Page 5 of Rescue Me (Tempting SEALs 6.10)

In your dreams, pal. The second she was free, she was going to scream until the entire household came running. And then what? She didn’t think it likely that Thadiwe would come to her defense—although he might shoot the rapist.

Elizabeth nodded to indicate compliance, then sucked in a breath in anticipation.

“Damn, you give stubborn a new meaning, woman.” His whisper was laced with humor as his lips replaced his hand, covering her mouth, which was open, ready to yell. “It’s me, Sam,” he said hoarsely against her parted lips before the warm slickness of his tongue entered her mouth. His lips molded hers. His fingers tangled in her hair, holding her still as he kissed her. The kiss wasn’t violent, or aggressive. But it was—hungry in a controlled way that puzzled her.

He was a good kisser.

He tasted—Was she out of her mind?! She tried to shut her mouth against the sensual invasion.

“Ow! Shit, no biting.”

With a palm to his bristly jaw, she shoved his face away from hers. The only Sam she knew was—“Sam Pelton?” she asked incredulously. Pushing her hair out of her face with her injured hand, she winced as she sat up.

He—Sam—crouched beside the bed. “Yeah. Don’t scream, for God’s sake.”

The room was so dark she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. It was weird hearing Sam’s voice here, and she considered the possibility that she was dreaming. She’d had plenty of dreams about Sam in the last few months. Most of them erotic. His presence was so out of context she couldn’t make any sense of it, and sitting in the pitch dark whispering made the disorientation complete.

She was probably hallucinating. That was the only explanation. Sam had been a constant presence in her life for months. A constant frustration. She’d seen him around town so often that she’d wondered if it was coincidence, fate, or maybe low-level stalking. But not Sam. He was a complete gentleman at all times, even when she’d dropped subtle hints after her divorce was final.

Either he didn’t get subtle or he didn’t want her. It didn’t matter, the end result was the same; her simmering lust for him went unnoticed and unsatisfied. Which was why, she supposed, images of his tall, muscular body haunted her sleep night a

fter night.

It also explained why she’d be hallucinating about him now, when she was probably only hours from death. Thadiwe didn’t strike her as a stupid man. He’d eventually figure out she wasn’t Dr. Randall, if he hadn’t done so already.

She leaned over to turn on the bedside light, hoping the power was back on, but before her fingers reached the lamp, Sam clamped a hard hand on her wrist, startling a small yelp out of her constricted throat. He didn’t feel like too-safe, too-controlled Sam in the dark. He felt dangerous, and edgy, and a little scary.

“I took out the generator.” His warm breath stirred the hair near her ear, which made her shudder reactively. So he’d been the one to plunge the compound into darkness. No wonder Thadiwe’s soldiers had been freaked out. She’d heard them running in the corridor outside her room as they tried to figure out what was happening.

Elizabeth rubbed her wrist as she pictured Sam’s face with its bold, blunt features and dark eyes that gave nothing away. He wasn’t handsome, but he was somehow compelling. Maybe because she sensed that what she saw wasn’t who he really was. She’d always been fascinated by the way he moved with a controlled strength and an edgy awareness that was almost predatory. She’d never been quite able to figure out what made him tick. Although she’d spent many nights trying to figure him out.

Not that she wasn’t grateful to have him here, odd as that was, but he was sure to be even more out of his element in a rain forest than she was.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded in his general direction as she got off the bed. This went beyond being neighborly. “Rescuing you.”

Talk about the blind leading the blind. Her pounding heart sounded like thunder in her ears, and her rapid pulse made her hand ache.

“Thank God. But how did you know I needed rescuing?” While she clearly needed help, Elizabeth didn’t want Sam involved. She didn’t want his death on her conscience.

“We’ll talk about it later. First, take this doxycy-cline.” Sam placed the antimalarial capsule in her palm. “Water.” He held a flask to her mouth. Elizabeth took the pill and swallowed.

The flask was removed. “Strip.” His voice deepened as he wiped a drop of water from her lower lip. Since she was licking it off at the same time, her tongue encountered his finger. A frisson that had nothing to do with fear spiraled deep in the pit of her stomach. They both froze for a heartbeat. His warm breath fanned her temple, and the heat of his body seeped through the thin, damp silk of her blouse.

While she’d love to have heard those words last month, or even yesterday, Sam’s timing was off. “Strip?” Tempting as the request was, she blinked back her good sense. “Sam, are you insane?”

“You can’t go out in the jungle dressed as you are. I’ve brought you a change of clothes. Hurry and change. I want to put medication on your cuts, and get you sprayed with DEET before we head outside.”

With no antibiotics, she’d made do washing the cuts as best she could using the water supplied with her meal tray. An open cut in this climate could spell trouble. That almost made her laugh. How much more trouble could she be in?

Elizabeth could tell from the location of his voice that Sam was standing very close to her. But she hadn’t heard him move, which was a bit unnerving. He was well over six feet tall, so he’d be towering over her own five foot, five inches. The adrenaline rush hadn’t left yet, and her blood still thumped frantically in her ears. He was still disconcertingly close. She swayed in his direction, and his hands shot out to circle her waist. “Steady.”

She flushed and locked her knees. “Sorry. It’s really disorientating being in the dark like this.” Her lips tingled from their shared kiss. She never would have guessed at his passion; he kept it well hidden.

“Are you afraid of the dark?” he asked.

“Of the entire situation.”

“Yeah, well, I’m here to take care of that.”

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