Page 48 of Duty Bound

“I know.” He wasn't going to go there again. She was entitled to her opinion, and it was probably best she didn’t live by his rules, anyway.

His world wasn't a particularly pretty one.

She shook out her hair, then tilted her head back and closed her eyes, exposing her elegant neck.

Was it bad to want to run his tongue all the way down it to her breasts?

The heat must be getting to him.

But damn, she was beautiful when she was angry. All flushed and desirable, amber eyes shooting fire at him. Their exchange had left him edgy and frustrated. Needing something to do, he took out the map and focused on that. “If we move to higher ground, we might be able to find a small cave or crevice to shelter in until the sun sets. We shouldn’t be out here in the open.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“You ready?”

She answered by climbing to her feet.

The next mile was uphill. It was tough going, and Blade slowed his pace so Lily could keep up. The ground beneath their feet changed again from spongy grass and clumps of foliage to dry dirt and pebbles.

As they got to the rugged peaks, he took Lily’s hand to stop her slipping and sliding on the gravel. He was also conscious that they were visible from the valley below by anyone with a pair of binoculars. He had to get them undercover as soon as possible.

“Here.” He stopped beside a horizontal rock crevice just wide enough for both of them to lie in.

“You sure?” She looked out over the valley.

“Yeah, the shadow will protect us from prying eyes below, and we can shelter from what’s left of the sun.”

Lily removed her backpack and shimmied into the crevice. He handed her the flask again. “Thanks.”

“We should be safe here for a spell.” He climbed in beside her. There was just enough height for them to sit, in a reclining position. The view was spectacular, but neither of them could enjoy it.

Lily seemed lost in her own world, while he plotted their next steps. So far so good, but their pursuers wouldn’t quit. She was too damn valuable for them to stop chasing.

Well, she was also too damn valuable for him to give up on. One way or another, he’d get her out of here.

“Are you always so suspicious of people?” she asked, startling him.

He answered carefully. “In enemy territory, yes. Are you always so trusting?”

She chuckled, easing the tension. “Actually, no. Usually I’m the one with trust issues, although there are two people I trust implicitly.”

“Spade?” he guessed.

She nodded. “And Pat.”

“Pat’s a good guy.”

‘Yeah. Joe was there for me when I needed him most. When my mother died, I had nobody. Joe asked me to move in with him, and his folks sort of adopted me. They were wonderful. I owe them so much.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Spade hadn’t told him Lily had lost her parents. Spade hadn’t talked about her at all, come to think of it.

“It was a long time ago now, but I don’t know what I would have done without them.”

He turned toward her. “How’d they die?”

“My father disappeared when I was little, so I never knew him. My mother died in a car wreck when I was sixteen.”

He could see why she had trust issues. Everyone she’d ever loved had left her.