Page 27 of Hera

“I like to think so.”

“So, you shot at the others to distract them from me when I ran?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Sounds like I owe you,” Hera said coyly.

“You do. Cover me while I go on to those pallets you were considering,” Augustine said, nodding in the direction Hera was planning on running.

“You were followed?”

“Undoubtedly. I am a little hard to miss.”

Augustine leveled her another one of his brilliant grins that made her knees go weak.

“Yes, of course,” Hera managed to say without squeaking. She cleared her throat and adjusted her paintball gun. “Whenever you’re ready.”

He ducked into a crouch. “Now!”

Hera rose up on her knees and sighted several white-coveralled targets looking in their direction. She shot two before the rest realized that they were being targeted and they all dropped to the ground.

Augustine had reached the pallet by this point. He held up a hand to her, indicating she should wait. She dropped back down below the front of the car and peeked out from underneath at the people that she had made duck for cover.

When they realized they were no longer being shot at, they got to their feet again and started arguing about which direction they should go.

Hera stifled her giggles, not wanting them to know where she was hiding, and looked up at Augustine, waiting for him to give her the signal to run.

He held up five fingers, counting down.

Hera nodded in understanding.

He held them up again and then readied to shoot from behind his pallet.

Hera counted to five in her head and then she started running at the same time as Augustine shot into the group that was hunting them, hitting several before they fell to the ground again.

Hera made it behind the pallet and Augustine crowded against her, his chest touching hers after each deep breath she took. “We make a good team,” she said breathlessly.

“I prefer being on your team than fighting against you,” Augustine said quietly.

“Me, too.”

Was it her imagination, or was he getting closer to her?

“Augustine?”

“Yes?” he murmured, his breath tickling her lips.

“You’d better kiss me right now or I won’t be held responsible for my actions.”

Augustine chuckled and cupped her jaw with one hand, tipping her head up. “It would be my pleasure, my Goddess.”

The first touch of their lips was soft, a gentle, feather-light brush of lips that had her desperate for more. Augustine growled deep in his chest and ripped off his goggles, Hera pushing hers up into her hair, and then they were kissing, really kissing. He tasted like blackberry jam, some sort of tea, and a unique flavor that was all Augustine, and Hera couldn’t get enough of it. His tongue stroked against hers and her knees wobbled. He caught her with his big hands on her waist, pressing her against one of the pallets and sliding one thick thigh between her legs, not separating their mouths even for a second.

Hera was just about to start grinding on his leg when the pack on her back dug into her lower back in an uncomfortable way, reminding her of where exactly they were.

Reluctantly, she pulled away, and Augustine started nipping and kissing along her jawline. “Darling... Dearest... Augustine!” she gasped. “We’re in the middle of a war zone.”

Augustine hummed against her throat, the deep sound reverberating in her skull. Slowly, he pulled away and nodded slightly. “You are quite right. Apologies, I got carried away.” He bent to pick up his goggles, which had fallen to the ground.

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