Page 56 of Attraction

“No, I told you before, Zak won’t go against me. I promise you.”

“I hope you’re right because I don’t think I could take looking at their faces if they don’t want me.” She sighs, wiping her hand over her head. Hot and covered in sand, she feels like she could cry.

“Hey c’mon.” Digby can see the emotions, the tiredness, and the utter exhaustion in her face. “Let’s just do this. Up there is food and a bed waitin’. We sure as hell don’t wanna be walking back, right? I’ll even massage your shoulders when we get there and maybe we could make out under the stars…” He laughs as she glares, staring at him in disbelief. “I’m not serious… it’s just a joke!” He grins. Then, positioning himself behind her, he rubs his fingers against her neck before dropping a light kiss on her marked skin.

“Digby … stop it!” She’s annoyed with him but still enjoys his touch. “This is not appropriate, and you know they’re probably watching us.” She gestures towards the ridge.

“So what? Who cares what they can see—I don’t?” He grins as the thoughts of sex out here in the open desert skip playfully through his mind.

“Digby, you know you’re not helping my case here.”

“Mmm … maybe not, but you’re helping me.” He grins, kissing her again, and this time he dares to flick his tongue against the sensitive part of her neck.

It makes her groan, and he continues working his fingers into the muscles of her shoulders. “Urgh…” She cries out, wincing in pain.

“Hey, what’s goin’ on?” He frowns, watching as she pulls at her uniform and pulls the strap to her body armor to one side. It’s cut, a deep wound in her flesh from the weight rubbing against it. “Oh hell… You need to put somethin’ on that.”

“Yeah, I’ll sort it out when we’re done.”

“No, Kat put somethin’ on it now, you can’t continue with it like that.” He feels a pang of guilt, a sick feeling that he’s inflicted pain on her, and reaching into his own Medi-kit for some wadding dressings, he then presses them against the open wound. She flinches, pulling away as he tries to slip the dressing under the strap of her sports-bra, trying to cushion it from the webbing that’s rubbing. “Will you just keep still and let me do this? You know for a medic; you don’t make a good patient.”

“We never do.” She smiles.

He finishes dressing it and stares at her. “Kat look at me.” She glances up quickly and he frowns. “No, I mean,lookat me, really look at me. I want to see her… show me. Where is she?”

Swallowing nervously, Kat closes her eyes. “Digby don’t!”

“Kat, you’re gonna need to find her if you’re gonna finish this. It’s the only way. Kat, you need her.”

She takes a breath and then stares at him—her green eyes focus as he holds his hand under her chin. He smiles at the sudden flashing glimmer of gold-green eyes. “There… there she is… Mm,” he groans, and now his own inner-wolf growls in frustration, wanting to be released. “Now use her!”

She sighs with a heavy heart. “You know I’m not going to make it up that ridge, not alone. I can’t do that—and even she’s too exhausted.”

“You won’t have to. The guys are there… they’ll help us. Kat, you’ve got this, now just get up off your ass. Whatever happens from now on is down to you.” He smiles, dropping a final firm and reassuring kiss against her lips as she stands up. “That’s better, now c’mon, let’s go get somethin’ to eat.”

She’s not convinced she can even lift him again, never mind walk the remaining distance. But she must try because if she doesn’t? Then she will lose the only thing she ever wanted—her place on the team.

Chapter 16

“Finally!” Kat smiles, dropping to her knees. Her lungs heave hard in her chest as she gasps desperately for air. She’s reached the base of the ridge—the designated extract point, and falling forward on to all fours, her hand’s fist at the cool sand beneath her. Every ounce of her strength has been sapped from her body, and she’s so exhausted she can’t even raise her head to look up.

Digby’s groaning in pain as she drops him to the ground—releasing her grip sends him crashing back in an undignified thud to the rocky soil next to her.

Cursing loudly, she gasps from the back of her hoarse dry throat. “Hell … you know I can’t believe we made it.” She smiles and continues in her battle for oxygen.

Rolling over, she falls backward into the sand and wipes the hot beading sweat from her brow. Her ribs ache and she’s in so much pain—most of the discomfort concentrated in her shoulders.

The cool chill of evening air is a welcome relief from the sun-baked heat of earlier and as she lay spread-eagle on the ground, her eyes wide, she smiles. Then, turning her head, she looks at Digby. His grin’s filling his face he drops his kit from his back and slumps down in the sand next to her. Sitting up, he takes a long gulping drink of water from his reserve flask and then offers Kat some. She readily accepts, hers having run out a while back, and after the initial mouthful to quench her thirst, she pours the rest over her hot sweaty face to cool down.

After a few moments of lying back catching her breath and enjoying the peace, she sighs. Looking up, she can now see the others peering over the top of the low ridge, watching them on the ground.

Digby stands up and faces them and straightaway he encounters Darius’ stony face staring back sternly. He’s seething with annoyance at their unforeseen return. “So, what, you’re just gonna fuckin’ sit there?” He grunts belligerently.

“Oh, now he really is just being an asshole … he knows damn well I can’t get you up there by myself—hell, I’d pay money to seehimtry. Unless he really is inhuman? Actually, you know what, don’t answer that… he’s probably some goddamn robot!” She laughs.

“You know you might not be far off in your thinking there.” Digby smiles.

“Well,” she says and drops her head back against the sand. “You know what…fuck him!”

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