Chapter 29 Theo
THEO
ALIGHT HUMMING sound filtered through my dreamless sleep. I couldn’t place what it was, but it didn’t sound immediately dangerous, so I didn’t bother opening my eyes. It wasn’t until heat crept up my body and a bright light stung behind my eyelids that I got curious.
The concrete walls that Shep had lowered while we slept were rising back up to the ceiling, letting in the sun, and he stood in the doorway of my room, arms crossed over his chest as he watched me. I’d never seen him so casual before, in a tank top and cargo shorts.
“Now that’s different,” I said, my voice coming out a bit rough and scratchy as I stretched my arms up over my head. “You look ready to work up a sweat.”
“That’s because I am.” His gaze drifted over me slowly as he reached for a second pair of shorts—my shorts—and tossed them at me. “And so are you.”
“I’m not sure why that would require I put on clothes, but if you want a workout, I’m more than happy to accommodate you.”
I kicked the sheets down my body, revealing my fully aroused cock, and reveled in how Shep’s eyes took the same path.
“Take off your clothes and come to bed. I was too tired last night to take advantage of you, but I’m more than willing now.”
Shep snorted and tossed a black tank top and hoodie on top of my shorts. “Well, thank you for your sacrifice, but I need to get out, stretch my legs. I don’t know how long we’re going to be here, and I want to get my bearings.”
“I thought you said you’ve been here before?”
“I have been. But that was a long time ago.”
“And now you want to do a perimeter check.”
“Something like that.”
My attention drifted past Shep to the lush jungle beyond. “Okay, how about you go do that, and when you’re finished, you know where to find me.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t think so. Until we know who and where this threat is coming from, you and I are going to be joined at the hip.”
“The hip?” My eyes dropped below the waist of his shorts. “I can think of a much more pleasurable way to be joined.”
“Get up,” Shep ordered me, and before I could point out that I already was, he turned on his heel and headed for the door. “If you’re not in the living room in the next two minutes, you’re not going to like what happens next.”
I wasn’t sure what it said about me that his threat was just as enticing as his body, but as he disappeared from the room I found myself climbing out of bed and pulling my clothes on.
Though I was loathe to admit it, Shep was right—until we knew where the threat was coming from, we needed to stay vigilant.
Just because I had him off grid in a house that had fortress-like walls, that didn’t mean I could let my guard down—even if the idea of being alone with Shep for the foreseeable future had an appeal unlike any other.
Not only were we cut off from civilization, we had also gone dark on all communications, in and out. Essentially, we were on our own until we checked in.
“Theo.” Shep’s voice echoed through the house to where I’d just finished pulling on my shorts. I tugged the tank top over my head and snatched up my hoodie, then headed down the hall.
“All right, keep your pants on. Oh wait,” I said as I came to a stop in the living room. “You already did that.”
Shep looked up from tying one of his hiking boots and gestured to the extra pair in front of him. “You’re going to want to put those on.”
I eyed the thick-tread boots. “Just how far are we going?”
“Just a few miles.”
“Then why can’t I just wear my usual workout shoes?”
Shep sat back in his seat. “Well, you can, but I would think you might want something more substantial between your feet and the wildlife out there.”
“Wildlife?”
“Insects, spiders, snakes.”
“Oui, I get it, and I think I’m just going to wait here for—”
“No. Put your boots on, Theo.”
I grumbled but took the couch opposite him, racking my brain for a way out of this. Surely there was a way to get Shep to leave me behind. But when he tossed me a pair of thick socks, I knew my time for coming up with said plan was running out.
“Maybe I could stay here and make some breakfast for us?”
“You? Cook?” Shep pushed to his feet and walked over to a backpack sitting on the table. “I think I’d rather walk through the jungle in flip-flops.”
“Oh, I see, you’re feeling funny today.”
Shep glanced over his shoulder at me with a grin. “Let’s just say I woke up refreshed. A good sleep will do that.”
“So would a good fuck—want to help me out?”
“Put your fucking boots on.” Shep chuckled and headed for the kitchen, and by the time he came back carrying several bottles of water, my boots were tied and I’d pulled a baseball cap on.
“Happy?” I spread my arms and made a slow circle.
“Ecstatic.” He zipped up the backpack and put it on, but it seemed to me he was missing the most important items for any hike.
As I headed to the weapons safe he’d shown me on our tour last night, he called out, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“You said snakes. Not a fan.” I tucked a sheathed knife into the back of my pants and went to shut the safe, then thought twice about what else we might encounter and grabbed one of the Glocks.
Shep snorted as I met him at the door. “Planning on shooting a snake? You killed a man with your bare hands.”
