Page 38 of No Escape

“I like your weight on me when you’re not falling from a window,” he said.

His remark brought a smile to her face. She relaxed, enjoying the feel of his strong body beneath hers. There was nothing soft about Clint, but she liked the different textures she felt against her breasts, belly and thighs. The scars she’d felt when caressing him had at first shocked her, then saddened her. Still, in the end, they’d made him that much more appealing, and sexy.

Just when she began to think they were going to spend the afternoon like this, his voice interrupted the silence surrounding them.

“That was a long ten minutes,” he said. “We need to make up some time.”

Sarah scrambled off him, nervously reaching for his discarded pants when it occurred to her she didn’t know where her clothes were. She brought them over her body, suddenly shy when Clint got to his feet and stood above her. Being naked in front of him in broad daylight didn’t compare to the dimness of a cave. She couldn’t meet his eyes.

“My clothes…”

“Shy, angel? You shouldn’t be. You have a sexy body. I’ll get your clothes.”

Thank God Clint didn’t have any inhibitions about walking around nude. Sarah watched him saunter away, admiring his tight buns and solid, Viking thighs. Looking everywhere but at him when he made the return trip. He dropped her clothes in her lap.

“Can I have my pants now?”

She refused to look at him, hearing the amusement in his voice. Handing him his pants, she quickly slipped into her own clothes. They’d been intimate more than once and that astounded her. She wasn’t into casual sex, nor did she sleep around. She glanced at Clint wondering what made him so different. Maybe it was the circumstances they were in. The three days they’d known each other seemed like forever. They’d been through more together in that short time than some people experienced in a lifetime. It wasn’t over yet, but Sarah knew it was just a matter of time. She wondered if he would ever think about her once they parted ways.

She wasn’t aware he was watching her until he asked, “What are you thinking about, angel?”

She jumped to her feet, taking a steadying breath and trying for nonchalance. “I was just thinking that it’s almost over.”

His teeth showed white in his suntanned face. “Going to miss me?” As soon as the words were out, Clint’s eyes hardened, and it was obvious he regretted asking.

Sarah recognized walls being erected when she saw them. Lord knows she’d done enough of that in her lifetime. She thought about his question, realizing it was hypothetical, yet to her surprise she decided she was going to miss him. He invigorated her, even while he aggravated her.

“About as much as I’m going to miss Raul Rodriguez.” She tried to keep her tone light.

“I’m going to miss you, too,” he said in return. “Even though you make me fucking crazy. Let’s head out. We’re just going to make it.”

No further words seemed necessary, and she fell in behind Clint when he turned and started walking. A half an hour later, the jungle gradually began to open up and become less like a tropical rainforest and more like a grassy meadow. Sarah couldn’t help feeling exposed, glancing around nervously in the open space, expecting to hear gunfire at any moment. God, they’d be sitting ducks if Raul’s men found them now.

They walked until they came to the edge of a rocky cliff side and could go no further. “Is this it?” It wasn’t a very long patch of ground. “Are you sure it’s going to work as a runway?”

“Yes.” Clint shielded his eyes from the glare of the sun, looking off into the distance. “We have about five minutes before Stan is due to arrive, and knowing him he’ll be punctual.”

Sarah’s eyes followed him when he moved to a hole between some rocks along the edge of the cliff. Her eyes widened when he pulled out a parachute he’d apparently stashed there. “So, you parachuted in, which means you don’t know for certain this is big enough to land a plane.”

“Relax, angel. Stan’s the best pilot I know. If anyone can land here, he can.”

“Just how many pilots do you know?” She frowned, willing to bet it wasn’t many.

Clint gave her a wink, ignoring her question. “Might as well sit for a few minutes.”

Sarah looked over the edge of the cliff at the water below. It appeared deep and rough, the waves beating against the huge boulders along the rock face. Seagulls and other birds screeched in the sky above them, some of them flying to nests located on the various rocky ledges jutting out on the side of the cliff.

She tested a large rock for stability before sitting on it. Clint was watching her, his eyes filling with amusement. She shrugged. “I haven’t come this far to fall off a cliff and drown.”

He peered over her shoulder. “Angel, those rocks will fucking kill you before you hit the water.”

His eyes returned to her, moving over her face, which Sarah knew, was probably sunburned by now. An ocean breeze was wreaking havoc with her tangled hair, and he reached forward, catching a long strand between his fingers. “Just like silk,” he murmured beneath his breath, not breaking eye contact.

Sarah caught her breath as something churned in her belly. Something other than awareness for a man she had no business being attracted to. A strong emotion she couldn’t put a name to, only knowing that it frightened her.

“We’ve come a long way.”

Clint must have felt something, too.

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