pushed to his feet, every muscle and bone in his body screaming in protest. Damn, he hurt. He picked up his backpack. "I'll escort you down there."
Cheeks flaming red, she squared her shoulders and hugged her makeshift robe more tightly around her.
They lumbered to the river's edge, and Gray did a perimeter search. "Everything appears safe and sound."
"Then you can go back to camp," she huffed. "You are not watching me bathe. And if you need me, well, don't bother yelling. I won't come to your rescue." She stomped away, but paused and turned, facing him. The blue of her eyes gleamed with wicked retribution, "Oh, and Gray? I plan to bathe naked, letting my hands linger on my breasts and between my legs."
Truth. She couldn't lie. "Thanks for that," he said wryly, already growing hard, delicious images racing through his mind.
"You're welcome."
While she bathed - naked and touching herself in all the places he wanted to touch, damn it! - he trudged a few feet away and eased down behind a bush. Her words brought images of soft, peach-colored skin, lips parted on a breath, dark hair spread like a rain cloud around her shoulders. Nipples hard and begging for his mouth. Legs -
"Damn it." He withdrew his transmitter. "Santa to Mother."
Static, then, "Mother here."
"Will have package in about two days and head home."
"You've got us worried, Santa. Delivery is taking longer than expected." "Maybe next time you need to rethink the words 'in and out.'"
Pause. "What do you mean?"
"You know the text we discounted? Well, it's true."
"You mean - "
"Yeah. That's exactly what I mean. Read The Book of Ra Dracas again and work me up a list of every creature's weaknesses." He didn't know why he hadn't thought of Ra Dracas before. "Have you learned anything else?"
"We found something, but we're not sure we translated it right." "Tell me anyway."
"Basically anyone who tries to snuff out the breath of life from the Jewel of Dunamis will earn the gods' darkest wrath." His boss paused again. "How can a gemstone breathe? Is it alive?"
Good questions.
A completely ingenious/dumb-ass idea crashed into his mind, and he stiffened. He blinked his eyes. No. Surely not. But... maybe. "I need to think about this," he said. "Will contact you later for that list. Over."
Gray set the radio aside, intent on finishing his tasks before he allowed himself to work on the puzzle that had presented itself with his boss's words. He checked his GPS system, only to discover the stupid thing was broken. He didn't understand. It wasn't water damaged, wasn't smashed. For a long while, he reworked the wires, reconnecting and tightening, to no avail. Disgusted, he finally shoved the priceless piece of shit into his backpack.
Because he himself wasn't at his best, he needed his equipment to pick up the slack. Obviously that wasn't going to happen. He expelled a frustrated breath. If he and Jewel were going to sleep out in the elements for another night or two, he'd have to build some sort of shelter, preferably something he could hook to his back and carry. Something to hide and protect them.
His gaze scanned the surrounding area, mentally cataloging what he could use. Twigs, leaves, rocks. He should have brought a camo tent, but hadn't thought he'd need one.
"That damn Jude Quinlin."
Gray lumbered to his feet. His head pounded sharply, and his wounds pulsed. His legs were still weak from blood loss, and his vision swam, but he managed to stay upright. He really, really wanted to stroll down to the river and shock Miss Prudence Merryweather right out of her inhibitions. To catch a glimpse of those long legs that stretched all the way to paradise... that soft belly and rounded waist... those small, pert breasts and pink-as-berries nipples that begged for his mouth...
"Don't do this to yourself again, man." Too late. His body hardened, and he forgot all his aches but one. But Gray stayed put - and not because of any gentlemanly tendencies. "Damn shelter," he muttered, adding it to his shit list with Quinlin.
Jewel was a walking contradiction, a smart-mouthed, freaky little sex puppet slash shy, innocent virgin nun. Both sides of her intrigued him, and he enjoyed watching the two sides of her nature battle for supremacy. He often found himself wondering which would ultimately prevail. The angel or the tigress? Or a combination of both?
As he forced his attention on his surroundings, the sound of splashing water echoed in his ears as loudly