Page 42 of His to Take

“Got it. Anything else?”

“Let’s backtrack a little. There was a clearing about a mile back that would make a good campsite for the night. Ryker and I will come up with a plan and we’ll move out in the morning when it’s light again,” she explained.

“Good thinking, Dr. Vaughn,” I grinned.

Her face lit up and I winked at her when no one was looking. She crossed an arm over her shoulder bashfully, as if to hide from me, but nothing took away the delicious pink tint across her cheeks.

She was fucking perfect.

CHAPTER 10

Naomi

That night, we made camp in the forest. Since there really wasn’t enough room to stretch out and sleep in the trucks, Ryker insisted on setting up both my tent and his. I felt a need to contribute too though, so I did my best to help. He taught me a few things along the way, like how to decide which way to face the tent to avoid the wind or how deep to drive in the stakes, which I ended up enjoying more than I thought I would.

Off at the other edge of the clearing, the security team had started a fire and were grilling some food over it. They brought over a plate of dried beef jerky, hard cheese, and dried fruit for both of us, but they mainly kept to themselves.

They were friendly enough, but only in a professional capacity. I found myself not liking their constant presence, wishing that the council hadn’t provided them in the first place. It felt like their intentions were good, but I didn’t like being watched all the time.

Honestly, I just wanted more alone time with Ryker without them constantly nearby.

Ryker had grown up in an entirely different culture than mine, yet despite all that, I knew I was safe with him. We might be from rival city states, but I knew deep in my heart that he would never hurt me. I couldn’t really say the same of my compatriots; they gave me an uneasy feeling, being so devoid of warmth or humor.

All my life, I’d heard rumors of Pacifica, about how their men were cruel, controlling, and merciless, but he was none of those things. In many ways, he was quite chivalrous, and while he liked to be obeyed, I had a feeling he would never force me to do anything I didn’t want to do.

That night, we laid several maps out on the ground and Ryker took the time to listen to me when I explained what he was looking at. It was clear that he respected my expertise, often asking questions to further his understanding until we came up with a game plan that we both agreed upon. The coordinates where we thought Cressida Labs might be located were about ten miles further south, but from the looks of things from our current position, it might take two or three days to traverse through the woods and deep ravines that cut through the land all around us.

By the time we were finished discussing possible routes, I was exhausted.

“I should get to sleep. Tomorrow’s probably going to be a long day,” I yawned.

“Yes, but I want you to do something for me first, Naomi,” Ryker murmured. His tone had dropped precipitously, and my core immediately clenched with heated arousal at the sound.

“You will go to your tent and ready yourself for bed. Before you go to sleep, I want you to slip your fingers between those pretty thighs and make yourself come for me,” he directed. His voice had dropped low enough so that only I could hear him, but it still made me blush furiously all the same.

“Sir…” I whispered, mortified.

His stormy eyes flashed dangerously.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good girl. Make it a hard one for me. You deserve it,” he demanded, and I covered my face with my hands, but I nodded anyway.

This felt so deliciously scandalous. His gaze sparkled with it as I walked away.

A short while later, I lay in my tent, blushing furiously as I slipped one hand into my panties, finding myself just as wet as I always seemed to be with him. Already sensitive, it wasn’t difficult to push myself over the edge.

I came so hard that I had to slap my other hand over my mouth to keep myself quiet.

Ryker didn’t ask about the night before when we set out that morning. He just gave me a look and cocked an eyebrow. I knew what he wanted though, so I nodded, and he smiled knowingly.I turned my gaze to the ground quickly, both embarrassed and intensely aroused. Again!

“Everyone ready?” Ryker called out. He scanned over the clearing as I pulled the straps of my backpack into place. This morning, we’d all emptied our bags and packed them with the essentials for travel on foot: thin sleeping bags and tents, food, water, water purification tablets, flint, a change of clothes, the maps, and a first aid kit.

Ryker insisted on carrying much of the heavier stuff. At first, I’d protested, telling him that a woman could do just as much as a man could. He hadn’t argued with me, but he hadn’t let me carry more than he deemed acceptable, and that was that. When I tried to carry more, his expression had turned dark enough to let me know I was treading on dangerous ground.

“Ready,” I grinned.

“Dr. Vaughn, if that gets too heavy, you will tell me,” Ryker instructed.

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