Chapter 10
Reese couldn’t stop smiling.
She probably looked like an idiot, but she didn’t care.
Her lips were still tingling from their earlier kisses.
She hadn’t lied, it was hard to believe Gus was interested in her.
He was that guy every girl dreamed about taking one look at her and falling madly in love.
The prince from Cinderella. The cute billionaire stranger who sat next to you on a plane and took you home to his mansion and declared his everlasting love.
Okay, those examples might be a stretch, as Gus didn’t have a drop of royalty in his blood and as far as she knew, he wasn’t a billionaire.
But she felt giddy inside that he was here with her, holding her hand, kissing her as if he’d never get enough, and generally being attentive and protective.
She liked it. A lot. She was an independent woman, had always been that way.
She didn’t need a man, but she couldn’t deny that she wanted one.
Her panties were still damp from the way he’d held her tightly against him as they’d kissed. She’d felt his cock—his huge cock—against her belly, and all she’d wanted to do was rip his clothes off right then and there and go down on her knees and taste him.
But she could be patient. Maybe. It had been a long time since she’d had sex, and she’d never had it with someone she wanted as badly as she wanted Gus.
He’d hinted that sex would be in their future—making love, he’d called it…
swoon—but she had a feeling he’d try to be a gentleman and go slowly when it came to intimacy.
Reese didn’t want slow. She’d wanted Gus for what seemed like forever. And she couldn’t help but think that maybe his attraction toward her might fade quickly. That he’d decide he didn’t want an overweight thirty-something engineer, and would rather have a skinny, bubbly twenty-year-old.
Shaking her head, Reese tried not to think about that.
She’d accepted long ago that she was who she was and vowed not to change for any man.
But…making sure Gus knew she was all for the physical intimacy that came with dating was definitely on her agenda.
She didn’t want to wait some random period of time that society deemed acceptable before making love. She was ready now.
Peeking through her lashes at Gus, she smiled. He was made to be out here in the wilderness. He looked more relaxed and his strides were confident. She loved the sight of the tattoos on his arm, and how they flexed with his muscles as he shifted the pack on his back.
“What’s that look for?” he asked with a small grin.
Reese shrugged. “I’m just happy.”
“You’re always happy,” he returned.
She frowned. “That’s not true.”
Gus raised a brow.
“I wasn’t happy when I couldn’t get a hold of Woody.
I wasn’t happy I had to go down to South America to try to find him when I had no idea where to start, other than Isabella’s address.
I wasn’t happy when I got sick and had to stay in my hotel room instead of looking for them.
I wasn’t happy when I was alone with the truck and you and Tiny went to that house, putting yourselves in danger.
I wasn’t happy when we were being shot at and chased by gun-wielding drug cartel goons.
I’m not happy when Angelo won’t talk to me. I’m not happy when—”
“Okay, okay,” Gus said with a laugh. “You’re happy most of the time then. When you aren’t fiercely worried about your loved ones. Or your friends.”
Reese thought about that and gave him a small nod. “It’s better for my peace of mind to focus on the good parts of life more than the bad.”
“Which makes you different from about eighty percent of the world.”
“That’s not true,” she protested.
“It is. When you go on social media, most of the posts are about the shit happening in people’s lives.
They’re complaining about one thing or another.
I’ve seen your posts…you talk about the flowers you saw in the park.
About how thrilled you are for a co-worker who got a raise.
The present you bought for a friend’s son for his birthday. ”
“I get upset,” she protested. “I get worried and mad just like everyone else.”
“I know, but you don’t dwell on it. I think it’s wonderful. And people like being around you because of it.”
“You included?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“Me especially. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t be sad or angry around me. I don’t want you to think I expect you to always be upbeat and chipper. In fact, I need you to be comfortable enough with me to let me see any darker parts of you, as well as the happy ones.”
“I’m not used to letting people in,” she admitted.
“You can trust me with your real feelings,” Gus told her as he squeezed her hand. “Lord knows I’ve got enough nasty shit swirling around in my head that nothing you do or say will faze me.”
“Was it bad?” she blurted.
“It?”
“The missions. Being a Delta. Always being in danger, sent into unsafe places and asked to be Superman.”
“Not always. But a lot of the time, yes. It’s why I finally called it quits.”
