On the Move: Soldiering On Security #6

by Aislinn Kearns

  It would be because she wanted to.

  The idea surprised her. She so rarely regretted only forming temporary attachments to her lovers. But Mike was different. There was something about him that drew Jessica in, made her want to stay with him.

  It wasn’t only that he was so different to what she was used to, it was that in many ways they were the same. They both traveled the world, helping people. They both believed in being masters of their own destinies. They weren’t passive participants in life, they were actively trying to create the world they wanted to see.

  What amazing things could they do, if they worked together?

  “Once we find me a shower of some kind, I’m up for anything,” she told him.

  Mike’s eyes darkened. “Shit, don’t say stuff like that when I can’t do anything about it.”

  She grinned. “Just think about it, big guy. It’ll make it all the sweeter when you finally get me naked.”

  He growled at her, and her grin widened. He was fun to tease. But the truth was, Jessica wanted him as much as he apparently wanted her.

  Christ, when the hell would they get home?

  Chapter 11

  Twenty-four excruciating hours later, Mike stumbled across a small village. It was built in a clearing, with thirty or so houses dotted around the space. The buildings were constructed from wood, but looked sturdy enough.

  Locals strode between the buildings, greeting each other, talking, trading wares. The desire to stride into the village without a thought was overwhelming. He couldn’t see any sign of rebels, but they were only a day away from the checkpoint where they’d nearly been caught. It wasn’t safe to stop.

  He glanced at Jessica. She looked worn, exhausted, but she still managed a smile for him. Jesus, he wanted her.

  A village meant a bed. Maybe showers. All the things Jessica deserved. Should he take the risk and allow them to stay for the night? Rest up for a long hike tomorrow? He estimated they were still a few days from the border. They’d made up some time in the truck, but not as much as he’d hoped.

  He was tempted to risk staying for the night, but he didn’t know if that was actually a good idea, or if it was his cock talking. He could justify it all day long, but the reality was that he simply wanted Jessica to be happy. And to have a chance to finally make love to her.

  The incident in the box had to rank as one of the hottest of his life, and he hadn’t done even a quarter of all the things he wanted to with her.

  It had been a week since he’d found her in that camp. Surely one day to rest wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Or was he talking himself into it?

  “Are we stopping?” she asked after nudging him to grab his attention. A “no” was on the tip of his tongue—they shouldn’t risk it—but her bright eyes gave him pause. She was trying so hard not to look excited by the prospect, but there was no way to disguise the energy pouring from her.

  Damn it, he should say no.

  “Yeah,” he said, even while cursing himself. “But we have to stay below the radar.”

  She did the cutest little jump to express her excitement and then threw her arms around him. Mike held her tight and breathed her in. His heart lifted in joy, and he found he really liked making this woman happy.

  She kissed him on the cheek as she drew back and his heart flipped. Damn it, he needed to stop with this emotion shit. There couldn’t be anything between them but sex.

  His heart didn’t listen.

  The two of them skirted the edge of the village, getting a lay of the land. They stopped behind a small house with two rooms that looked in worse repair than the rest.

  “Stay here,” he told Jessica, then crept forward. He peered into the hole that had been cut from the wall that acted as a window. There was no glass, only a tattered curtain covering it. The inside confirmed his suspicions. The place was completely empty. It must have been abandoned.

  He glanced around and spotted a tank. Rainwater?

  He waved Jessica over. She crept to his side, then peered in the window. “Is this where we’re staying?”

  “Yes. And I’m hoping it might give us a happy surprise.”

  Jessica looked intrigued, so Mike grinned and opened the door. It didn’t have a lock on it so it swung wide. He stepped inside. It wasn’t bad. Hadn’t been abandoned too long, or it would have been dirtier and in worse repair.

  But Mike didn’t stay there long. He strode into the next room and found he was right. A shower. He crossed his fingers and reached for the taps. Lukewarm water sputtered and then sprayed. He laughed, turning in time to see Jessica gasp in delight. Joy lit her face, making her glow.

