Page 19 of No Escape

Chapter Six

“Here’s your canteen,” Sarah said after a few moments.

“Keep it, you need it more than I do,” he said briskly, not halting.

She watched his backside for a moment before recalling what happened the last time she let him out of her sight. She hurried to catch up, slipping the canteen’s shoulder strap over her neck and arm. Already the water she’d poured over her skin had evaporated, leaving her hot and sticky again. Lord, it had to be a hundred degrees or more. Now she knew what it felt like walking into an incinerator. Coming from Florida, she should be used to the heat, but the only strenuous activity she did there was lie out in the sun.

She wondered how much longer they’d walk before stopping to rest, how much longer before she collapsed and he was forced to stop. He was just as hot and dirty, yet his energy level never seemed to waver.

Her belly growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since the apple, which seemed like hours ago. She wasn’t going to complain though. If Clint to go on without food than she could, too. How did he do it? Going by the bloody scratches on his arms, he wasn’t a machine.

Right about the time she found herself having to concentrate just to put one foot in front of the other, he drew to a halt. Swaying with exhaustion, she would have fallen if he hadn’t been close enough to catch her. She was conscious of him checking the ground around them first, before lowering her gently. Unless he was blind, he had to realize she couldn’t go any further without a break.

“We’ll stop here for a couple of hours. Get some rest.”

“Thank God.” He didn’t have to tell her twice. Sarah fell back, not caring if she was resting on a bed of worms or any other creepy crawlies. But as tired as she was, sleep eluded her. After a few moments of listening to Clint’s movement, curiosity got the better of her and she turned her head to see what he was doing.

“Don’t you ever get tired?” she asked, watching as he dug various food items out of his bag before placing them on the ground between them.

“What makes you think I’m not tired?” He snapped the end off a ripe banana, popping the whole thing into his mouth without peeling it. She watched him chew for a few moments, mesmerized by the muscles working in his hard jaw and what it did to his rugged face. He reminded her of a lean and hungry predator, coiled and ready for action. Not an ounce of spare flesh on him anywhere she could see.

Not for the first time, Sarah noted that he wasn’t her type. Yet she couldn’t deny there was an attraction there that sucked her in. It was raw and basic, totally overpowering and catching her by surprise. She supposed her predicament had a lot to do with it. Sometimes to feel alive you had to come close to death. And Clint was the kind of man who pulsed with boundless vigor.

“Sarah?” His deep voice drew her out of her musings. She met his eyes, surprised to see the humor glittering there. “For a minute, I thought you’d fallen asleep with your eyes open.”

His comment caused an old memory to surface, bringing a quick smile to her mouth. “I knew someone who could do that,” she admitted, watching him break off another piece of banana. “I went on a road trip with a girlfriend and her brother when I was a teenager. The first time he fell asleep with his eyes open it freaked me out. He just sat there, with his head back and his eyes open, staring like a zombie.”

“Hungry?”

Her gaze landed on the banana in his outstretched hand. “You’re not going to make me eat the skin too, are you?” she asked with concern, moaning softly as she pulled herself into a sitting position.

Clint chuckled, causing her to notice the sexy quirk to his lips when he was relaxed and not being all mean and macho. “I’m an ex-Navy Seal. I learned early on in order to survive you don’t waste anything, especially when it fills the emptiness in your gut. You never know when you’ll get the chance to eat again.”

Sarah started to peel her banana until she raised her eyes and found him watching her. She hesitated, holding his gaze and wondering what he was thinking behind those steely eyes. When he popped the last piece of fruit into his mouth, she stopped peeling and took a bite. If he could eat the skin, then so could she. She doubted he’d washed it and tried not to think about the many hands that had already touched it.

“Now I understand what makes you so tough,” she spoke around her mouthful, wincing with distaste.

“Because I was a Navy Seal?” Clint remarked, settling back against a tree and taking a bite out of an orange with the skin.

Sarah shook her head vigorously. “Because you eat banana skins.”

“What makes you so tough?” he asked, wiping the juice trickling down his chin with the back of his hand. “You could have told Rodriguez the truth once you realized Susan was the one he wanted.”

She glanced at him as if he’d suddenly sprouted horns. “Are you kidding? One word, Clint—love.” The expression crossing his face clearly revealed he didn’t have a clue what she meant. “Susan is my best friend. I knew telling Raul the truth would only put her in danger too, and possibly the boys.”

She suspected a man like Clint would scoff at the word love, but he remained silent, contentedly eating his orange with a look in his eyes she couldn’t identify. If she were to make a guess, grudging respect was glittering in those dark pools. She wondered if he’d ever loved anyone like that.

Deciding she couldn’t stomach eating any more of the banana skin, she peeled it back before bringing it to her mouth for another bite. Clint’s gaze fell, locking onto her mouth. There was no disguising the hot flare of emotion suddenly leaping there, darkening his eyes. Sarah bit off a chunk big enough to choke her, and froze.

She was woman enough to recognize the signs when a man wanted her. And like everything else about Clint, the look in his eyes pulled no punches. He didn’t do anything halfway. His chewing slowed, his body tensed. Sweat broke out on his forehead that she suspected had little to do with the sweltering heat.

Sarah wasn’t aware she was holding her breath until his gaze lazily swung up to hers again. She quickly chewed the fruit in her mouth and swallowed, wondering crazily what it would be like kissing him, sensing it wouldn’t be anything like her other experiences. His mouth was firm and sensuous. As Sarah thought about all the wicked things he could probably do with that mouth, she felt a gush of warmth soak her panties.

Then in a heartbeat the charged moment between them evaporated.

Clint suddenly cocked his head, listening, a frown growing between his eyes. Sarah could barely make out a distant sound but had no idea what was causing it. Judging by Clint’s fierce expression, he knew. “What is it?” she asked with growing alarm.

He jumped to his feet, tossing what remained of his orange into the bushes. “Chopper! Move!”

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