Fatal Pursuit (The Aegis Series) (11 page)

His arms tightened around her lower back, drawing her tighter into the heat of his body as he skimmed his lips over hers again, teasing her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue. His thighs brushed hers. Those tingles in her belly blossomed and spread. Awareness morphed to arousal and then to a heat that flooded her veins. One she knew she shouldn’t be feeling. One she couldn’t seem to stop.

Sliding her fingers up his shoulders and around his nape, she played with the ends of his short hair, tried to hold back, but suddenly didn’t want to anymore.

She opened, drew him deep into her mouth, groaned at the silky wet taste. It was wrong. It was just for show. But she didn’t care. He tasted amazing. Felt even better. Especially after all the stress and worry of not knowing what had happened to him. And every time he moved his tongue against hers, she saw stars.

Her muscles grew lax, her body weak. His hand slinked up her back, slid into her hair, and cradled the back of her head. And then he kissed her deeper, his lips and tongue and seductive mouth drawing the thoughts right out of her head. Making her forget where they were. What they were doing. Why they were in this jungle in the first place. Made her think of nothing but him.

He drew back long before she was ready to let him go. Dizzy, she gripped his shoulders and pressed her forehead against his throat until the village stopped spinning. His warm breath fanned the sensitive skin of her temple, and then he whispered, “I think that time we fooled them.”

It took moments for his words to register, but when they did, she slowly lifted her head and glanced over his shoulder.

The village women had already wandered back to whatever they’d been doing before the excitement. The males were heading toward the wood piled up in the middle of camp, spears in hands, their strides relaxed, as if nothing had happened. Even the children who’d stopped to watch wide-eyed were gone, probably off playing in the mud or river by now. Only one warrior stood by watching them, as if waiting to see if they’d flee.

She eyed the warrior’s stoic face, swallowed once, then realized she was still pressed up against Jake’s muscular body from thigh to chest. And, oh man, he wasn’t as unaffected by their kiss as she’d thought. The rigid line of his erection pressed against her belly.

Letting go, she pushed back quickly, only to discover her knees were weaker than she’d thought.

“Whoa. Careful.” He reached out to grab her, but she caught herself before she landed flat on her ass in the dirt, and wriggled out of his grip.

“I’m fine.”
Holy hell. What the heck was that?
“You just surprised me, that’s all.”

He grinned. “It was your idea first.”

A warmth she did not need flooded her belly. She looked up at his sexy grin, only to have a whole new set of tingles erupt in her belly.

Oh . . .
crap. This is Ryder. Your boss. Mr. Emotionally Crippled and Aggravating as Hell. Do
not
start thinking of him as anything else.

She wouldn’t. She was smarter than that. Way smarter. One kiss did not change reality. She squared her shoulders. “I said I’m fine, and I’m fine.”

“You sure about that?” His heated gaze traveled down her body and back up again. Her half-naked body. And she realized then that even though she was wearing a tiny top and the shortest skirt on the planet, she was sweating. Profusely. “You look a little flustered.”

Yeah, no shit, she was flustered. She was also flipping the hell out. Arousal and frustration and disbelief churned in her belly, leaving her confused, making her hot, pushing her right to the edge of control.

And he was enjoying it.

Drawing in a calming breath, she planted her hands on her hips and glared up at him. “If I’m flustered it’s because I just had to save your life.”

She eyed the warrior once more past Jake, thought about making a break for it, then realized her backpack, complete with her passport, phone, and money, was still back in the hut. Even if they got away, she needed her stuff. And more than anything right now she wanted clothes. Her clothes.

A child rushed up at Marley’s side before Jake could answer and held up a flower. “
Atuen ma
, Lay-ah.”

Marley took the flower and smiled down at the child. “Thank you.”

The small naked girl ran off.

Jake tipped his head. “Leia?”

Marley pushed the hair back from her face. “Yeah. Um. They, ah, sorta think I’m a princess.”

“Princess Leia?” He lifted one brow in total amusement. “You told them your name was Princess Leia?”

Heat rushed to Marley’s cheeks. “No, I didn’t tell them that. It was a misunderstanding.” One she didn’t want to get into with him now.