  Whatever happened, that moment had been worth it all. The expression on her face made his heart ache in the best way.

  “Don’t hate me,” he said. “But I’ll take the first shower. Then I’ll head into the village and see if I can trade for some more interesting food than parrot or fruit.”

  Jessica pouted, but then nodded. “As long as I get the longer shower,” she said.

  “Absolutely.”

  True to his word, Mike was in and out as quickly as possible. He left the soap and Jessica’s clothes in there for her and headed back into the main room fully dressed. Jessica had found a fern leaf somewhere and was using it to sweep out some of the dirt.

  “Clever,” he said, and she grinned.

  “My turn?”

  “Your turn,” he confirmed. She raced past him into the shower and he laughed. As he heard the shower start up again, he dug through his pack for a few items, then headed for the front door.

  Normally, he wouldn’t have made himself known in a village while laying low, but he figured these people were remote enough that they’d have no way of contacting the rebels. He couldn’t see any vehicles around, and the house they’d been in had no electricity. There were no roads to or from the village, only walking trails, so it was clear these people were fairly remote. They wouldn’t have a phone. A radio, maybe, but it was a slim chance.

  Besides, he and Jessica needed to eat, and something other than fruit. Even if he collected food, they’d need a fire to cook it, and that couldn’t go unnoticed. Better to announce themselves now.

  He approached an old woman squatting near a fire, poking at leaf-wrapped packages in the coals. She was short and stooped, taking up barely any space. But she had an energy about her. Something in her deeply-lined face that told him this woman shouldn’t be dismissed. Wisdom, maybe. Or strength.

  She cowered a little when she caught sight of him, and Mike made an effort to appear harmless. He hunched his shoulders and held out his hands in the universal “I don’t mean you harm” gesture.

  She eyed him warily, but didn’t call for help, so Mike took it as a win.

  He didn’t speak Portuguese. And he couldn’t lip read in the language anyway. So he’d have to communicate in the universal language of gestures.

  He pointed to the food in the fire. She had a lot, or he wouldn’t ask. Then, he pointed to himself. Her expression turned from wary to speculative. She could sense a possible negotiation here, and she was a shrewd woman. He admired that.

  She held out her hand, and but Mike didn’t have any Zolegan currency. US dollars wouldn’t do jackshit in a place this remote.

  He swallowed and considered his options. He didn’t have anything to trade. Not something he’d want to part with, anyway, considering he and Jessica had another few days in the jungle. It wasn’t like he brought non-essentials with him on rescue missions.

  Though…he did have one thing that might be valuable to this woman. Something he didn’t need to survive.

  He pulled Ramirez’s coin from his pocket and stared at it. His chest tightened. Jessica’s words came to him, the ones about how Ramirez would have given him the coin, even if he’d know the outcome.

  And she was right, he would have. Ramirez had cared about his friends more than himself—it was why he’d given Mike the coin in the first place. That was one of the th
ings Mike had always liked best about him. Denying that part of his friend, his protective instincts, hurt him more than the guilt had.

  The burden of self-blame that had been dragging at him for so long loosened. He’d always miss his friend, and regret what had happened to him, but he was no longer choked by it. The guilt wasn’t gone completely, he didn’t think it ever would be. Now, though, it was like he had permission to live in a way he hadn’t for a very long time, maybe ever.

  This adventure—Jessica—had changed him, and he tasted freedom.

  After a moment’s hesitation, he held the coin out to the woman. She snatched it, tested it, then gave him a grin and a nod. She stood and disappeared into the house behind her, returning with a precisely-woven basket. She used two sticks to transfer most of the food packets from the fire into the basket, keeping a few for herself.

  Mike smiled and nodded at her, and gratefully took the basket. He pointed at one of packets and then at her, offering her to take more, but she shook her head. He hoped she wasn’t putting herself out, but she should be able to sell or trade that coin for a lot more than one meal.

