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Kate’s hunger, her eagerness was all consuming.
They came together, hard and fast, tremors running along their muscles, and Kate collapsed forwards onto Alexis’s chest. Alexis was wrung emotionally dry after the day, and after she felt Kate come hard and then rest against her with both of their sweat slicked bare chests pressed together, she wanted to envelope Kate in her embrace and keep her safe, sated, and happy.
Silence filled the cavern, broken only by their ragged breathing. Alexis watched as Kate’s eyes drooped and eventually drifted shut. Kate fell asleep on top of her, their naked chests still pressed together. She skimmed her fingers over Kate’snaked back, dropped open-mouthed kisses at the junction of her shoulder and throat, and soaked in her presence.
It was clear to Alexis now that Kate had been actively avoiding getting near her, and Alexis wondered if there was a specific reason Kate was keeping her distance. She suspected trauma, the ghosts of someone from her past, were haunting Kate. Alexis wondered if she could free Kate from her demons.
They’d thrown caution to the wind, and Alexis had had her first dose of pure Lieutenant Kate Cross. Alexis’s chest throbbed, breath whooshing out in a pained gasp, and she wondered if even just once with Kate was enough to get her hooked. Alexis ignored a second pang in her chest at the thought of losing her new lover. The reality of their situation was grim. Alexis’s arms tightened and pulled her in closer. One thing she knew for certain—she couldn’t let anything happen to Kate. At the least, she would protect her through the day so she could sleep peacefully, without a care in the world.
Alexis watched as Kate slept for a few hours. She stayed awake on guard duty, just in case they’d been followed or tracked. Alexis let her mind roam over all things Kate while she remained a silent, vigilant guardian. When Kate began to stir, Alexis let the darkness take over, and she fell into dreamless, exhausted sleep.
Chapter 5
Kate
Afew hours of sleep had helped with Kate’s nerves. It allowed her to push back some of the fear and anxiety that stemmed from lack of sleep and exhaustion. When she cracked her eyes open, she wasn’t scared or anxious. Alexis had kept her safe while she’d slept. The first thing she saw was Alexis’s sleeping face. The smooth lines and angular jaw broadcasted her Native American heritage, and Kate thought that her out of regulations, messy dark hair resembled a mohawk, and she understood why no one gave Alexis shit for it. She resembled a warrior goddess, and Kate blushed at the thought.
Her heart fluttered and confusion skittered through her. Kate had fallen asleep on top of Alexis, but Alexis hadn’t tried to move her or reposition them. She pushed off Alexis, nervous about the shoulder wound, and also trying not to wake her. She wanted to check over her supplies, take inventory of their stock and their situation, and change the dressing on the wound.
Kate watched Alexis for a few more minutes, making certain that her breathing returned to a resting rate, and monitoring herfor any other issues. When none presented and Alexis was sound asleep again, Kate turned to her pack.
The medical kit was lighter than Kate had expected it to be, and anxiety flared through her. She dug through it looking for gauze and tried not to think about how much was left. Alexis didn’t stir at the noise, and Kate knew she needed as much rest as possible before the sun set for the day, and they had to start moving again. Her supplies had dwindled, and she was down to a couple of wound dressings and an emergency pack with tourniquets, quick clot powder, and the cauterization tool she’d brought. She checked both of their canteens, finding them half empty. If they couldn’t get to the next extraction site quickly, they’d run out of water.
Running out of water would be a serious problem, but not one they could do anything about in the bottom of a dried riverbed. Unless it started pouring rain, they were shit-out-of-luck on that front. Alexis probably had some knowledge of the best places to get water in this location, but Kate figured that she and Alexis were on the same page. They wouldn’t need more water if they got out of there fast enough.
Peeling off the bandage, Kate inspected Alexis’s wound for any surprises. The wound looked stable, just a small, neat little bullet hole with no signs of infection or a hemorrhage. The wound's edges were smooth, and it wasn’t actively bleeding. Kate counted their blessings. It could have been a lot worse. She replaced the dressing with a fresh one and gently secured it in place so as not to wake Alexis.
The reality of their situation sank in as Kate slowly collected her clothes and put them back on as if in a trance. They were stuck in hostile territory, Alexis had a minor injury, and Kate was running low on medical supplies. Their water supply wouldn’t last much longer, and they were in the desert. The onlyway they were going to make it out of there alive was if they made their next extraction point—and quickly.
