Page 10 of Covert Mission

“You’re only gonna hurt yourself, babe. You’re just wearing yourself out. Hot as it is, you’re gonna give yourself a heart attack.”

With one hand over her mouth, I use my free hand to latch around her bicep and propel her deeper into the forest.

It feels a hell of a lot like I’ve got a wildcat on a leash.

I push us deeper into the dark green tunnel. The path is easy to follow, clear to a trained eye. I scouted it earlier because I like to know my escape routes for emergencies. Just like this one.

She’s angrier with every step. The little bottle rocket bucks against me.

“If you’re trying to get us dead, you keep on acting like that.”

With a growl into my palm, she jerks hard as she tries to get her arm free.

“Don’t,” I warn. “Your legs aren’t working too damned well right now. It’s the adrenaline. I’m keeping you from falling on your face.”

Point proven when her toe snags on a root.

“See?”

Cursing, I lift her upright by one arm like a parent does a toddler.

The last thing I need to deal with is a busted ankle.

She snags her toe again.

That’s it, I’m done.

I snatch her up and toss her over my shoulder.

I’m over it.

I’ve got to uncover her mouth because I can’t reach it when I’m carrying her this way. So, I also issue a threat. “Open that damned mouth of yours or start bucking like a mule and I’ll spank your ass.”

Holy hell, did I really just say that?

Clearly, the heat is getting to me.

She doesn’t listen…at all…because she turns into a pinwheel again, flailing her arms and legs.

“Dammit, Poppy. If you want to find out that I’m a man of my word, go ahead. Be warned, I got a big hand and you’ve got a tight, little ass.”

My words hit their mark. She goes stiff again.

“You wouldn’t dare,” she hisses.

“Try me.”

Try. Me.

My patience is thin. I’m hot as fuck. Santa Rosa is a nightmare, and the team has a ticking clock hanging over our heads.

So, I’m irritable as a hungry wildebeast.

I continue down the trail. She’s like a plank again, bouncing against my shoulder with her ass right by my face. The urge to bite it is dangerously strong.

Clearly, I have heat exhaustion. The sooner I get rid of her, the better.

Instead of chomping on her sweet butt cheek, I make my mouth busy doing something else. Grumping at her. “Glad you wised up, hotshot. Now hold still, and I’ll get us out of here.”

---