5. Mercy

Once he wasout of sight, I bent over and took a deep breath. I didn't feel so good, but that was to be expected after what I'd been through over the last two weeks. I was relieved when he told me to stay behind. My head was pounding and I was feeling a little dizzy. I really needed more water, and I was sure once I drank more, I'd be fine.

It took a few minutes for the feeling to pass, and when it did, I rested back against the tree. Sweat soaked my shirt, but that was nothing compared to how disgusting I felt everywhere else. It had been way too long since I washed up and I was determined to fix that now. Even if we were somehow rescued today, I couldn't stand the thought of getting on a plane like this.

After drinking a healthy dose of water, I stood and followed the sound of trickling water down a moss-covered hill. As soon as my eyes landed on the water trickling from a rock and splashing into a stream below, I was tearing off my clothes in anticipation of the cool water hitting my body. In mere seconds, I was under the water as I continued to undress and toss my clothes to the side.

"Oh, God," I groaned, dunking my head under the stream, wishing it were a shower. I turned and tilted my head up, opening my mouth to let the water flow in. I didn't swallow it, knowing there could be gross things floating in the water, but it had to be cleaner than my mouth was at the moment. I furiously brushed my teeth with my finger, even going so far as to scrape my teeth with my fingernail, taking a good ten minutes to clean every last inch of my mouth. I wasn't minty fresh, but at least I didn't feel like I had scum lining my teeth and gums.

After my hair was thoroughly soaked, I opened my eyes and finally took in the beauty of my surroundings. I hadn't appreciated the view since I escaped the hut, but now that I stood naked under the stream of water, it was as if my eyes were opened. It reminded me of how I felt after my heart transplant when I looked at everything through rose-colored glasses. Over the years, I forgot just how amazing the little things in life were. Now that I finally had water to bathe in, I felt like I was looking through those same glasses again.

Stepping out from under the water, I grabbed my clothes and carefully walked over the rocks to the stream, then lowered myself into the water. The stream was shallow, barely covering my butt as I sat down on the rock bed. I grimaced at the disgusting color of my clothes and started scrubbing the fabric, hoping to at least get the sweaty smell out.

"Oh shit."

I spun around, forgetting about the fact that I was naked, and caught sight of Chase staring at me. He could have turned away, but he didn't. I could have covered myself, but I didn't want to. Even with the faded scar running down my chest, I had never been one for modesty. I wore my battle scars with honor and dignity.

"Care to join me? The water's cool."

Even from this distance, I could see his Adam's apple bob in his throat. "That's…probably not a good idea."

"Who cares about good ideas?"

"I should. I'm—this is a job."

My lips twitched in amusement. "We've already covered your sweaty ball sack. I think we're okay."

With a single step forward, his decision was made. He just didn't want to admit it yet. All he needed was a little encouragement, which I would willingly give. Sleeping with him wasn't my priority, but making him loosen up a little would do wonders for both of us. I slowly stood, turning to fully face him. I had always been on the slender side, always watching what I ate. It was important to maintain a healthy lifestyle to ensure my heart would hold out for years to come. And in doing that, I had the confidence to take risks like this—standing completely naked in front of a sexy man who was here to rescue me.

"I probably shouldn't."

"You already said that, but the tent in your pants is saying a different story."

He shifted uncomfortably, but finally took another step forward until he was striding over to me, his shoes splashing in the water as he wrapped his arms around me and scooped me up against his body. I was all too aware of how gross my mouth was, but he didn't even give me a chance to stop him before he slammed his mouth down on mine.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and drew him closer to me. While he was busy exploring my mouth, my hand got busy roaming over his muscled chest. But that wasn't what I really wanted. My fingers tugged at the clasp of his pants until they finally came unbuttoned and I could work him free of his constraints. He groaned against me as I tugged his pants down and wrapped my hands around his thick length. I briefly considered that he might pull away from me. After all, he was worried about his sweaty ball sack.

I gripped him harder, stroking him faster as his fingers slid down the side of my breasts, brushing against my ribcage. He was taunting me with his touch, sending tingles racing across my skin until I was squirming in his hands. His fingers slid through the curls of my mound, tugging firmly and making me gasp. Then his fingers were on my clit, pinching and swirling and driving me insane. My breathing was ragged as I worked him harder. Dizziness crashed over me as he slid two fingers inside me, making me come harder than I had in years.

I buried my face against his chest as he jerked in my palm. The warmth of his release coated my hand, then trickled through my fingers and oozed down my wrist. A chuckle broke free from my chest as I realized how ridiculous we must look out here. Not that it mattered. No one was around to see us.

"That…was unexpected."

"You can say that again," I said, shifting slightly and eliciting a gasp as I realized his fingers were still buried inside me. My throat became drier than the Sahara as he slowly scissored his fingers inside me.

"Look at me," he said gruffly, thrusting up inside me.

For some reason, now I felt embarrassed. I slowly raised my eyes, meeting his heated gaze. His fingers slid from my body and his palm slapped my inner thigh.

"Spread for me."

I did as he asked without the slightest hesitation. This time, it wasn't his fingers that met my cunt. His thick length hovered at my entrance as he stared at me with darkening eyes. My heart pounded in my chest with every second that passed until finally, he gripped my knee and hoisted me up against his body, aligning himself perfectly to fuck me.

