Page 47 of A SEAL's Protection
I don’t finish my sentence as the climax breaks over me.
I call his name as I buck my hips. My fingernails dig into his back as I cling to my anchor.
A moment later, his body tenses and then releases, and I tighten my thighs around him as he shudders against me.
When it’s over, we lie entangled for a long time. I rest my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, still racing.
For once, I don’t feel the urge to pull away. Instead, I whisper the truth that scares me more than anything. “You make me feel safe.”
He kisses the top of my head and tightens his arms around me.
We fall asleep surrounded by the sounds of the forest.
21
MARCUS
The path winds around a corner and opens up onto a dirt road. We emerge from between the trees, worn, battered and bone-tired. My shoulder throbs, but Allegra by my side keeps me steady.
The dirt road leads to the small supply town. A dusty pickup truck rattles past, and the owner slows to peer at us. I grip my handgun at my side where he can’t see it as I smile and give him a friendly wave. Just another backpacker hiking the trail. He looks uncertain but raises a hand and keeps driving.
I pocket the gun but keep the safety off.
The dusty road leads to an intersection with a collection of buildings on either side.
It’s bigger than the last town we stopped at. There’s another general store that doubles as the post office, as well as a bakery, a hair salon, a pet supply shop, and a few other shops that are worn with age.
There are more people around too, and we get curious glances as we walk down the main street.
I keep my hand firmly in Allegra’s—just another tired couple straight off the hiking trail. I smile and nod to the locals as my gaze checks over every face.
A scrape of a boot has my head jerking around, but I relax when I see a farmer hauling a sack of feed onto the back of his pickup.
At the end of the street is the general store, and we head in there to collect our supply box.
There’s a picnic table outside, and I plunk the box down there. Allegra goes to get a couple of cool drinks while I get food out of the box.
I charged our cellphones this morning with a solar charger, and I’ve got two bars of signal. It’s the first comms we’ve had since the satellite phone got damaged. There are several missed calls from Allegra’s dad, but I need to arrange our extraction first.
I send him a quick message.
We’re safe. Will call soon.
I put in a call to Hudson and explain the new situation. “We need a pick up. ASAP.”
I give him the coordinates of the town, and he says he’ll call back once he’s arranged the extraction. We’ll have to lie low here until someone can pick us up. I don’t like the idea of Allegra being exposed, but we don’t have much choice.
“There’s something else.” I tell him about the body and the injured perps and the one I left tied up.
He listens and takes notes. “You want me to call the local authorities? Get them to pick them up.”
“Hold up. I have a contact in law enforcement. He may have jurisdiction this far.”
“Listen, we found where Future Enterprises was sending its money. A Professor Wainwright.”
“Wainwright.” I glance up at Allegra, but she’s in the cafe scanning the pastries in the display case. “The professor who denied Allegra’s grant.”
“Yeah, we made that connection. He’s been blocking any research that could go against their interests. Looks like she didn’t stand a chance.”
