Risky Romance (Wolf Security #4)

21. Cody

CHAPTER 21

Cody

The river slammed into me like a freight train. Air punched out of my lungs, and I tumbled over and over. Up became down, down became up, as the waterfall spun me like a tornado.

My lungs burned. Panic scraped at my chest.

Clawing at the water, I tried to find the surface, but the river was holding me down like a beast planning on eating me. It roared, too, like it fucking hated that I was there.

My mind careened all over the place.

Which way is up?

Did Jewel see me fall?

Is this how I die?

A liquid battering ram barged me along, and I couldn’t fight it.

My head hit a rock, crushing my right ear, and pain ricocheted into my brain. Howling, I swallowed water, and it went straight to my lungs.

I bucked against the agony and the rifle strap across my chest jerked tight, yanking me backward. The force knocked what little air I had left from my lungs.

Water thundered onto my body. But I didn’t move. My rifle strap held me under like a noose.

Fuck. Fuck!

I fumbled for my knife. Black spots danced in my vision as I sawed through the leather strap.

My lungs burned like they were on fire. My chest threatened to explode. Bright sparks prickled my vision, and my eardrums were ready to burst.

Finally, my head broke the surface, and I gulped in both air and water. Choking, I splashed about, trying to keep my mouth above water.

The current hurtled me downstream, letting me know who the fuck was in charge.

My boots were like bricks, pulling me under.

Take off your boots . Jewel’s words punched into me.

Waves crashed over my head, and I went under again. The torrent roared in my ears like it was yelling at me for being so fucking stupid. I kicked and thrashed, trying to keep my head above water, but it was like being stuck in a plow where everything around me churned.

Another wave slapped my face, shooting right up my nose. My knee smashed into a rock.

Each time I got focus on the riverbank it sped past a million miles an hour. How far had I gone? A mile? Two?

Oh fuck, how will I find Jewel again? The thought hit me harder than the water.

She needs me. She could be lost here forever.

“Jewel!” I yelled.

Why didn’t I listen to her?

The torrent whipped me sideways, and as the vegetation I raced past became a green blur another realization hit me: I needed her.

“Jewel!” I yelled until my throat burned.

“Cody!”

“Jewel!” I fought the water, trying to find her. I was sucked under instead. Rage blazed in my throat as I fought my way to the surface. I sucked in a huge lungful of air.

“Cody! Lie on your back.”

Her words reached me, and I tried to turn around to find her, but the river was having none of it. My ankle bone cracked on a rock and a cry burst from my throat.

Son of bitch! I’ve lost my left boot.

“Cody. Float on your back!” Anger scorched her tone.

Lie on my back? How the hell do I do that?

I looked up at the sky, trying to make my body float, but my arms and legs wouldn’t stop fighting the water.

I couldn’t focus. Couldn’t stop thrashing.

A vice grabbed my arm.

“Jewel!” I jerked my legs down, trying to face her.

“I’ve got you.” She swam to my front and smiled like an angel. “I’ve got you.”

When she winced, I realized I’d kicked her.

“Cody. Look at me.”

Her wet hair framed her face, and her black eyes sparkled. Despite the chaos, she seemed so calm. She really was an angel.

“That’s it. Now stop fighting the water.”

My heart hammered in my chest as my arms flicked back and forth, keeping my head above water.

“Trust me. Float on your back. I’ve got you.”

She shifted around behind me and hooked her arm around my chest. The sheer strength in her grip cut through my panic.

“That’s it. Let me do the work.” Her tone was level and in control. “Keep your chin up.”

Gushing out rushed breaths, I stared at a fluffy cumulous cloud above.

“That’s it, just relax and enjoy the ride.” She adjusted her grip.

Her strength and calmness were incredible as she guided me toward the bank. When my feet finally scraped the bottom, I half-crawled, half-stumbled through the reeds to dry land. Coughing and spitting out water, I dragged my body onto a flat section and flopped down onto the warm ground.

The trees above me spun in wild loops as I tried to get my mind to focus. But when clarity gushed back, embarrassment took over. “That was fucked.”

“You could say that.” Jewel crawled in beside me and lay on her back. Her chest rose and fell with deep breaths. “Why didn’t you tell me you couldn’t swim?”

I didn’t answer.

“And how come you never learned?”

I still didn’t answer. What would I say? Because nobody taught me? Because I grew up on a farm, well away from pools and the ocean? Or because Uncle John didn’t give a shit what I learned?

Jewel cupped my face between her hands and crushed her mouth to mine. Her lips were soft but demanding and her kiss stole what little breath I had left. My hands found her waist, pulling her closer, needing her body against me.

She broke the kiss but kept hold of my face. “You should have told me you couldn’t swim.”

Heat crawled up my neck that had nothing to do with the kiss. “Not exactly something I’m proud of.”

“I thought I was going to lose you.” Her voice cracked and something in her expression made my gut twist . . . kindness.

I couldn’t remember a time in my life when I felt genuine kindness. Huffing, I pressed my trembling fingers to the warm ground, trying to hide them from Jewel. “Yeah, well, I thought I was a goner a few times too.”

A smile teased her lips. “Don’t scare me like that again.”

