Jesus, heâd had knife wounds less painful than this. All her squeezable curves were right within reach, and if she didnât stop wiggling around on him, he was going to lose his mind.
He gritted his teeth and zeroed in on what sheâd said early on.
There was a sudden jolt.
Her account fit with what he knew from looking at the wing. And the wing fit with what he knew from the briefing: that there was the distinct possibility that the plane crash hadnât been caused by some mechanical problem.
Emma sighed deeply and slid farther down his body with a soft murmur. Sheâd been right; his legs were falling asleep. But he welcomed the numbness. He had to stop thinking about her body. He had to stop thinking about rolling her under him and tasting that mouth.
The back of Ryanâs neck prickled. He tightened his grip on her arms and sat forward, listening. Rain drummed against the leaves over his head, and he strained to hear past it.
Again he heard the noise.
He slid his hands up Emmaâs body, cupping the side of her face with one hand and sealing the other one over her mouth. She jolted awake and gasped against his palm.
âââ
âDonât move.â
Ryanâs voice was taut with warning.
Emmaâs heart pounded against her chest as she blinked into the darkness and listened. But all she saw was blackness. All she heard was the steady pitter-patter of rain against the shelter. And all she felt was two-hundred fifty pounds of rock-hard muscle surrounding her in a protective hold, keeping her from moving or talking or even breathing a sound.
âStay quiet.â The words were little more than a vibration against her ear.
She nodded.
He moved his hand away from her mouth then, slipping it down to his thigh. He adjusted her on his lap, and she heard the soft rasp of the pistol sliding from his holster.
Emmaâs heart thundered, so loud now she knew he could hear it. Maybe whoever was out there could hear it, too.
Maybe it was Jake or Lucas or Ethan.
But heâd know the sound of his teammatesâ approach. Whatever was approaching now was a threat; she could tell from the tension in his body as he wrapped his left arm around her waist and slowly eased her onto the ground. And then he was crouched next to her. She couldnât see him, but she could feel his coiled energy as he hovered beside her like a panther waiting to strike.
And then she heard it above the rain. Softly at first, then louder, until there was no ignoring the faint rattling noise as it drew near.
âWhat is it?â she whispered.
He pulled her close, and his breath was hot against her temple. âDonât go anywhere. Iâll be back.â
Go anywhere? Was he out of his freaking mind? Where on earth would she go?
But more important, where was he going?
He wouldnât leave her here. She knew that.
Except he just had. A sour lump of fear clogged her throat. She forced it down. He would come back. But the noise was getting louderâthe persistent, metallic noise that was augmented now by rustling in the trees.
It was getting closer. Much too close. Emma squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath and wished herself invisible, as if wishing would make it so.
Where had he gone?
She took a deep, silent breath and tried to calm down. And she understood now that this shelter wasnât just about keeping her out of the rain. It was about hiding her here in the jungle, keeping her safely secreted away until the extract time.
Who was out there?
The metallic sound was louder now, accompanied by a crunching noise. She hunched under the branches with her knees pulled tight against her chest. Her stomach churned, and she felt like she had in the plane when sheâd first started to grasp the reality of what was happening. She began to feel panicked, claustrophobic, and she had the insane urge to jump from the shelter and scream her terror at the top of her lungs just to break
He gritted his teeth and zeroed in on what sheâd said early on.
There was a sudden jolt.
Her account fit with what he knew from looking at the wing. And the wing fit with what he knew from the briefing: that there was the distinct possibility that the plane crash hadnât been caused by some mechanical problem.
Emma sighed deeply and slid farther down his body with a soft murmur. Sheâd been right; his legs were falling asleep. But he welcomed the numbness. He had to stop thinking about her body. He had to stop thinking about rolling her under him and tasting that mouth.
The back of Ryanâs neck prickled. He tightened his grip on her arms and sat forward, listening. Rain drummed against the leaves over his head, and he strained to hear past it.
Again he heard the noise.
He slid his hands up Emmaâs body, cupping the side of her face with one hand and sealing the other one over her mouth. She jolted awake and gasped against his palm.
âââ
âDonât move.â
Ryanâs voice was taut with warning.
Emmaâs heart pounded against her chest as she blinked into the darkness and listened. But all she saw was blackness. All she heard was the steady pitter-patter of rain against the shelter. And all she felt was two-hundred fifty pounds of rock-hard muscle surrounding her in a protective hold, keeping her from moving or talking or even breathing a sound.
âStay quiet.â The words were little more than a vibration against her ear.
She nodded.
He moved his hand away from her mouth then, slipping it down to his thigh. He adjusted her on his lap, and she heard the soft rasp of the pistol sliding from his holster.
Emmaâs heart thundered, so loud now she knew he could hear it. Maybe whoever was out there could hear it, too.
Maybe it was Jake or Lucas or Ethan.
But heâd know the sound of his teammatesâ approach. Whatever was approaching now was a threat; she could tell from the tension in his body as he wrapped his left arm around her waist and slowly eased her onto the ground. And then he was crouched next to her. She couldnât see him, but she could feel his coiled energy as he hovered beside her like a panther waiting to strike.
And then she heard it above the rain. Softly at first, then louder, until there was no ignoring the faint rattling noise as it drew near.
âWhat is it?â she whispered.
He pulled her close, and his breath was hot against her temple. âDonât go anywhere. Iâll be back.â
Go anywhere? Was he out of his freaking mind? Where on earth would she go?
But more important, where was he going?
He wouldnât leave her here. She knew that.
Except he just had. A sour lump of fear clogged her throat. She forced it down. He would come back. But the noise was getting louderâthe persistent, metallic noise that was augmented now by rustling in the trees.
It was getting closer. Much too close. Emma squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath and wished herself invisible, as if wishing would make it so.
Where had he gone?
She took a deep, silent breath and tried to calm down. And she understood now that this shelter wasnât just about keeping her out of the rain. It was about hiding her here in the jungle, keeping her safely secreted away until the extract time.
Who was out there?
The metallic sound was louder now, accompanied by a crunching noise. She hunched under the branches with her knees pulled tight against her chest. Her stomach churned, and she felt like she had in the plane when sheâd first started to grasp the reality of what was happening. She began to feel panicked, claustrophobic, and she had the insane urge to jump from the shelter and scream her terror at the top of her lungs just to break
Similar Books
