by Ainsley Cole
“Yes. Very well, too,” she replied, nodding her head.
“Well, that’s because I’ve been here before. I know how dangerous Kenya can be.” He lifted his hand, tracing the scar around the side of his face. “I got this last time I was here.”
“How?”
Bones shook his head, pushing his stool back. “That’s not something I’m willing to relive.”
Standing, he smiled down at her, trying to elevate the confused look on her pretty features. He looked out the window, seeing night approaching, and he turned back to her. “Get some sleep, Doctor. We can pick this up tomorrow.”
He turned, leaving her in the lab, his mind whirling with both images of the past and ones of her naked underneath him. Bones knew he had to keep his distance. It was going to be difficult since they had to converse about the mission.
“You okay?”
He turned his head to the side as Wolf joined him. His tanned skin looked darker in the dying afternoon light, and he nodded. “Yep.”
“Bullshit.”
“Yep.” Bones continued to walk, smelling food. He stopped outside the small hut Apollo had turned into a kitchen. “The doc found traces of an anti-coagulant in the kid’s blood. But it’s not enough to have caused his death.”
“He could have been on it a while,” came Apollo’s remark, and the blond stepped up to the doorway, small tray in his hand. He handed it to Bones, and the man realized he was on the night shift. “If it built up in his system over time.”
Bones shook his head. “No. Abigail said it wouldn’t have been enough.”
He looked at the pair of men, seeing Apollo’s smirk. “What?”
“Abigail, huh?”
“Shut up,” Bones replied, turning away. “I’m going to relieve Queenie.”
The snigger of his friend burned in his ears and across his face. Apollo could pick who he liked from a mile away, he’d always been able to, since they were kids. Taking his tray, he headed toward the north side of the camp, needing to get away from the blond.
“Are you taking over, boss?” Queenie asked from atop the Humvee.
Bones nodded, handing the man the tray, before climbing the vehicle. “Yep. Go get some food and some shut-eye. I’ll see you at two a.m.”
Queenie nodded, handing the tray back. He climbed off the Humvee, disappearing into the shadows. Bones put the tray beside him, leaning back against the 50cal. He lifted his hand, touching the mic at his throat. “Reaper, you got a copy?”
The crackle of the radio in his ear reverberated with the sound of the Irishman’s voice. “Aye, boss.”
“How’s it looking out there tonight?” He picked up the sandwich, munching on it as he waited for the reply. The huge guy had managed to come off shift just after breakfast and had slept. Now he was back on until later that night, when Wolf would take over. It would have been a forced break because the man seemed to be a machine when it came to work.
“Can’t complain. Stars are real pretty.”
Bones rolled his eyes, chuckling as he held the mic again. “You’re not supposed to be looking at the stars, Joshua.”
“But there’s nothing else to look at.”
“Fair call. Keep me informed if anything changes.”
“Aye.”
Bones shook his head, finishing off his sandwich, picking up the tub of yoghurt. He opened it, finishing it and shoved the tray to the side. Adjusting himself, he looked out across the vast black of Kenya.
There was a glow coming from the north; most likely Garissa, where they had been dropped off at. Everywhere else, there was darkness.
He hated it.
He knew what lurked in the night of Kenya and it wasn’t the animals you needed to worry about. The predators who worried him walked on two legs.
* * *
Abigail picked at the food Apollo had given her on the tray. While it was good, she wasn't hungry. Pushing it to the side, she leaned back, watching the men. Andrew and Chris were conversing. While she knew she should ask what the results were, she couldn’t bring herself to be anywhere near Andrew.
“Not hungry?”
Abigail looked up, seeing Apollo standing over her. “No.”
He took her tray, taking it to the bench, before coming back to her. “I don’t blame you. You had a rough one today. Seeing something like that in person is different than seeing it on a piece of paper.”
“Yeah.” She looked at the man. Tanned skin, hair bleached blond. He was a cute guy. But he didn’t do as much to her as his boss did. “Can I ask you something?”