The soft, sexy chuckle that rumbled from his chest only made her cheeks hotter. She turned for the village, needing space, needing to get Jake and these crazy thoughts about that meaningless kiss out of her head. Needing to pull it together before she made a complete fool of herself. “And I wouldn’t get too cocky if I were you. They’re planning some kind of celebration tonight. Something tells me we’re not getting out of here anytime soon.”

His footsteps sounded at her back. “A party for Princess Leia, huh? As long as I’m not the main course, we’re good.”

No, they weren’t good. They were as far from good as they could get. Because suddenly all those silly emotions Marley had been experiencing the last few months whenever Jake looked at her were rushing back. And that had bad news written all over it, because Jake Ryder was the last man on the planet she had any intention of getting involved with.

“Just try not to do anything to get us into more trouble.”

He caught up with her and gripped her hand. Surprised, she looked up, then tried to pull away, but he only held her tighter and grinned.

“For effect,” he said. “You may be the savior of the universe, but we are a couple, remember?”

Marley clenched her jaw and looked straight ahead. But a little thrill rushed through her. Forget about getting
into
trouble. That warmth flooding her belly all over again told her she was in trouble up to her eyeballs. And, dammit, she liked it.

J
ake leaned forward and rested his elbows on his updrawn knees as he looked toward the enormous bonfire in the middle of the village.

Drums echoed in the darkness, and males decked out in grass skirts and feather headdresses with red paint in stripes down their arms and legs and across their faces chanted and shook to the beat. Children ran around the edge of the celebration, laughing and singing. Women moved through the villagers with large wooden platters in their hands, serving meats and fruits to those watching the festivities. Several elderly men were seated on the periphery near Jake, animatedly talking and smoking something in long pipes, but he barely noticed. The only thing he could see was Marley, standing on the far side of the fire, listening closely to a middle-aged woman trying to teach her how to dance like a native.

The woman, wearing nothing but a tiny skirt, grasped Marley’s hand and twirled her around. Jake smiled as Marley’s wavy blonde hair caught the light and swayed behind her. Firelight flickered over every inch of her bare skin—her long, shapely legs, her flat belly and the soft indent of her belly button, and her ample cleavage in the revealing top that was nothing more than strips of fabric tied together.

Why had he never noticed her breasts before? That was usually the first thing he spotted on a woman. And when had her hair gotten so wavy? Usually she wore it straight, either down to her shoulders or pulled back out of her face.

A woman passed in front of him, interrupting his view. She leaned forward with a platter of meat. Feeling stuffed from all the food they’d shoved at him already, Jake held up a hand and shook his head. “
Notuli
. Thanks.”

The woman moved on. Jake leaned to his left to see past her. A wide smile split Marley’s face, and she laughed at something the native woman beside her said. Mesmerized, Jake watched as torchlight flickered over her features, making her skin glow and her eyes dance as if fueled by flames.

“She’s very pretty.”

Startled by the voice, Jake pulled his gaze from Marley and looked up at the only other non-native person in the village. “Who?”

Darla nodded toward Marley and the fire. “Your girlfriend. I’m not so old that I can’t see the obvious. May I sit?”

His girlfriend. Right. Everyone thought they were an item. Not employer-employee. Something in his stomach flipped over, but he figured it had to be the weird food. He seriously hoped that wasn’t boa constrictor he’d eaten earlier. “Sure.”

Darla lowered herself to the ground at his side and crossed her legs in front of her. “I’m not the only one who thinks so, either.” She nodded toward the fire. “Look.”

Jake glanced back at Marley. A tall, skinny male covered in red paint who looked to be no more than fifteen grasped both of her hands and spun her around. Marley’s eyes widened, but she didn’t pull away, and the smile rushing over her features told Jake loud and clear that she was enjoying herself.

He smiled again, just watching her, and wondered why he’d never seen her grin like that before. Yeah, she’d smiled earlier in the day when they’d taken that swim, but it hadn’t been like this. This encompassed every feature, made the skin around her soft blue eyes crinkle, made the tiniest dimple appear in her cheek. And it lit up her entire face, bringing out a side of her he hadn’t known existed.

The elderly male on Jake’s left handed him a pipe. Pulling his gaze from Marley once more, Jake waved his hand. “Oh, no thanks.”

“It’s rude in their culture to say no,” Darla whispered on his other side. “Take a few puffs and hand it back.”

