Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 80431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
“Just stay close like I said, Sawyer!”
“What’s your goddamn problem, chief?”
Oakley bumped their foreheads together, his teeth bared, face turning as red as those berries, and his eyes flashing that brilliant yellow.
“You’re my problem! Do you think I risked my life and sacrificed my entire goddamn crew to lose you to a fuckin’ poisonous berry? Huh?”
Sawyer gasped, his voice caught in his throat.
“I can’t lose you, not now…not after—”
“Oakley,” he breathed. “I’m sorry. I don’t wanna—”
Sawyer was yanked into Oakley’s broad chest as strong arms wrapped around him tighter than the boa had been wrapped around the tree.
His burns and sore ribs hollered out to him, but he didn’t answer.
They panted into each other mouths. Battling for the other’s oxygen.
Oakley groaned in a guttural way that sounded of pure anguish.
“If you die…it’ll all have been for nothing.”
Chief Aiken Oakley
Dammit.
Oakley felt fileted.
He was already punishing himself for the decisions he’d made in the field, but he was constantly doubting he could get him and Sawyer out of this jungle alive.
It’d been almost impossible when he’d been with his father, and they’d had provisions and weapons.
“You didn’t sacrifice them, chief.” Sawyer had one hand around the back of his neck and the other cupping his cheek. “You did what we do. You did your duty.”
Oakley looked toward the sky and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get the images of his friends’ bodies floating in that dismal river out of his mind. They at least deserved honorable burials.
“We’re boat captains, Oakley. We pull our people out of the water.” Sawyer brushed his uninjured cheek against Oakley’s. “I would’ve done the same thing. I would’ve gone after you too.”
“Fuck,” he moaned. “My heart fuckin’ stopped when I saw you surface.”
“We go into the water on retrievals all the time…only this time, our boat wasn’t there when we tried to return.”
Sawyer pulled on his hair and brought their mouths closer. They hadn’t kissed the other night. Oakley had been trying to keep things casual. But he’d heard so many stories of the Neptune’s crew and their fearless chief that he’d built up an image of what he’d be like if their paths ever crossed.
His mind hadn’t done the real thing justice.
And then Sawyer had told him he admired him, called him a legend. Stared him down in that bar with those mesmerizing green eyes, making his attraction so obvious Oakley was immediately turned on by Sawyer’s confidence.
“Don’t diminish your heroism, Oakley. What you did was brave and took courage. We were taking heavy fire. We were outgunned and outnumbered. I’d be dead right now if it wasn’t for you,” Sawyer stressed. “Thank you, thank you for saving me.”
Persistent appreciation was whispered into his mouth, delicious gratitude grazing his dry lips.
Oakley pressed closer, needing more contact. The warmth of Sawyer’s mouth ignited something deep within him.
A feeling of comfort…forgiveness. Either of himself or from his comrades. Sawyer was right. Oakley had done his job.
He’d pulled more than one SEAL out of the water and gotten ’em into the Chariot, but the rocket strike had killed them all.
He’d lost dozens of men, but he saved one.
Their intimacy was serenaded by chirping cicadas, the soft song of bluebirds, and the flute-like notes of thrushes.
The kiss was laced with discovery, relief, and a whole lot of promises he hadn’t realized he needed.
Oakley got lost in Sawyer’s demanding tongue and the deep groans he made when their cocks nudged each other.
Oakley began to walk them backward, needing a sturdy surface until the sound of shifting leaves, crackling twigs, and a low growl reminded him of where he was.
Sawyer stiffened.
“Don’t. Move,” he murmured, gripping Sawyer tighter. “Don’t even breathe.”
The sweet whistles they’d been surrounded by were mere echoes compared to the electric tension in the air accented with each deliberate paw-fall.
Sawyer began to tremble in his arms as the growls grew closer and more menacing.
“Everything inside of me is telling me to run, Oakley.”
“I know. But don’t.”
Oakley eased his face to the side and it didn’t take him long to see the big cat stalking them less than five yards away.
It was crouched behind a fern bush, his muscled shoulders gracefully shifting side to side, sensing the thrill of the hunt and preparing to pounce.
Its golden coat was adorned with distinctive rosettes. Its vivid eyes, framed by dark rings of black, gleamed like polished amber. Its gaze was unwavering.
Oakley eased one arm from behind Sawyer’s back and slid it down his thigh until his fingertips grazed the butt of his firearm.
With a quick flick, he unbuckled the top of the holster and removed the Glock.
“You’re gonna shoot it?” Sawyer’s eyes widened.
“I’m gonna do everything in my power not to.”
The moment he raised his arm toward the sky, the cat’s glare switched from patience to determination.
In a swift move, Oakley spun Sawyer behind him. At the same time, the jaguar let out a snarling growl and sprinted from its hiding place.