  He went back to the cabin he and Jessica had chosen. When he reached the door, he turned back to see the old woman eyeing him from her place by the fire. He studied her for a moment, then lifted his hand in a wave. She returned the gesture, then squatted back by the fire to take her own food packets out.

  Mike stepped inside the hut, heart thrumming at the thought of seeing Jessica again.

  Jessica had never had a better shower. To properly cleanse two weeks of dirt and grime from her skin and hair was one of the greatest pleasures of her life. Right up there with the orgasm Mike had given her last night.

  She used some of the remaining water to wash her and Mike’s clothes, hoping they’d dry in time for tomorrow. If not, the clothes would soon be damp from their sweat anyway, so it hardly mattered.

  While waiting for Mike, she disengaged his sleeping mat from his bag. He hadn’t used it yet this trip that she knew of, preferring the hammocks out in the jungle because of the bugs. Now that they were inside, Jessica was hopeful they could sleep closer to the ground.

  That way they could share.

  She had some plans for that mat tonight, and she hoped more than anything Mike would agree with her.

  The door opened, and Mike stepped through. Jessica didn’t know which was more mouthwatering. Him, or the food he carried.

  “What’s that?”

  “Mystery food,” he said. “But it smells like it has flavor, and probably isn’t parrot or fruit, so fingers crossed it’s an improvement over our usual fare.”

  They sat beside each other on the mat and unwrapped the food in the basket. There were two whole fried fish, covered in spices and cooked on a bed of vegetables. There were more vegetables in a different packet. Some kind of meat that Jessica couldn’t identify, but wasn’t sure she wanted to.

  “It’s a feast,” she said. “But you said we shouldn’t eat the fish here.”

  He shrugged. “If the locals eat it, there’s a much higher chance it’s safe. I’m willing to be taste tester, if you want.”

  “No way,” she growled. “You’ll eat it all before I get a bite.”

  He grinned unrepentantly and didn’t deny it. Jessica’s stomach rumbled, and not even the plague could stop her eating the amazing-smelling food.

  They dug in. While they did, they talked. More about their lives, their childhoods, what they wanted to do in the future. Jessica neatly sidestepped that last question by telling Mike he needed to thank the chef for the delicious food they were consuming.

  “Seriously. I don’t know whether this food is simply amazing on its own, or because we’ve been eating…what we’ve been eating for the last week. But damn.”

  Mike nodded his agreement and stuffed another roast vegetable in his mouth.

  “It’s afternoon now. Are we staying here all night?” she asked, body thrumming with want.

  Mike’s eyes darkened as his gaze roamed her over. “Yeah,” he said hoarsely.

  Good. His mind was in exactly the same place as hers. Her belly tightened in anticipation.

  They finished the meal and washed up. Mike left to take the basket back to the old lady. Jessica swept the floor again while he was gone. She couldn’t help it. She was finally clean—minus clean clothes—and she wanted to stay that way.

  But the instant Mike stepped back into the hut, she was distracted from her goal.

  He looked so damn good.

  Jessica dropped the fern and launched herself at him.

  Chapter 12

  Mike caught Jessica midair, pulling her tightly against him as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Their mouths fused, tongue tangling.

  He palmed her butt, kneading it, and Jessica groaned into his mouth. He felt the vibration to his toes. Christ, he was already hard. And hot. So hot.

  Her hands fisted in his hair, pulling so tight it was on the edge of painful. It only made him hotter, more desperate for her. He turned them and strode forward until her back hit the interior wall. It moved slightly, but didn’t give, so the sensible part of Mike’s mind figured it would be safe enough. The rest of him, however, didn’t care whether the house crumbled around them, he just needed to be inside Jessica.

  Her head tilted back, breaking the kiss as her lungs gasped for air. He watched the movement of her chest expanding, gaze riveting on the way her breasts pushed against his chest. Too tempting. He couldn’t resist.