I shifted position, and my ribs screamed at me, reminding me of how hard I’d slammed into an underwater rock. I was lucky it hit my chest, and not my head. “How did you find me?”

She huffed out a breath. “I jumped in after I realized you couldn’t swim and chased after you.”

I cleared my throat, wrestling with guilt and embarrassment. “Thanks for . . . you know.”

She smirked. “Well, I guess you owe me now?”

“Are you forgetting I saved your ass first? That makes us even.”

“Okay, you’re right. We’re even.” She playfully smacked my chest and sat with her legs crossed. “And we’re clean. Which is good. You were starting to smell pretty ripe back there.” She wrinkled her nose, but her eyes sparkled.

“Right back at you.” I pulled her down beside me again and breathed in the fresh scent of her wet hair. “Thanks for saving me.”

She nestled against my chest. “My pleasure. I’ve kinda grown attached to your grumpy ass.”

I chuckled, and my ribs hurt with every movement. Despite our crappy situation, my heart swelled.

She sat up, flipped off her sneaker, and tipped water out. “Oh no, you lost a boot.”

I flexed my throbbing ankle, trying not to wince. “Yeah. And my gun and knife, and the bananas.”

“Shit.” Sucking air through her teeth, she emptied water out of her second shoe.

“Yep. Our situation just hit the next level of serious.” I stared up at the sky where a faint pink tinge crept onto the western edge of the dark clouds overhead. We didn’t have long before we were in the dark again.

“So, what do we do now?” She stood and dusted her hands on her tiny denim shorts, giving me a mighty fine perspective of her long legs. “You right there, cowboy?” She gave me a cheeky grin.

Sprung! “Just admiring my view.”

She giggled and held her hand toward me. “Need help to stand, old man?”

My jaw dropped. “Old man?”

I clapped her hand anyway. When I pushed to my feet, pain shot through my ankle bone like a hot poker.

Damn, I did some damage when I whacked my ankle on that rock.

Her playful expression vanished, and she frowned. “You okay?”

“Feel like I was tossed in a washing machine.” I put weight on my foot, testing my ankle. Damn, that hurts. “Then got hit by a Mac truck for good measure.”

“Yeah, it was a bit like that. You’re lucky you didn’t get sucked under.”

“My rifle got wedged in a rock or something, so I had to cut it free. That’s when I lost my knife.” My shoulder throbbed where the rifle strap had pinned me down.

“Better than losing your life,” she said. “I’d say you got lucky.”

“Well, let’s hope we get lucky now and find something else to eat before it rains.” I glanced at the rolling cloud overhead, and as if nature wanted to mock me, thunder rumbled in the distance like a runaway train.

She glanced skyward. “Bloody hell.”

“Come on. We need to find shelter. This storm is going to be heavy.”

“Great.” She flashed an exaggerated grin. “You sure know how to show a lady a good time.”

I chuckled. Damn, I like her. I like her a lot.

“Want to lead?” I asked.

“No. You go first.”

Shit. I’d hoped she would lead so she wouldn’t notice me limping with one boot.

I set off along the edge of the river, trying to mask my uneven gait.

“Don’t you want to take off your other boot?” she asked.

“Hell no. Better to have one, than none at all.”

We hadn’t gone more than fifty yards when the first fat raindrops hit. Within seconds, it was like someone had upended a bucket over us. Mud slid under our feet with each step. Thunder cracked overhead like a damn rifle shot.

“Jesus!” Jewel cried.

I reached for her hand, helping her over a section of loose rocks. “Maybe we should head away from the river?”

“Good idea, I don’t want to have to save your ass from drowning again.” She tried to look at me, but the rain pelted harder, plastering her hair to her face like black silk.

I squeezed her palm to mine, pulling her behind me and as I barged through the lush bushes, every left step sent daggers of pain up my leg. Have I broken a bone?

“This rain is ridiculous!” she shouted over the downpour.

“That’s why they call it a rainforest.” Each step was higher than the last, taking us up the steep riverbank and away from the water.

The rain came down in sheets, turning the world into a gray blur. Pain in my ankle seemed to spear right up to my groin with each step, but I didn’t want to stop until I found shelter. I had a rotten feeling this thunderstorm was settling in and if there was any flash flooding, I did not want to be downhill.

Another thunderbolt cracked above, and Jewel tugged my hand as she ducked down. Lightning blazed across the cloud overhead with a sizzle that seemed to shake every tree.

“Bloody hell! That was close,” she yelled over the downpour.

Close was an understatement. A massive old tree with a trunk that was wider than my tractor stood to my right, and as I aimed for it, I noticed the base of the trunk was hollowed out, creating the perfect natural shelter.

Thunderbolts cracked overhead twice before we reached the tree. After checking that no other creatures had the same idea as me, I shuffled inside, sweeping my hand in front of me to rid the space of spider webs.

Jewel stepped in behind me, and when we both turned to face the opening, I pulled her back to my chest and wrapped my arms around her. Rain ran in rivers along the ground on either side of the tree trunk, carrying dead leaves and twigs with it.

“You okay?” I asked.

She nodded, melting back against me. “This is better.”

