Captive Heart

by Adriana Hunter

  “I closed my eyes. Does that count?” The smile in his voice was unmistakable, and it irritated her.

  “Not funny. You shouldn’t sneak up on people when they’re sleeping.” She sat up on the cot, pulling her legs beneath the blanket.

  “Sorry about that. But I wasn’t expecting to find a naked woman lying on my cot.”

  “I’m not naked… And I didn’t know it was your cot.”

  Gideon moved further into the room and the curtain fell behind him, cutting off the light, throwing the room into darkness again.

  “Wait. Are you sleeping here? With me?” Lainey hugged her knees to her chest, the blanket wrapped tightly around her body. Sweat was already trickling down her sides and the back of her knees.

  “There aren’t too many choices here. And as appealing as it sounds, I’m not sleeping with you. I’m sleeping on the floor.”

  His words – the slight slurring of those words – took her off guard. Her heart rate had slowed, but now, with the thought of Gideon in the same room, it skittered along in a totally different way, an unexpected shiver running down her spine.

  “Are you drunk?”

  “I’ve had some wine, yes. But not too much. Part of Francesca’s fee involves alcohol. And she insists we share.” He began moving around the small room. There was the scrape of a chair on wood followed by the thud of Gideon’s boots hitting the floor.

  “Don’t worry though. I only do one thing at a time, and right now, you hired me to find your brother. Besides, you’re off the market, even if I was off the job and we were in slightly better accommodations.”

  Lainey’s mind was racing, none of Gideon’s words making sense to her. He despised her, or at the very least, tolerated her. He’d been trying to get rid of her every step of the way. And now this revelation, that the only reason he wasn’t making a move was because he thought she was in a relationship.

  “Wait, what? What do you mean, I’m off the market?”

  The sound of a zipper seemed overly loud in the heavy dark. Lainey closed her eyes even though she couldn’t see anything. The thought of Gideon taking off his clothes was suddenly too much. Then there was the sound of fabric rustling and something soft hitting the floor.

  “You have a boyfriend.” His voice was muffled.

  “I do not have a boyfriend. Who told you that I did?”

  “Scott Navarro.” Gideon’s words came to her from somewhere near the floor, and she assumed he was lying down on the rough wood. A momentary pang of guilt shot through her, but not enough to give up her blanket for him.

  “Scott told you I had a boyfriend?”

  “No, Scott told me he was your boyfriend.”

  Lainey sat up in stunned silence. The blanket slipped off her shoulder and pooled in her lap. She stared in the dark at the spot on the floor where she thought Gideon lay. Why would Scott say that?

  “I take it by your silence that’s the truth.” Gideon’s comment was more statement than question.

  Lainey finally found her voice. “No, it’s not. He’s not, I mean, not anymore. He used to be a long time ago. But we broke up. It’s been a long, long time.”

  Now Gideon was silent. Lainey lay back, tugging the blanket over her shoulder, finally deciding he’d fallen asleep, either because he was drunk or he’d lost interest in the topic. How could he do that? He’d basically admitted he wanted to sleep with her, something so unexpected she had no way to even think about it. And then he’d fallen asleep.

  After a long time, there was a grunt from the floor, the sound of Gideon turning over.

  “I guess I’m working with the wrong intel then. It’s rare that I do that. I must be slipping.” Gideon paused. “Even more odd that Scott would lie. Makes me wonder what else he’s lied about.” Gideon shifted again. “Apparently he’s still carrying a torch for you, Lainey. A pretty hefty torch.”

  ‘What’s awkward for you is painful for me.’ Scott’s words echoed in her head. Was that why he offered to help with the money for Gideon? Did he want to try to get back into some kind of relationship with her, even if it meant her being in his debt?

  “He told you that when he delivered the money, right? That we were together?”

  “Yeah, that’s right.”

  “Why did you ask to meet with him? Didn’t you trust me?”

  “I didn’t ask to meet him. He asked to meet with me.”

  Why the hell would Scott set it all up this way? Did Gideon typically hit on his clients or was Scott hedging his bets?

