Page 49 of Enticing Her Love

“I’m going to take a piss.” He pushed to his feet, his gaze skating around the perimeter of the campsite as he strode determinedly away.

Too agitated to sit still, she got up and shook out her hands, hating the fear that still riddled her, that she’d disappointed Flynn, and that she’d nearly cost at least one of them their life. She paced by the fire, trying to figure out how to get through to him.

Flynn eyed her as he came back into camp. “What do you need?” he asked gruffly.

“I need you to talk to me. I’m sorry. I know I messed up. I was having so much fun, I got caught up in that stupid game and fell into a false sense of security—”

“Stop it,” he barked, tension rolling off him. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Yes, I did! You trusted me to take the lead, and I almost got us killed.”

“No, Sutton,” he growled. “Keeping you safe is my job. I never should’ve let you take the lead. You haven’t been trained for this. I know the dangers of this place. I know what to look for. I should have had my eyes peeled the whole time, and—”

“You trusted me to take the lead, and I was proud of that. But you’re right—you shouldn’t have let me take the lead.”

“No,” he fumed. “That came out wrong. You should be proud. I’m proud of you. You’ve come a hell of a long way, but I had my eyes peeled for trouble when you took the lead, and that should have kept us safe. That’s how you learn. You lead with the support of a trained professional, and I wanted that for you, but I fucked up. I got sidetracked and let my fucking guard down. I should’ve been looking five steps ahead of you at all times.” His jaw clenched and his hands curled into fists, pain riddling his features.

“Then it’s both our faults. You can’t take full responsibility. I was in front, and that stupid snake was right there, and I didn’t even see it.”

“Damn it, Sutton. It’s not your fault.” He hauled her into his arms. “I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you.”

Shock stole her voice. His arms tightened around her, and he kissed the top of her head. She told herself not to make too much out of that. They’d gone through something traumatic, and that did strange things to people’s emotions. But the longer he held her, the more she needed to know the truth. “Because you don’t want to send me home in a body bag and be a person of interest in the investigation, or—”

“I’m just glad you’re safe, and I’ve got you all to myself for one more night.”

She closed her eyes. One more night, echoed in her head.

“I’m sorry I was a dick.”

“You weren’t a dick. I’m just scared, and you just shut me out, and…” Her throat thickened. “I hate that.”

He leaned back, taking her chin between his finger and thumb, and tilted her face up. A sea of worry looked back at her. “That’s what tore your family up for so long.”

She nodded, surprised he’d put the two together.

His jaw clenched again. “I’m so fucking sorry. I’ll try not to do that to you again. I know you’re scared, and I’m sorry.” He kissed her softly. “It’s been a hell of a day. One of the best and one of the hardest I’ve ever experienced.”

“Me too.”

“I’m beat, and I just want to be close to you. Is that okay?”

She nodded, tears dampening her eyes. “I want that, too.”

His arms circled her again, and he held her for the longest time. Then they put out the fire and went through the necessary steps to make sure they were safe for the night before settling into the diminutive tent. Neither spoke as they stripped off their dirty clothes. Sutton went up on her knees in her T-shirt and underwear and turned away to use the cleansing wipes, but Flynn touched her arm, stopping her.

“Let me.” He went up on his knees and took the wipe from her hand, gently cleansing her face and neck. His gaze was soft and caring, his touch as intimate as it was firm, as if she was something precious to be treasured. “You really are so beautiful.”

The way he said it, low and thoughtfully, made her blush. “I’m a mess.”

“The most beautiful mess I’ve ever seen.” He set the dirty wipe down and grabbed another from the package.

“You don’t have to—”

“Just let me do this.” His jaw ticked. “After tonight, you’ll have all the time in the world to take care of yourself.”

They didn’t speak as he took off her shirt and washed her shoulders and arms, all the way down to the tips of her fingers. He washed along her collarbone, caringly caressing his way down her body. She closed her eyes, soaking in the feel of the cool cloth moving over her skin in stark contrast to the heat taking root between them. When he slipped her underwear down her legs to cleanse her, he wasn’t touching her sexually, but it felt even more intimate than if he were. She could barely breathe for the emotions stacking up inside her as he moved behind her, giving every inch of her body the same careful—loving?—attention, as if he were memorizing the feel of her.

When he was done, she reached for the package of wipes to do the same for him, but he shook his head and kissed her. “If you touch me like that, I’ll be all over you. Lie down, babe. I’ll be there in a second.”