Her wet hair tickled my neck, and her heartbeat was a regular pulse under my palms. I’d never held anyone like this before. Sure, I’d had my share of women, but it had always been about release, never this. I didn’t know what this was, but I didn’t want to let her go.

The storm raged outside our little sanctuary, but all I could focus on was how right Jewel felt in my arms. How her breathing matched mine. How she laced her fingers through mine, so our hands rested together on her stomach.

She shivered, and as I tugged her tighter, she snuggled closer.

I swallowed hard. Holding Jewel to keep her safe and warm stirred something in me I didn’t know existed, and the raw yet spectacular urge to protect her consumed me. My dogs had been the closest I’d come to feeling responsible for another life. But this . . . this was something else entirely. Something that swelled in my chest and made me feel whole.

Thunder crashed outside, and she jolted. “Jesus. Did that strike this tree?”

“I don’t think so. We’re okay in here.”

She scooped wet hair around her ear, showing me her mismatched earrings. They were like us, mismatched.

Was that a bad thing?

Jesus. Calm down, Cody. You barely know each other. And nothing about our time together is normal.

Then again, my life would never be normal again.

But as I hugged her to my chest, and she ran her hand over my arm, I wondered if my life had ever been normal. The only thing I’d ever known was corn farming. I didn’t even know how to swim, for fuck’s sake.

The rain grew heavier, slamming into the ground outside like it was punishing the earth. The twin rivers on either side of our haven swelled even wider.

“I’m glad we’re in here,” she said, rolling her head back to rest on my shoulder.

The heat of her body sent electricity through mine, a stark reminder of how long it had been. My last encounter—that English tourist at the backpackers’ bar—felt like a lifetime ago. I’d stormed into bar that night after Bruce and I nearly came to blows, looking to drown my frustration in whiskey. Instead, I’d followed her upstairs to her cramped hostel room, both of us knowing it was nothing more than strangers passing in the night. I couldn’t even remember her name, just a blur of blonde hair and a weird accent that fading into my memory.

If we survived this jungle and went our separate ways, Jewel’s name would be etched into my bones until my last breath. I would carry the memory of how she made my insides swoop with a single glance, and how those midnight eyes of hers clamped something deep in my chest. I would remember this moment—her body against mine, like two broken pieces that shouldn’t match but locked together perfectly.

I’d heard that people could leave footprints on your soul. Jewel had carved out entire valleys in mine.

But fairy tales were for children, and I’d stopped believing in those a long time ago. Once we escaped this jungle, she would return to being Whisper, the brilliant Border Force operative from Rosebud. She would probably laugh over drinks with her friends about the crazy farmer she got stuck with in the Daintree, and I would become a distant memory.

I didn’t know what I would do. My farm, my life, my entire world had imploded. And the only thing that was real right now was the woman in my arms.

Thunder cracked again, closer this time, followed by a deafening boom that made us both jump.

She released a shaky laugh. “Please tell me that wasn’t a tree falling.”

“Okay. I won’t tell you,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Was it?” She craned her neck, attempting to look at me, her eyes wide with worry.

“I don’t know. Maybe.” I didn’t want to admit that the sound had sent a shiver of fear down my spine. If it was a tree falling, at least it wasn’t ours—not yet. “We’ll be okay,” I said, more to reassure myself than her.

But as the rain intensified, pounding down like a thousand drumbeats, and the rivers of mud surged wider on either side of the trunk, doubt gnawed at me. That landslide we’d passed wasn’t far from here, and this old, dead tree didn’t look like it could withstand much more force. The wind howled, and the tree groaned ominously as if agreeing with my thoughts.

Jewel went rigid in my arms. “Oh shit. Snake!”

She pushed back against me.

Between the two muddy rivers, a massive scrub python slithered toward us with its iridescent scales shimmering, despite the dim light.

“Don’t move,” I whispered.

“Is it poisonous?” Jewel’s fingers dug into my arm.

“No.” It wasn’t a lie, these pythons killed by constriction. This one was as thick as my bicep and could probably take down a cow. We would be barely a snack.

The python raised its head, and its forked tongue flicked out like it was tasting the rain. My mouth went dry.

Shit! I hope it’s not searching for somewhere dry, or we’re fucked. We’re hiding in its favorite kind of shelter.

Jewel trembled in my arms. “What’s it doing?”

“Stay calm, and as slowly as you can, get behind me.”

Inch by inch, she slinked around my body. Placing her hands on my waist, she peered around my side.

The python’s muscular body slithered closer to our hollow, each movement deliberate and smooth. It was so big I couldn’t see its tail; fifteen feet, maybe twenty. Every ripple of muscle under those shimmering scales screamed raw power.

“What’re you going to do?” Jewel’s fingers gripped my waist.

“Don’t know yet.” I’d never killed an animal in my life. I even relocated spiders that got in my place rather than squash them. I didn’t have my rifle or my knife. I didn’t even have a rock to peg at it.

“Jesus. It’s coming,” Jewel whispered.

I’d seen one of these snakes crush a possum once. That was horrifying enough, and that snake had been a third of this size.

If that thing wrapped around us, we were fucked.