Page 18 of Traitorous Lies
“I get that. I'm a little in shock, too.”
Her big, gray eyes looked up at him with confusion, clearly aware that there was more to him than he’d let on, but there was trust, too. Despite everything they’d been through in the last few hours, she believed in him.
It absolutely gutted him that her trust was misplaced.
He’d keep her alive, protect her with everything that he had, but inthe end, he was going to turn out to be just another person who had used her, and Jax had the feeling that was a long list.
“You said you had training, but … I didn't know you meant you could single-handedly kill six people without breaking a sweat.” Her tone was a clear invitation for him to fill in the gaps, and he was trying to figure out how much he could say without telling her everything.
It wasn't like he intended to withhold the information forever, but right now, he was the only thing that was going to get Monique safely back home. If he lost her trust, he had no guarantee she wouldn’t go running off and try to do this on her own.
No way was she going to pay the price for his choices any more than she already had.
“Served in the military,” he told her, completely honestly. For the moment, she just couldn’t know that he worked for Prey. The second that cat was out of the bag, she’d want to know if he was there for work, and once she got that out of him, it would only be a matter of time until she realized she was the job.
Immediately, she stopped walking, moved up onto her tiptoes, the hand he wasn't holding landing on his pecs, above his heart, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for putting your life on the line to keep people like me safe.”
If he’d expected her to look down on him because of his career choice, he would have been sorely disappointed. Once again, Monique had shown she was nothing like the public perceived her to be.
“No need for thanks,” he said, a little awkwardly.
“Course there is. And I’m going to venture a guess that you were special forces. The way you handled that …” She waved a hand behind them where a mile away lay the six dead bodies he’d killed. “Says you were one of the best of the best.”
“SEAL,” he acknowledged. There were women out there who would love to get him into bed just because of what he’d been. While Monique was clearly impressed by his job, she wasn't looking at him like he was a piece of prized meat.
She was looking at him like he was a hero.
Worse, like he was her hero.
Uncomfortable with the secrets he was keeping and the knowledgethat as soon as they spilled out he’d lose a chance with Monique he hadn't suspected he would want, he abruptly stopped walking.
“This should do,” he announced.
“Do for what?” Monique looked around them, obviously wondering why he’d chosen this particular spot when it looked the same as every other part they’d walked through over the last thirty minutes.
“To spend the night.” They’d put some good distance between them and the van, enough to buy them some time.
Sooner or later, someone would realize the team he’d killed never returned and come looking for answers. When they saw six dead bodies and his and Monique’s not amongst them, they’d search this forest to try to find them.
When that happened, he wanted Monique far away from danger.
But he wasn't stupid.
They’d both been in a bad car wreck and they were both injured. He’d bet everything he owned Monique had a concussion, and while she’d plugged along without complaint, he knew she needed rest before she crashed.
“I usually enjoy camping,” Monique said. “But then again, I usually have a tent, a sleeping bag, and a whole ton of supplies.”
“I’ll build us a fire. That will keep us warm and keep animals away. Tomorrow, I’ll find us something to eat, and at least we have water.”
After killing the men who had abducted them, he’d raided the van and come up with nothing other than some bottles of water. It seemed that those men didn't think to be prepared for any situation. His clothes were suitable for walking, but Monique’s silk and tulle ball gown and heels were not. Since the first man he’d killed was the only one not covered in blood, he’d told her to wear his clothes. Something she’d reluctantly done, only agreeing if she could wear his suit jacket underneath.
There was no denying that the caveman part of him loved the fact that she wanted to wear his clothes, so agreeing had been no hardship.
Now he tugged on the hand he held and moved her so she was facing him. Not willing to pass up on what could be his only opportunity to touch her before she learned he’d used her and hated him, Jax ran his hands up her arms, loving the way she shivered and her pupilsdilated. Settling them on her shoulders with his fingers stroking the base of her neck, he bent his knees so they were eye to eye.
“Between shared body heat and the fire, we won't freeze overnight,” he assured her. “I might not be as comfortable as a sleeping bag in a tent, but I'm not the worst thing to sleep on.”
“Not the worst,” she agreed as her gaze dipped to scan his body. “Definitely not the worst.”
