SEAL's Desire (Alpha SEALs Coronado #1) - Makenna Jameison Page 0,39

you inside and then drop the line down to me.”

A huge guy was lowered down on the rope, just dangling from the helicopter, dressed in the same gear as Blake. There was an extra harness, which she realized was meant for her. Jesus. Could she really do this? Get tied to a rope again and be pulled up?

“It’s okay,” Blake assured her, noticing the fear in her eyes. He practically had to shout above the noise of the helicopter. “Troy will help you, and I’ll be right up afterward.”

Troy landed on the ground, towering above her, and Blake grabbed the harness, expertly putting it on Clarissa. He tightened the straps, and she shivered as his large hands moved over her, hating that she was about to leave him. Even if it was only for a moment, he’d been with her every step of the way so far. And right now? She was frightened out of her mind.

Blake leaned over and quickly kissed her forehead, the touch of his lips burning into her skin. She looked at him in surprise.

Kissing her earlier was one thing, when she was scared and they were alone.

But this? Kissing her in front of his teammates before she was rescued? This was a claiming. Blake had claimed her as his and wanted everyone to know it.

Troy grinned at her as he signaled to the other men, and then they were being pulled upward, the ground moving farther and farther away. She cried out and clung to the harness.

“You doing okay?” Troy shouted.

“I’m positively terrified.”

He glanced up at his teammates before looking back at her. “Don’t worry, we’re almost there. You’re doing awesome. Blake would probably kick my ass if I let anything happen to you.”

She caught the amused expression on his face as heat washed over her. What had they thought happened between them?

She didn’t have time to wonder, because a moment later, strong arms were hauling her inside. She and Troy were unhooked from the rope, and a moment later, it was going down again. A huge guy guided her over to the far side of the helicopter as she shook. The adrenaline, the exhilaration—it was too much.

She sank to the ground, shaking, and he gripped her good wrist, checking her pulse. He was talking to the other men over the headsets. She understood why they were so important—it was hard to hear over all the noise.

A moment later, Blake appeared in the opening. He dropped his weapon and backpack and strode over to her, even as the helicopter began moving away. “You did it,” he said, crouching down beside her. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, and he stood up and turned as another guy handed him a new headset. Putting it on, he began talking to his teammates, mostly ignoring her. Not that she blamed him. He’d been out of communication with them and needed updates on their mission.

She watched him talking rapidly to his men, gesturing, and she wondered what all they were discussing. The large guy beside her was mostly quiet, and she looked in awe out the window as the rainforest disappeared behind them.

Goodness.

She never expected to see it from above like this, and it truly was amazing. They flew for a few minutes, and then she could see some sort of military base in the distance. There were planes and vehicles on the ground, people moving around. Nerves fluttered through her. They wouldn’t just forget about her, would they?

Now that Blake was back with his team, getting updates, he had work to do. Should she contact the embassy? Go try to get her wrist splinted? No doubt she’d need an actual doctor when they were home.

How was she getting home? Would she really fly with Blake and these men?

The helicopter began to descend, and Blake crossed back to her. Relief washed over her as he sank down to her side. Just having his large frame next to her calmed her. But was she only feeling like that because she’d depended on him for so much the past few days?

A minute later, the rotors were slowing, and Blake helped her up and grabbed his own gear. The other guys jumped off, with Blake carefully helping her down.

They walked out onto the helipad, and she looked around in wonder.

Before she knew it, a woman from the American embassy was rushing over to greet her. There appeared to be a doctor or nurse with her as well, and they began hustling her away from