  He dipped his head, licking the exposed top of her breast. She tasted clean, with the faint saltiness of sweat. Whatever happened, he would never, ever regret finding her a shower. Not if it led to this.

  Her hands ran through his hair in a sensual stroke and her hips rocked, rubbing her clit against his hard cock. He groaned, his fingers digging into her hips. He encouraged the movement, tilting her hips so she’d find her pleasure against him. Mike gritted his teeth at the sensation, keeping himself under control.

  Fuck, she felt good.

  He returned to her mouth, kissing her like she was air and he needed breath. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight, still shifting her hips in a sensual dance.

  Mike slid his hands from her hips. Up, up, over her ribs until he reached her breasts. He ran his hands over them, memorizing the shape. Jessica arched her back, pressing them more firmly into his palms. Heat spiked at the gesture. The delicious feel of her breasts in his hands was no longer enough. He had to see them.

  Breaking the kiss, Mike stared down at Jessica for a long moment, gaze roaming over her face. Her lips tilted up into a smile, and he couldn’t help the return gesture. Neither said anything. They didn’t need to.

  Mike slid Jessica’s shirt from her arms and dropped it at their feet. Next, he skimmed his palms up her side, his calloused hands rough against her soft skin. He took her tank top as he went, tugging it over her head and letting it fall. He took his time, enjoying the sight of her in his arms in only a bra.

  But Jessica clearly wasn’t in the mood to be patient. When he didn’t immediately make a move on her bra, she reached up and undid it herself, flinging it across the room.

  Her grin turned naughty. “Your turn.”

  But Mike’s eyes were drawn back to her perfect breasts. Full and creamy, with pink nipples standing to attention. If Jessica said anything more, he didn’t notice. He plumped her breasts, testing their weight. Then, he dived down and captured a nipple in his mouth. Her moan vibrated through him, strengthening when he rolled the other nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

  Her hips began their slow roll again, hardening his cock even further.

  Her fingers slid through his hair, pressing him deeper into her breasts. He laved the nipple with his tongue as he tweaked the other. Then, he switched sides, giving her left breast some equal love. When he finally lifted his head, her breasts glistened with his saliva. The sight was unbearably hot, like he'd somehow branded her with a part of
himself.

  She was the very picture of an aroused woman. Flushed skin, hooded eyes. Possessiveness welled up in him. Something beyond attraction, beyond liking this woman. Something deep and primal.

  But now wasn’t the time to analyze that. Not when he had a beautiful woman in his arms that he needed to satisfy.

  He met her gaze.

  “Shirt. Off.”

  Mike grinned. He liked that Jessica was a woman who knew what she wanted. And he liked even more that she wanted him.

  He stripped his shirt over his head to reveal his bare chest. Her gaze riveted there, and Mike had the odd urge to preen. He knew she liked his chest. That had been obvious the first day, when he’d stripped for her. But seeing that lust in her eyes now, in this moment, was something else. Made him proud of his body beyond it being a functional tool, but purely because it pleased her.

  Her hands flattened against his chest and she ran her hands over the hard planes of his pecs and abs.

  “Your body is insane,” she murmured.

  “Thank you,” Mike said with a grin.

  “I want to lick it.”

  Mike blinked. “Okay.”

  Jessica unwrapped her legs from around his waist, and Mike had a moment of disappointment he’d agreed. But then she stepped closer—so close her nipples brushed against his chest—and planted a kiss on his right pec.

  Mike couldn’t take his eyes off her as she kissed and licked her way down his body. Her tongue traced a wet path over his skin, leaving a trail of heat in her wake. He gathered her hair back and fisted it, to make sure he didn’t miss a moment. And when she eased onto her knees, all his blood rushed south to pool in his groin.

  “Jessica…” he groaned, both a warning and a plea.

  Jesus, seeing her in that position, imagining her with her mouth wrapped around his cock, was enough to bring him close to the edge. She reached for the button on his pants and he tensed in anticipation. She glanced up at him from beneath hooded lashes.