Bridger lay there with Avalyn clinging to him. He tilted her chin up so he could look in her eyes. “You okay?”
She nodded bravely.
He could hear men’s voices, and the parachute was cut away.
Avalyn stared at him as if he were a hero or something. Then she leaned in and kissed him right on the lips. Bridger savored the warmth of her lips. Sparks seemed to light the humid air around them. She pulled back much too quickly. “Thank you,” she breathed out.
“The kiss was more than enough thanks.” Bridger gave her a confident wink, but inside he was reeling. The terrifying game of catching Avalyn took a back seat, for a moment, to her kiss. Avalyn Shaman had willingly kissed him. He had to remind himself it was in the middle of an intense, crazy situation, so he couldn’t place any value on it, but he wanted to shove the men away who were trying to help them to their feet and continue that kiss. Dared he hope she was changing her mind about him? Would she ever give them a chance?
Mike helped him out of the chute and clapped him on the shoulder. “You did it. Great job!”
Bridger acknowledged his praise with a chin lift, unsure how else to respond. This wasn’t some athletic event. The woman he loved had almost died, again.
“Whoo-hoo!” Ramsey yelled out. Men helped him out of his chute and he jogged across the sand to them. “What a ride! And you win again. Good job, brother.”
Bridger couldn’t take it anymore. This man was not his brother. He stepped up to pummel the guy, but Avalyn dodged in front of him and slugged Ramsey in the gut. Ramsey grunted, surprise registering in his blue eyes.
“You’re a psychotic monster!” she screamed in his face.
Ramsey laughed as his men lifted their guns and pointed them straight at Avalyn. He waved them off. “It’s okay. I deserved that. You guys got lunch set up? I’m starving.” Ramsey slapped Bridger’s shoulder on his way past; Bridger pushed his hand away. “Good times, man.” He chuckled and strutted off.
Bridger pivoted after him, but several rifles pushed into his face made him stop.
The tall guy from last night, Klein, was behind one of the guns. He nodded to Bridger. “Good jump, sir. Lunch is this way.”
Bridger pulled in a ragged breath. He turned and wrapped his arm around Avalyn’s shoulders. She was still trembling. They walked slowly in front of the guards up the beach to where some tables and chairs and a small lunch buffet was set up. Bridger looked around and could see the speedboat anchored in a shallow bay. The helicopter had landed in a clearing a little bit away.
He bent down close to Avalyn’s ear. “You okay?” he whispered.
She looked up at him, her dark eyes full of admiration. “Thanks to you.”
He needed to lighten the moment. “So I’m getting a lot more kisses later? To say thank you, I mean.”
She laughed, but then her eyes sobered. “I don’t give out my kisses easily, Bridger Hawk.”
Bridger’s stomach dropped as he realized what she was implying. He’d kissed hundreds of girls. He couldn’t even remember most of their names. Yet if Avalyn would commit to kissing him for life, he’d never be tempted by any other woman. “Lucky me, then.” He gave her a smirk.
She lifted her eyebrows. “Hopefully your luck hasn’t run out.”
Bridger lost all humor as that statement hit him. His luck of getting a kiss from Avalyn, or his luck of saving her life and protecting her from Ramsey? He needed the luck of the Irish right now, but he’d keep praying and rely on blessings from above. Thinking of that, he said a silent prayer of gratitude that they’d survived another round.
* * *
Avalyn made it through lunch without slugging Ramsey again, but only barely. He joked like they were all friends and laughed at Bridger’s dark, sarcastic comments about Ramsey’s mental instability and lack of sense.
After lunch, Ramsey jumped up. “You two up for a hike? You have to see the waterfall. It’s only a couple of miles each way.”
Avalyn glanced at Bridger. He shrugged at her. Avalyn loved hiking and especially waterfalls, but she hated this twisted reality Ramsey had trapped them in. He wanted to challenge Bridger and almost kill Avalyn every day, then pretend they were all friends who ate a delicious lunch on the beach and went for a hike after? What kind of a monster did that?
“I … yeah, I like waterfalls,” she admitted.
Ramsey clapped his hands together. “Let’s go, then.” He nodded to his men. “Thanks for everything, guys. Who’s coming with us on the hike?”
Avalyn and Bridger exchanged a look. These men looked and acted like mercenaries, yet Klein had told Bridger last night that they were all committed to Ramsey. Why? He treated them like his friends, but there was a deeper reason that eluded her.
Most of the men followed them up the trail past the beach. No one said much as they walked through the lush jungle. Avalyn focused on the beauty of the thick trees and birds twittering around, not allowing herself to think about her freefall an hour ago and what Ramsey might be scheming for tomorrow. She did let herself think about that moment when Bridger had caught her. Even though they’d still been plunging through the air, she’d felt safe. He was her personal hero. An amazingly tough and handsome hero.
A stream trickled past them on their right. Vines hung down around it from the huge trees. She’d been in a lot of tropical places and was always amazed how the people in such areas could survive on very little and were so happy without worldly possessions. They’d fish for their dinner, pluck a mango off a tree for their breakfast, and get their water from the stream. Their focus was on relationships. Avalyn was in so many different areas of the world that she didn’t develop deep relationships often. What could she and Bridger develop if she let down her guard with him? Would it last beyond this nightmare with Ramsey?