Blake’s head swung her way.
“They took my things,” she explained. “My backpack had my passport, supplies, all my work….” Her voice trailed off. The samples she’d collected and notes she’d taken were the least of her concerns. At this point, she’d practically need to start all over with her research anyway, and she sure wasn’t doing it on this trip. When they got back to Blake’s camp—or base, whatever he’d called it—she was getting the heck out of here.
Maybe another time she’d venture back, plan on writing another research paper, but for the moment? She’d seen more than enough of the rainforest.
“My plane ticket was in there, too. My cell phone….”
“We’ll get it straightened out,” he assured her. “You don’t need a ticket to hop a ride back with us.”
His lips quirked slightly as she looked at him. “Maybe not, but I need it to get back in the States, right? My car keys, house keys, identification—it’s all gone.”
“We’ll land at a military airport. No customs agents or TSA to deal with. I promise, that’s the least of your concerns at the moment. As for the rest of your stuff? Well, I can’t say if you’ll see that again.”
“I doubt it,” she muttered.
“You said you were doing research?”
She nodded. “My samples are ruined of course. My notebooks would be okay if we found them. The guys that grabbed me took my backpack though. And I don’t even know where exactly we are now to get back to my camp—not that I’d want to,” she hastily added. “I’m ready to get the heck out of here.”
“Your gear is all there?”
“Most of it—tent, sleeping bag, clothes. That’s all replaceable of course. I would’ve loved to get my backpack though.”
“Let me check for a signal again,” Blake said as they stopped. He pulled out the satellite phone, frowning. She took another sip of her water. “Nothing,” he said. “And according to my map, we’re also not that close to the river. It’s slow going through this terrain. I don’t think I’ll get a signal until we’re there.”
His eyes fell on where she was absentmindedly rubbing her arm. “Do you want to rest for a while?” he asked.
She nodded, almost wanting to cry in relief. “Yes. But I can keep going if we have to. I don’t want to stop if it’s not safe here or if we need to move on to get rescued.”
His eyes softened. “You’re safe with me, Clarissa. Why don’t I get you situated, and we’ll rest up for a few hours. You’re weak from dehydration and possibly even in shock. I’ve been dragging you off through the rainforest like it’s no big deal when I’m in good shape. You’re still recovering from your ordeal.”
“I could rest,” she said softly.
Blake dug through his stuff again, pulling out a tarp. “It’s not quite a tent, but I wasn’t expecting to be out here overnight. I’ll hang it up for some shelter. I’ve got a thermal blanket in here as well.”
She nodded, tears smarting her eyes. Goodness. Blake was being perfectly nice, sharing his supplies with her, and she was ready to burst into tears. The past few days had been overwhelming, and she wanted nothing more than to surrender to sleep for a few hours.
“Hey, don’t cry,” he said gruffly, pausing in his work.
She met his gaze, feeling silly. “I’m fine,” she assured him. “It’s just—a lot to take in,” she conceded.
“You’ve been through a lot. I wish like hell I could get a signal and get us out of here. We could move back toward the camp after you rest for a few hours, but I just don’t think it’s the safest option, and we’re closer to the river at this point.”
“And they’ll send in a helicopter?”
“Yep. There might not be a landing spot, so they’ll drop a line down, but the opening in the trees should work where it widens. They’ll extract us, we’ll fly back to the airstrip, and then hop on the cargo plane back home to San Diego.”
She swiped a stray tear running down her cheek. “I live in Texas though.”
Blake chuckled. “We’ll figure it out. We can possibly divert there or get a flight for you when we return home. You need to get checked out by a doctor though—I’m worried your wrist might be broken with all that swelling.”
She nodded, shivering slightly. It must be because she was exhausted. It wasn’t exactly chilly here.
“Are you cold?”
“I’ll be okay.”
Blake stepped over some vines and walked over to a tree, rigging the tarp up. It’s wasn’t ideal, but it would work for the moment. “Are you going to sleep at all?” she asked.
“No. I’ll keep an eye out for trouble. I’ve got a sweatshirt in here you can use for a pillow if you want.”
“Okay.”
He looked around the dark forest, his flashlight still the only source of light. “I’ll probably just shut this off. We could start a campfire, but I’m worried we’re not far enough away that we won’t draw attention to ourselves.”
“I’m fine with the dark. Do you think your friends are coming in here after us?”
He shook his head. “That’s not protocol. They know I was getting you to safety, not injured myself. We always have a backup rendezvous point, but we should be able to call in for retrieval before then.”
“A backup, meaning if your mission goes wrong?”
He nodded. “We prepare for multiple scenarios—part of the job description.”
“I’m sure I wasn’t part of your job description,” she said lightly, moving toward the tarp. Blake had put his blanket and sweatshirt on the ground, and he reached out a hand, helping her to step over some branches and vines. He was still wearing his gloves, but she swore his touch sent shivers racing down her spine.
Blake was masculine and attractive. Different than the types of men that she was usually around. She appreciated the confident way he carried himself. Maybe his job was as different from hers as night and day, but he was clearly knowledgeable about what he did. He was comfortable outdoors.