Apollo blinked and leaned back. “Sure, as long as it doesn’t infringe on company matters.” Her stare had him chuckling, and he leaned forward. “It’s fine, Doc, go for it.”
“So, your callsign is Apollo? Why?”
“I’m a good shot. I am the team sniper. But I’m also the team medic.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Braedon thought it funny to call me Apollo. I’m good at shooting, can fix people, and well,” he lifted his hand, running it through his blond curls. “And I’m the only blond. But my real name is Bastian.”
“Like the Never-Ending story?” Abigail giggled, and the man flushed a bright shade of red. She leaned forward. “So, the others? What’s their real names?”
“Well, Wolf’s name is Ethan. He’s Montana Sioux. Reaper is from Ireland; his name is Joshua. And Queenie, his name is Milo, he’s from Greece.”
“And Bones is Braedon…?”
“Yep.”
“And how did you meet?” she asked, smiling. Now she had a name for the men, she didn’t feel as off about them. Especially with Bones… but his callsign did fit well with his tattoos.
“Well, Bones and I grew up together. He went to the Marines and met Wolf. They started Black Dove about a year after they left, and I joined too. Queenie found us a couple years later and didn’t leave. Reaper? Well, he stopped Bones from smacking out some IRA punk. We liked his spunk so much, we decided to keep him.”
“I’m not a puppy,” came Reaper's voice from behind them. Abigail turned, looking at the dreadlocked man as he helped himself to a tray of food. He winked at her and she turned back to the blond. Apollo chuckled, causing Abigail to giggle.
“So, how is it going with the samples?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Not so well. I was hoping that there would be something growing in them by now, but there isn’t.”
Apollo touched her hand, making her look up. “You’ll figure it out. I have faith in you.” She smiled as he picked himself up. “I have to go do a check on everything. Go and get some sleep, Doc.”
She nodded, lifting herself up. Wandering out of the small hut, she headed toward the sleeping quarters. Andrew and Chris would be snoring by now. They had left halfway through her conversation with Apollo.
Abigail turned her head, looking out to the Humvee, seeing the huge, dark figure sitting up on the top. Reaper was still inside getting a mountain of food, so the figure had to be Bones.
After their talk earlier, she felt like she needed to be near him. To relay to him she hadn't taken offense at his questioning. He didn’t know her mother had died when she was eight.
But she didn’t think him knowing she wasn’t offended was the real reason. She wanted to know what he thought of her. What did he see when he looked at her? She’d seen the way his gaze lingered over her. The need to know if there was anything there was driving her insane.
Inhaling, she strode toward the vehicle and the man who had started to invade her every thought.
* * *
“Mind if I join you?”
Bones jumped at the woman’s voice and looked over the side of the Humvee. He could see the curvy outline of Abigail, and he cleared his throat, trying to calm his nerves. “Shouldn’t you be getting some rest, Doctor?”
She turned her head, looking back to the camp. Her face illuminated for a moment, before she looked up at him, covering it in shadows again. “Not wi
th Chris and Andrew snoring like they do.”
He chuckled. “Okay. Sure, I don’t mind the company.”
Abigail gripped the ladder of the Humvee and hauled herself up. Bones moved, shoving the tray off the roof and into the dirt beside the vehicle, making room for her. Humvee rooves weren’t the biggest of areas. He tried to move across as much as he could, so she had more room.
Abigail sat next to him, her back not touching the gun behind her.
“You can lean against Betty. She won’t bite.” He chuckled, and she relaxed, her back touching the gun.
“It won’t go off?”
“Nah. It’s safe.”
“Okay.” She turned her head, looking out past the fences Reaper had managed to erect that day when he was supposed to be sleeping. They weren’t brilliant, but they would keep the animals out. “I’m sorry for earlier.”
Bones blinked, frowning. “Huh?”
She turned to him. “For asking about your scar.”