  Lainey shifted restlessly on the narrow cot. “None of this matters anyway. I’m only concerned with bringing my brother home. Nothing else.” She fought to steady the quiver in her voice.

  “Good. That’s all that should matter.” His voice was gruff, his tone serious.

  There was movement on the floor and when he spoke, Gideon’s voice was very close, his breath against her ear.

  “Listen, what I said, maybe I was out of line.” He drew a breath and then let out a deep sigh. “Maybe I had a little too much of Francesca’s wine. Maybe I’m getting too old for this. I don’t know.” He voice had a weary tone. Lainey held her breath.

  In the dark the cot shook briefly, and then the warmth of Gideon’s hand slid down her arm, fingers brushing against her blanket-covered breast. Lainey jerked, goose bumps prickling her skin. But his hand moved lower, his fingers finding hers. He grabbed her hand and gave it a brief squeeze.

  “I’m sorry.” He released her hand and settled back on the floor. “Now get some sleep.”

  * * *

  “Lainey, wake up.”

  Gideon’s voice was close, his hand very warm on her bare shoulder. The room was still hot and stuffy. She must have fallen asleep during their conversation.

  “I accept your apology.” She mumbled the words, patting his hand.

  He laughed briefly. “That’s good. Thanks. But it’s time to get up. We’ve got a long drive ahead of us.”

  Lainey opened her eyes. Furry gray light filled the windowless room. The curtain over the door was pulled aside, the space beyond only slightly brighter. She looked up to see Gideon leaning over her.

  “Awake?” His eyes were fixed on hers, darker gray in the subdued light. She nodded and he took his hand away. “Get dressed. We leave in fifteen minutes.”

  He turned and she watched him leave the room. Her blanket had been tossed aside again sometime during the night, leaving half of her curvy frame uncovered. She wondered how long he’d stood there before he woke her. The anger she wanted to feel at the liberty he took wasn’t there. What was there was a tiny tingling that ran up her spine, and that confused her.

  She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Her clothes were still in a pile on the floor and she stared at them for a minute. They were all she had and she cringed at the thought of wearing day old clothes. But it was her own damn fault for not paying attention. She decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to ask Gideon if there was any place she could wash her clothes.

  Lainey found Gideon outside, loading the ever-present duffel bag into the back of the Rover. It looked bulkier and as he set it down, it landed with a very distinct clanking noise that hadn’t been present yesterday. He glanced at her as she approached.

  “Ready? I’ve got fruit, water, and a loaf of bread for you. You can eat on the way.” He closed the back door of the Rover. When he turned to her, his face was serious.

  “I’ve got a pretty solid lead on where your brother is being held and who has him. It’s not drug traffickers; it’s a small group of local bandits. It’s not clear why they took him, other than they could. If he had a camera, they might have pegged him as a rich tourist. At any rate, Francesca gave me the general area where he’s being held. They might move him, but I doubt it. They’re not that organized from what she’s been told.”

  “So what now? How do…what’s it even called? Rescue? Extraction? How do we get him back?”

  Gideon smiled briefly. “You’ve been reading too many th
riller novels. And it’s me getting him back, not we. If I had my way…you’d still be in Chicago. Or I’d leave you here with Francesca. Don’t think it hasn’t crossed my mind, to just drive off without you this morning.”

  Lainey scowled, lifting her chin to glare up at Gideon, lips parted, ready with angry words. But he surprised her with a low laugh, leaning against the Rover. He reached out, taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger, gently tipping her face down.

  “You can put your chin back down and get that belligerent look off your face. I said I thought about it. I didn’t do it. For one thing, Francesca would kill me.”

  She jerked her head, pulling away from his grasp. He let go, arms folded across his chest.

  “What’s new? You’ve been trying to get rid of me ever since we met.” She resisted the urge to thrust her chin at him. It was such an automatic gesture.

  His eyes held hers, a smile lifting the corner of his mouth, the gleam she’d seen before lighting his eyes. “You’re growing on me.”

