“Ummm…” Fina wiggled her ass in the sand, trying to straighten out her back. “Besides having my hands going numb behind my back, and my neck aching like a sonofabitch because I had to carry you for the last ten miles of the journey here, I’m fantastic.”
She carried him? He probably outweighed her by fifty or sixty pounds. Pure muscle, of course. It was pretty hot knowing she could carry him.
Fina tilted back her head and moved it side to side, giving her neck a crack before shooting a snarl his way. “Oh. And by the way, I really love the part about sacrificing my life for you, and both of us ending up here. About to die. That’s really wonderful.”
“I’m very sorry. This was not my intention.” He’d never failed on a mission before, and it shamed him that this was the first time.
She shrugged and looked out at the hypnotic blues and greens of the roaring waterfall. “Yeah, well, word of advice: The next time someone gives up their life for you, just send a thank you note or something instead of trying to be the hero.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” he said, “I’m grateful that you would do such a thing for me, but I would like to point out that had you consulted me first, you would have known I’d never allow you to sacrifice your life for mine.”
She looked away, but didn’t speak.
“Why did you do it?” he asked.
She remained silent.
“I’m assuming we are both going to die this fine morning, so what have you got to lose by telling me? We both might as well leave this earth without regrets and not as cowards.”
She met his gaze again and narrowed her dark eyes. He loved how intense she was.
“All right. Let’s see how brave you are,” she said. “Why did you come after me?”
The strong emotions stirred inside him—feelings he hadn’t permitted to see the light of day until now. But it was time to deal with the truth, no matter how uncomfortable. After all, wasn’t that what good warriors did? They confronted fear, not walked away from it.
“If you must know, I find you very attractive,” he said bluntly. “And, well, I admire your loyalty and intelligence.”
“So, basically, you want to screw me.” She frowned.
He gave that some thought. “Yes. If I’m being completely honest, I would very much like that.”
“Yeah, well, sorry, but I’m not the casual-sex, one-night-stand sort of woman.”
He nodded. “I am aware.”
“And so you came after me, hoping for what?”
He shrugged. “To see if Colel was right.”
“About what?” she snapped.
“If you recall, Colel mentioned that if I let go of her, I would fall for someone else.”
Fina didn’t frown this time. In fact, there was a hopeful warmth in her eyes. “And?”
“I was wondering if that person might be you.” He held his gaze steady on her face. She needed to know he meant what he said. This might be his last day on earth, and he wanted no regrets. What a shame it would be if she didn’t know the truth.
She stared for a long moment and was about to speak, but then clamped her mouth shut and stared down at her lap.
He couldn’t tell if she was flattered or thought he was ridiculous.
“Your turn,” he said. “Why did you fake that broken ankle?”
She toggled her head from side to side. “I figured Zeus would have a better chance of escaping if I gave myself up.”
“You sacrificed yourself for your cat? Sure. Okay.” He chuckled bitterly. “I know that’s not true because you admitted you did it for me.” That was what sparked this very conversation.
“Fine. I did it because I think you’re hot and maybe I admire you, too.”
Really? “So then why not stay with me? Why not keep running?” he asked.
“I guess…I guess, I saw the way you looked at the bee lady, and I knew there wasn’t room in your heart for anyone else—me specifically. Also, you were getting tired and slowing down. I didn’t see the point in all of us getting caught when the trackers really wanted me.”
Brutus’s heart accelerated, his pulse like thunder in his ears. She’s so damned hot. Fina had the spirit of a warrior. She knew that sometimes one had to make sacrifices for others. It took a brave person to be so selfless. Heroism wasn’t always about running headfirst into battle or fighting wars. Being a hero was about duty—to your family, friends, tribe, team, and companion animals. Sometimes it meant simply being there to draw a bubble bath. Sometimes it meant cooking a meal. And sometimes it meant running after a woman you admire and desire when you know in the back of your mind that you have no chance of winning her.
“I did not want you to die alone,” he mumbled, realizing why he’d truly gone after her. “I think you are far too special to leave this world not knowing how beautiful, brave, and smart you are. And,” he inhaled deeply, “even if I don’t really know you, I believe you could have healed my broken heart and taken the place of Colel.”
Fina’s big brown eyes watered up, and she cussed—or at least he thought she had. He didn’t recognize the language, but her words sounded pained.
“Did I say something wrong?” he asked. “I only meant to be honest and—”
“No,” Fina sniffled. “I’m crying because I’ve dreamed of this moment a thousand times. I never saw the face or envisioned being tied to a post, about to die, but I dreamed of this feeling in my heart.” She smiled softly. “Thank you, Brutus. Thank you for saying the perfect words before I die.” She sighed contentedly.
The fact that Fina found such joy in his words made him feel particularly proud. He’d finally become her hero. It meant everything to him.
Feeling exceptionally brave, he asked, “What do you think our children would have been like?”
Fina gave him an odd look and then laughed. “Yeah. Sure. Why not?” She inhaled deeply. “Since I’m only capable of having female children, I think the first one would have your build—tall, strong, able to crack a coconut with her ass.”
Brutus grinned smugly. He did have a mighty ass.
Fina went on, “And the second child would grow up to be my size—lean and muscular like a jaguar.”
He liked the idea of having two girls: one fast, one strong. “And their hair? Would they have your lovely streak of gold?”
“Hmmm…I kind of hope not, because it’s the sign of our leader, and I think I would want my daughters to grow up in the modern world, making their own way, making their own decisions.”
“So you do not agree with your village’s way of life?”
“No! Gods no!” She laughed. “Everyone is miserable and angry all the time. Probably because our kind needs sex. A lot of it.”
“I did notice your people have a lot of pent-up sexual frustration.”
“We are very in touch with our bodies,” she said, “which means our senses are heightened, and we run hot. And since we’re all related—cousins, aunts, sisters, etc.—it’s not like there’s any hanky-panky going on between us. Mittens is about the only game in town.”
Mittens? I don’t want to know. “So the lack of sex is something you’d change if you were leader. What else?”