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“We’re not too far,” she said. Her breath was labored, and a glance behind him showed her gait had slowed.

He couldn’t blame her. His own legs were starting to tremble and his voice had grown scratchy from calling out for Eli. The only thing keeping him going was knowing they were closer to survival gear and a way out. A large rock came into sight, and Gemma weaved around him and plopped down on it.

She groaned and tipped her head back, her shoulders rolled forward. “Oh my god. I’ve never been so thirsty in my life.”

He stopped next to her and took a few slow breaths. The temptation to sit was almost overwhelming, but if he did, he’d lose his momentum. “Which is why we need to keep going. There’s water on the plane.”

She nodded and lifted her ankle to rest on her knee, massaging her calf. “I know that. But I’m dying.”

“No, you’re not,” he bit out, not hiding the irritation in his tone. “But if we stand here another minute we might.”

She made a face. “Resting for five minutes will give us the reset we need to hike another . . . what, three freaking hours?”

He shook his head. “Not that long. Check.”

She picked up the device from where she’d left it on the rock. He waited as she took her sweet time, probably dawdling so she could rest longer.

“Okay, that’s not so bad. An hour and a half. Oh!” She sat up straighter and thrust the phone in his direction. “Look. There’s a road not far from the plane. Once we get what we need and rest for the night, we’ll have a clear walking path to Ecuador.”

“Hmm.”

Her eyes were wide with a vibrancy he hadn’t seen in her since the previous day, when he’d grabbed her arm in the hotel lobby. Right before . . .

Nope. He wasn’t going there. He wouldn’t envision banging her tight pussy until he could fucking breathe and clear the adrenaline from his veins.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Her question popped his thought bubble.

He lifted a shoulder. “Yes and no. There’re people looking for us, remember?”

“Yeah. But way out here?”

He extended his hand. “Can we go now?”

She pressed her lips together. “That wasn’t quite five minutes.”

“You’ll get a whole night to rest once we get to the plane. Maybe I’ll even rub your feet.”

She slapped her palm in his. “Now you’re talking.”

He pulled her up and tucked his grin away. Her hand was so small and slight, her frame easily half the size of his, yet she’d plowed through the jungle with minimal complaint. Admiration flowed through him.

Yeah, he’d toured every contour of Gemma’s body, but he’d never had the opportunity to get to know her. Dinner and movie dates weren’t what either of them had signed up for. Their encounters didn’t even last the whole night. A little small talk, and even less pillow talk, made it next to impossible for him to see the woman who had such a fierce hold on him.

She settled into step behind him again, and they worked through the vines. This time, his stride was longer and his muscles were less shaky.

Five minutes had reset him. Not that he’d admit it.

CHAPTER 9

Gemma felt as if weights had been strapped to her ankles. Blood pumped from her heart erratically as the effects of dehydration set in. It’d been hours since her tongue had held any moisture, and the grit in her mouth was enough to make her fight off a gag every time she swallowed.

It was a wonder her body could still sweat.

She kept her gaze on the back of Dallas’s boots, watching every step. The stretch of dirt and tree roots was dizzying.

Dallas stopped, and she bumped into his back. “Oof.”

“Fuck,” he ground out.

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