Her Wild Hero

Declan closed his eyes, carefully listening for the sounds of hybrids sniffing around, but he didn’t hear anything. He still couldn’t believe they hadn’t smelled him and Kendra in the stream. Thank God they had a crappy sense of smell like him.

But at the moment his nose was working just fine. Unfortunately, the only scent he could pick up was Kendra’s. Even sweaty and dirty, she smelled good—too good.

He ground his jaw. Why the hell was it so hard to ignore her scent? He wasn’t even attracted to her anymore.

Okay, so that was a lie, at least as far as his nose—and other parts of his body—were concerned. This close to her, he couldn’t deny it, not even to himself.

Declan shifted a little to get some separation between them, but Kendra only groaned and wiggled closer. Thank God she was asleep. It would be damn embarrassing if she asked him what the hell was poking her in the ass.

Of course, thinking about what his hard-on was poking just made it worse. Shit, this was irritating. He’d worked hard over the last few months to mentally distance himself from her. Now, here he was with a nose full of her scent driving him crazy and an erection that had a mind of its own.

The really sad part? If she woke up right then, she’d move away from him in disgust and continue to ignore him. Because even if he was the last non-hybrid creature in the jungle, she still wouldn’t be interested in him.

He bit back a growl and moved again. She shifted with him.

Damn, this is going to be a long freaking night.

***

Without the DCO director’s clout, Angelo was convinced they’d still be sitting on their rucksacks back in Washington right now instead of standing in the middle of the camp where Tate and his team had set up. Not only had John arranged to have a fueled C-17 waiting for them at Bolling, but he also had two trucks of ammo and supplies waiting for them on the runway in Costa Rica. The rest of the op should go as smoothly.

Unfortunately, Tate and his team hadn’t been thrilled to see Landon and Ivy show up with the rest of them in tow. Angelo supposed he could understand their reluctance. Going into hostile territory with people you didn’t know and didn’t trust would make anyone uncomfortable.

Angelo still wasn’t sure when Landon had found a chance to slip away and call in a favor, but when they’d touched down in Costa Rica, there were two other Special Forces operators already waiting for them—Sergeant First Class Nik Carter and Lieutenant Zane Butler, both out of the 7th Special Forces Group from Florida. They’d been down in Panama training antinarcotic forces when Landon reached out to them. Angelo didn’t know them personally, but they’d put their own mission on hold to help Landon, and that told him everything he needed to know. Special Forces was one big family. When family called and needed help, you dropped what you were doing and went to help.

“These guys don’t even know Declan and Kendra, and you expect them to risk their lives to save them?” Tate demanded.

“They risk their lives every day for people they’ve never met,” Landon shot back. “You asked me to handpick a team and that’s what I did. They wouldn’t be here if I didn’t trust them with my life, with Ivy’s life, and with Declan’s and Kendra’s lives.”

Angelo saw Derek’s mouth tighten. No doubt the medic wanted to point out that both he and Angelo knew Kendra, but admitting that would mean mentioning what happened out in Washington State, and that was classified.

“Do they know what we’re going up against?” Tate asked.

“Some of them do,” Landon told him. “Angelo and Derek have fought hybrids before. Carter and Butler will keep it together once they find out.”

Tate considered that. “Okay, I get that you’re comfortable working with guys from Special Forces. But Tanner? Shit, Landon. Why the hell would you bring him?”

Angelo grimaced—not only because Tanner was standing right there, but also because he wasn’t exactly sure why Landon had insisted on bringing the DCO’s pet hybrid, either. Putting a guy with a short fuse on the team didn’t seem like a good idea. But Landon and Clayne insisted the former Army Ranger could do the job. More importantly, the team needed him.

Behind Tate, Gavin and Brent looked like they’d rather go out in the jungle again without their weapons than fight alongside Tanner.

“If we’re going up against as many hybrids as you think, we’ll need Tanner,” Landon said. “He could be the difference maker for us.”

“More like the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” Tate muttered. “I’ve seen how he reacts in stressful situations. He can’t be trusted out here.”

“I trust him,” Landon said softly.

Angelo knew that tone. His former commanding officer was about to get seriously pissed. Angelo was getting pissed, too. They should be looking for their missing teammates, not arguing about who was going to be included in the rescue party.

“Well, I don’t trust him,” Tate said. “He’s not going with us.”