Marriage. Would that ever happen for her or for Aiden? Most likely, the answer was no. And that shouldn’t scare her as much as everything else they’d faced tonight.
ChapterTwelve
Aiden stared around at the clearing, listening to any nuance in sound and trying to avoid staring at Melene’s gorgeous face. It was hard enough to stay in control with her firm body cradled in his arms and the memory of their intense kisses in his mind.
She’d finally settled in against him, her breathing had evened out, and she’d fallen asleep. That helped cool his ardor a bit.
Saving myself for marriage. If I ever do get married.
Those two lines were on repeat in his brain. He’d tried to stop himself from becoming enraptured with her, but it was far, far too late for that. If only he could be the man she’d saved herself for. If only they could get married and have their own happily ever after. He grimaced. They had to make it through tonight first, and they had to keep her safe from Phillip and get that bounty removed.
If all of that worked out, would he dare ask her if they could make some kind of long-distance relationship work? With both of their jobs and travel, they’d most likely be on different continents at all times. Creating a relationship between them was idealistically naïve and doomed to failure. He couldn’t stand the thought of letting her go, but the thought of marriage and children and him either being killed or Melene growing to resent him being gone and in danger all the time scared him. He knew they were different than Jace and Charisse but he could almost see them ending up in a worst spot.
Dawn was fast approaching, and he wondered how long he had until someone approached and they had to move, or he got the signal from Thor and Greer to move to a more open location where the chopper could extract them. Papa had immediately changed the plan when he’d gotten Aiden’s text. Instead of flying directly to Jamaica, Thor and Greer had rerouted to the nearby Guantanamo Bay Military Base in Cuba. A Black Hawk helicopter with only the pilot, Thor, and Greer onboard, would fly to Jamaica to retrieve them and then take them on to an undetermined location. Aiden imagined Papa knew their next stop was, but he wasn’t about to text it and risk any interception, even with secure phones.
His phone beeped in his pocket. He tried not to disturb Melene as he retrieved it, but she woke and slid off his lap. He didn’t like her out of his arms, but it would make it easier for him to think clearly.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
He nodded and pulled his phone out. Thor had texted coordinates as close as he could find to where Aiden was. He clicked on them and his phone immediately showed the map. Zero point four miles away. He groaned. It was close, but without shoes, it would not be easy.
“We’ve got a bit of a walk,” he admitted to Melene.
As he was coming to realize was her innate and impressive good nature, she simply nodded, stood, and stretched. Aiden tried not to stare. Her tank top and shorts were still damp and clung to her. He pulled his knife out, pulled a roll of gauze out of his bag’s medical kit, and then cut the plastic blanket up. He fished out a small roll of duct tape from a pocket.
“Sit and give me a foot,” he instructed Melene.
She smiled questioningly, but obeyed. He wrapped the gauze and then some of the plastic around her foot and duct-taped them on, repeating the process on her other foot.
“You’re incredible,” she gushed, giving him a quick hug and a kiss on the lips.
Aiden grinned, wishing he could extend the hug and kiss. Maybe when they got to their next location. With Thor and Greer watching on. That might be awkward to have his brothers as their audience but he didn’t care. Those two had found the loves of their lives. They could handle watching him hold Melene night and day.
He grimaced. He was the one who couldn’t handle that and stay in control. If they weren’t running for their lives, he’d beg her to elope. He shook his head at himself. There was no future for him and this beauty. Neither of them would change their calling in life. He had to stop letting himself be deluded into imagining there was a way to navigate a relationship.
Melene eased back with a questioning look when he didn’t respond. He quickly wrapped his own feet, secured the gauze and plastic with duct tape, and stored everything back in the bag. He offered Melene a drink, took a drink himself, and refilled his water bottle from the stream. They were headed away from the river to a clearing. He didn’t know if they’d found a spot they could land the helicopter or just drop a line.
Shrugging his tactical backpack on, he led the way. He and Melene trudged through the thick foliage. It was rough going and he wished for a machete. His pocketknife wasn’t cutting it and he didn’t dare push down trees and make too much noise. At least the foot protection was a little better than bare feet. He stepped on a sharp rock and hid a wince. A little better.
He heard some movement in the brush to their right. Freezing, he tugged Melene behind him, drew his gun out, and scanned the area for the source of the noise. He was concerned, but only because of Melene’s safety. He would happily go back and fight all those men who had invaded their sanctuary last night. Maybe he’d get his chance right now.
Melene’s panting breaths at his back were almost as loud as whatever was pushing through the brush. The movement kept coming, but no head or body. He looked down and could see a pig snuffling through the brush, and then the animal snorted indignantly at them before pushing past.
He turned to Melene. “Just a pig.”
She gave him a trembling smile. He could see she was almost at the end of her rope. If only he could gather her into his arms and comfort her. Now wasn’t the time.
Would it ever be “the time” for them?
He hated to give her false hope that they could be together when he couldn’t see a clear path to go forward. One minute he wanted to hang all the future issues and just kiss her until she knew how much he cared and how incredible she was. The next, he knew he had to keep his distance so he didn’t hurt her. It felt like his emotions were on a roller coaster ride and he honestly had no clue how to respond, as he’d never been here before.
He squeezed her hand and then started walking again. Keeping her safe had to be the priority right now. He lost his mind when she kissed him. If she leaned in again, he’d have to turn his head. That would suck.
They walked through more jungle and finally reached the extraction site. It was a large area that had been cleared of trees, probably centuries ago, and planted into sugar cane. He thought the area they were closest to may have been where the old plantation home and outbuildings had been. He’d heard about slave rebellions years ago where the plantation owners were murdered and the houses and outbuildings burned to the ground. Squinting, he could see some foundations through the murky light. It looked to be a decent-sized house.
Interesting. These people lived and died and some died violently while others’ lives improved because of those deaths and they lived to carry on. All that was left of the struggle and their lives was some stone. What would be left when Aiden died? His family would definitely mourn him, and his teammates, but what had he built? What legacy did he have?
He shook off the odd thoughts and focused on the mission as he always did. Melene was safe, and there was room for a chopper to land here.