Page 37 of Red Fire
Holy moly!
Not this!
I lift my eyes, too afraid to breathe, let alone move. He’s asleep. His eyes are closed. His chest is rising and falling in a rhythm. My breasts are mashed against him. My hands are flat on his chest, my cheek, too. I’m plastered against him. He’s warm and comfortable, and I’m panicking yet again. Of course I am. How am I going to get out of this without him noticing?
Shit!
Shit!
Shit!
Maybe if I’m really careful. Maybe if—
His body tenses, and I realize that he’s stopped breathing. His hands close around my waist.
Crapballs! Creed is awake.
So much for him not noticing. I pull away and make a face. “Sorry,” I mutter. My cheeks are feeling hot. I clamber off him.
“It’s fine. You must have needed warmth,” he whispers.
I nod and make a noise of agreement. “Yes, that had to be it,” I whisper back.
Only it was warm last night and humid, too, after the rain. I didn’t need Creed for warmth.
“More comfortable, too, since the ground is hard,” he adds.
This is so awkward, which feels weird after Creed opened up to me last night. I felt like we were…friends after that. Although, it’s kind of hard to be friends with someone you slept with. It wasn’t just okay sex, either. It was mind-blowing sex. Maybe that’s why it feels so strange.
“So, you got some sleep after all?” I blurt.
“Yes, I got a few hours. After the rain washed our tracks and our scent away, I figured it was worth the risk.” He rolls his shoulders and then does the same with his neck. “We need to leave in a few minutes, so do what you need to do.”
“Okay. I just need to brush my teeth, and…you’re welcome to use my toothpaste.”
“Thanks.”
Five minutes later, I get onto his back. Creed starts running at speed right from the get-go. I hold on for all I am worth.
I can’t help but think about our conversation. I feel for Creed, but he served his time out here in the jungle. He needs to get back to his life. He’s hiding from his problems instead of facing them. I know he hurt someone badly. Nearly killed him, but I think things are different out here. Dragon shifters are different from humans. I know that Creed has killed for me. I shouldprobably be afraid of him, but I’m not because I know he’s a good person. I can feel it. He’s just a little bit lost. My heart goes to him. I could hear how sad he is. I think he still has feelings for Aspen.
My chest tightens at the thought. I feel…jealous. Yep. I felt it last night, too, which is stupid since we had sex once. Quick, really great sex, but there wasn’t any emotion involved. We were like animals going at it in the jungle. Quick, sweaty, one-time sex doesn’t give me the right to feel jealous. I have no right to feel any kind of connection to him, for that matter. It’s not happening again. Hopefully, I will get to go home soon. We’ll never see each other again, which is fine. I really hope Creed stays in the city. That he meets someone really nice. I see him having a family, living in a beautiful house that he’ll build himself. There’ll be a couple of kids running around the yard. In my mind’s eye, I see a couple hugging each other close… Only I’m the one in his arms. It’s me.
No!
What is wrong with my brain? It’s not going to be me. I scratch the thought entirely from my head. I’ll think about something else. Anything else.
Creed stops suddenly.
Damn!
It can only mean trouble and so soon after leaving our campsite.
I grip him tighter. His gaze turns upward. The canopy and vegetation aren’t nearly as thick as they have been.
Shit!
I don’t hear or see anything out of the ordinary. Only, the birds stop chirping. Everything around us goes silent. You could hear a pin drop. Creed carefully puts me down, putting a finger to his lips. He ushers me to the nearest tree trunk, pushing me against it.