SEAL's Desire (Alpha SEALs Coronado #1) - Makenna Jameison Page 0,27

you try to get some more rest? We’ll move out in a couple of hours when day breaks. I need to connect with the team.”

“Right,” she said, shifting away from him. He instantly missed the loss of her touch. The warmth of her in his arms. Her softness was a total contrast to his strength, but he loved the dichotomy of it. The way he could see himself needing a woman like her just as she needed him.

“How’s your wrist?” he asked as she again got settled.

“Sore,” she admitted.

He nodded. “You could take another round of aspirin. It probably needs to be reset and put into a cast when we’re home.” He moved back toward his rucksack, returning with the aspirin and water. Clarissa’s hands shook as she took it from him, and he frowned.

She deserved a night at home free from nightmares, not roughing it out here with him in a tent.

“Get some rest,” he said. “I’ll sit right here by the edge of the tent.”

“Okay.” She lay back down and winced as she reached for the blanket.

“I got it,” he said easily, covering her with it before she could protest. His chest tightened as he caught a glimpse of her hair on the sweatshirt she was using for a pillow. His sweatshirt. Something felt damn right about seeing her blonde tresses covering it, which was nuts. Apparently, he had some caveman mentality where he needed to care for his woman. And she sure the hell wasn’t his woman, was she?

Shaking his head, he moved out of the tent area, sinking down to the ground. It was weird as hell being out here in the dark forest with a woman. He was used to roughing it with his SEAL team, and he liked camping in his off time. He’d never met a woman into that though. The types he met at the local beaches or bars considered a day on the sand to be adventurous enough. The ocean breeze in their hair and sand beneath their feet was as close to nature as they wanted to be. Not that he didn’t love the beach, but damn. He also enjoyed a good hike and night around a campfire.

Glancing briefly at Clarissa again, he looked away.

He felt oddly content for the moment. Normally during downtime on a mission he’d be shooting the shit with his buddies or have already crashed for the night unless it was his turn to keep watch.

Now it was just him sitting here in the dark, watching over the woman he’d rescued. Keeping away her demons—both real and imaginary. The quiet sounds of the rainforest around them soothed him. Insects chirped, the air was moist and still. It sure the hell beat their damn desert deployments with all the sand and dry air.

And even though it was strange being away from his teammates, he liked that it was his responsibility to watch Clarissa. Seeing her helpless in that tent earlier was nerve-wracking. If he could make her feel safe and secure, he’d do it.

The solace of three a.m. in the jungle would be over soon though. In a few hours, they’d need to move out. Hustle to the river to establish communications. Meet up with their rescue helicopter. Head home.

He glanced toward the tent again.

In a weird way, he already missed being alone with Clarissa.

Chapter 13

Clarissa awoke with a start the next morning. For a brief instant, her heart pounded and she thought she was still in the terror camp. Except her wrist was wrapped in a bandage, not tied with rope and bound to a pole. Her head rested on a soft sweatshirt, not the damp grass.

There was a hint of a masculine scent on the sweatshirt Blake had let her borrow. It was slightly spicy, the scent enticing, and for a second, she wondered if he had a girlfriend.

Not that it mattered, of course. He’d saved her life—stumbled upon her unexpectedly and risked his own life to get her safely out of there. He’d literally shielded her with his body. Hustled her to the shelter of the forest. She owed him her gratitude and didn’t need to fawn over him or something.

She’d been so exhausted last night, she’d barely given a passing thought to how attractive he was. Of course she’d noticed his muscular physique and chiseled features, but goodness. She’d been in fear for her life. She would’ve been grateful to whoever came to her rescue. The fact that Blake looked like a military