Page 55 of Wicked Intention

“Can you get down, or do you need me to help you?”

It was tempting to let him come up and guide her to the ground, but Finn loved her strength. Strong women didn’t wait for their lover to help them out of the tree they had climbed. A strong woman got herself down. “I can do it,” she said.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage and tried to clear the fog coating her brain. Getting to the ground was going to be trickier than going up had been.

The first problem was transitioning from straddling a branch to her feet while wearing a backpack that threw off her center of gravity. Her foot slipped out from under her on her first attempt, and with a gasp, Zo threw her arms around the tree.

“Be careful,” Finn called.

Zo grimaced. As if she was being reckless. But she knew his comment came from concern.

She began to move. Slowly. Although she attempted to take the same path down that she’d used when she’d climbed, she tested each branch before putting her full weight on it. The rain-slicked bark proved to be a challenge, and her feet slipped a few times. Luckily, Finn had spent the last two years pushing her to train harder, and she had enough upper body strength to save herself.

She didn’t realize how close she was to the ground until she felt Finn wrap his arms around her thighs. “Let go, Zo. I have you.”

As soon as she released her hold on the tree, Finn loweredher the rest of the way. When her feet hit the earth, Zo turned, wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on tightly. “You’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay,” she said, her voice a croak.

He hung on to her, too, his hands at her hips as he lowered his head to hers. She wanted her pack out of the way. She wanted his pack out of the way. She wanted to be closer to him but took solace in the warmth of his breath against her hair.

Zo blinked back tears. The relief that Finn was alive and uninjured overwhelmed her. She’d never expected one human being to mean everything to her, but then she’d met this man.

Finn was drenched. She was soaked and muddy. But Zo didn’t care. Turning her face into his neck, she pressed her lips where she could feel the throb of his pulse. A shudder went through him, and as he pulled her more tightly against his body, he angled her face to his. He brushed his lips over hers softly before diving back for a deeper kiss.

His intensity rocked Zo. She returned his kiss, not holding anything back. Maybe she didn’t dare say the words aloud, but she loved him, and he was safe. He was with her again, and it meant she was safe now, too. He’d make sure of that—she could count on it.

The moment didn’t last long. She could feel Finn start to rein himself in, to ease back on their kiss. Zo squelched the urge to protest. This wasn’t the time or place.

Finn eased away but didn’t release her. “You scared the shit out of me, Zofia.”

He might sound mild, but Zo could tell he was angry. Well, she’d known he would be. “I was scared, too,” she admitted, her voice thin and raspy. “For you and myself.”

“Why were you worried about me?” he asked neutrally.

Zo stomped down her own emotions in response to his impersonal tone. “Because Al is the one who wants the disk,and he’s smart enough to realize you’ll never stop trying to protect me.”

“Ramos? Fuck.”

That startled Zo. Finn didn’t throw the wordfuckaround casually, not outside of sex. “Ramos,” she confirmed. Her voice was starting to sound closer to normal. Speaking of Al reminded her. “We can’t stand here. Two of his men have been chasing me.”

“I know. I crossed their path earlier and followed them for a while.” Finn’s fingers flexed against her hips. “From what I saw, they’re used to operating in the city, not the rainforest.”

If he was aware of this and not hustling her away, then it was okay to stay here. “I didn’t lie when I called you yesterday.” Was it only yesterday? “I had things under control and had a plan in place to get out of Puerto Jardin. If Archer hadn’t interfered, I’d probably be halfway home right now.”

Finn closed his eyes briefly, shook his head, and said, “I know that, too.” He sounded tight when he added, “But damn it, you should have told me what was going on anyway.”

“You were thousands of miles away.”

Now he released her and stepped back. “It doesn’t matter. We’re supposed to be partners, remember? How would you like it if I didn’t tell you when I was in trouble?”

His expression was calm, his voice contained, but Zo could feel Finn’s rage boiling under the surface. “I’d be pissed off to the nth degree.” She took a step forward and reached for his hand, her fingers clutching his.

“And you expect me to not be pissed off?”

“It could be worse. I could be boring.”

Finn scowled, but it didn’t last long before he donned his stoic mask. “Where’s the disk? Don’t tell me you’re carrying it.”

“I hid it. If I got caught with it on me, I’d lose the relic, and it’s too important for that to happen.”

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