Blessed heat finally seeped into Zoe's limbs so fast her extremities prickled in near pain. But her back, her chest, her shoulders...those were neither numb nor prickly. They positively zinged with heat from Eric's body.

More than heat, if she was honest. Energy, electric and exciting, coursed through her, tingling in places and getting all sultry hot in others.

She cleared her throat. Better make conversation to keep her traitorous body distracted. Besides, now that danger had passed and shock had bled away, there were things she needed to know. "So...is Eric your real name?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I don't know. You're not, like, undercover or something, are you?"

He laughed, more a rumbling against her back than a sound. She couldn't help the way her body sank into it, just a little. The way she melted against him.

"No. I honestly went after you because you hadn't come back. And you always come back." She was pushed forward, very slightly, as he sucked in a breath. "I like to watch out for you."

That quickened her pulse, sent more blood flowing, to the surface of her face and neck this time. Her skin burned with what must be one hell of a blush. Good thing he couldn't see her. "That's kind of you."

"I knew something was off today. Felt bad that I didn't warn you."

"What do you mean?" She turned as much as she could to face him.

"It was too quiet. No fish biting." He shook his head. "Something else, too. I'm no good at explaining it. A sixth sense." His eyes skipped over her face before losing focus off to the side. "I learned to listen to it a long time ago. When you didn't come back, it was just a confirmation. Something wasn't right."

"Well, thank you." With a sigh, she settled back against his hard chest. From the first time she'd seen him on his boat, she'd wondered about this man. More curiosity than fantasy, but close. Of course, none of it had ever involved the rest of the crap that had happened today.

"I...always enjoy running into you out here."

"Yeah?" A wave of something like embarrassment hit her, burning her skin and pushing her breath out in hot little bursts. He could probably feel it, the way his arms were so tight around her. "I do, too."

He cleared his throat, leaned over, and grabbed something. "Here, more socks, if you need 'em."

He must have known that she didn't, since her feet were plastered to his calves. Oh. Maybe... "Are my feet bugging you?"

"No. No, of course not. Keep 'em there."

"Okay." She couldn't help a smile.

"Still too worked up to have another bar?"

As if on cue, her stomach growled and she laughed. "Guess not. Share one?"

"Sure." He opened a pack, stuffed the wrapper into a bag with the others, and handed her the slightly larger piece.

"Thanks." They chewed in silence, and Zoe couldn't recall a more intimate meal. Ever. They didn't have to be facing each other for messages to be passed between them. Unless it's all in my mind.

Of course it was. He couldn't possibly be getting worked up over a protein bar in the dirt with a near stranger.

"Weird, huh?" Shoot. Why do I always do that? Voice the most uncomfortable thoughts out of some desire to ease things. It wouldn't work. Never did.

He didn't answer right away. When he did, his voice was quiet, his words slow, almost careful. "You mean...this?" He tightened one of his arms. "Or...that?" He widened the same arm to encompass the dark, twinkling sky hanging above the platform, which sat like an alien ship that had landed on the glimmering water, all of it bathed in pale moonlight. When she didn't answer, he went on. "That out there sucks. But I don't mind this one bit."

It took her a few seconds to grasp his meaning. Oh.

Ohhh.

"I don't, either."

He went very still. "No?"

"I mean, I'm glad I'm finally getting a chance to talk to you. A bit more than just 'Hey!' on the boats, you know?"

"Yeah." He spoke the word kind of into her hair. The move was intimate. Close. Good.

Her next breath was shaky, and it had nothing to do with the cold. She cleared her throat. "So, what's your last name, Eric?"

"Cooper. Yours?"

"Garcia."

He nodded behind her, the movement grazing her hair.

When he didn't carry on the conversation, she asked another question. "So, who was it you called earlier?"

"My brother, Ford. He's a scientist. Thought he might be able to tell me what the hell they're doing out there. Second call was to a buddy. He can call in the gang."

"The gang?"

"Group of friends who... We help each other out when things get rough."

"Hmm. Who's in this gang?"

He hunched forward, bringing his face close beside hers. "You really wanna know?"

Somewhere out of sight, a rogue wave crashed against the rocks, loud in the silent night. And as if that sound marked the start of a new weather cycle, a cloud skittered over the moon, blocking its light for a long moment. A breeze stirred the grasses on the slope below, sending the smell of sage to mingle with the salt-heavy air.

She shivered. "Why not?"

He leaned back and, for a while, she didn't think he'd tell her. When he spoke, his voice was low and slow. "Well, Ford's been in the Antarctic for a while now. Winter's just starting down there. That means he's stuck until much later in the year, so he couldn't come here if shit went down, but he could make calls."

