Page 41 of Risky Passion

"And yet," she called from behind me, "this is where you just happened to be when I crashed."

Onyx whined, pawing at something in the muck. I lightly slapped her butt, forcing her away from whatever dead thing had caught her attention.

"I wasn't here," I snapped.

Tory stumbled over a mossy tree root, and I reached back, gripping her arm to steady her. "I was nearby," I said.

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, you just happened to be nearby? Doing a bit of fishing in the swamp, were you? With your dog?"

Before I could answer, something splashed to our left. Onyx froze, pricking her ears forward. She let out a low growl, and her body tensed.

"I wasn'tinthis swamp," I said finally, my voice tight. Chatting with beautiful women who made my pulse jackhammer just by looking at them was not my strong suit.

Tory stumbled again, and as I helped her over a fallen log, her expression flashed with irritation at me fussing over her. She muttered something, but I ignored it, trying not to focus on how good she still looked. Even mud-splattered and ragged, Tory was stunning.

We reached a patch of sparse vegetation that allowed us to walk side by side. Onyx took the lead, her nose twitching at every shift in the wind while the open twilight sky bathed us in better visibility.

I wiped sweat from my forehead. The air hung thick as soup, pressing in until breathing felt like drinking.

Tory’s tight lips and rigid posture screamed how unimpressed she was with me.

Focus on the job, I told myself.Get her out alive. That's all that matters.

But my traitorous eyes kept drifting to her figure, all womanly curves which I preferred, refreshingly unlike the fashionable thinness many ladies pursued.

The silence stretched between us like a living thing, growing heavier with each squelching step. Her quiet wasn't just quiet, it was weaponized silence, aimed straight at my conscience. And damn if it wasn't working. The last thing I needed was her suspicion of me, especially when everything about her pulled at my curiosity like a magnet.

Finally, a whisper of breeze stirred the stillness, carrying with it the first hint of salvation. Salt. The ocean was close.

"You smell that?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"More mud?" she grumbled.

"No." I turned, unable to suppress a grin despite her attitude. "The ocean. We made it."

She scrunched her nose, a gesture so disarmingly cute it made my chest tight.

"Come on," I said, pushing forward. "Once we reach the shoreline, we'll find my Jeep and get out of here."

She picked up her pace. "Thank God. I can't wait for a long, hot shower."

My stomach clenched. Whitney would still be waiting at Angelsong to move that body. I’d need to go there before taking Tory anywhere. I’d made a promise to my brothers not to tell anyone about the body at Angelsong . . . but that was before I’d found Tory. And now that I’d found her, I wasn’t letting her out of my sight until she was safe.

"What?" Tory's head snapped toward me, eyes sharp.

"What?"

"You look irritated."

I ran a hand through my hair. "Look, Tory, we need to make a detour before I take you anywhere."

She stopped dead, thrusting her hands onto her hips. "Listen, Jaxson. I've had one hell of a day, and I thought I was going to dieseveral times. At this stage, I'm starting to wonder if I should trust you at all. So stop being fucking cryptic and tell me what's going on."

I nodded, throat tight.

Ahead, through the thinning trees, the wild vegetation ended, and the mangrove-infested shoreline began.

"Let's get out of this bush first," I said.

---