AllFreeNovel
Share Us
g to marry Kalila.
She had no idea how long she sat there. Time blurred. Misery deepened. Fatigue, the mortal enemy of optimism, caught up with her.
‘Avery? You need to come inside the tent now. It’s dark.’ His voice was deep and sexy and she squeezed her eyes closed and tried to block out the images created by that voice.
‘I’m not afraid of the dark.’
‘No, you are afraid of intimacy, but intimacy is not on offer so you are perfectly safe in this tent with me.’
‘I’m not afraid of intimacy.’
‘Good. In that case, get in this tent before you become a tasty snack for a desert creature. Unless you’d rather I pick you up and put you here myself?’
That would be the worst of all options. She didn’t want him to touch her but she knew he would make good on his threat if she didn’t move, so she put her hand down on the rug to lever herself up and felt a sharp pain. ‘Ow.’ She snatched her hand away and there was a scuttling sound. ‘What—? Ugh, Mal, something just bit me. And it rattles.’
He was by her side in an instant. The torch flashed and a scorpion scuttled under the rug.
‘Not a rattlesnake—a scorpion. Good.’
‘Good? Why is it good? From where I’m sitting it’s seriously creepy. If we were playing “marry, kiss or push off a cliff”, the scorpion would be the one off the cliff, I can tell you that.’ Her voice rose and she hugged her hand to her chest. ‘Are there any more out here?’
‘Hundreds, probably. They come out at night.’
‘Hundreds?’ Horrified, she sprang at him, clinging like a monkey. ‘Don’t put me down.’
‘Avery—’
‘Whatever you do, don’t put me down. I’m never touching the floor again. Do you seriously mean hundreds? Please tell me you’re kidding.’
She’d forgotten how strong he was. His arms closed around her, strong, protective. She thought he might have been laughing but told herself he wouldn’t dare laugh at her.
‘I thought you were fine with desert wildlife.’
‘I’m fine with the theory. Not so good with the reality when it closes its jaws on me. And if you dare laugh I will kill you, Your Highness. Just a warning.’
‘I’m not laughing. But I’m not going to let you forget this in a hurry.’
‘I just bet you’re not.’ She buried her face in his neck, wondering why he had to smell so good.
‘It’s worth savouring. The moment Avery Scott became a damsel in distress.’
‘No one will ever believe you and I will deny it until my dying breath, which may be soon if there are truly hundreds of those things out there. I’m not distressed. More freaked out. I can tell you this is the first time in my life I’ve jumped on a man.’
‘I’m flattered you chose me,’ he drawled. ‘As a matter of interest, are you going to let go?’
‘Are they still out there?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then I’m not letting go. You threatened to carry me to the tent. Go ahead.’ She tightened her grip and he gave a soft curse.
‘You’re choking me.’
‘I don’t care.’
‘If I die, you fall to the ground and they’ll swarm all over you.’
‘You have a sick sense of humour.’ But she loosened her grip. ‘Move, Mal! I want to be in the tent.’