She loved to camp back home, avoiding the hot Texas summers of course.
Blake seemed like the type of man who appreciated some of the same things she did, unlikely as though it may seem. She’d been in academia her entire career. He was in the military. There was some overlap in their interests she wouldn’t have expected.
And the fact that he was both gruff and gorgeous didn’t hurt matters.
“Let me know if you need something else—food, water, bug repellant. Try to get some rest, and in a few hours, we’ll move out.”
“Okay. Thanks. Should I call you Blake or Raptor?”
He laughed, the sound low, sexy, and entirely too appealing. “Blake is fine,” he assured her.
“Okay. Well…goodnight.”
“Goodnight. I’ll be right out here,” he said, meeting her gaze.
She nodded, then ducked under the tarp. It was thoughtful of him to put it up—here they were on the run, and he wanted her to feel safe. He was a nice guy, she thought, her eyelids growing heavy as soon as she laid down.
Her wrist throbbed, her stomach rumbled, and her entire body was sore. But she was safe for the moment—safer than she had felt in days, even in her own tent back at her camp.
She heard a quiet rustling outside that she knew was him, and then the flashlight went off. It was dark in the forest, quiet. But Blake was watching over her, and for the first time in the past few days, she felt like she could let her guard down. She was safe with him. And she knew she could trust him with her life.
Chapter 12
Blake shifted from where he sat leaning against a tree, running a hand across his forehead. Hell. This op had gone from fucked up to worse. No one had expected to find a woman being held captive at the terrorists’ camp. For them to be shot at as he hustled her the hell out of there. He didn’t know if Abboud had been captured. He hadn’t planned on being separated from his SEAL team. And losing all communications with them sure didn’t help matters.
B
lowing out a sigh, he took a swig of his water. Fiddling with the sat phone had done absolutely nothing. He wanted to keep moving, to make it to a clearing so they could establish communications. It wasn’t safe dragging a civilian around in the vicinity of the camp. At least out here they were concealed from any danger.
But the poor woman he’d rescued had looked like she was ready to collapse. Even in the dark, he could see her face was pale, and she’d held her wrist without realizing it.
He could’ve pushed onward—she’d been willing to. Hell, she was so small, he could’ve carried her himself. She only came up to his shoulder.
But the exhausted look on her face and tears filling her eyes had clinched it. She hadn’t trained for missions like he had. She’d barely eaten or slept in days.
It was his job to make sure they safely escaped, and driving her to the point of exhaustion wouldn’t help matters much. They could call in for retrieval in a few hours just as easily as they could now. She needed her rest, and something about the woman made his protective instincts soar.
He wanted to beat to a pulp the men who had harmed her. Who’d dared tie her up to a damn metal pole. Thank fuck they hadn’t done anything worse than what had already happened. He didn’t even want to imagine what would’ve happened to her if he hadn’t searched the center tents. If they’d found Abboud right away, Blake and his men would’ve left.
Blake didn’t know Clarissa was there. No one had reported her missing yet. And she’d have been left with those monsters.
She mumbled slightly in her sleep, his gaze shifting to the makeshift tent. He’d expected she’d have trouble sleeping out here on the ground, but surprisingly, she’d drifted right off. He’d assured Clarissa she was safe with him, and she’d apparently trusted him enough to believe it. The thought she was comfortable enough to sleep a few feet away from him, out here in the rainforest, made his chest swell with pride.
She trusted him. He’d told her that she was safe, and she’d taken him at his word.
She certainly wasn’t like the women he met back home. She hadn’t fawned over him, hadn’t complained. She was scared and hurt but trudged along without complaint. She mumbled again, and he watched her for a beat until she settled once more.
Clarissa was a beautiful woman, no doubt. Her long, blonde hair, striking green eyes, and gorgeous curves must attract male attention wherever she went. He assumed she had a boyfriend or husband back home. She wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, but it wasn’t unheard of for women to take them off when they traveled.
No doubt a woman as smart and beautiful as her was attached. She loved the outdoors. Was easy to talk to.
Damn.
Naturally he’d meet the first woman who’d piqued his interest in months in the middle of a damn op.
Blake rolled his shoulders, looking around. No sense in dwelling on her. She was in his care right now, but in a matter of hours, they’d be headed home. His entire team would be there. She’d probably rest on the flight, happy to be on her way back. And then they’d land and go their separate ways.
He quietly tested his headset again, muttering a curse when he still got absolutely nothing. It had been two hours since they’d stopped to rest and was now nearly three a.m. His men had either gotten rides out on the Humvees or were searching for him. Even in the middle of the jungle, he would’ve been able to hear the helicopters. They were quiet, but not enough for his trained ears to miss.
His team would’ve tried to signal him somehow if they were out here. Most likely, they’d gone after Abboud, as they should.
Clarissa suddenly cried out in her sleep, flailing, and Blake was on his feet in an instant. He turned the flashlight back on and was moving the few feet toward her without thinking. He ducked back down, not wanting to scare her, and reached out to lightly touch her leg.
