Her soft voice in the night brought back too many memories of other nighttime whispers between them. He'd been with other women, but never one who shook him up as much as Sara. Damn, he was raw right now, scared as hell something might happen to these two females on his watch, wondering how he would carry them both out of the jungle.
"It's all a matter of survival." Speaking of survival... "Are you feeling okay now?"
"I only needed a nap. But I can't believe I fell asleep without even taking off my shoes." She wriggled beside him, her shoes thud, thudding onto the ground. "Although I do feel much more rested now."
The trek would have been rough on anyone. Maybe he was imagining the excess exhaustion. She certainly sounded better than the woman who'd fallen asleep sitting up with a toothbrush hanging from her mouth.
For a minute—a minute only—he let himself think about what he would do if everything she said was true. Lucia was his. She'd never lied to him. Using him for Tomas was understandable. Forgivable.
So if all of that were true, there would be nothing to stop him from kissing her.
Funny how she could feel his intent before he even moved.
Sara dug her fingers in the soft earth to keep from launching herself into Lucas's arms. She knew he wanted to kiss her. She wanted the same thing. Lucia was asleep.
So why not?
Nothing more could come of it tonight. She would simply enjoy the warmth of his mouth. Perhaps she would even discover she'd imagined the electricity between them all those years ago.
Or that it had faded, and they would both be free of the complicating mess of sorting out their past. They could go about the business of raising their child and start fresh lives for themselves.
But first, she had to kiss him. Or rather, she wanted him to kiss her. Maybe a small part of the old Sara lived after all, because her pride dictated that since she'd chased him so hard before, this time she wanted him to come to her.
"Sara?" He groaned her name.
"Si." She whispered her consent, meeting him halfway as they both tipped forward.
He tasted of toothpaste and mangoes and a hint of sweat, and oh, she hadn't imagined a thing. If anything, no memory could do justice to the spark that first second their mouths brushed, held, then finally opened. She rediscovered the feel of his hard body under her hands, the way she fit against him when his arms gathered her closer, his broad shoulders curving to cradle her.
The kiss could only go so far. She knew it as well as he must. But there was a certain freedom in being able to savor the moment because they didn't have to make any decisions about whether or not to take things further.
She'd missed this, missed him. After five years without a man's touch, without his touch, her body craved the comfort as much as the passion.
Although the passion was about a second from nosing ahead in the race. Lucas eased from her, his ragged breaths reassuring her he was suffering, too.
Gasping, she sagged against the tree supporting their lean-to. "So you eat bugs?"
His surprised snort of laughter tickled her ears and made her smile in return. She loved making this solemn man laugh.
He slid an arm around her shoulders and drew her to his side, his chin resting on her head. "You heard all of that, too?"
"I certainly did."
His fingers played up and down her arm, his hot breath in her hair. "Then I'm surprised you still wanted to kiss this mouth, knowing what's gone into it."
His muscles rippled against her, reminding her of his honed strength that had carried them through the past two days. She'd never considered before now that he only relaxed during sex. Even when they'd gone on dates, he stayed on alert, always watching as if for threats. Perhaps a by-product of his military training combined with his already intense personality.
Having lived a constant vigil against danger for five years, she now respected how exhausting that could be. "I was thinking more about what came from your mouth, how you put Lucia at ease, beyond just getting her to go to sleep or be quiet during our walk. You helped her smile during what could have been the most frightening time of her life."
"A fluke. I'm not good with kids. No experience."
"I beg to differ. Just because you aren't into reading The Three Bears and playing hide-and-seek doesn't mean you're not good with children. You listened to her, talked to her. Children sense and appreciate sincerity."
His rippling muscles went harder against her. "Don't romanticize me."
"I know you better than you think, or at least I used to. I guess we've both changed over the past five years."
"I'm just glad you're okay."