Page 46 of Uncharted Desires
Thirteen
At first, it was one raindrop, and then another, just as rain tends to do, and then it was as if someone who was holding a bucket of water had decided to dump it over Kat and West’s heads.
“Watch your step,” West yelled over sound of the rain as they slowly made their way down the side of the mountain, each step slicker than the one before.
Kat couldn’t see as rain pelted her, hair whipping around her face. “Stupid guards, we could have been down here before this tsunami.”
“I’m not going to complain.”
She attempted to give West a sardonic look but was too scared of falling off the side of the cliff, so she went back to staring at her feet.
West descended and she sighed in relief. Now she only had to focus on her footing, but as she went to step, her foot gave way and she groped for support. Plunging downward, she braced for impact, but in a flash, she was caught by sturdy, embracing arms. “You should pay attention to where you’re going,” he said, smiling down at her.
“I was. It’s just soaked,” she said, pushing off him to stand up.
“It’s not the only thing.” He grinned.
She felt her face heat up, which seemed impossible considering how much cold water was pouring down on her. But thoughts of what he had just done to her body raced through her mind.
“Are you going to speak in sexual innuendos for the rest of the evening?” she asked, trying to ignore the heat growing in her core.
He leaned down, his arms still around her. “I don’t plan on using any innuendos, I plan on finishing what we started if we can just get out of this rain.”
Her body felt his words as they wrapped themselves around her, a promise for more, and as much as she would regret it later, she couldn’t deny herself today.
The rain pelted down on them, and then Kat heard it, the sound she had been dreading. The sloshing of incoming boots and shouts couldn’t be drowned out, even in the rain.
“Hey! Stop!” the voice rang out.
“It’s them!” another voice called out.
“Fuck,” West said at her side.
“Run.” Kat took off at a sprint, West’s large hand wrapped around her wrist to keep them together.
They dodged raindrops, trees, and brush as they heard the guards running after them, their voices yelling at each other to split up and cut them off.
“They’re not shooting at us,” Kat noticed.
“They must not have their guns with them.”
“What were they still doing down here then?” Kat wondered aloud.
West pulled on her as she slowed down. “It doesn’t matter right now. We need to get to safety first.”
“We need to split up.”
That made West stop dead in his tracks. “No.”
“Look, they can get one of us or both of us. At least if it’s just one, the other can do some kind of rescue attempt. Let me distract them while you get away, then you can save me.”
The muscle in his jaw jumped. “No, Kat, that is the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.”
They heard voices, and he grabbed her wrist as they took off running again, but Kat pulled free. “Go! I’m going to run this way and get their attention. You go hide. I’ll be fine. This is the best way, or we’re going to be running all night. Go, West, I’ll be fine. And who knows, maybe I’ll get away and meet you at the cave.”
She jumped into his arms, kissing him with more confidence than she felt, but she knew if she didn’t do this, they were both guaranteed to be caught and then where would they be? This way, they at least had a shot.
Before West could protest further, she twisted from his grip and ran toward the guards.