14. Anton
CHAPTER 14
ANTON
DAY 1 – EVENING – PET NAMES?
W e finished the rest of our fish in silence, and I was grateful for the distraction the few minutes of filling my belly allowed.
All too soon, it was time to get some rest. I took the leaf I’d used as a makeshift plate from Marcie. As my fingers brushed hers, she shivered, and I knew it wasn’t just from the chill of the night air.
Quickly turning away, I tossed the leaf into the fire before checking the progress of our clothes. I sighed. They were still far too wet to put back on. Damn it. There was nothing for it.
I glanced at my Little Miss Sassy. She’d wrapped her arms around her bent legs again, her body trembling with the cold. Goosebumps dotted her skin, and the slight shiver in her frame told me she was feeling it. She stifled a yawn, and I knew I couldn’t stall any longer.
We’d trek through the forest as far as possible tomorrow; the shade would keep us cooler than the scorching sun we’d endured earlier. With luck, we’d find a road or a village where we could get help. But tonight, as the temperature dropped, the forest was already sapping what little warmth we had. At least it was September, and from what I could tell, we were in Spain, so it wouldn’t get freezing. With shared body heat, we’d manage.
But that in itself presented another problem. To share warmth, we’d have to get close—very close. Semi-naked as we were, and with my cock already making its opinion on the idea known, that was going to make for a very uncomfortable night.
Resigning myself to the situation, I moved back to the fallen tree and lay down. Marcie was lost in thought, her gaze distant. Was she thinking about the situation? Me? Both? I longed to know but didn’t ask, unwilling to open a conversation I wasn’t ready for.
“Come here,” I said, my voice gruff but low enough not to startle her.
Her gaze flicked my way, and I patted the ground beside me. She didn’t stand, just shuffled closer. But not close enough.
“Closer,” I said. “Come lie down beside me.” Trying to act nonchalant, I bent my elbow and tucked a hand under my head, patting the hard earth beside me again. I willed my cock to stop twitching. Down, boy. That is not happening. If anything did happen between Marcie and me—and I still wasn’t sure I’d let it—it shouldn’t be when she was terrified, vulnerable, and we had a pack of bloody sick bastards hunting us.
My Little Miss Sassy raised an eyebrow.
“Is that any way to lure a woman to your bed, Mr. DuPont?” she teased, though I caught the unease behind her sass.
“Behave. This is for body heat. It’s been a shit day, and we need rest,” I added, trying to sound more convincing than I felt.
“Shouldn’t one of us keep watch?” she asked.
“No, we gave them the slip for now. And I’m a light sleeper, I’ll hear if anyone approaches,” I reassured her, patting the space beside me again.
My Little Miss Sassy licked her lips, then bit the bottom one, and once again, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Her gaze flicked over me, a flash of lust in her eyes.
Dear God, stop looking at me like that, woman. I bit back a groan. This was going to be torture. My cock kicked, and I shifted my leg to hide the effect her words and actions had on me. Shit, this was going to take every ounce of my resolve.
She leaned closer, her breath just warm enough to send a shiver through me. “Is this a good idea?” she asked, her voice turning serious, a touch of uncertainty creeping in beneath the playful facade.
“Probably not,” I admitted, my voice rough, “but we’ve no choice.”
She hesitated.
“I promise not to take advantage of you if that’s what you’re worried about,” I teased.
“What a pity,” she mumbled.
She wanted me to?
The thought sent a thrill straight south, and I clamped my jaw against the moan threatening to escape. Despite her teasing—and the growing tension between us—I hadn’t thought she’d entertain the idea. Not here, not now, in the middle of this madness. Lord, she wasn’t making this easy.
“Not tonight, honey,” I smirked, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
Shit, why did I say that? It was like I couldn’t help myself, subconsciously pushing in an effort to force something I wasn’t ready for.
“Come on, honey. You’re cold.”
She huffed a laugh but lay down beside me, her back pressing against my chest. Her warmth hit me instantly, spreading through me like a soothing balm. I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer, and wondered when the hell the pet name thing had taken root.