  With feline grace he straightened, moving half a step toward her, closing the small distance between them. As he reached out, his hand cupping the side of her face, a voice in her mind said he was going to kiss her. She thought she should pull away, but her body moved toward him, toward his warmth and toward the undeniable charisma he possessed.

  “I thought you apologized last night for being out of line.” Her voice was a bit shaky, her breath catching in her throat. His fingers worked into her hair, gently tangling the strands.

  “I did.” The pressure of his hand increased as he pulled her toward him. His voice dropped, the lion’s growl becoming a purr.

  “And then I regretted it.”

  He moved closer, his head tilted, lips parted.

  “I thought you didn’t like me. I’m an encumbrance. I’m crazy.” Her words were barely audible, heart fluttering in her chest. He looked down at her, eyes hooded, dark gray in the dawn light.

  “You are. Both. But right now, you’re far too talkative.”

  He kissed her, far more gently than she would have ever thought possible. And far more gently than she decided she wanted. But beneath the soft touch she felt a barely restrained intensity, the lion crouched, muscles tensed, waiting to pounce.

  Lainey’s hands rose to Gideon’s chest, his body hard and warm beneath her touch. As her fingers grazed his hard nipples he shuddered briefly, the kiss deepening for a moment. His fingers pulled her that much closer, the only part of him that was touching her except for his lips.

  But those lips were doing amazing things to her, a surprising ache blooming deep within. Just as she leaned in, parting her lips for more, Gideon drew back, breaking the kiss. He rested his forehead against hers as she strained upward, lips parted, seeking to renew contact.

  “We have to go. It’s late.” His voice was husky and he released her, casting one last smoldering look at her. She nodded, speechless.

  Lainey walked to her side of the Rover on shaky legs. What the hell just happened? The man confused her. He’d been trying to get rid of her ever since they met. And then he kissed her.

  Her mind was in turmoil, her body no less distressed. As much as she might want to deny the effect of the kiss, the effects still coursed through her. Something she’d thought was long dormant – dormant since Scott – had been awakened.

  She wanted to brush it off as just a physical reaction to a handsome guy kissing her, but she couldn’t quite buy into that. Something unexpected had happened to her in that kiss, the sum total of her growing feelings. Whether or not it had affected Gideon the same way was the question. She couldn’t get a read on him at all.

  Gideon had turned the Range Rover around and they were heading back down the rutted track. She snuck a glance at him, but he was focused on avoiding the worst of the ruts and holes in the road.

  “So, now what?” She held her breath, wondering if he’d open up in any way about his feelings.

  He kept his eyes on the road. “Best scenario, I can get in, get him out, and no one will notice. But chances are that won’t happen.”

  “Oh. I didn’t mean…but yeah. Okay.” She straightened in her seat. Gideon was back to business, whatever had just happened between them shoved aside. Sighing, she decided her imagination was getting the better of her. He was a mercenary, apparently as a profession and probably with women as well. Maybe that’s what Scott knew, what he’d been trying to protect her from.

  “So what’s the worst case scenario?” It probably involved weapons and she shuddered at the thought of the clear danger Aiden was in.

  “It all goes sideways and I go in, guns blazing. And hope I come out with Aiden and neither of us have any holes in us.”

  He’d confirmed her worst fear. She sank down in her seat, leaning against the door. After a few minutes of silence, Gideon reached over and patted her knee.

  “Worry only makes you lose focus. If you’re here, I need you here. Not imagining the worst.”

  Lainey turned to stare at Gideon, but he didn’t return her look. He kept his eyes ahead, focused on the rutted road.

  * * *

  Rain had been falling for the last couple hours, a steady downpour that turned the road to a slick vat of mud. It was late afternoon when Gideon finally pulled over to the side of the road, the vehicle sliding briefly in the thick mud.

  They’d taken so many twists and turns through such heavily forested land that Lainey wondered how he managed to know where he was. The landscape looked the same and now, with the rain, visibility was reduced to a rainy few yards. Lainey saw a cluster of bedraggled buildings not far off the side of the road.

