Thank God she was okay. Warm and alive beneath his grasp, the bone and muscle and flesh that only moments before had dropped and slipped along the face of the sheer vertical wall.The image of her falling, of her body lying broken and bloodied at the base of the cliff, flashed through his mind. Wordlessly he gathered her into his arms, stifling a sob that escaped as a rough sigh against her hair.A terrible truth blossomed inside, unwelcome and yet unavoidable. He loved her. How could that be? When had the attraction become more than physical desire? Had become, instead, a pain in his heart that threatened to rip him to shreds?He wanted to blame the situation. It wasn’t unusual for a bond to develop when two people faced death and survived, but this was more, this maelstrom of feelings that threatened to overwhelm him with passion.Biting his lips, Nate rested his chin on the top of her head. His heart still pounded in his chest, beating so hard and fast he wouldn’t be surprised to see it burst beyond his ribs.
