished was to arouse them and him even more.

He lost himself in the fantasy of the smooth softness of Brianna’s skin as he moved his hands over her body. How he had wanted to caress her, kiss her, every inch of her, hold her close to his hard body.

He wanted her so badly, ached to be deep inside of her, become a part of her. Everything inside him clenched with need, and he pressed his lips together to contain the groan swelling his throat.

Damn. He needed to get away from her, if only for a few minutes. He needed to get out of the tent, into the air. Maybe the chill of night would cool his overheated body, his hungry thoughts.

Stealthily he slid from the makeshift bed. Hushing Boyo, he unzipped the door and slipped into the night.

The air was chilly but not cool enough. Tanner thought what he really needed was a cold shower. The stream. Without another thought, he grabbed a towel from one of the packs and was moving through the forest, along the path, following the sound of water. He hadn’t gone very far when Boyo loped up to pace protectively alongside him.

“You should have stayed with Brianna, boy,” he murmured. “I can take care of myself.”

As if understanding Tanner’s every word, the dog slowed to a near stop, cocking his large head to look up at him, waiting, watching.

“I’ll be okay.” Tanner’s voice took on a hint of command. “Go back, boy, make sure she’s safe in the tent.”

A second of hesitation, then the dog turned to trot back the way he had come.

Shaking his head in wonder of the animal’s obvious intelligence, Tanner continued on to the creek. The water wasn’t merely cool or even cold; it felt like melted ice, which was very close to what it actually was.

Pulling off his underwear, Tanner briskly waded into the stream. He caught his breath at the shock of the freezing water and, holding it inside him, he lay out flat to submerge his entire body.

He lasted all of a couple seconds before scrambling up and onto the bank. Scooping up the towel, he swiftly and roughly dried his shivering and thankfully no longer aroused body. Pulling on his underwear, he made his way back to the protection of the tent, the warmth of the bed…and the woman asleep in it.

Shivering almost violently, he slid between the layers of the sleeping bag, close to her warmth but not touching her until his underwear warmed and his body stopped shivering.

Sighing with relief and moving slowly so as not to wake her, he reached to the side to turn off the lamp but hesitated for just a few moments to gaze into her face. Smiling, he switched off the lamp.