“You didn’t quit,” Reese said fiercely. She stopped walking, forcing Gus to stop along with her.
He huffed out a breath. “I did.”
“No, you had enough. Any sane person would. There’s only so much a person’s psyche can take. I admire you for knowing when the time was right.”
“Have you been talking to Henley?”
“About you specifically? No. About some of the horrible things our military guests have seen and done? Yes. I’m proud of you, my brother, and the rest of your team and what you all did.
But I’m relieved that you’re not doing it anymore.
I hated every second of when you guys were deployed.
I dreaded getting that call, that visit, that would inform me someone had died.
It’s selfish, I know that, but I was so damn thrilled when I heard you were getting out. Woody too.”
“It’s not selfish,” Gus said gently.
“It is, but I don’t even care. You’re here and safe. Woody’s safe…well, he would be if he didn’t head off into Drug Cartel Land to rescue his girlfriend and her brother.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that if I can trust you with my feelings, you can trust me with yours.
I don’t expect you to tell me any details that’ll make Uncle Sam come after you and lock you away for years and years.
But if you need space, you’ve got it. If you need to talk, I’m here to listen.
If you need to come out here into the woods and just be silent, we can do that too. ”
Reese let out a small surprised noise when Gus yanked her against him. But she recovered instantly and wrapped her arms around him when he hugged her tightly.
“I’m not used to talking about the shit in my head, but if it becomes too much…I’ll let you know.”
Reese melted against him. She could hear birds overhead, the wind rustling the leaves in the trees, and the beat of Gus’s heart. If she could spend the rest of her life right here, in his arms, with the peacefulness of the world surrounding them, she would.
He pulled back, kissed her lightly, then grabbed her hand. “Come on, we’ve still got a mile or so to go.”
“How do you know where the heck we are and where we’re going?” she asked when they started walking again.
He shrugged. “I just do.”
“My sense of direction sucks,” she informed him. “I can drive the hell out of anything with wheels. Cars, trucks, go-carts, motorcycles. But knowing which way to go is a bit trickier for me.”
Gus laughed.
“Before cars were made with GPS in them, I was always hopelessly getting lost.”
“Close your eyes,” Gus said.
Reese immediately did as he asked without a second thought.
He stopped and spun them in a few circles. “Now, open your eyes and tell me which way we were just heading.”
Reese laughed as she looked around her. All the trees looked the same. And she couldn’t see any kind of trail where they’d just walked either. “I have no idea.”
“Seriously. Take a breath and look around. Look for clues. Where did we just come from?”
“Seriously yourself, Gus. I really have no idea. Every leaf and branch looks the same. I don’t know.”
He frowned. “That isn’t good,” he said, more to himself than to her. “The Refuge is at the edge of thousands of acres of woods. I need to teach you how to use a compass and how to track a little bit.”
“You can try,” she said without conviction. “But Woody’s attempted more than once to teach me some of that stuff. I’m hopeless.”
“You aren’t hopeless,” he said without thought.
Warmth spread throughout Reese. It was such a small thing, yet she couldn’t help but love how he stood up for her. “Okay, smart guy. Your turn. Close your eyes so I can spin you, and you can tell me which way we came from.”
He shut his eyes with a small smile and let her spin him around.
When he opened his eyes, it took about two seconds for him to get his bearings and point to the left.
“That’s where we walked. I can see the scuffs in the dirt.
And that way is north,” he pointed in front of them, “and that way is Los Alamos.” He pointed in a different direction.
“No one likes a smart aleck,” Reese said.
“You do,” he countered.
He had her there. “Whatever,” she muttered.
Gus laughed and grabbed her behind the head and leaned in to give her another kiss. She had to admit, she liked how free he was with his kisses. No, she loved it.
“Are you hungry? Do you need a snack? Maybe some water?”
“No, I’m good.”
“All right. We’ll have a picnic when we get there. Come on, it’s not too much farther.”
“Okay, great human compass, lead the way.”
“One day I’m gonna make you lead us out to the spot I’m going to show you,” he said as they started walking again.
“Is that a threat?” she asked with a smile.
“Nope. Not at all. I just really want you to be able to find your way around here. The thought of you being lost in the forest makes me feel physically sick.”