“Clarissa,” he said urgently, trying to wake her up. “Clarissa,” he repeated, lightly rousing her.
Suddenly she fully awoke and screamed.
He moved over her, covering her mouth with one hand. “Shhh, it’s Blake. It’s just me,” he said as she shook in fear. “You’re safe, sweetheart.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and Blake felt like an asshole for scaring her further.
She was shaking beneath him, and he could see the swells of her breasts over the camisole she had on. The button-down top was rumpled, and his blanket was twisted around her.
“Blake?” she asked as he moved his hand, frantically trying to sit up.
He dropped the flashlight and reached to assist her, not letting go as she sat trembling beside him in the makeshift tent. “Yeah, it’s just me. You were having a nightmare, thrashing around. I woke you up.”
“I dreamed I was back there,” she choked out.
Without thinking, he slid his arm around her slender shoulders, pulling her close to him. It wasn’t meant to be anything sexual—he was genuinely concerned about her. Blake didn’t like the way she shook beside him, trembling in fear. He wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her into his arms, holding her there in the tent.
Tears continued to roll down her cheeks as she tried to collect herself, and he ducked his head down, inhaling the floral scent of her hair. “Shhh,” he murmured. “It was just a dream. You’re safe, and nobody can hurt you.”
“It felt so real,” she whispered, relaxing into him.
The fact that she needed him right now sent male pride surging straight through him. He felt protective toward this innocent woman—attracted to her, too, if he admitted it. Not that he’d make a move. She was a hostage he’d rescued, and she probably already had someone back home in Texas.
But as for right now?
He’d offer what he could, holding her safe in his arms.
“I know,” he said, his voice gruff. “Your mind can play tricks on you, especially when you’re tired. Why don’t you try to get some more rest? We’ll move out in a couple of hours when day breaks. I need to connect with the team.”
“Right,” she said, shifting away from him. He instantly missed the loss of her touch. The warmth of her in his arms. Her softness was a total contrast to his strength, but he loved the dichotomy of it. The way he could see himself needing a woman like her just as she needed him.
“How’s your wrist?” he asked as she again got settled.
“Sore,” she admitted.
He nodded. “You could take another round of aspirin. It probably needs to be reset and put into a cast when we’re home.” He moved back toward his rucksack, returning with the aspirin and water. Clarissa’s hands shook as she took it from him, and he frowned.
She deserved a night at home free from nightmares, not roughing it out here with him in a tent.
“Get some rest,” he said. “I’ll sit right here by the edge of the tent.”
“Okay.” She lay back down and winced as she reached for the blanket.
“I got it,” he said easily, covering her with it before she could protest. His chest tightened as he caught a glimpse of her hair on the sweatshirt she was using for a pillow. His sweatshirt. Something felt damn right about seeing her blonde tresses covering it, which was nuts. Apparently, he had some caveman mentality where he needed to care for his woman. And she sure the hell wasn’t his woman, was she?
Shaking his head, he moved out of the tent area, sinking down to the ground. It was weird as hell being out here in the dark forest with a woman. He was used to roughing it with his SEAL team, and he liked camping in his off time. He’d never met a woman into that though. The types he met at the local beaches or bars considered a day on the sand to be adventurous enough. The ocean breeze in their hair and sand beneath their feet was as close to nature as they wanted to be. Not that he didn’t love the beach, but damn. He also enjoyed a good hike and night around a campfire.
Glancing briefly at Clarissa again, he looked away.
He felt oddly content for the moment. Normally during downtime on a mission he’d be shooting the shit with
his buddies or have already crashed for the night unless it was his turn to keep watch.
Now it was just him sitting here in the dark, watching over the woman he’d rescued. Keeping away her demons—both real and imaginary. The quiet sounds of the rainforest around them soothed him. Insects chirped, the air was moist and still. It sure the hell beat their damn desert deployments with all the sand and dry air.
And even though it was strange being away from his teammates, he liked that it was his responsibility to watch Clarissa. Seeing her helpless in that tent earlier was nerve-wracking. If he could make her feel safe and secure, he’d do it.
The solace of three a.m. in the jungle would be over soon though. In a few hours, they’d need to move out. Hustle to the river to establish communications. Meet up with their rescue helicopter. Head home.
He glanced toward the tent again.
In a weird way, he already missed being alone with Clarissa.
Chapter 13
Clarissa awoke with a start the next morning. For a brief instant, her heart pounded and she thought she was still in the terror camp. Except her wrist was wrapped in a bandage, not tied with rope and bound to a pole. Her head rested on a soft sweatshirt, not the damp grass.
There was a hint of a masculine scent on the sweatshirt Blake had let her borrow. It was slightly spicy, the scent enticing, and for a second, she wondered if he had a girlfriend.
Not that it mattered, of course. He’d saved her life—stumbled upon her unexpectedly and risked his own life to get her safely out of there. He’d literally shielded her with his body. Hustled her to the shelter of the forest. She owed him her gratitude and didn’t need to fawn over him or something.
SEAL's Desire (Alpha SEALs Coronado Book 1) Page 7