It itched, and he lifted his hand, rubbing at it. “It’s fine.”
“It wasn’t my place,” she replied, shaking her head.
The darkness was starting to clear a little and Bones looked up, seeing the moon shining. Hidden by clouds earlier, he knew Reaper would be a little happier. He didn’t like it when they couldn’t see what was out there, coming for them, whereas Wolf was the opposite.
He looked back to Abigail. “You didn’t know what it was from. It was just a bit of a rough question.” She didn’t reply, and he pursed his lips. “Okay, so how about I get to ask a personal question now?”
Abigail turned to him, her eyes shining in the moonlight. “How personal?”
He chuckled and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “You’re not married. Don’t have kids. But do you have a significant other at home waiting for you?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Lonely old spinster here. Me and my dog.”
Bones’ stomach twisted in knots. Single…
“And what about you, ex-Major?” she asked, turning her body. She tucked her legs underneath her, giving him her full attention. He felt like the high-school jock again. Getting the attention of the head cheerleader. Only this time, he didn’t think it would be so easy to get into this one’s panties. “Do you have a significant other? Kids?”
Bones frowned, leaning back against the gun. “Nope to both.”
Flashes of a crying woman came to his mind, and he turned his head, not wanting to chase that memory. Last time he had, it had almost landed him in jail.
“So, no-one?”
“Nope.”
“And the crew? Do any of them have partners?”
Bones looked back to her. “No. Our line of work isn’t exactly spouse or kid friendly. Each mission could be our final one. The last thing we want is our partner or our children suffering if we don’t come home.”
“Sounds lonely,” she replied, her voice trailing off.
“So does being a scientist for a company like Waterford.”
“It’s not that bad,” she offered. “The job perks are pretty cool.”
“Like?”
“I get to travel the world at someone else’s expense. I get to do research into diseases which twenty years ago would kill, but now we can prevent, even cure.” She turned her head back to him, her gaze meeting hers. “I get to work with some very interesting people.”
The tone of her voice. Bones had heard it before. The thought of what it could mean flushed through his body, making it heat with longing. The urge to lay her on the sand and make her scream into the African night built in intensity.
“They’re some good perks.” He chuckled, trying to change the subject. He turned away from her, looking out over the landscape. “But don’t you miss the idea of being a wife? A mother?”
“I didn’t know my mother very well before she died. And I don’t have a relationship with my father. The idea of being a mother scares me.” Her voice had become quiet, and he looked at her, frowning as she continued. “I don’t think I have the people skills to be either a wife or a mother.”
“Bullshit,” Bones said, making her gaze snap to his. In the moonlight, her eyes were darker than normal but still beautiful. “We get along fine. I’m sure, if you found the right guy, they'd put up with a lot more than you think.”
She smiled, turning her head away, and he knew there was something there. She didn’t seek out his company to talk about random things. She had come to gauge what he thought of her. Had she seen the way he looked at her? Had she seen the almost constant boner he had when she was around?
Looking away, he frowned.
He was being played.
He was usually the one in control. This woman though seemed to be the one pulling the strings, and he didn’t think he had the strength to resist.
“Well, I guess I should take your advice.” He looked back to her as she stood, her groin at the height of his head. He had to stop himself from leaning forward. Burying his face between her legs, to taste how sweet she was. “I’m off to bed.”
Abigail moved, climbing down the ladder and Bones inhaled as her boots hit the sand with a crunch. She didn’t move away, and he leaned over to see what was taking her so long to leave. As his head came over the ladder, she lifted herself on it, peering up at him.
Their faces were so close, mere inches from each other, and there they stayed, staring into each other’s eyes. He was so close to leaning forward and kissing her. He wanted to.
Finally, Bones cleared his throat, leaning back a little, leaving her personal space. “Goodnight, Doctor.”
“Goodnight,” she replied, breathless. “Please, don’t sleep on the floor tonight. There is a good bed in the room.”
