to him or me, to always choose me.”
“Good for her.”
“Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat this. I’ve never shot a weapon. But I know how to load one, hold it, and aim. I’m comfortable and safe with them.”
“Good. She did you a great service.”
“I liked to think so. On the other hand, I never had to use any of my skills, and I wasn’t at the church the day my father was abducted from his office. The next day, my family was picked up by the SEALs and taken to the base. We refused to leave Djibouti until it was confirmed that my father had been killed.”
Ajax set his forehead against her and closed his eyes. There were no words again, but this time, he whispered, “I’m sorry, baby.” The moment that last word slipped from his mouth, he knew he’d crossed a line with her. He knew it was a very bad idea, but he couldn’t stop himself.
He slid his hand to her cheek as he opened his eyes. Their lips were an inch apart, and they were both breathing heavily. He held her gaze long enough to make sure she wanted his lips on hers as much as he did.
When she licked those full lips, he closed the distance and kissed her, crushing his mouth to hers a moment later as a moan escaped her lips. His heart was racing as she grabbed his biceps and gripped him tightly. He angled his head to one side and deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue along the seam of her mouth until she parted for him.
Damn, she was so precious and sweet. So soft in all the right ways. Far too good for someone like him. He broke the kiss reluctantly when both of them needed oxygen, but he didn’t pull back. He tipped his forehead to hers again, holding her gaze as they panted.
She was the first to look away, glancing down as her flushed cheeks turned a darker shade of red. “That was probably not in our best interest,” she said all businesslike.
He fought the urge to chuckle. She hadn’t meant it to be funny, but her choice of words was kind of comical. “Probably not,” he agreed, mostly because she was right. And then, because he couldn’t stop himself, “But I’m not sorry, and I’ll be looking forward to doing it again.”
She pursed her lips and then chewed on the lower one, keeping her head bowed. Her hand still gripped his biceps though, and she wasn’t backing off. She was trembling.
He suddenly wondered how much experience she’d had with men. She was twenty-eight years old for heaven’s sake. Surely…
Now wasn’t the time to ask or pressure her.
“I’m so glad you had Jasmine.” His voice sounded rough with lust, but he needed to dispel the awkwardness. “It sounds like she was one of the most important influences in your life. Have you had any contact with her since you left the country?”
She shook her head. “No. I’ve thought about her many times. I’ve often wondered if she’s still in the village, or even still alive. Many people have been driven from their homes, forced to flee to Sudan, refugees from their own home country.”
Ajax stroked her cheek with his thumb. “It’s a very sad situation here.”
“Yes.” She sighed.
“Maybe we’ll have a chance to find her.”
Serena bit her bottom lip. “We will. If she’s still there. We’ll be going through that village on our route.”
Ajax smiled. “Good.” He tipped his head back, realizing the sky had darkened a bit at some point. A few raindrops hit his face.
Serena twisted around to grab the other end of the tarp and pulled it over them, creating a sort of tent. “We should take off our shoes and socks and put them in the bag so they stay dry just in case this is a deluge.”
“You’re right.” He grinned at her. “You sure you weren’t a girl scout?”
“Ha. They didn’t have that sort of thing in Ethiopia when I was growing up. I’d never even heard of the organization.”
He held the tarp over them as she removed her shoes and socks and then she did the same for him. He stashed them in the weapons bag and pulled out a protein bar and a bottle of water for each of them.
It was slightly awkward, but they managed to open everything, and then each used one hand to hold the tarp out to their sides while balancing the water bottles between their knees