Page 21 of Red Fire
“I’m okay. I’ll last until we get to the river.”
“I have another two full bottles,” I tell him. “You should have more.” I hold out the bottle again, and he takes it. I watch as his throat works, the clear liquid disappearing down his throat.
“Thank you.” He hands me the empty bottle and his mouth with the back of his hand.
I dig around in the bag, my hand closing on two protein bars. “Chocolate peanut butter or chocolate raspberry?” I hold them up.
He frowns.
“They’re protein bars. They’ll give us energy,” I tell him, my voice a low murmur. “Unless you have a better idea for food.”
“I don’t want to draw attention to us.” He looks around. “I don’t think I should hunt or start a fire.”
It’s my turn to frown since I’m not sure how he plans on hunting without any kind of weapon to speak of.
“I saw some coconuts not too far from here, but it would be noisy to crack them open.” He leans forward and takes the chocolate peanut butter bar from me. “I know what they are; it’s just been a while since I had anything like this.”
He scrutinizes the wrapper for a few moments before carefully opening it. I follow suit. We both take a bite at the same time. Creed closes his eyes, leaning back against the tree. He makes a soft, groaning noise that I feel in my lower belly. I’ve never seen anyone who looks like this. He’s all raw muscle and power. His thick cock is still at half-mast and resting against his thigh. His stomach is ripped, his shoulders broad. His face is all male, and yet…very handsome. His lips are full, his lashes long and thick. He’s quite something.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” His eyes flash open; they’re a rich brown like chocolate.
I stuff a huge bite in my mouth and start chewing. I don’t taste anything much; I’m too embarrassed. I was just caught checking out the only man standing between me and danger. I’m on an island infested with dragons and crazed mountain men, and I’m lusting over a brooding, hulking mountain man. That could be the title of my book if I wrote one about my adventures:Lusting over the Mountain Man.
I snort out a soft laugh.
“What?” Creed whispers.
“Nothing! Just nerves…” I add when he cocks his head, scrutinizing me. “It’s really nothing, I swear.” I shake my head,taking another huge bite of my protein bar, praying that he leaves it alone.
He does.
His narrowed stare stays locked with mine for a few moments and then drops to my chest, where it heats. The word “smoldering” comes to mind. His jaw clenches, and he looks away.
Shiiiit!
This is bad…so, so bad. Creed was checking me out right back. I look down at my lace bra. I can see my nipples right through it. I can tell he liked what he saw. What’s wrong with us? We could die at any minute. The last thing either one of us should be thinking about is sex. I need to get my head right out of my ass.
I finish my protein bar. “When do we head out?”
10
Creed
“Unless you need more rest,” the female whispers, her pretty blueish-gray eyes widening. “It’s just that I figure the sooner we get going, the sooner we’ll get to civilization. We’re one day down and five to go.”
She’s clutching her legs with her knees to her chest. Good! I don’t want to see her lush tits. The material of her bra is straining around them. Moreover, it’s completely see-through. I’m not normally affected by nudity, even with the females of our species, but this tiny human has me in knots over nothing. I’m sure it’s just because I haven’t seen a female in years. That must be it.
I realize that I’ve been staring at her for too long without replying. “More like six and a half to go. I was forced to head in the wrong direction last night. We lost half a day at least.”
“That sucks.” She huffs out a breath. “I’m sure I can manage myself now that the sun is up. I’m stronger than I look, Creed. You don’t have to carry me.”
“We’ll see.”
“What does that mean? I can do it.” She narrows her eyes.
“I’m sure you’re quite capable. It’s not that. We mountain men are really great trackers. They’ll take one look at our prints and know that it’s a woman traveling with a man. You’re wearing trainers, which they’ll pick up on as well. They’ll know instantly and follow. If I carry you, they’ll only pick up one set of tracks; granted, they’ll be deep, which might make them suspicious. Deep tracks point to one person carrying another,” I add when she gives me a confused look.
“Oh! They’ll pick up all of that from our tracks?” she murmurs.