you drink too quickly, you’ll get sick.”
“Crap, sorry,” she muttered. “I know better, but it’s been too long since I’ve tasted anything so good. I promise I’ll slow down.”
Her free hand came up to gently pry my fingers away, and I wanted to complain at the lost contact. Her skin was chilled, and I wanted to strip her out of the clothes I’d brought her and warm her up the best way I knew how—with as much direct skin-to-skin contact as possible. With her naked body writhing against mine. When I handed her a protein bar from my pack, the look on her face made me feel like a monster for letting my little head do the thinking and delaying, even for a minute, getting some food into her stomach when she was starving. Literally starving, judging from the way her eyes lit as though I’d conjured up a lobster tail, which I knew was her favorite meal since I’d left no stone unturned when it came to finding out as much about her as I could. The protein bars I’d brought weren’t the best tasting, but her little moans as she slowly ate it told me how much she appreciated the meal, such as it was.
“I should have brought some MREs with me.” Hadley cocked her head and raised an eyebrow questioningly, still chewing on the last bite she’d taken. Perched on a tree trunk in the middle of the jungle, she still managed to have the manners of a princess. With each passing minute, I was more determined to get her out of this jungle and back home where I could treat her like one.
“Meals ready to eat,” I explained. “Not that they taste any better than the protein bars, they’re worse actually, but at least they’d give you the illusion of eating a meal.”
She swallowed the last bite and beamed up at me, patting her stomach. “As wonderful as you’ve made an MRE sound, I don’t think I could handle one since I’m completely full.”
She was so damn sweet, and it killed me to know the only reason she was full from a fucking protein bar was because they hadn’t fed her enough. Her stomach had to have shrunk a ton over the last two weeks. I didn’t know what else they’d put her through, but I was going to find out soon. First, I needed to know if she could handle a couple more miles. The sun was rising already, light shining through the trees above us and we needed to make more progress before the killer afternoon heat in a few hours.
Sinking to my knees in front of her, I slowly reached one hand out to her knee. She flinched, a reflexive action I tried not to take personally, and then held still. “How are the boots working for you? Not too small? No blisters?”
She jerked her head back and forth but kept her eyes locked on me.
“Do you think you can handle a few more miles?”
She gave me a quick nod in the affirmative, fear and shame still alive in her eyes. I gritted my teeth, holding back the howl of rage which crept up my throat. If I’d brought my sniper rifle with me on this mission, there would be no doubt the guys who’d taken her would have gotten what was coming to them after we’d made it to safety. I tried my best to not let my anger show outwardly, the last thing I wanted to do was scare Hadley any more than she already was. I wanted to be her rock. The person she turned to for comfort. The one who made her feel safe. And the man who kept her out of harm’s way. If that meant waiting to kill those motherfuckers, then so be it. But one day Hadley’s vengeance would be mine.
Chapter 4
Hadley
T he look on Brecken’s face was fierce, and for some reason I took comfort in it. Deep down inside, I knew his anger wasn’t directed at me. No, it was on my behalf. I felt horribly guilty for flinching away from his touch. He’d rescued, clothed and fed me. At no point had he done anything to harm me. I knew this, and yet I couldn’t stop myself from tensing up the second I realized he was going to touch me. But once I felt the warmth of his hand on my leg, I wanted more. The
“Crap, sorry,” she muttered. “I know better, but it’s been too long since I’ve tasted anything so good. I promise I’ll slow down.”
Her free hand came up to gently pry my fingers away, and I wanted to complain at the lost contact. Her skin was chilled, and I wanted to strip her out of the clothes I’d brought her and warm her up the best way I knew how—with as much direct skin-to-skin contact as possible. With her naked body writhing against mine. When I handed her a protein bar from my pack, the look on her face made me feel like a monster for letting my little head do the thinking and delaying, even for a minute, getting some food into her stomach when she was starving. Literally starving, judging from the way her eyes lit as though I’d conjured up a lobster tail, which I knew was her favorite meal since I’d left no stone unturned when it came to finding out as much about her as I could. The protein bars I’d brought weren’t the best tasting, but her little moans as she slowly ate it told me how much she appreciated the meal, such as it was.
“I should have brought some MREs with me.” Hadley cocked her head and raised an eyebrow questioningly, still chewing on the last bite she’d taken. Perched on a tree trunk in the middle of the jungle, she still managed to have the manners of a princess. With each passing minute, I was more determined to get her out of this jungle and back home where I could treat her like one.
“Meals ready to eat,” I explained. “Not that they taste any better than the protein bars, they’re worse actually, but at least they’d give you the illusion of eating a meal.”
She swallowed the last bite and beamed up at me, patting her stomach. “As wonderful as you’ve made an MRE sound, I don’t think I could handle one since I’m completely full.”
She was so damn sweet, and it killed me to know the only reason she was full from a fucking protein bar was because they hadn’t fed her enough. Her stomach had to have shrunk a ton over the last two weeks. I didn’t know what else they’d put her through, but I was going to find out soon. First, I needed to know if she could handle a couple more miles. The sun was rising already, light shining through the trees above us and we needed to make more progress before the killer afternoon heat in a few hours.
Sinking to my knees in front of her, I slowly reached one hand out to her knee. She flinched, a reflexive action I tried not to take personally, and then held still. “How are the boots working for you? Not too small? No blisters?”
She jerked her head back and forth but kept her eyes locked on me.
“Do you think you can handle a few more miles?”
She gave me a quick nod in the affirmative, fear and shame still alive in her eyes. I gritted my teeth, holding back the howl of rage which crept up my throat. If I’d brought my sniper rifle with me on this mission, there would be no doubt the guys who’d taken her would have gotten what was coming to them after we’d made it to safety. I tried my best to not let my anger show outwardly, the last thing I wanted to do was scare Hadley any more than she already was. I wanted to be her rock. The person she turned to for comfort. The one who made her feel safe. And the man who kept her out of harm’s way. If that meant waiting to kill those motherfuckers, then so be it. But one day Hadley’s vengeance would be mine.
Chapter 4
Hadley
T he look on Brecken’s face was fierce, and for some reason I took comfort in it. Deep down inside, I knew his anger wasn’t directed at me. No, it was on my behalf. I felt horribly guilty for flinching away from his touch. He’d rescued, clothed and fed me. At no point had he done anything to harm me. I knew this, and yet I couldn’t stop myself from tensing up the second I realized he was going to touch me. But once I felt the warmth of his hand on my leg, I wanted more. The
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