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This woman could. He had to keep that in mind.
“Just checking,” he said, his voice a lot cooler than his blood.
“Check again,” she said quietly, “and so help me, I’ll kill you.”
“Keep something important from me again, and you won’t be around long enough to try it.” He picked up the pack and slung it over his shoulder. “My odds would be lots better if I didn’t have you on my neck. Am I making myself clear?”
“Perfectly,” Leanna said bitterly, and brushed past him.
It was a pathetic show of pride, but she should have known he wouldn’t permit it. She’d only gone a couple of steps when he caught her arm.
“Those shoes.”
She looked down at her feet. No sane woman would have chosen stiletto sandals for a hike in the desert but then, no sane woman would have chosen this man as her guide.
“What about them?”
“Take them off.”
Her chin lifted. “Give me one good reason… Hey!”
A tug on her wrist and she was sitting on her rump. Cam knelt down and batted her hands away as he undid the straps of the sandals, snapped off the heels and handed the shoes back to her.
“Put them on and follow me. Every minute I have to stand around dealing with you is a minute wasted.”
The “thank you” that had been hovering on her lips died.
Jaw set, she fell in behind him.
Cam’s stride was long and he hadn’t shortened it for his unwanted companion.
The sooner she got up to speed, the better.
She was a burden he hadn’t asked for, but she was his responsibility now. That was part of the code he’d lived by most of his adult life, but he couldn’t think of any reason to tell her that. Let her worry about him abandoning her.
It might keep her from arguing so damned much.
To his surprise, she held to a steady pace for a long time. Well, why not? She was in good shape. Amazing shape.
Her body was her meal ticket.
Great shape or not, plodding through drifting sand was tough. Inevitably she began to fall behind. They couldn’t afford to stop, but he couldn’t afford to let her collapse, either. Not if they were going to reach what was rapidly starting to look like a real, honest-to-God hill before sunrise.
He came to a halt, slipped the pack off and fumbled inside it. He’d just found the water bottle when Salome plowed into him.
Cam caught her and held her steady. Her breathing was ragged and there was an unnatural flush in her cheeks.
And she was trembling. From exhaustion, from the night chill—either way, it was a bad sign. She could get her wind back if he sat her down, but the sand was cold. The only solution was to put his arms around her and draw her against him.
When she protested, he clucked his tongue in annoyance.
“Stop being an idiot,” he growled. “Lean on me and catch your breath.”
She didn’t exactly melt into his embrace but after a few seconds, her shivering stopped.
“That’s it. Let me warm you.”
