Ethan watched Ann across the small space as she slept. He’d sat across from her last night at Javan’s and watched her, much like he was doing now. She slept like he’d dreamed of doing for years, like the whole world had dropped off and she had no cares.He knew the hike had been hard on her. Hell, it had been hard on him, but he was used to being uncomfortable and tired. He’d done it all his adult life and had no plans of letting up any time soon. He liked his job and the travel. He liked helping people out and working with his buddies from his time in the corps. He was very glad that he and Javan had patched up their relationship. He’d been his best friend for so many years. Ethan had hated knowing the man was not around to call when he got in a tight spot.But above everything else about the job, Ethan liked the danger and the thrills he got when he outmaneuvered his opponents. It was like a game to him. He’d always been good at it. When he was a kid, he’d played paintball wars with
Ann felt the cold stone on her back and Ethan’s breath on her neck. She wouldn’t regret this move. She’d always taken what she’d wanted and she’d wanted him. Especially after walking out of the cave and seeing him standing naked under the water. She would have had to be a saint not to want to jump him. His muscles were impressive in clothes, but bare, she just wanted to lick him up and down.As she felt his breathing slow, she knew he was going to be pissed at her for maneuvering him so easily. She’d never seduced someone like that before and she felt liberated in doing so. Actually, she wanted to do it again, but doubted they had the time or could spare the energy.Her hands felt a few small scars on his back that she’d seen the other night when she’d been following him. Reaching down, she ran her hand over the larger one along the lower part of his spine.“How did you get this?” she asked as he held himself still.“Hmm. I should have been looking behind me instead of in front.”She
Ethan pulled her back into the brush quickly and didn’t wait to see if they’d been spotted as they took off running back the way they’d come. When they’d made it twenty yards he chanced a glance over his shoulder and saw several heads bobbing in the trees, heading their way. Damn!He grabbed her arm and they made a sharp turn, cutting to the right down a path he knew was dangerous. He didn’t think they had any choice.He didn’t know if the men where the one’s looking for them. Hell, they could have stumbled on a drug deal or something else. All he knew was they couldn’t chance stopping and asking them what they wanted.“Sorry, Princess. It’s going to be a bumpy ride. He grabbed her and flung himself off the cliff, trying to take the brunt of the impact himself.The rains the night before helped their muddy journey down the slippery ravine. As they slid down the steep hill, Ethan grunted every time his back connected with a sharp stick or rock. Ann squealed and held onto his shoulders.
“There’s a small creek with a pool near here. It’s only about half a mile away. Can you make it that far so we can clean up?” She nodded. Okay, so if he knew there was a creek a half a mile away, she was going to stop underestimating him.A short while later, they cautiously approached the stream. There was a very small waterfall and the water was only a few feet deep, just deep enough that she could probably sit in it. There was no cave in case it rained again that night. They’d just have to get wet. She’d gauged all this as he was scouting out the area to make sure no one was around.“It’s a popular camping site,” he told her as they sat by the stream. “We’re about half a day’s hike from civilization. There are a few small towns we will have to pass through. We’d better do it in the middle of the night, so we aren’t seen by anyone.”She nodded her head in agreement, but in truth she was only half listening to him. She’d sat down by the pool on a large round rock and had removed her
Ethan woke to the sun in his eyes and was shocked. He’d never slept so deeply. Then he realized he was alone and panic overtook him. Sitting up quickly, he jolted when he heard Ann say from behind him.“I’m over here. Don’t worry, I didn’t go far. Just had to clean up.” She dropped her bag next to him and smiled. “You look like you could use a couple more hours of sleep.”He’d actually been having a nightmare about a job he’d done a few years back. He’d woken still able to hear the men chasing him, and the client, an old friend, screaming his name as he slowly died. It had been almost seven years ago, but it still felt like yesterday. His back ached where the long scar covered his spine; he’d barely made it out of Afghanistan alive.Having another close friend literally stab you in the back made you reevaluate your friends.Javan had been there for him. He’s the one that had nursed him back to health until he was well enough to fly home. He’d actually thought about retiring then, but
Ann sat uncomfortably in the large wooden crate. The open slats allowed for the cold air to flow through from the cargo hold of the airplane. Ethan sat across from her like he was comfortable.“How long do we have to sit in this box?” she yelled over the loud noises of the engines.“The whole trip to Lima. Come over here.” He motioned to the side he was sitting on and smiled.She couldn’t refuse him. That smile did something to her insides. He put his arm around her and she snuggled into his chest. He was so warm she immediately realized how cold she was and started shivering.“Aren’t we going to suffocate or something? I know in regular airplanes they have to keep pumping air into the cabins.”He chuckled at her.“That’s why we’re on this small cargo plane instead of a bigger one. It won’t reach that high of an altitude. The downside of it is it will take us twice as long to get where we are going.”He started rubbing his hand over her hair and she realized how wonderfully normal it
