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Nik walked out of the delipidated hotel that was a cloying mix of stale cigarette smoke, marijuana, vodka and sour smelling male sweat. It was a place he hated, never spending one more moment in it than he had to with the team. Pushing out through the doors, the gray skies greeted him through their falling mist of light rain. He lifted his face, allowing the drizzle to cleanse him and remove the noxious odors he knew already clung to his freshly-cleaned clothes. Nothing stayed fresh or smelled very good in a jungle for very long. Dampness infused everything. He’d had to shake out his black t-shirt, dark green cammos, and black waterproof boots to ensure there were no venomous creatures within them who might have taken up residence while he’d slept. Not that the sleep hadn’t been great. He’d slept like a dead man with Daria in his arms. Nik had forgotten what real sleep was like, and hungered for more. He walked quickly across the empty plaza. The first train from Cusco would come in at tena.m., disgorging hundreds of tourists into Aguas Calientes. Most would climb into the red buses that would then chug up the switchbacks of a muddy road to the top of Machu Picchu for half a day.
His stride picked up, the asphalt gleaming wetly beneath his boots. The air was fresher now, cleansed by the rain, taking away the odors from last night’s parties. None of the tourist shops were open at this hour, all were shuttered, their owners probably still sleeping. All was quiet and he absorbed the silence readily, trying to get the yells, screams and moans out of his head from the prostitutes working their johns over, a wall away from where he slept. He hated this life. He was so close to getting out of here. It was just a matter of time until he could alert the A-team as to where Korsak would go next. Or so he hoped.
Halfway up the hill, Nik’s heart quickened. In just moments, he’d see Daria. Was she all right? How had she fared after he’d left? It was important that Brudin had seen him leave the hotel this morning. He took the wooden stairs to Daria’s place briskly and, at the top, he knocked on the red door.
Daria opened it and smiled up at him. “Hey, look what the jaguar dragged in. You’re wet!”
He grinned sheepishly, gave her a nod of hello, and eased past her, putting down his heavy medical ruck on the rug. “You look beautiful,” he murmured, straightening, moving his fingers through the strands of his dampened hair. Daria wore a set of loose jeans, but they couldn’t hide the length of her gorgeous legs or that fine butt of hers. The pale-peach alpaca sweater she had bought earlier, with its feminine cowl neck, only enhanced her natural beauty. Her golden eyes were warm and welcoming. He needed this. He needed her.
“I don’t know about beautiful,” she murmured, closing the door, “but I’m starving this morning. This is the first time in a long time I’ve actually been hungry.”
Nik itched to take her into his arms. She stood before him and he felt and saw her happiness. “Your eyes are more clear this morning. A good cry will do that. It cleanses you in the best of ways.”
Daria wrinkled her nose and went to retrieve her nylon jacket. “I don’t know about that either, but I can tell you I slept so soundly and that I didn’t wake up until an hour ago.”
He inhaled her sweet scent as she moved close, pulling on her jacket. “I wish I could say the same. That hotel is noisy.”
“Well, tonight you’re staying here. Right?”
“Yes. If nothing else, I’ll sleep well,” he said, giving her a half grin. He gestured to his ruck. “I’m going to leave my medical gear here. We have to go down to the plaza fordesayuno. And then we need to go up and over the hill. The orphanage is down the slope on the other side of it. The charity won’t open until 0900, so we have a good hour to eat and be seen by Korsak’s men if they happen to be up and about.”
“Are they usually asleep at this time of day?” she asked, picking up her black baseball cap and settling it on her head.
“Drunk. Hung over. Drugs. Take your pick. I did run into Brudin, so he’s going to tell Korsak I didn’t stay with you last night.”
“Good. I’m ready. Don’t you want a coat, Nik?”
“No, I’m fine.” He opened the door for her. “I’m used to this place.”
“I don’t think I’d ever get used to it at all. At least, during the Amazon’s dry season, it might be humid, but it’s not raining every day like it does here.”
They stepped out and Nik shut the door behind them. Daria locked it with the key, depositing it into her pocket. She turned, sliding her arms around his shoulders.
“For those who spy on us,” she whispered as she leaned up, closing her lips across his mouth.
Nik was jolted by her unexpected action, but at the same time, felt the heat and warmth of her mouth sliding across his. There wasn’t any play-acting on his part as his arms naturally slid around Daria, hauling her up against him, kissing her hard and hungrily. She smelled faintly of oranges, and he felt her mouth blossom beneath his own, her hips moving suggestively against his. Fire shot through him at her unexpected sensuality, her femaleness shaking him to his core and making him want to take her right here and now. As the kiss deepened, his breathing became more ragged, as did hers. Daria pressed wantonly against him, her breasts firm and lush against his straining chest. Daria was all woman. And he’d named her rightly: she was like a sensual feline, a female jaguar on the hunt for her mate. She wasn’t wearing a bra. That stunned him, and he damn near brought his hands up instinctively to cup her breasts. Luckily, what little was left of his functioning brain flagged that instinct down before he actually followed through on it.
Dazed by the passion of her kiss as Daria withdrew from it, her eyes drowsy, telling him so much, Nik kept his hands around her waist. He gripped her firmly, staring intently down at her. A playful glint came to her eyes and he wanted to drag her back into the apartment and follow through on what she’d just ignited in him. His voice was barely a growl. “Tell me you were doing this for show?”
“I didn’t do it for show. It’s what I wanted to do last night, but I knew if I kissed you, then you wouldn’t leave and we couldn’t continue this charade of ours.” A playful smile came to Daria’s lips. “I didn’t want you to leave, Nik…”
“And I don’t want you doing this because you think you owe me something,” he rasped, his gaze digging into her widening eyes. Their irises were gold and he could see sienna specks deep within them, making them almost shimmer. Daria felt so alive beneath his hands. He could feel her pulsing, yearning and wanting him just as much as he desired her.
“What you did for me last night is something I’ll never be able to thank you for enough,” she said slowly, fearlessly holding his gaze. “And I would never use sex as a ‘thank you’. I value myself way too much for that.”
His lips twitched. “You’re sure?” and he caressed her hips.
“There’s a difference between love, sex and thanks. Don’t you think?”
An unwilling grin spread across his mouth. “Where didthisDaria come from?”
Shrugging, she slipped out of his grip. “Maybe you released her last night,” she called over her shoulder, laughing, as she headed down the stairs.
Still stunned, Nik gave himself an internal shake. This woman knew how to kiss. Not only that, she had moves that made his lower body scalded by such starvation that he could barely think. If Brudin was watching, and he was sure the bastard was, there would be no doubt in the errand boy’s tiny brain about why he was staying over tonight with Daria.
Kicking himself back into gear mentally, Nik took the stairs quickly, catching up with her, scooping her hand up into his and leading her up the hill to a nearby restaurant. The soft rain had stopped and the asphalt shined in the low light of the morning, the gray clouds thick and crawling silently above the town. First, breakfast, and then they’d go to the orphanage.
“Tell me more about the orphanage?” Daria urged as they crested the empty hill. They’d had a wonderful breakfast, and then gone back to her apartment afterward so Nik could pick up his medical ruck.
