“As much as I’d love for you to keep touching me, now is not the time.” His voice had deepened, his accent thickening.
“Crap.” She yanked her hand back, rubbing it against her cloak. “Sorry about that.”
“I’m not.” He dropped a hard kiss on her lips and rolled onto his stomach. “Follow me.”
That was the third time he’d caught her off guard with a kiss. It was frustrating, like smelling a honey cake but not being able to eat it. He was a tease. That was what he was.
Keeping her head low, she crawled after him, stopping only long enough to snag her pack from the ground. There was no telling how long this might take, and having food and water seemed sensible.
Zaxe seemed to slither over the sandy ground, not making a sound. She tried to be quiet but sounded more like a stampede of mulkeys. Having a pack on her back didn’t help, but she wasn’t leaving the supplies behind.
When they came upon the first body of a downed attacker, she turned her head away. The smell wasn’t pleasant. Zaxe stopped. Wondering why, she looked back and watched as he checked the man’s pulse and removed his weapons. The knife was tucked into his pocket. The long-range blaster was slung over his shoulder.
She inched up beside him. “What are you doing?”
“Never assume the enemy is dead unless you check personally. They may be faking it to survive or get a better shot at you. And you never leave weapons behind for someone else to use against you. What we can’t use, we’ll destroy or cache for the way back.”
Only a fool would fail to learn from someone as skilled and smart as Zaxe. And she was no fool. “Understood.”
When they came upon the next body, she searched for weapons while he made sure the man was dead. Patting down a dead man was something she hoped she’d never have to do again, but it was empowering to know she could do it if necessary.
She tucked the two knives she confiscated into her pack. There was no sign of a blaster. It must have landed somewhere else when he’d fallen from above.
Sweat beaded on her forehead and trickled down her temples. It was much cooler with the sun down, but the going was slow and difficult. They inched along at a snail’s pace. Every now and then, Zaxe would stop. With her head resting on the ground, she listened. Whatever had made him stop, she couldn’t hear it. When he was satisfied, he’d move again. It seemed to take forever to get to the base of the cliffs.
Resting with their backs against the stone, they were tucked under a small overhang that would hide them from anyone above, if they were looking.
“Wait here. I’m going to look for a path.”
She grabbed his wrist. “We stay together.” She didn’t think he’d leave her behind, but that was more an emotional response than a logical one. Why take chances?
“I’ll come back for you.” They were so close, his breath puffed over her face.
She shook her head. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I don’t trust you.”
“I’m wounded.” He slapped a hand to his chest, his tone teasing. Then he stroked his thumb over her chin. “I would never leave you.”
The intensity of his words made her shiver. She opened her mouth to object again, but he swooped in and kissed her. This was no tentative exploration. No, this was a claiming. His tongue boldly stroked into her mouth, exploring, mapping, owning.
They were vulnerable, snipers somewhere above them. But all of that disappeared beneath the onslaught of Zaxe’s wild passion. Hard hands cupped her face, angling her head so he could deepen the embrace.
She surged forward, kissing him back, melding their lips together. Heat and excitement rippled through her. Giving in to it, she ran her hands over his bulging biceps and wide back. All his clothing frustrated her. She wanted to stroke his bare skin, to see the heavy muscles of his shoulders, run her tongue over his abs until she was as familiar with them as she was her own body.
He was strong and self-assured. And he was leaving when his job was done.
Placing her hands on his shoulders, she pushed. He resisted for a split-second before pulling back. He was breathing heavily. On impulse, she placed her hand on his chest, pleased when she caught the racing of his heart. Death didn’t faze him, but she did.
“When this is done, I’m taking you to bed.” It wasn’t a question but a promise.
“When this is done,” she agreed. Sleeping with Zaxe might be a huge mistake, but if she didn’t, she’d regret it to her dying day. No other man had ever tempted her to take that risk.
“Stay here. Keep your blaster ready.” He dropped a quick kiss on her mouth. “And don’t shoot me when I come back.”
“Don’t give me reason to,” she retorted. She was smiling when he left. How was that even possible? So much death and uncertainty, but Zaxe could make her smile. Giving a shake of her head, she sat back and let her gaze run over the landscape, being careful not to spend too much time on one spot. She’d done her share of sentry duty when traveling with trading caravans. The trick was to keep the eyes moving to avoid boredom.
Not that boredom was an issue. Her heart was jumping in her chest. Not to mention her lips were swollen and moist, and every inch of her skin was sensitive. And where he’d touched her, the heat from his hands lingered.
She inched back, adjusting her position. The pack was still on her back. She wanted to dig out a flask of water, but that would create too much noise and distract her. The desert was alive at night. A howl in the distance made her tense. There were four-legged predators out here, as well as the two-legged ones. If they were close enough, they’d smell the blood and investigate.
Then there was Baraj. She didn’t trust him. If he finished up on his side early, he’d be on their trail.
There was no sound, but a slight disturbance in the air had her whirling around, blaster up. Zaxe was a meter away, crouched and waiting. How does he do that? Her finger tightened on the trigger. “I should shoot you for scaring me,” she muttered.
Still as a statue, he watched and waited until she lowered the weapon. “Follow me, I found a way.”
****
Gods, she was one hell of a woman. Sitting in the dark, clothes and face dirty, blaster ready to fire, she was fierce. His dick was still hard. Didn’t matter how serious the situation was, she made him come alive in a way he’d never been.
He could almost hear her swearing on him in her head, but she didn’t ask any questions, simply fell in behind him. She distracted him, which wasn’t good. But that was his problem.
It had taken little effort to find the path up the rock face. He’d taken out two men, rolling their bodies as close to the rock as he could. It would be easier to dump them off the path, but that would alert anyone else nearby.
Jamaeh wasn’t trained in stealth maneuvers, but she was a fast learner. Smart, too. She’d grabbed her pack, bringing supplies. The plan was to be back to the canyon floor by sunrise, but it paid to have a backup. With food and water, they could lay low if necessary. The weapons they’d collected would help them stave off any attackers.
He flowed to his feet and motioned to her. She glanced around and reluctantly got up, settling the pack more comfortably on her shoulders. “The path starts here,” he whispered in her ear. “Stay behind me, but stay aware.”