Ethan lay there feeling Ann’s breath on his chest and knew she was fast asleep. He listened to the loud sounds of the cargo plane and wondered what the hell he was doing. The number one rule in this business was, and had always been, don’t get involved with a client.So far, he’d followed that rule. There had been plenty of times he’d wanted to cross that line, but none like this. None like her. He’d felt the shock the first time he’d seen her. He’d known he should call the job off before they’d left for Brazil. He’d even tried to keep her pissed at him by always flaunting women around. It had worked for a while. He could tell she was totally turned off by him, and at one point, he was pretty sure she had called her boss to try and get him fired.But it wasn’t up to Anthony if he stayed or went. Senator Rhodes was the one calling all the shots, and if he knew that he was sleeping with his daughter… Hell, he wasn’t just sleeping with her. He couldn’t fool himself for much longer. She w
Ann wondered how many people Ethan knew and how he knew so many in the places they were going. She knew the kind of jobs he’d done. Most, she had assumed, were like the one he’d done for her father.After being released from the box, she’d been shocked to discover they were in paradise. Everything was so green, it almost hurt her eyes. When she’d stood up, Ethan had taken her arm to steady her since her legs were asleep.“Walk a little, you’ll get the feeling back in your legs.” He hadn’t even looked fazed by spending almost twelve hours in that crate. She, on the other hand, could use a long, hot shower and a change of clothes.When she started walking to stretch her legs, she ended up near the rim of a large cliff overlooking the ocean. She could just make out the city far off in the distance. She’d never been to Peru before, and since Lima was a new experience, she was amazed at the fact that the city appeared to sit right on the edge of the cliff. It was almost as if it were going
Ethan watched Ann fluff his pillows for what seemed like the hundredth time. He smiled, enjoying her pampering him. He knew she was just concerned about him and he enjoyed every minute of it. It had been a close one. So close he’d made a decision, one he had yet to talk to her about. There had hardly been a time when they were alone.When he’d woken in the ICU, she was there and so were a half dozen nurses. Then when he’d come to again, he’d been in a private room with his parents hovering over him. It had been nice having them there, but he wished for some time alone with Ann.Then she had left for the evening, promising she’d be back first thing in the morning. She had walked in five minutes after his parents and Roberta had. Now her family was there, chatting and acting like he was a hero.Blake was there as well. The kid had grown tall, but still looked the same. Ethan could tell he was glad he was okay, even if he played it cool. Javan had even stopped by at one point before headi
Ethan was fighting for his life. There were two of them, he’d spotted them instantly when he’d entered the large stadium. His eyes had scanned not the stage, where Ann was focused, but instead the roof and upper bleachers of the large stadium. It had taken him only a few seconds to see the dark spot hovering in a private booth area. The nose of the rifle stuck out from the box. With his mind totally focused on getting there quickly, he lost track of Ann. He knew she’d make it to her father and hoped to God she had enough sense to stay down. When he reached the opening to the booth, he threw himself in and charged the man, covered in darkness. He didn’t see the second man come out of theshadows until the knife was already on a downward arch.Trying to block it, he felt the blade hit his rib cage, tearing his shirt and the skin below. Turning, he connected a solid blow to the skinny man’s nose, shattering it and sending blood splattering all over both of them. Paul, the senator’s assis
Ann and Ethan spent the next few days locked in the editing room. They had gone over every inch of footage that had been uploaded from Rio before the incident. There really wasn’t anything other than crowd shots they could use.She’d been enjoying their time together. There was hardly a moment when they weren’t together. Javan had even been moved over to watching Blake instead.Ethan had been spending all his time with her. He slept in her bed, they ate dinner together, they ate breakfast together. He sat across from her when she worked in her office. They had been spending a lot of their evenings in the editing room together. She couldn’t explain it, she just enjoyed spending her time with him. He was easy to get along with, and she didn’t want to be apart from him.She’d woken the other night to an empty bed and had instantly felt empty herself. Then she’d heard him talking on the phone in the other room. She’d quietly rushed in and smiled when she’d seen him pacing her living room.
