“Come back, Ryder,” she whispered out loud. “Please don’t leave me here.”
Only the sound of the night birds answered her, but that was its own comfort. If someone else was moving around in the jungle the birds would grow still and silent. She didn’t have to worry about the Guiding Light sneaking up on her, she didn’t have to worry about anyone surprising her . . .
“Wake up, gorgeous,” Ryder said. He was squatting down beside her, and she could just manage to see him in the darkness.
“I’m awake,” she said, certain she couldn’t have been sleeping.
“Sorry it took so long, but we’re getting out of here. There’s a bigger road just ten miles away, and then it’s straight on to Puerto Claro. Get up. I’ve got food in the jeep.”
“Okay,” she said sleepily, shrugging off the jacket and struggling to stand up. Her legs didn’t feel like holding her, and Ryder caught her as she stumbled, holding her against him for a long, breathless moment.
He was so big. So hard, so warm—no one could possibly hurt her if he was looking out for her. He let her go, and she made her way back to the jeep, walking carefully, knowing he was following her with his eyes.
It wasn’t until she was safely buckled in that she spoke. “Thank you.”
He barely glanced at her. “For what?”
“For coming back.”
If she thought that would ease the tension between them she was mistaken. “Rather than abandoning you in the middle of the South American jungle? It was tempting, but I figured if I did that it might piss off your old man.”
“Then you shouldn’t have come back. He cares a lot more for Billy than he ever did for me, and I don’t think you’re going to keep your hands off my baby brother.”
“No, I’m not.” He put the jeep in gear. “So I guess I should have left you behind.”
His tone was flippant, but she was in no shape to know whether he was serious or not. “I guess you should have,” she said wearily. “Why weren’t you angry that I destroyed the phone?”
He hesitated for a moment. “We have enough information downloaded from it to put your brother away for the rest of his life. The important thing was not to let it fall into the wrong hands.”
“I see.”
He turned to look at her. “Come on, gorgeous. Don’t sound so defeated. You’ll have plenty of time to fight with me once we get to the plane.”
“Stop calling me that. And I am defeated. If you’re looking for a fight you won’t find one from me,” she said, leaning her head back against the seat and closing her eyes.
“That’ll be a refreshing change,” he said, concentrating on the road as he maneuvered his way through the dense greenery. “Just keep your head down if we come to a town. One norteamericano driving alone wouldn’t garner that much attention. A pretty woman would get everyone talking.”
She looked over at him, trying to read his expression. He looked older somehow, bleaker than when she had first met him. No, that wasn’t true—he’d looked just as grim when he’d scoured the container ship for bad guys. His long dark hair was pulled back from his face, his dark-blue eyes were hooded and unreadable, his mouth flat. He hadn’t shaved in several days, and she could still remember the feel of his stubble against her sensitive skin.
“What are you blushing for?” he demanded irritably.
“It’s almost pitch dark—how can you tell I was blushing?” she shot back.
“I notice you’re not denying it,” he pointed out.
“I’m not denying anything. How long till we get to the main road?”
“How the hell should I know? I didn’t even know it existed. With luck it’ll be a couple of hours to Puerto Claro.”
She didn’t allow herself to groan aloud at the thought. “In fact, we’d probably be better off heading straight for the plane,” she said finally. No time alone with a bed in between us, no watching eyes. “That would probably be the smartest idea.”
“Maybe,” he said. “But every time I get around you, I start acting stupid, and I don’t see that that’s about to change anytime soon.”
She stared at him. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean every time we’re alone we end up in bed together, and that’s not a good thing. I get sloppy, you get emotional, everything gets fucked, including us.”
“Am I supposed to laugh at that?” she said icily.