“Maybe I plan on shooting you for waking me up to hike through a jungle.”
He rolled his eyes and gestured for me to go first before locking up. “I seem to remember you forcing me to explore Japan. Made me eat fucking octopus balls. Yet now you say you’re not up for an adventure?”
“Hey, those balls were delicious.”
“The second best I’ve ever had in my mouth.”
He winked as he walked by me to lead the way, and my jaw hit the dirt-covered ground.
“I’m sorry,” I said, blinking as I stood there staring after him until I realized I needed to catch up and not get lost out here. “Did I hallucinate that, or did you just insinuate that my balls are the best you’ve ever put in your mouth? Because I need to record this moment for posterity.”
“Oh, you think I meant yours?”
“Are you fucking seri—” My words cut off as a teasing glint entered his eyes. “You asshole.”
He began to laugh, a more relaxed sound than I’d heard from him in weeks. “You walked right into it.”
A smartass retort was on the tip of my tongue, but then it hit me: an unwanted image of Shep with King flashing through my mind, and along with it, a seed of doubt that came with wondering if that was whom he meant. King.
Putain. Was that whom he meant?
No. I shook off the thought. Of course he wasn’t talking about him. He wouldn’t make a joke like that about King. Shep didn’t usually joke, period, so this side of him was what I brought out of him. Right?
He cocked his head curiously at me as I grunted and batted a wayward limb out of my face. When it came back to slap me again, I whipped out my knife and cut the damn thing in half.
“See?” I said, slicing at a hanging vine in our path. “Told you this would come in handy.”
“Right, for all the trees trying to attack you.”
“Hey, this is a dangerous, unfamiliar place. If something comes at me and I react, it’s not my fault.”
“Well, I don’t think anything we’ll find out here is used to kneeling for royalty, so maybe give them the benefit of the doubt before you start putting bullets in everything.”
That all sounded like a bunch of blah fuckin’ blah except for the part about kneeling. “I couldn’t even get you on your knees for me this morning. I don’t have high hopes for the monkeys.”
The deeper we hiked into the jungle, the hotter it got, to the point where I finally stripped off my hoodie and tied it around my waist. Almost immediately, the mosquitos began their attack, and the sound of my slapping them off one by one was all you could hear as we trekked farther into the middle of nowhere for what had to be miles.
“Theo, watch out for the—”
Too late. I stepped into about a foot of mud, and it squelched up the length of my boot. Ugh. I guess Shep had been right about one thing: my workout shoes would’ve been goners.
I lifted my boot up out of the mess and shook it off, wrinkling my nose in disgust. “Merde. This is barbaric. I wasn’t made for…mud.”
“Nah, I know you too well. You enjoy getting your hands dirty.” Shep’s gaze wandered down my chest, where I could feel the sweat from all the humidity soaking through my t-shirt. “Among other things.”
I caught on to the fact he was flirting, but my annoyance at this little outing was starting to take over, and I snapped my teeth at him. “Careful, Shep. I bite.”
“You say that like it’s a threat.”
“I didn’t say where I’d bite.”
He let out a low whistle and chuckled, continuing on into…wherever the hell we were. It all looked the same to me, tree after tree, all very lush and green, of course, but… Fuck me, was that a snake wrapped around one of the branches not far above us?
“Try to relax,” Shep said, looking up at what had caught my eye. “It won’t hurt you if you don’t provoke it. I know that’s a damn near impossible ask, but try.”
I swallowed hard and wiped at the sweat on my brow. This was ridiculous. I wasn’t scared of anything, and I wasn’t about to let some boneless reptile make me tuck tail and run. I’d filet its ass first.
Letting out an exhale, I nodded and went to follow after Shep, only to see he’d moved in close, blocking my path.
“You good?” he asked, a slight frown marring his brow, like he was actually concerned for my wellbeing instead of giving me hell. His hand came to rest on my forearm, and that touch made my heart beat a little faster.
Maybe I was dehydrated.
“I’m great.” I took a step back, letting his arm fall away. “Well, great for schlepping it in the woods, which is like the bottom rung of great.”
“I ‘schlepped it’ in Osaka.”
“And that was a good time. You even admitted it.”
He arched a brow. “You trying to say you’re not having a good time?”
At that moment, the world’s largest spider dropped onto Shep’s shoulder, and I didn’t miss a beat, knocking the damn thing off before it could get its fangs in him. The man was fucking delicious, after all. I couldn’t blame it for wanting a bite.
The critter scampered off under some brush, and when Shep got a good look at his new friend, he shuddered.
“Exactly,” I said, smirking and body-checking him as I passed. “All I’m saying is, if this is your idea of a date, your seduction skills need work.”