Page 7 of No Escape

Chapter Three

Clint’s eyes feasted on the delicate bones and graceful lines of Sarah’s smooth back. The fatigues he’d borrowed from a smaller friend were sinfully tight on her, outlining the rounded moons of her shapely ass and causing him to salivate. It had been a damn long time since he’d seen anything that sexy in army fatigues. He didn’t mean to stare, but he was a man after all, and he knew he was in fucking trouble. Big tits and a nice, tight ass were his weakness.

She quickly slipped the T-shirt over her head before turning to the mirror over the dresser and inspecting her appearance. It wasn’t bad, covered everything it needed to, yet Clint sensed her displeasure. The wet bra she was wearing soaked through immediately, emphasizing the shape and fullness of her tits and the fact her nipples were hard as berries. For a crazy moment, he visualized rolling them on his tongue while he was fucking the sass right out of her.

Her eyes flew to him. Did she honestly think he wouldn’t notice? Any red-blooded male with a healthy appetite for the opposite sex would look. His lips twitched, seeing the anger simmering in her eyes. He grinned. She was pissed.

“Go ahead, damn you, look until your eyes fall out, just as long as you get me out of here and home.”

“As long as we know where our priorities are,” Clint said, purposely running his eyes down the length of her. She was full of piss and vinegar, but damn if she didn’t have the body of a goddess! In spite of the circumstances, he felt a heat uncurling deep inside his gut, a clear indication the little witch in front of him was turning him on.

It didn’t surprise him. But the circumstances were hardly normal and he knew he had to stay focused. He could think about taming her later, when they had more time. He liked a challenge and Sarah seemed to like tossing them out, haphazardly.

“What about shoes?” Sarah frowned, slapping her hands on her hips. The action only stretched the material of her shirt tighter across her tits. Clint expected the shirt was going to give and split down the middle at any second.

A sight he'd like to see.

His eyes fell, taking in the scarlet tipped toes peeking out from under the hem of her pants, glad he’d had the foresight to grab her sneakers before leaving the bathroom. They weren’t designed for hiking through the jungle, but they were better than nothing. Pulling them out of the side pocket of his duffel bag, he dropped them at her feet. “Hurry up and put them on.”

They just missed landing on her toes, and she shot him a scowl before doing his bidding. “I don’t like you,” she mumbled beneath her breath.

“Good, then we’ll get along great,” he retorted.

“I doubt it. And I’m warning you right now, I’m too independent to take orders from an overbearing man and get along with him too. You seem the type that enjoys giving orders and expecting them to be carried out without question. But I can take care of myself.”

Clint snorted. “Yeah, you’ve done a good job of it so far.”

Sarah scowled. “Everyone needs a little help now and again. It doesn’t mean I have to like it.” She sat on the edge of the bed to slip on her sneakers. “Just how do you know Susan?” she asked as she was tying them. “I’ve known her since high school, and she’s never mentioned knowing anyone like you. Of course, I seriously doubt we travel in the same circles.”

“We don’t have time for conversation,” Clint said, ignoring her snub. He checked his watch for the time. Couldn’t she move any faster? His eyes went back to her, noticing she moved like she had all the time in the world. Well, he bet that changed once the shooting started and they were on the run.

“What now?” she asked, straightening. She gathered her hair, twisting it in a bun at the nape of her neck before tucking the loose ends into it. He tried not to visualize that hair wrapped around his hand. “Do we wait for the cover of darkness?”

It sounded like a line from a suspense movie. He snorted. “Not hardly, considering they’ll be coming for you soon. We’re getting the hell out of here now.” He knew it was going to be risky making an escape before nightfall, but they couldn’t afford to wait.

Sarah’s eyes moved about the room, touching on each of the windows. “Just how do you plan to get us out of here? Squeeze through the bars?”

His gaze fell briefly to her full tits. “Cute,” he said sarcastically. “We’re going to move to the next room and pray the fucking windows don’t have bars on them.” He pivoted to the bed and zipped up his duffel bag.

“But, we’re two stories up,” Sarah reminded him with worry in her tone.

Clint barely spared her a glance. “That’s right, let’s go.” He wasn’t about to start babying her this early in the game. He’d seen her spunk and knew she had enough grit to overcome most obstacles.

Moving to the door, he opened it a crack and peered out, motioning her to join him. She scooted in front of him and, when he opened it all the way, dashed across the hall to the next room. But before she could open the door, Clint grabbed her by the collar, forcing her against the wall.

“Wait a minute, damn it!” he whispered harshly, glaring down at her. Her careless actions only proved his earlier observations about her commonsense, or lack of. “That’s a damn good way to get your head shot off!”

Sarah squirmed around with her mouth open, but he hushed her before she managed to get a word out. Their eyes clashed briefly, before he cautiously opened the door. Once he was satisfied there was no one in the room, he jerked her in behind him, ignoring her huff of outrage. He quickly made his way to the window, yanked back the heavy curtain, and muttered a prayer of thanks. With no time to waste, he opened the window, sticking his head out to take in their surroundings.

The sun was rapidly disappearing behind a mountain as twilight settled in. Clint guessed they had about half an hour before it would be completely dark, and even less before someone came looking for her. They were running out of time. He unzipped his bag and pulled out a long coil of rope. At the end of it was a metal device, shaped like talons, which he positioned carefully just beneath the lip of the window ledge. He tested it to make sure it was secure before turning back to her.

It was obvious by her expression she’d figured out what was going on. And just for a moment, he saw a glimmer of fear in her eyes. She took a step back, shaking her head no before he uttered a word. “You want to get out of here?” he jeered, his words cold and exact. He’d give her ten seconds to make up her mind before he tossed her out the window.

“I can’t do it,” she said, her tone bordering on panic. “We’ll be sitting ducks.”

“Sure you can,” he insisted, trying to remain calm.

She continued to shake her head, not convinced. “I’m…I’m afraid of heights. And besides, I failed shimmying down ropes in gym.”

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