“I can’t believe it. It’s taken almost a week and they are finally going to let me run my piece from Rio. They want it edited a little more and some more back story, but the executives want it by Friday.” Ann was so nervous, she was pacing her small office.Ethan sat across from her and looked bored. “Are you listening to me?” She picked up the nearest item, which happened to be a stress ball, and tossed it athis head. He caught it and proceeded to squeeze it playfully as she smiled.“I’m always listening. I knew they were going to run it. It’s a good piece. Plus, you had an excellent cameraman.” He smiled and tossed the ball back at her.She caught it and set it back on her desk, then walked around and sat in her chair. There was so much to do in the next few days, she didn’t think she’d have time. Preparing a piece this big took a team and her team… she closed her eyes on the flash of memory that popped into her head. Well, her team was dead.“I’m going to spend the next few days g
Ann was bored. Since returning home, she’d gone to work, gone to the grocery store. Her kitchen was now fully stocked with groceries. When she’d arrived home last night she had realized there wasn’t anything to eat since she’d left for a long journey. She’d visited her family and done other boring everyday tasks, but was still bored out of her mind. How could she ever get back in the swing of a normal life after what she’d gone through with Ethan?She’d been happily surprised to see Javan yesterday at the store. When they’d come back to her place, he’d come in and installed several small cameras throughout her place. She’d talked to him and had found out that he’d had to leave Rio on account of helping them escape. She felt bad, but was happy that he was going to be helping Ethan out now.She was in the middle of watching the evening news, when the doorbell rang. She hadn’t even heard a word the announcer said since she’d been too busy thinking of Ethan again.Knowing it was the pizza
The next morning Ann marched into her office with a plan. There was no way she was going to let Anthony fire her. She walked out of the elevators and past the secretary with her head held high. She avoided talking to anyone; she just wanted to make it into her office. She was so focused on getting there, she didn’t see the man sitting behind her desk until after she’d closed the door, leaned back on it, and released a sigh of relief.“Was it that bad?” Dave asked from her chair. She couldn’t help it, she squealed. She’d only met Dave Myers once before, on the day she’d been hired almost five years ago. He was an older gentlemen with silver hair. His suitsalways looked pressed and he never had a hair out of place. He had a reputation for being a hard-ass and she’d done everything she could to avoid dealing with him directly.“Oh,” she stood up straight and ran her hands over her skirt, trying to make sure she looked perfect.“Come in, Miss Rhodes. I’d like to hear all about your adven
She smiled again. “Thanks, Daddy. I knew you’d have all the answers. What can I do now?”“Well, if he doesn’t come back on his own… If I know anything about my little girl, you’ll find a way to make him crawl back.”That night she lay in her bed for a few hours listening to the sounds of the city around her. She missed the sounds of the jungle and of Ethan sleeping beside her. She missed his warmth, his smell, his touch.She knew she was going to have a hard time falling back into a pattern. How could she ever go back to a normal life after what they’d been through? Did she want to? More importantly, did she want to do it all alone? Even though they’d only known each other a few months, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.The shadows on her ceiling did little to soothe her as the light hit the leaves that were starting to fall from the large tree outside her window. She turned and hit her pillow a few times, trying to get comfortable. She’d had no problem sleeping in the dirt or wet
The next morning they met his parents for a day trip to the beach, something they’d done since he was a kid. Usually they’d spend the whole night sleeping in a tent or sleeping bags under the stars if the weather held out.This time they had stayed late enough to have some of his dad’s homemade mussel soup. He’d laughed as he taught Ann how to dig for mussels. She’d been a little grossed out at first, but after he’d showed her how to collect the first few, she’d rolled her sleeves up and been totally focused.She’d even helped him collect wood for their fire. He’d always enjoyed having a campfire on the beach. Something about the smell of burning wood and the salt from the ocean made him feel like he was truly home.As they sat on a large piece of driftwood in front of the fire, he pulled her close as he watched his parents laughing about a story they were telling.It was almost like life was going in slow motion for a few minutes. His mind flashed from seeing the same scene as a chil
She’d toed off her own heels as she walked her way back to just below his hips.His erection sat between them, proud and erect. She knew he wanted her to touch him, but she leaned over and started kissing and rubbing her hands over his chest again.She wanted this to last. She wanted to enjoy every inch of him, slowly. “Ann, your killing me.”“Don’t rush me. I’m enjoying myself too much to go fast.” She smiled as she nibbled her way down his chest. When she reached his belly button, she dipped her tongue in and swirled it around the sexy spot. He had a light covering of hair that trailed down to his sex. She followed it until finally, she gripped him lightly in her hands. She watched as his eyes closed and he moaned while arching his head.“You like it when I touch you?”“God, yes!” He almost jumped when she swirled her tongue around the head, lapping at him as she used her hands to stroke his length. She cupped his balls as she used her mouth to please him.His hands plunged into her