He nodded, and she smiled, climbing down the ladder and this time, she did leave.
Bones groaned as she walked around the building. He leaned back against the gun, tipping his head back. “This is shit.”
His body was taut, ready to fuck, and he couldn’t. She was a client, and he had always told the team and himself the client was off-limits. Hand going to his groin, he pushed his erection to a more comfortable position. Then hunkered down on the Humvee.
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter Four
Abigail left the room. Leaving a sleeping Bones snoring in the next bed. She had woken to the sound and had laid in the bed for close to half an hour, on her side, watching him sleep.
Slipping into the bathroom, she took one of the cubicles and closed the door. Stripping off, she waited for the hot water, thinking back to Bones. The scar which ran from above his eye to the side of his mouth looked deep. How exactly had he got it? Was Apollo the one who had stitched it up?
Stepping into the water, she soaped herself, still thinking of the dark-haired man. Her body heated, her core throbbing with fantasies. The one which sprang to her mind was of the huge guy coming into the bathroom and joining her in the cubicle.
He’d bust open the door and have his way with her against the cold wall. Making her come quicker than anyone she’d ever been with.
Without conscious thought, Abigail’s fingers slipped between her legs. Rubbing over her clit, she tipped her head back as the sensations ran rampant through her. Her orgasm washed over her, hot and strong and she bit her lip.
Whimpering and shaking, she leaned back against the wall as her core ached. It had been so long since she had been with a guy…
With her breath caught up, she turned back to the shower, washing herself as thoughts of Bones continued to send her body into hot flushes.
If she finally made a move and he rejected her… it’d kill her.
* * *
Bones sat up.
His body clock told him it was time to get up. Even though he’d had but four hours sleep, his mind was rearing to go.
Looking over to the other bed, it was empty. Abigail was already gone, and he frowned, scrubbing his hands over his face. She had been snoring softly when
he had come to bed at 2:30 a.m. It had been a sound which had put him straight to sleep.
Picking himself up, he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
He needed a shower. The African heat was making him sweat constantly.
Crossing the sands of the camp, he walked into the shower building.
A small set of pink shoes sat on the floor, the shower dripping and Bones’ eyes went wide.
Abigail was in the cubicle.
He turned, ready to exit, when the door opened.
The doctor stopped, a towel over her head, her belly showing from under her dark shirt as she scrubbed at her hair. “Bones.”
His skin heated as he lifted his gaze from her stomach, finally meeting her eyes. “Morning, Doc.”
Her face flushed pink, the color reaching down to the tops of her breasts. She dropped her hands, the towel coming away. Her hair was long. It hung almost to her waist, and his breath caught as she tried to shove the wet strands behind her ear. “Thought I’d have a shower before Andrew and Chris this morning. They stole all the hot water yesterday.”
“Good idea,” he replied, and she smiled. Turning, she picked up her bag. Slinging the small purple straps over her shoulder, she slipped on her shoes. She looked back at him, smiling at him again.
“What are our plans today?”
Bones blinked, trying not to let his gaze wander to inappropriate places. “Uh. I was thinking we could go look around the village again? See what we can find? We could discover something which blows the case wide open?”
“Sure, that would be great,” she replied, a spring in the tone of her voice. “Do we have to take others?”
“Excuse me?”
Her face flushed, and again, he had to stop himself from launching himself at her. “Do we have to take anyone else? Can’t it be you and me? We're only looking.”
“Is that what you’d rather?” he asked, voice raspy. God, she was a little vixen, her eyes watching him, huge and innocent. She was testing the waters.
“Yes. As you can tell, Andrew and I don’t get along, and Chris is not the outdoors type. He’d be more comfortable here,” she replied, hanging the towel on the rack to the side of her. She adjusted the straps on her bag, the movement of her arms going back, making her breasts plump out more. Bones’ stomach lurched with the idea of his huge hands securing onto those soft mounds. “Bones?”