Page 14 of Damned
Chapter Seven
Bree rubbed her nose into the warm, aromatic pillow beneath her cheek. Her nostrils flared at the heady male scent surrounding her. If this was a dream, she didn’t want to wake up.
But open her eyes she did, and what a sight. She was still cradled in Kruze Sinclair’s magnificent arms. Her nose was cold, her tenderized backside was firmly on his extra-warm lap, and the rest of her was cozy. How sweet. He’d watched over her.What kind of man does that?
Details Bree hadn’t noticed about her handsome guardian last night were visible in the mellow light of the coming day. While Kruze held a small binocular device to his face, she studied him. The beard gracing his jaw and the underside of his chin was thick and scattered with hints of brown and gold. Both his hair and beard were shaggy, not trimmed, but not long, either. She still couldn’t see the beautiful green color of his eyes, but the arm she rested on was firm, the biceps so much thicker than hers. Everything about Kruze was larger and thicker than she was. This man was big-boned, and he had some serious musculature. She would know; she had seen him in the buff before. He’d been a glorious specimen of the male gender then. From what she could see, he’d only gotten better.
But that night of unmade promises, followed by a morning of no Kruze in sight, destroyed the connection Bree thought they’d shared. Kruze leaving like he had, still made her feel cheap, dirty, and used. Did he ever think about that crazy coming together, how they’d seemed to connect on a spiritual level, or how they’d played like a couple of kids? In the bed. In the shower. Even on the balcony? How they’d talked all night. She did. Of the two of them, she’d brought the best souvenir from that perfect night home with her. What did he have? Apparently, nothing. The ass didn’t even remember her.
As if he sensed her watching him, Kruze eased the binoculars from his face and looked down at her. “Hey, hungry?”
Bree licked her bottom lip. She could finally see the green in his sharp eyes as they flickered to the movement of her mouth, then flashed back to her eyes. His nostrils flared. The hint of a smile pinched one corner of his mouth. They were so close. Their lips. Their mouths.
This magnetic attraction had to stop. “When are we leaving?” she asked to break the spell before she did something reckless. Like she’d done last time!
He blinked as if his thoughts had been as far off as hers were. He coughed, the cords in his neck tightening as he forced a swallow. Reaching for the clip on his shirt collar, he unlatched the CamelBak’s drinking tube and extended it to her. “Fill up. Drink as much as you can. We’ll eat once we’re moving if we need to. Just protein bars for breakfast, sorry. If you need to relieve yourself, there’s a couple shrubs beside this exit. I’ll go with you.”
Bree stiffened her back and shoved out of his arm. Who did he think he was? “You will not. I’ll need privacy, if and when—”
“You’ll do what I say. I didn’t come here to argue. Eat, drink, then pee.” Kruze ticked those items off three gloved fingers, ending with his index finger stuck nearly in her face. “But first, always first, we stay together. Understood?”
“You said we were safe up here.”
“We were. Last night. It snowed since then. Today we’ll be easy to pick off if anyone’s hunting us.”
“We should’ve left.”
He shook his head. “No, ma’am. Smart operators know when to hunker down and regroup. That’s all we did. Now, pee or not?”
Bree’s hackles lifted. Kruze was making her mad. She shifted off his lap to her knees, then to her feet. Every part of her body hurt. But the moment her feet hit the dirt, she looked down. She was wearing socks. Big, manly socks. His socks. That was unexpectedly kind of him. Still.
“I’ll tell you when, or if, I need to… to find a shrub, damn it.”
He gave her one quick nod, then jumped to his feet and right away ducked to keep from hitting his head on the low, uneven ceiling. His rifle strap went over one shoulder, his gear bag over the other. “Let’s move.”
Well, good. Bree had no more use for this caveman’s high-handed attitude.
“First…” He held the CamelBak tube in one gloved hand. “Drink,” he ordered.
Obediently, she did, but when he offered two already unwrapped candy bars in his other hand, she waved them off. “I don’t eat sugar.”
“Are you kidding me? Take them. You need the calories in these protein bars to get out of here. Helicopters can’t land on sheer granite walls, and they don’t do curbside. We have to hike to them.”
Nice Kruze was gone; Pigheaded Kruze was back in charge. Well, okay then. Bree handed the drinking tube back and took the bars. To appease her grumpy companion, she stuffed one bar into the pocket of the jacket she was still wearing. When she did, her knuckles bumped against something concealed within the lining, something square and solid—a man’s wallet? Had to be. Interesting place to hide it.
Taking a small bite of the other bar, she mumbled sarcastically around the chocolate morsels in her mouth, “There. Happy now?”
“Nope. Not until I get you on that chopper and out of here.”
That sounded a lot like good riddance. Well, fine. Bree couldn’t wait to be rid of this aggravating man, either. She looked down at her feet again. His socks were just socks, probably wool, not shoes or boots, certainly not sturdy enough to walk very far in. But the thought of Kruze taking time to care for her poor feet while she’d been out cold, caught her by surprise.
There was a tender side to this rugged guy, a side he seemed determined to hide—or destroy. Hedidcare about her; she knew it. So why the asshole-routine now, when last night, she’d thought he might kiss her? What demons could possibly have changed him from the sweet playboy he’d been in Paris, to the jerk he was now? It was as if he had a hidden switch. Nice Kruze off; Pigheaded Kruze on.
“I don’t understand you.” She pointed at her feet “One minute, you’re kind and thoughtful, but the next, you’re mean. You snarl at me, and that hurts, Kruze. Did I do something last night to make you mad? Are you still sorry you had to rescue me?”
Those incredible green eyes widened. “I’m not sorry I rescued you, no, err. Nope.” Kruze liked that word. She could tell by the way he made the P pop again. “Just need to get moving, and you… and me… Shit.” He tugged at his rifle and gear bag straps, as if they weren’t already high enough on his shoulders.
Bree took a step toward him. “I won’t be any more trouble,” she said softly. “Thanks to you, I woke up feeling good this morning. For the first time in months, I’m warm. Even my feet. I’m just sorry you had to come all this way to save—”