"What's he doing in Antarctica?"

"Research. Ice piles up, trapping stuff from millions of years ago. He studies it." Eric tensed before speaking again, his voice crisper than before. "You catch what the guy told me on the rig?"

Confused, Zoe shook her head.

"Whatever they're doing out there, a company called Chronos is behind it."

"Isn't that a pharmaceutical company?"

"Yeah. You heard of them?"

"I mean, yeah. They're huge."

"I feel like my brother's talked about some Chronos funding down there."

"In Antarctica? So, they're doing ice research? And they're digging for oil." None of this made sense. What could a pharma giant want in either of those places?

"Not oil."

She pulled forward, turned, and looked at him. "What else did you find out?"

"Whatever they're pumping out of the ground out there, they don't want anybody to know about it. Spending millions, he said, on security." Eric smirked. "Not that you can tell from the way they handled today."

"Yeah, well. Not every day someone like you comes around." She leaned back and snuggled into him again. "You think they'll come after us?"

"Eventually."

"Didn't see a boat there, and you said they cut mine loose."

Eric lifted one thick shoulder. "Don't need a boat to find us."

"What do you—"

"Helicopter. It's how we used to get to work. A helicopter would deliver us, we'd pull our two-week shift, then head home for two."

"SEALs pull two-week shifts?"

His smile was quick, a flash of bluish-white in the night. "Told you I was a roughneck, once upon a time."

"You've had quite a life, Eric Cooper."

"Spent a lot of time in helicopters."

"I've never ridden in one. Just the idea scares the crap out of me." A quick upward glance showed nothing but starry sky. No darkly swooping beasts to destroy the peace. If she had her way, she'd never set foot in a helicopter. They were too high and way too unstable. "Would they come for us at night?"

He shook his head. "Doubt it. And if they do, we'll hear it."

Relief washed through her, though she knew better than to get too complacent. If a helicopter showed up here at first light, they'd be pretty screwed. It made her that much happier that they had this cave. "You used to come here with your brother?"

"Yeah. Ford and I spent quite a few nights in this spot."

"And now he works with Chronos people? Isn't that a weird coincidence?"

"No. He's based out of an American research station, but from what he's told me, they fund a lot of projects." He paused. "But, yeah, it's either one hell of a coincidence, or..."

"Or what?"

"They're a massive company. Biggest in the world, I think. Maybe they're just...everywhere."

"What could they be looking for?" Zoe mused with a shiver of fear. "These wells are tapped out. So not petroleum, right? Chemicals or something? Alternate sources of energy?"

"No idea, but their goon seemed to think they'd found something."

"Here?" She sat up straighter. "Didn't say."

They spent a few minutes in their half hug, entwined, but not quite admitting to it. One of his hands made a slow, lazy trip up and down her arm. She hoped he'd never stop.

"Tell me about the others." She immediately regretted speaking when his hand stilled.

"Hmm?" He sounded sleepy. "Oh. Did I wake you up?"

"Nope."

She shouldn't have bothered to ask. This man, she'd learned today, showed the kind of hyper-vigilance that wouldn't let him sleep tonight.

A yawn cracked her jaw. She, of course, could pass out any second. Especially surrounded by the comfort of this warm, solid body, lulled by the steady rhythm of Eric's breathing, and his addictive man smell.

No, she'd stay awake with him. She forced herself to blink the exhaustion away. "Who are the other guys? In your gang."

"Not just guys. There's a woman, too."

"Your sister?" she asked, hopefully.

"Friend. Leo. She's a pilot. Was navy. Then she worked with the oil companies, too, back when I roughnecked."

"That's pretty badass."

He chuffed out a half laugh. "She's definitely that."

"Who was your second call to?"

"Von Krainik. He was on the teams with me. Military contractor, based in San Diego."

"Fancy."

"Yeah. Don't know where he is right now, but I figured he might have someone around here he could pull in to help."

"You talk to him?"

"Another message."

Crap. "Think he'll come?"

Eric hesitated. "Someone will."

"We're not that far from the coast."

"Too far to swim."

"Yeah."

He tightened his arms, hard, and leaned forward. "I want you to know, Zoe," he whispered in her ear, "that I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

She squeezed him back, sucked in a shaky breath, and nodded. "I think you've proven that, Eric Cooper. Beyond any shadow of a doubt."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

In case you can't tell, I LOVE stranded stories, snowed-in stories, same bed stories... I hope you guys love them, too, cause it's kind of what this whole Survival Instincts series is about! Happy reading!

xoxo A