"Thanks." I swung my bag over my back and slid both of my arms through.
Saint smirked at me. “You're not putting me down this time."
"Sure. Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night,” I teased.
Saint frowned. “You seem a little too excited about putting me down."
His smile was infectious. "Excited is the wrong word, Saint. I'm merely doing my job."
He shook his head. “God save me from a woman with an evil streak."
"Keep your head up and wits about you,” I reminded him.
As I approached the line, I strolled past Lock and he grinned at me. His teeth grazed his bottom lip, and I felt like his mouth was on me. I swallowed hard and deliberately turned my back on him. I could have sworn I heard him chuckle. He was insane.
It had been a week since we’d been together. I had tried to go back to pretending that he wasn't on my mind every moment of every goddamn day. But I couldn't help it. With every look, near caress, smile, I felt like I was doing something illicit. The problem was that pretending he wasn't there, pretending I didn't see him looking at me, pretending I didn't ache every night wishing my fingers were his own, that all just made it worse. I was desperate now. And he must have known it because I looked a wreck. I was a wreck. I was so distracted.
Tabs squared me up on the line. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Stop asking me that.”
“Stop being a space cadet. Jesus Christ, you look like you have someone on your mind."
She stopped talking and then turned toward Lock before turning back to me. “You look like you've been dickmatized."
"That's not a word."
“Yes, it is. It absolutely is, and this is a look of someone who's been dicked so good, she cannot think. Please, God, tell me that he has dicked you so good you can't think."
"Christ, Tabs, Winston Isles was over a week ago."
“You know that's not what I mean."
“I plead defeat,” I sighed. “Now, can we get on with the show?"
“You are going to tell me everything, okay?"
“I'm telling you nothing because there's nothing to tell. Can I go now?"
She rolled her eyes as I took my position on the line. "Sure, run along. But I will corner you. I will get answers, and then I will want all the gory details. You've been holding out. And I will make you pay for that. Sorely."
I knew enough of Tabs to be scared. She would find a way to make me talk. But this was one of those secrets that had to be taken to the grave because there could be trouble.
I took my mark. I could still feel Lock's gaze on my ass. Very much like the hand print he left there a week ago. I could still remember the shock of it.
And then the shock of other things. The way both of his hands had smacked on to my flesh, squeezed, grabbed hold and pulled me backward right into his mouth. And then all the places he had put his tongue. I shivered and tried to focus. If I was slow, one of them was going to catch me. And I’d be goddamned if anyone other than Lock caught me.
If Lock catches us, please God, let it be dirty,my libido called out.
Nope. No dirty. Focus. Just focus.
My brain locked in on the tree line as my target. When the gun went off, I ran and I felt free. Like no one could catch me, almost as if I had a say about what happened in my life. I made it to the tree line easily, and I wasn't even breathing hard. But I could already hear the thunder of footsteps coming for me.
I grabbed the branch that had been conveniently placed at the entrance and proceeded to jog backward, covering my path with nettle leaves as I went. When I hit the boulders, I took my brush branch with me, scrambling up and over them. I headed west purposely to make footprints leading that way for about fifty meters before hopping the boulders and tracing my path backward. And then I headed east. Sprinting. Moving. Hearing the call of their voices just outside the tree line. I needed to hurry.
I had twelve trainees today, Lock and Saint being two of them. Sadly, Saint was going to have to go down first because he would be the most problematic next to Lock. Lock, I could fuck with. Saint though… If I wasn't careful, he would have me trussed up like a Christmas goose in no time. He was good.
When I finally hit the caves, I picked my high target and climbed. I had no trouble making it up. It was a warm day, but the falls hadn't yet started, so it was still dry enough to use my hands instead of having to use equipment to climb.