Page 36 of Healing Love

Smiling, she nodded in understanding. Taking the skewer, she touched her lips to the meat and pulled it offwith her teeth.I don’t care if a chicken isn’t pretty, it doesn’t slither on the ground. But after one taste, she devoured the breakfast hungrily, in the face of a grinning Cam.

After they ate, he extinguished the fire while she gathered the rest of the mangoes and put them in her sack.

“I think I’ll put on my extra scrubs,” she said. “I’m dying to have something clean to wear.”

He immediately gave her his back, and while he could not see her body as she changed, he could hear every movement…and imagined every scene. Her top was pulled over her head and landed on the ground. He imagined her standing there with only a bra and, having been around her body for the past couple of days, he had no problem imagining her breasts spilling out of the bra.

He could tell when she slipped the new top on and heard her small moan of delight. His dick jumped and he willed it to behave. Next, he could hear as she pulled her pants down and imagined her kicking them off with her toned legs. As she slid her clean bottoms on, he imagined her gorgeous ass as she bent over. Now his dick was refusing to obey and was painfully pressing against his cargo zipper.

“Oh, my God,” she moaned again. “These clothes feel amazing.”

Without turning around, he growled, “Gonna go take care of some business. Be right back,” and he moved out into the woods.

He returned a few minutes later having willed hiscock back down, but grumpily said, “We need to get going.”

She cautiously walked over to him, laying her hand on his arm, asking “Are you all right?” She looked up at him, uncertainty filling her expression.

Jesus, I’m a dick.Smiling back at her, he slid his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her forward. “Yeah,cariña. I’m fine.” He kissed the top of her head, but before he could let her go, she lifted to her toes and raised her lips to his. Her kiss was light but as he moved his arms around her waist, he took the kiss deeper.

His mouth devoured hers and her tongue dueled with his. He lifted her into his arms as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Slanting her head for better access, he delved in as his tongue explored and memorized the taste and feel of her warmth.

Finally coming up for air, he noted her glazed expression, and he wanted nothing more than to see that very expression on her face as he came deep inside of her. Gently forcing her back to the ground, they both stood staring at each other, breath ragged.

This kiss was different. They both felt it. They both knew it. It was not the kiss of two people flirting, or even attempting to forget their desperate situation. This kiss held the promise of a beginning.

An adorable blush began on her chest and crept up her face. “Um, I guess we should be going.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, slowly moving to the canoe, and dragging it behind him. His mind was swirling as much as the water they were approaching. Trying to tell himself that she was still a mission, was a lost cause.She’s going to be mine, he vowed. Glancing behind him, he saw her staring at his back admiringly and then watched as her eyes darted away quickly.I just hope she feels the same way!

As they were moving the canoe closer toward the water’s edge now that the falls were behind them, she asked, “Cam?”

“Still right here, babe.”

“What did you call me earlier?Mujer fuerte. Isn’t that the name of the river?”

Chuckling, he nodded. “No, I didn’t call you a river, babe. It means ‘strong’. Yeah, the river is named The Strong River, which we sure as fuck understand. But I called you a strong woman.”

Strong woman.Smiling, Miriam did not reply as they placed the end of the canoe into the water and she crawled over into it, taking her seat.

He gave it a push and they paddled their way back into the current. On the water for the first time without the hindrance of pouring rain, she could see the surrounding area. The swirling waters in the daytime did not seem as terrifying as its roar in the dark of the night. She could see the forest along the river’s edge with the occasional cleared land where crops were growing.

“Keep your eyes open,cariña,” Cam called out. Seeing her gaze land on his, he continued, “Now that we are getting closer to the gulf, there will be more villages around. I talked to my contact this morning to see where we should go and he’s getting the intel for me.”

“Are we still in danger? Even if we pass a village?”

“Babe, until I get you back home, we’re still in danger.”

Pulling her lips in, she just nodded, tired of the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, wishing for this nightmare to be over.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you there,” came the warm voice from the back of the canoe. Lifting her eyes once more to his, she took in his face that radiated concern…and protectiveness. And for the first time in weeks, began to feel as though she might just see home again.

14

The Saints met in the wee hours of the morning, having given up their night’s sleep to help with whatever Cam would need from them.

Luke, talking to Marc, said, “They should hit the beach soon at the rate they’re traveling. With the speed of the current after the storm, they will land near the Gulf within the day.”

“I can get my hands on a seaplane—at least that’s what my contact says. I have yet to see it, but he swears he can get one by tomorrow.”

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