Page 73 of Dangerous Mission
I pick up her dive bag and the bag that Griff’s gear is in and head for the back of the truck. “No buts. I’m getting you out of here.”
She fidgets with the button on the cuff of her sleeve and stands there barefoot looking rattled but concerned. “Don’t you need to go up on the mountain to look at the opening for the cavern? I don’t want to keep you from doing your job to search for your missing woman..”
“I did my job. Now we need to make plans for tomorrow’s dive. Justice is on the above-ground search.”
It takes me a few moments to find what I’m looking for, but when I have the package, I close the rear of the truck and the cap.
“Let’s get you cleaned up.”
Aria frowns as she looks down at her feet. She wiggles her toes. “I wasn’t thinking. I just needed out of there.”
I open the door for her. “Hop in, and turn this way.”
Making a grimace, she does as I ask her to. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think about getting the truck dirty.”
I raise my gaze to hers. “I could care less about the truck.”
Confusion clouds her eyes.
I pop open the pack of industrial size hand wipes, and lift her muddy foot. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable on the drive back.”
This elicits a sound from her, but she doesn’t say anything.
When I hold the arch of her delicate foot and clean the mud off, she’s very still.
A heaviness settles into the air between us.
Touching her like this feels…
Fuck.It feels right.
I finish one foot, then hold my hand up for the other.
Squirming she says, “You don’t have to do that, I can?—”
“Shhh. Give me your foot. I want to.”
This time when I look at her, she’s nibbling the corner of her lip, and the memory of kissing her rocks me.
My throat gets tight, my body grows tight including my dick, and I force myself to concentrate on what I’m doing. I can’t make sense of the way Aria makes me feel.
There’s no place in my life for a woman.
Especially a woman like her.
As I wipe the last of the mud off the top of her foot, my thumb and forefinger circle her ankle. The pulse is flying, but she’s as still as a corneredmouse.
“I’m sorry he scared you.”
She tries to pull her foot away, but I keep it in my grip.
“He just took me off guard."
“Care to tell me about the boyfriend remark?”
When she doesn’t answer, I drag a finger along the bottom of her foot. She jumps and makes a throaty sound.
“I’ll get it out of you one way or another.”