He’d said yes to food and drink way too much already tonight. Reluctantly, Jake forced a smile and took the pipe. On the third puff, he pulled the wood from his mouth and coughed until his eyes watered.

The males on his left laughed and took the pipe back. Blinking rapidly at the sting in his throat, Jake glanced toward Darla. “Thanks a lot.”

Darla grinned. “They’ll make you a native Puketi yet, just wait.”

Clearing the smoke from his throat, Jake went back to watching Marley. “I think I’ll pass. If I stay much longer, I’m pretty sure I’ll wind up as dinner at some point.” He nodded toward the warrior on the far side of camp, standing stoic with his spear, watching Jake as a predator watches his prey. “That one over there doesn’t like me.”

“Manaus is just protective of his village. Once he gets to know you, you’ll be fine. The Puketi people lean toward peace and harmony with nature, rather than war.”

Jake huffed. “I’ll remember that the next time they’re trying to shove a spear into my side.”

“You scared them,” Darla said. “They don’t like to be scared.”

Another male took Marley’s hand and pushed the first out of the way so he could dance with her. “They don’t seem scared of her.”

“No,” Darla said with a sigh. “They are not. She is special.”

Marley glanced Jake’s way and grinned, and his belly did that weird flip thing again as he watched her shake and move to the thump of the drums.

The man on Jake’s left tapped his elbow. Halfheartedly, he tore his gaze from Marley once more and looked down at the bowl of liquid in the man’s hand. “No, I’m not thirsty.”

Darla nudged him from the other side.

“Shit,” Jake muttered. “Okay, yeah.” He reached for the bowl and lifted it to his mouth with a begrudging half grin. “It better not be jaguar urine.”

Darla smiled. “Be sure to take a large drink.”

The scent of something heavily fermented wafted to Jake’s nose. Wincing at the smell, he opened his mouth and took a mouthful. The liquid was both sweet and bitter at the same time, and he coughed after swallowing, then handed the bowl back to the man at his side. “Holy hell, that’s awful.”

The elderly men next to him laughed again and pointed, speaking rapidly in their native language.

Jake swiped the back of his arm over his mouth and wished like hell for a beer to wash the nasty taste away. On his other side, Darla said, “It’s
ayahuasca
. A very special drink used during ceremonies. A little goes a long way.”

“I can see why. No one could drink more than a few sips of that without getting violently ill.”

“You are more right than you know,” Darla muttered. “Though it has other effects that are much more pleasant.” Then louder, she said, “You do not wear a ring. Why are you not married?”

Startled by the change in topic, Jake glanced her way and realized she was staring at the fire and dancers and Marley.

His gaze followed, and he watched Marley brace her hands on her knees and bend forward, shaking her breasts and ass at the same time, her hair falling down around her face as she dropped her head and then lifted it again.

His belly flipped once more and then heated.

“Mr. Ryder?”

Jake blinked several times at the sound of Darla’s voice. His head felt light. His skin hot. And every time he looked at Marley, he couldn’t stop his mind from drifting back to that kiss. To the way her lips had felt against his, to the brush of her breasts across his chest, to the soft groan that had rumbled from her throat, and the way her fingers had drifted into his hair and her nails had scratched his scalp as if she’d wanted more.

That warmth in his belly drifted lower, sending tingles across his flesh.

“Hello?”

“Um.”
Married.
Darla was asking why he and Marley weren’t married. She still thought they were a couple.

Unable to look away, he watched as Marley turned in a circle. Damn, but the woman had incredible moves. She’d certainly never shimmied like that in the office. He’d have definitely noticed if she had.

“Mr. Ryder?”

Darla’s voice cut through the haze sliding over every inch of Jake’s body. He looked in her direction. “Yeah?”

One side of Darla’s lips curled. “Feeling relaxed, are you?”

“A little.”

The truth was he felt
really
relaxed. And hot as hell all at the same time. He focused on Marley. She flicked her gaze his way, smiled a sheepish, sexy little grin, then turned once more. And the way she swayed, the way her hips shook, the way she kept looking at him as if to see if he were watching, it sent the heat and tingles in his belly rushing lower, straight into his groin.

“And her?” Darla nodded toward Marley.

