SEAL's Desire (Alpha SEALs Coronado #1) - Makenna Jameison Page 0,38

of her camisole, and she realized it would be hard to remove without the use of her other arm.

“I’ll be careful of your wrist,” he assured her. “And tempting as it is, I won’t do anything else, just help you change.”

She flushed again, and his eyes heated. “Hell sweetheart. I love the way you blush around me.”

“Blake,” she protested, feeling even more embarrassed.

He briefly set his weapon down again, walking back over to her. Although she could see the hunger in his eyes, she knew this wasn’t something sexual. He was helping her to change so they could move on.

His fingers at the edge of her camisole made her tremble in anticipation though. And the way his powerful body hovered over hers was arousing. She could feel the sparks and chemistry between them. Blake kept his word though, carefully lifting her top.

She heard his slight intake of breath as her breasts were exposed—she was wearing a plain white bra, but she knew as much as him that he could see everything. Her shirt had been damp, and her nipples pressed against the thin cotton bra.

Blake didn’t linger though, just cleared his throat and helped her to slip on the button-down shirt. She winced as it went over her wrist, and he cursed. He fumbled with the buttons on her top, and she smiled. Blake seemed a bit nervous himself right now. A guy like him was probably used to undressing a woman—not buttoning the shirt of one.

He grabbed her camisole and walked to the stream, ducking down to rinse it out.

“Be careful,” she said.

He looked back at her.

“There’s piranhas in the rainforest. They’re more likely to be in the river than this small stream, but….”

“Got it,” he said, suddenly all business.

He wrung out her top, crossing back to her. “Do you need anything else, or should we head for the river?”

“The river. I just want to go home,” she murmured softly.

He clenched his jaw, nodding, then ducked and kissed the top of her head. The unexpected gesture sent warmth coursing through her. Blake was sweet and caring. He’d never admit as much, she was certain, but underneath that gruff exterior, she could tell that he cared about her.

“I’ll get you home, sweetheart. I promise I’ll get you home.”

***

If Blake had seemed protective of her before, he was even more so now. When they’d finally resumed walking toward the river, he’d barely let her leave his side. He was constantly scanning the area for threats, his jaw clenched. He held his weapon ready in case they saw anyone.

Maybe having him act this way should’ve unnerved her, but she was thankful he was being cautious.

“Look, up ahead!” she cried out after they’d walked another hour.

“I hear it,” he said, breaking into a grin.

The sound of the river grew louder as they got closer, and Clarissa practically jumped in excitement. “Oh my God, I thought we’d never get here!”

“The weather looks good, too. I should get a clear signal, and we’ll be on our way.” They hurried the last bit of the way to the river, and then after a brief glance around to make sure they were alone, Blake was rummaging through his bag to get the satellite phone. He gave her the thumbs up as he got a signal, and then he was talking to his team.

The next few minutes were surreal. One moment she was standing there talking to Blake, stuck in the rainforest, and the next, she heard a helicopter.

“How’d they get here so quickly?” she asked in amazement.

Blake chuckled. “We’re not that far from base, just in the middle of the damn rainforest. Hell. We could’ve walked back on the highway if I thought it was remotely safe.”

“Are they going to land here?” she asked, looking around.

“No, there’s not enough room. They’ll drop a line down. I’ll put you in a harness and strap you in, and after they bring you up, I’ll come along, too.”

“God,” she said, feeling nervous all over again.

“You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”

“No, but I might be after this.”

Blake chuckled as the sound of the helicopter got louder and louder. “Damn, this headset is still not working. I was hoping when they got closer, I could talk to the team.”

Blake signaled to them as the helicopter hovered up above. Butterflies filled her stomach, and she tried to calm her frayed nerves.

“All right, it looks like Troy’s coming down. I’ll hook you up to the harness, and you’ll go up together. He’ll help