Memorizing the maps had allowed Kate to figure out where they were before Alexis had led them into this hole. The terrain had confused her a bit, but the city rubble and surrounding rocky outcroppings had eventually clicked into place, and Kate had realized they’d nearly made it to the southern inlet of the valley. They’d need to traverse the valley’s opening and get out via the southern border of Syria—if they could get across the border and into Iraq. She had no idea what that would entail, or how long it would take. It had to be at least a few hours of jogging, or less if they could go faster. That didn’t take into account if they came across patrols or enemy encampments.
A glance toward Alexis’ sleeping form had Kate’s anxiety rising again. She’d spent so long distancing herself from others so she wouldn’t get hurt and need to rely on anyone. Somehow, Alexis Cole had snuck her way in without her knowing and without her permission. It had been reckless to let themselves get so distracted, but when she’d realized Alexis had a bullet wound, all good sense had fled from her. Two parts took over. The first was her medical training persona. This was her standard approach to anything that frightened her. Personality two: emotionally vulnerable Kate. When Alexis had first leaned down to kiss her, Kate had finally just let it all go and given herself over to the raw, all-consuming lust that Alexis had stoked in her.
Nothing irritated Kate more than being a weepy, lovestruck idiot, and she had wanted to avoid getting into an intense situation with Alexis. After she lost her last partner Lorelei, Kate had sworn off making attachments and dating in general. Lorelei had deployed with a combat unit into Libya. The platoon had gone in, but they’d never come out. Reports had been sketchy at best, but Kate had read between the lines. Lorelei’s platoon hadtaken heavy fire. None had made it out alive. An entire covert base had been lost, and the casualties were unimaginable.
The mourning processes had nearly destroyed Kate, and she’d kept new relationships casual at most. Lorelei had planned their life out down to the colors they’d paint their house. Imagining having that with anyone else had been impossible.
Alexis’s face flickered through Kate’s mind and she jerked her head back around. She still slept, silent and peaceful. Alexis was so fucking beautiful. Handsome beautiful. Kate’s heart pounded, her ears rang, and she tried to take a few deep breaths. She hadn’t intentionally gotten attached to Alexis. It had just happened between one breath and the next. They could die and never make it home. She was only thirty three, for Christ's sake! There was so much life she could still live, if only they got the hell out of here.
As her thoughts whirled, Kate repacked her supplies to keep her hands and mind busy. The beam of light slowly crawled up the cave of the wall as Kate stripped the pistol Alexis had given her, indicating that time was passing by. She checked her clip and ammo and made sure it was clean and functional. She repeated the processes to keep her mind busy. Her eyes grew heavy after a while, and Kate judged by the angle of the light beam that it was only mid-afternoon. They’d have to wait several more hours for the sun to go down, so Kate figured she could sleep for a few hours. She laid down next to Alexis, pressing her back against her side to share heat. The cave had been cooler than Kate expected, and they hadn’t brought any cool weather gear, so Kate let herself bask in Alexis' warmth and let herself drift off into restless sleep for another few hours, ignoring the sense of safety that Alexis gave her just by being next to her.
Sometime later, Alexis tapped her shoulder and whispered into the semi-dark cave.
“Time to wake up. We’ll need to get moving soon.”
Kate groaned and stretched her muscles, sore from sleeping on the ground. Darkness was creeping in, and Kate guessed the sun was going down. Kate’s stomach growled as her hunger announced itself, but she ignored it, determined not to let her hunger bother her. Alexis tossed her a brown package, and Kate exclaimed quietly, happily surprised. It was an M.R.E. Meals Ready to Eat were widely known as some of the worst meals you could have in the military, but every now and then, there were a few MRE’s that actually tasted good and had tasty snacks inside. Some had Gatorade, and if you were really lucky, you’d find one with coffee. Alexis gave Kate her favorite—beef stew.
It had been a long time since Kate had gone hungry, and she was grateful that Alexis had MREs in her pack. Kate hadn’t even thought about it. She tilted her head in thought while she tore into the package, ready to feast on the peanut butter and flat bread and then dive into the beef stew. The meal had never tasted so good, and she wondered if all surprise meals in the desert tasted this damned good.
“Did you guess my favorite flavor, or is this a coincidence?”
Alexis laughed softly. “Coincidence. But can it really be considered a coincidence when beef stew is really just the best choice? I’ll only choose it and the?—”
“Beef lasagna,” they said together.
They laughed together, and Kate smiled at Alexis. “Great minds.”
Alexis stood near the entrance to their cavern, keeping watch for any patrols or search parties. They’d been lucky to find such a good hiding spot. Kate doubted they’d get so lucky again.
