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Steadying myself and firming my shoulders, I think about how this is life or death, and I need to get over myself. Feigning the confidence I don’t have, I say, “Fine.”
Jake’s head pulls back a little. “Fine?”
Nodding, I reiterate, “Fine. But when we get there, we keep our distance.”
A tiny smirk hovers over his strawberry red lips. “It’s going to get cold in there.” The huskiness of his voice has my toes curling.
I swallow. “I’m not afraid of the dark.”
Total lie!
I’m okay with the night, but not what’s lurking in the night. Thankfully, I have Kraine, and he’ll protect me like always.
“And it’ll be dark.” His lips twitch further.
Narrowing my eyes at him, I ask, “Are you teasing me?”
Shrugging, he asks in return, “Do you like it?”
Yes.
No.
Maybe.
Fuck!
Confused, I stutter, out of practice with what’s happening. “No— well, I— I— maybe— whatever! Never mind.” Temptation has me wanting to stomp my foot and throw my arms in the air, but I’m sane enough not to showcase my internal drama like some silent movie actress.
Stepping closer, Jake invades my space, and I suck in a hefty dose of his body wash, which thankfully drowns the scent of smoke.
“I promise, Maitlyn, I’m not interested in anything other than saving both our asses.”
I deflate a little, letting him see how that hurt a little.
“Fine,” I sigh out.
Without another word, Jake turns and starts walking. After a moment, he says, “You need to stop saying that, or people won’t believe you.”
“It’s not like I have many options at the moment, right?” I mumble.
With Jake in front of me, I let my eyes move down his back to his spectacular ass. High and tight. He’s annoyingly handsome.
“That’s the spirit.”
Huffing, I stop myself from getting distracted by the view. “So, are you on duty today?
“Nope, I was out for a hike.”
“So, this is your day off?”
He shakes his head and says, “I’ve been off for ten weeks. When clearing debris, I broke my ankle in a fall. The ground gave way under my feet. I went down about thirty feet on sheer rock.” His matter-of-fact way of talking has my head spinning. “Shoulda broke more than my ankle, but my ass took the brunt.”
A giggle escapes without my permission. A very admirable ass. “Doesn’t seem to have hurt it.”
With a raised brow, Jake looks at me over his shoulder. “Are you saying I have a nice ass?”
I drop my mouth open and quickly squeak out, “No!”