I wasn’t the type to use pet names. Never had been. With Elaine, it was always Elaine or Elle—nothing soft, nothing cutesy. I’d certainly never given her a secret name like I had my Little Miss Sassy. But with Marcie, it felt right. Intimate. Easy.
Her little bum shifted, rubbing against me, and I stiffened—every part of me. Shit. How was I going to get through the night? It would be so easy to just move aside the fabric of her…
She shivered again, dragging my thoughts back to reality before they slipped too far out of control. Drawing on all my training, I bolstered my resolve. This wasn’t about sex. This was about her—keeping her safe, protecting her. To do that, she needed to stay warm. I was used to discomfort, I could handle this.
“Better?” I murmured, adjusting my position slightly so she wouldn’t feel the evidence of my desire.
“Hmmm. Not the most comfortable bed you’ve got here, soldier boy,” she replied, “but at least you’re warm.”
She wriggled further into my arms, and I grunted softly. “Try to get some rest.”
But then she moved again, pressing her bum back against me. I sucked in a sharp breath as the contact sent a ripple of lust through me, tightening every muscle in its wake.
“Marcie,” I growled, low and rough, a warning woven into the single word.
“What?” she murmured, turning her head just enough to catch my eye, feigning an innocence that didn’t fool me for a second.
“Stop moving.” My voice came out harsher this time, the tension unmistakable.
“Good night, Anton,” she whispered, faint amusement curling at the edges of her tone.
“Good night,” I bit out, the strain in my words unmistakable. Her slight, almost imperceptible shaking told me she was laughing at my predicament. Definitely payback from earlier.
I shook my head, a smirk tugging at my lips. Sassy little madam.
Eventually, her breathing steadied, her body growing heavier against mine as sleep settled over her. I lay awake, every nerve on edge—not just from her teasing or my unruly cock, but from the dangers still lurking out there.
The hunters would’ve followed the false trail I’d left until they lost it, but that could’ve been hours ago. With any luck, they’d camped for the night or were still searching the area where I’d led them astray. Doubling back had bought us time, but how much?
I tightened my hold on Marcie, the steady rise and fall of her breathing grounding me. For now, the forest was quiet, the faint crackle of the fire our only company. We’d rest as best we could, gather strength, and be ready to move again at first light.
A little snore, followed by another, made me smile.
She snorted next, startling herself almost awake. Grumbling, she huffed out a breath and grew silent again. I wanted to laugh but reined it in, unwilling to wake her. I’d tease her about it tomorrow.
A lightness I shouldn’t feel under the circumstances filled me. Marcie just made everything, even a dire situation like this, more bearable.
This was the worst position anyone could be in, and while I hated that Marcie was here with me, I couldn’t help but also be glad. If there was anyone I wanted by my side in this bloody nightmare, it was the woman I was rapidly coming to need, like my next breath. That thought should have sobered me, but it didn’t. Instead, I was suffused with a rightness at having her in my arms that I’d never felt before.
‘ I’ll get us out of this, honey,’ I silently vowed. And when I did? I had a feeling the future I’d resigned myself to—the one of singledom and burying myself in work—might actually hold something brighter than anything I could’ve imagined. If I could just allow it to.
As dawn broke, the first light of day spilled into the cramped space where we had spent the night, the shadows of darkness receding to reveal the dense forest around us. It had been a long night, and I’d only allowed myself to doze lightly. The fire had died out a few hours ago, but the forest was already warming up. Promising to be a very hot day.
Marcie was fast asleep in my embrace, her back still pressed against my chest, and although the arm she was using as a pillow was numb, I was reluctant to wake her. Unfortunately, there was no choice. With the dawn came danger, and we had to get moving again.
“Marcie, wake up, honey,” I whispered, my breath brushing against her ear as I gently ran my fingers over her bare arm, because I couldn’t resist it.
She grumbled, a small sound of irritation, but didn’t awaken as I shifted out from behind her.