With one foot dangling in the air, I gripped his cock, watching as his muscles strained as he held me in his arms. As I sank down on his length, my body contracted, accepting his girth with pleasure. My eyes slid shut when he was finally seated inside me, but they snapped open at his command.

"I told you to look at me."

I locked eyes with him, then pressed my hands to his shoulders and slowly lifted myself off him. He nodded in approval and kept his focus on me as I sank back down on his cock.

"This might not be safe," I whispered.

"Nothing in life ever is."

My lips turned up in a smile. "I meant us standing on wet rocks, but you can take whatever you want out of it."

The slightest chuckle left his lips as he turned and walked out of the water, then laid me down on a large boulder at the edge of the stream. I barely had time to rest my elbow back when he pulled out and then thrust hard inside me. I gasped, wrapping my hand around his neck to hold on for the ride. My heart beat erratically and my legs tingled in pleasure at how wide they were stretched. Butterflies erupted in my belly as he fucked me harder and faster. Never had I felt so completely alive than I did with him right now.

Everything was against us. We were running from men who wanted to keep me hostage, we had no one out here with us, no food aside from a few protein bars…but I had him, and that was enough to keep me going and make me see what was right in front of me.

Life.

I pulled him down to meet my lips, my tongue clashing with his as he gripped my hips and pulled me hard against him. Then he flipped us, sitting down on the rock as I straddled his thighs. It was slippery and chaotic as I planted my feet in the stream. But as his hands slid up my waist and cupped my breasts, I forgot about how difficult it was and just let my body feel every twist and pinch of my nipples.

"Chase," I moaned, tossing my head back as another orgasm worked its way through my body. Dizziness crashed over me again, this time making it impossible to keep moving. His hands landed on my hips, holding me down as he thrust up into me over and over. My pussy was beaten and bruised from the force of his fucking, and as he released inside me, he pressed his lips to mine in a punishing kiss that sent tingles all over my body.

My forehead dropped to his chest as my body collapsed against his. I was exhausted and ready to go to sleep, but I somehow doubted that would be wise while I was naked. Still, it was enticing as his rough hand slid up and down my back in a soothing gesture.

"Mmm, that feels good."

A low rumble emanated from his chest as his body shook. "Doesn't take much to please you."

"I would say that what you just did was a lot of work," I mumbled.

"I meant rubbing your back."

"That's nice too."

"I was not expecting you to be naked when I came back from making that call."

"You told me to relax," I answered, still buried in his chest. "I wanted to clean up."

"It's a nice spot."

"The nicest I've seen in a long time. I forgot to look."

"What do you mean?"

"When I first had my transplant, I saw everything. I would stop to look at the beauty of everything. But over time, I was more concerned with making the most out of life that I forgot to stop and look around."

I felt him nod as he continued to run his hand over my back. "I forget too."

I smiled against him, feeling more comfort in his arms than I had in years. I was always so lost in my head, focusing on the next goal that I never really slowed down and just enjoyed life anymore. Maybe getting kidnapped wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"We should get you dressed."

"You had to spoil the moment," I laughed.

"You're shivering."

Was I? I finally took account of my body, noting how exhausted I was, with a touch of dizziness still residing. And yes, I was shivering, probably from my fever, which he didn't seem to notice yet. I pulled away from him, all too aware that if he did notice, it wouldn't be long before he went back to worrying about me instead of focusing on the important stuff, like getting us out of here.

"So, were you able to make your call?"

"Yeah," he answered, brushing my wet locks of hair behind my ear. "Tomorrow morning is the soonest they can get out here."

"Hmmm, so much time between now and then. How will we fill the hours?"

"I was thinking we should get some sleep," he said seriously.

I couldn't help but pout. He was too serious sometimes. "We could, or we could find something more fun to do."

His fingers tightened on my hips for just a moment. "How about we get dressed first?"

"It's more fun without clothes."

Finally, a spark of desire lit up his eyes again. They dropped to the base of my throat and then lower to my breasts. His hand slid around my throat and his thumb caressed my pulse point before he let it fall lower, hovering just over the scar down my chest. Suddenly, the air was thick and heavy, and I didn't like that look in his eyes.

I pushed off him, ignoring the way the world tilted. I stared up at the sky to hide the sway of my body, then let out a deep sigh. "Well, if you're going to be boring, we might as well get dressed."

"You go ahead. I didn't get a dip in the water yet."

I winked at him over my shoulder, then walked over to retrieve my discarded clothes. They were still damp, but at least they smelled better. "Do you have more water?"

"In my bag," he said as he waded into the water and headed over to the stream flowing over the same rock I showered under.

"I'll see you in a few."

I pulled on my panties and bra, wringing out the water from my pants and shirt. They could dry a little more before I put them on. I headed back up to the tree we'd stop by, finding his bag on the ground. Grabbing the water out of his bag, I chugged a good portion of it before closing my eyes and refusing to acknowledge what was going on with my body.

"You're fine. There's nothing to be worried about," I whispered to myself.

There wasn't…until I heard the low growl coming from just a few feet beside me.