“I don’t know.” His blood pounded hard as Marley watched him, licked her bottom lip, then sank her teeth into the fleshy mass. And his mind flipped back to that kiss again. To the way she’d tasted. To the other parts of her he suddenly wanted to lick and sample and devour. “Just haven’t found the right time, I guess.”

“Time always gets in the way in the modern world.” Darla folded her hands in her lap. “You should go dance with her. Something tells me she’s waiting for that.”

Dance. Yeah. That was a good idea. Why hadn’t he thought of that?

Jake pushed to his feet and swiped his hands against the thighs of his cargo pants. “I think I’ll do that.”

“Have fun,” Darla said at his back as he headed toward the fire.

The drums beat heavy in the air. The canopy slowly swayed above as if the trees too were dancing to the rhythm. Marley’s gaze locked on his as he drew close, and the same spark of awareness, of arousal that he’d seen when she’d looked at him from across the fire flared hot in her sky-blue eyes.

He stopped in front of her and fingered the fabric tied at her shoulder. “I’m not sure this is appropriate work attire, Ms. Addison.”

She swayed closer to him, her familiar scents of musk, sandalwood, vanilla, and some fragrant flower he couldn’t name drifting toward his nose. Resting one slim hand on his chest, she tipped her eyes up and smiled that same sexy, for-his-eyes-only grin she’d cast him only moments ago. “And I think you are way overdressed for this party, Mr. Ryder.”

He had just enough time to open his mouth before she grasped his shirt at the waist and pulled it from his pants. His adrenaline spiked. Every inch of his skin burst to life. He thought about stopping her but suddenly didn’t want to. Her fingers shifted to the button at his chest, and she flicked him a challenging look. “Trust me?”

Heat and lust and need churned inside him, three things he never expected to feel around her, making him even more lightheaded, making him desperate to see what she would do next. “Not for a second.”

A sexy, seductive smile toyed with her lips. Her eyes were glassy, her skin luminescent in the firelight. And when she looked at him like that, like she wanted him, all he could think about was kissing her all over again. Everywhere.

She grasped both sides of his shirt and yanked, sending buttons flying into the fire.

Surprised, Jake glanced down at his naked chest, then to her victorious grin. “I might have to note that on your next performance evaluation, Ms. Addison.”

She stepped closer and pushed the two halves of his shirt apart, then slid her palms over his bare skin. Electricity vibrated everywhere she touched. “Then I’d better do something to make that note memorable.”

She lifted to her toes, her lips a breath from his, and stilled.

Blood rushed into his groin and made him hard in an instant. His skin trembled beneath her soft hands. Unable to hold back, he trailed his fingers down her arms and then to the bare skin of her waist, needing to touch her too. Somewhere in the back of his head he knew this wasn’t right. She was flirting with him, something she never did, and he was letting her, something he wouldn’t do if he were thinking straight. And they were in the middle of a strange village, with people dancing and chanting all around them, watching their every movement. But as her shallow breaths lifted her breasts so they skimmed his bare chest and her thighs brushed his, bringing their bodies into even closer contact, he suddenly didn’t care. Fire flared inside him, making him ache, making him need, making him focus on only one thing.

He closed his arms around her slim waist and jerked her in even tighter. She gasped, just enough to open her mouth in a sexy little O. And before she could protest, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her as he’d wanted to kiss her since the moment she’d started to dance.

She groaned, opened at the first touch, slid her tongue along his, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She tasted of sin, of salvation, of something a little voice in the back of his head warned he wasn’t ready for. But he ignored it. The same way he ignored the voices around him and the jungle and the fire and drank in only her.

He tipped his head the other way, kissed her deeper, reveled in the way she rubbed against him. One hand slid down her lower spine, over the swell of her sexy ass, and closed over her cheek, tugging her in harder against him. His erection pressed into her belly as he kissed her again and again, as her hardened nipples skimmed his chest through the thin fabric of her top. As her tongue turned frantic and hungry against his.

Hands landed on his shoulders, gripped the fabric and tugged.
His hands dropped from Marley’s waist, and the garment slipped free of his arms, but he barely noticed.
All he could think about was Marley. How soft she was against him. How warm and perfect. How sweet and sinful she tasted in his mouth. How it would feel to have her legs closing around him, drawing him in.