He had stopped at the base of a very small, scraggly tree. If you could even call it a tree. It had a branch. He lay down to begin to shift back, and I joined him. Hopefully we were close enough to our destination so we didn’t have to change back and run.
By the time I finished, Rourke was already up scanning the area.
I stood and walked over, running my hands over his very naked back. He turned and growled low as he pulled me into his arms. “We don’t have much time,” he said, nuzzling my ear, “but what I wouldn’t give to be able to whisk you away someplace private. It frustrates me I don’t have the power to take you out of here.”
“I know,” I murmured, leaning into his lips. “We only have a few minutes at most to ourselves, but since we can’t go back to Rum Cay, I’ll take what I can get right here.”
The kiss was blistering and urgent.
Our mouths fused together passionately with an intensity that weakened my knees. We both knew whatever lay ahead was going to be tough, and there never seemed to be enough time to bond with him the way I craved.
“You taste incredibly good,” he said into my mouth as his tongue stroked my bottom lip. “But I hear something in the distance, so we have to make this shorter than I’d like. All the adrenaline from the change is making me crazy with need, and you standing naked so near is a dangerous combination. I need to back away from you now so I can calm myself down. I don’t want to flash my bounding enthusiasm for my beautiful mate to the world.”
“Ha,” I said, glancing downward and licking my lips. “Would being naked and horny embarrass you?”
He leveled a hooded gaze on me. “Hell no, but I know it would embarrass you. You had me disrobe behind the plane so I wouldn’t shock Naomi.” He raised a single eyebrow in a very sexy way, laced with intent. “If you had less of a human nature, I’d already have you on the ground right now.”
I shivered. “Well, as much as I would love that, we’d be caught in the act.” On cue, a truck honked in the distance. Rourke maneuvered himself behind the small tree as best he could and I ducked down behind a single scrubby bush.
Before the truck arrived, which I saw was a souped-up pickup with huge tires that almost looked as though they could float, Naomi landed in front of me. Her cheeks were a little pink, indicating a blush, which made me think she’d been near enough to overhear our sexy banter.
“It is of no consequence, Ma Reine,” Naomi stated, addressing my discomfort as she deftly tossed me my backpack. Then she turned and threw Rourke a bag of clothes. “Your mate is correct. Supernaturals don’t have the same issues as humans when it comes to our bodies and… other personal things. But, you are my superior, and I would show you respect by not interrupting until I was sure you were not going to… interact. But in the future you don’t need to be so shy.”
“I think my shyness will be sticking around, Naomi,” I muttered as I pulled my clothes out of the pack. “I’m new to all this, but I’m still a firm believer that some things are better left private. I don’t see that changing any time soon.”
The truck raced up as I yanked on my spandex.
“Come on, Hannon,” Ray yelled out the window, laying on the horn. “Get your ass covered. We’re wasting time here.”
I pulled on my shirt and stood, making my way over to the vehicle—one that was only slightly less jacked-up than the Hummer we’d been forced to drive to Canada. The truck was bright orange with flames painted over the wheels. “Where in the world did you get this?” I asked.
“From the airboat guy.” Ray chuckled from the open window. Then he thumbed his hand at Marcy, who was situated in the passenger seat. “She threatened him within an inch of his life. You should’ve seen it. And this was after she bought his goddamn airboat right out from under him.”
4
Rourke came out from behind the tree fully clothed in brand-new jeans and a black T-shirt. Naomi did well. “How’d you know we’d need an airboat?” Rourke asked, nodding his head in appreciation for the commandeered vehicle.
Marcy stuck her head out of the passenger window. “The first thing I did when I de-boarded my awful flight on Vamp Air was purchase a new cell phone. James told me we’d need one and where the closest ones were. There’s a bunch of places to rent them about thirty miles north of here, all clustered along the highway. We picked the most run-down operation we could see from the road, and knowing we couldn’t bring along any company where we’re going, I offered the owner more than he made in a year, and voilà, the boat was ours. Then I had to sign a bunch of safety waivers”—she dismissed their importance with a flick of her wrist—“but who cares. Get in.”
Rourke and I made our way to the bed of the truck. There was no room for us inside. “You can’t leave out the part about forcing him to lend us this truck to pick up our friends or you’d make sure his balls would ache for a week.” Ray chuckled appreciatively. “That stuff never gets old.”