  “This road ends up ahead. I can hide the Rover there and then we’re going to have to walk. You up for it?” He looked down at Lainey’s feet, clad in sneakers, then shook his head.

  “I’ll be fine.” Lainey yanked her door open, stepped out, and looked up at the gray sky. She took one step and her feet went out from under her. For an instant she had no idea what had happened except that she was lying on her back, the rain splashing her face.

  “Lainey!” She heard Gideon and blinked, wiping a hand across her face. Instead of wiping away rain, gritty mud covered her face.

  “Are you alright?” He appeared above her, his face creased with concern, water dripping from the bill of his cap.

  “Yeah. I think so.” She sat up as Gideon crouched down beside her. He wiped her face with his hand. It came away covered in mud.

  “Can you stand?” He slid one hand beneath her elbow and she stood, tentatively putting weight on each leg. Nothing felt broken.

  “I think so.” She was soaked. Glancing behind her, she saw her backside was caked in mud.

  “Well, at least you’re okay.” Gideon reached behind her, brushing his hand over her back, moving lower, scraping the mud from her backside.

  “Is your passport still in your pocket?” His hand patted her back pocket.

  “No, I stuck it in the glove box of the jeep after we left Francesca’s. It was getting bent in my pocket.”

  “Good. Come on. If you can walk, we need to get moving.” Gideon still looked concerned, his brows drawn together.

  Lainey nodded. “Yeah, really. I’m fine. Let’s go.”

  Gideon went to the back of the Rover and grabbed his duffel while Lainey climbed back onto the road. The jungle around her was growing dark. She clutched the heavy duffel while Gideon drove the Rover behind one of the buildings. The dark green vehicle melted into the jungle. She heard Gideon cut the engine and for a moment she felt completely alone, standing on a muddy track in the middle of the jungle, rain pelting her face.

  Then Gideon jogged back to the road. He stopped in front of her and reached out, wiping a smear of mud from her cheek.

  “You’re a real mess. Sure you’re okay?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. What’s in the bag? It weighs a ton.”

  He took the duffel from her but ignored her question.

&nbs
p; “We’re here in the beginning of the rainy season. Fewer tourists. That may have made Aiden stick out like a sore thumb. Plus he was traveling the Petén alone. That’s not recommended in any season.”

  “But the weather doesn’t change your plans?” Lainey stood in front of the Rover. She pushed the wet mat of hair off her forehead.

  “No. I expected this. I can use it to my advantage.” He shouldered his duffel. “Come on. We walk.”

  They squelched along what had been the road and then even that ended. Lainey found they were walking beneath the overhead canopy of foliage. The world darkened, but it kept some of the rain off of them.

  Trudging behind Gideon with her head down, she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, trying not to fall down again in the sticky mud or trip over roots and rocks.

  When Gideon stopped abruptly, she bumped into his back. “What the…”

  “We’re getting close.” His voice was tight. “We’ll stop here for tonight.”

  “How can you tell? It looks just like where we left the jeep.” She stepped around Gideon, looking into the dense foliage. Everything was the same: the rain dripping from leaves, wet tree trunks, the mud that covered her shoes, except it was much darker.

  He looked down at her, brows drawing together. “This is my job. You keep asking questions. You have a problem with how I’m doing my job? ”

  “No, but…I…”

  “No, but…you’re wondering what the hell we’re doing in the middle of the damn jungle in the pissing rain. I’ll be blunt – you’re not supposed to be here.”

  “You’ve made that point before.” Lainey clenched her hands, fists on her hips.

  His scowl deepened. “It’s a valid point. I was hired to rescue your brother. And now I have to babysit you.”

  “You’re not babysitting me. I said I can take care of myself.”

  He shook his head. “If you don’t trust me to do this, then we can just turn around and I’ll drive you to the nearest airport with a connecting flight to Belize.”

  Lainey’s eyes widened. “I never said that. I do trust you. That’s not it at all. Scott said you were the best. I believe him. I believe in you.”