“Come on, lazy, time to get up,” I said a bit louder, giving her a light nudge.
This time she stirred, her eyes flickering open slowly, confusion giving way to awareness as she scrambled to sit up, brushing her messy hair out of her face with both hands.
“What time is it?” she muttered, still half-dazed.
“Dawn,” I replied, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions within me at the sight of her rumpled, her skin flushed from sleep, and her lips parted in a way that made my pulse quicken.
I shook my head, forcing my thoughts away from a direction I couldn’t afford them to go. My focus had to be on getting us somewhere we could find help, not on the unruly member that kept twitching in Marcie’s direction.
“Here, eat this,” I told her, handing her the remaining fish I’d cooked last night and set aside for breakfast. I reached up, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face as I did, letting my fingers linger for a second too long.
Little Miss Sassy smiled, and I felt myself getting lost in those baby blues of hers.
“You snore,” I stated, deliberately trying to break the spell.
“I do not!” The look of horror on her face was priceless, and I laughed.
“Yes, you do. It was cute,” I teased, unable to stop myself.
“Cute, huh? Well, I’m glad you think so,” she replied with mock indignation, her lips twitching in amusement. “Although, I don’t snore,” she mumbled more quietly, making me chuckle.
“Eat your fish,” I commanded.
“Yes, sir,” she smirked, and I rolled my eyes.
“Eat. It’ll give you some energy for what’s ahead. We’ll need to move in a few minutes. They’ll be out looking for us again soon. By now, they’ll have realised we doubled back, and it probably won’t take them long to find our trail again. Hopefully, we still have a few hours’ head start,” I told her, my tone more serious as I attempted to clear the makeshift campsite of all trace of us.
“Clothes are dry,” I said, handing over her dress. I took a step back as she pulled it on, my gaze following the movement of her hands as she dressed. When she bent to pull on her socks and those destroyed boots, I gulped at the sight of the biteable curve of her backside.
Fuck. I turned away, my mind scrambling for something—anything—to focus on other than the tempting sight. I silently recited the best way to quickly gut a fish, fighting to regain control.
Focus!
“I need to pee,” Marcie said with an apologetic grimace as she stood, shifting from foot to foot in a funny little dance that made me grin despite the situation. She turned away in embarrassment when she saw me looking.
“Me too,” I replied, attempting to put her at ease while desperately trying not to laugh.
“We’ll head back to the river and do it nearby, then wash our hands and refill the water bottle in the stream,” I finally said, once I’d regained enough composure to look at her again without turning into a drooling idiot. I tried to keep the urgency from my voice, but my thoughts kept drifting to the danger that could be closer than I hoped. I’d believed they’d rest up for the night and then come after us again this morning, but if I was wrong and they’d travelled through the night—or even part of it—we could be in real danger. The sooner we moved on, the better.
Once we’d refilled the water bottle and handled the essentials, I scanned the unfamiliar landscape ahead, weighing our next move. Continuing downstream was still our best option, but unlike yesterday, I decided we’d stick to the shelter of the trees. The canopy would not only shield us from the harsh sunlight, but help keep us hidden from those hunting us.
We couldn’t be far from civilisation. Spain was a decent-sized country, but not so vast that we wouldn’t stumble across a village or at least a farm soon. I figured we’d either reach one or find a road leading to it within a few hours. Once we found somewhere, we’d lay low and call Miki. The Rominov’s would come get us, and then we’d deal with the psycho bitch and her hellish hunters, putting an end to them for good.
I explained the plan to Marcie, and she nodded enthusiastically, more than happy with the idea that before the end of the day, we could be safe. But still worry lingered in her eyes.
“It’s going to be okay, honey.”
Taking Marcie’s hand, I squeezed it in reassurance before heading off into the forest once more, gently tugging her along behind me. Her palm was warm in mine, a solid anchor as we moved forward.
“God, I hope you’re right,” she said, her voice small with uncertainty, her grip tightening in mine as we walked.
I hoped I was, too, but couldn’t shake off the feeling that I’d just jinxed us.