Her Next Breath (Uncharted SEALs Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

movement, he had to dig in his heels to keep from rolling toward her.
    “You said I was here for the duration of your mission.”
    He liked the sound of her voice in the dark, so close. “Yeah, our plans didn’t include the extraction of hostages. You’ll return on the same plane the team does.”
    “Where will we fly to?”
    “I can’t tell you that.”
    She was silent a moment, and then sighed.
    “You had another question?” he said, wishing he had bitten his tongue instead because the sooner they stopped talking, the sooner she would sleep and he could take care of his problem.
    “Will you help me get home?”
    The question, asked so softly he knew she was upset, had him cussing at himself for being a bastard. “I won’t leave you stranded…Suri.” She’d been upset before because he’d never said her name. He hoped she understood, he was apologizing for that now.
    “Thank you.”
    Again, a long silence stretched. She shifted again, this time toward him. He knew because he could hear her soft exhalations clearly.
    “The nightgown was one Alejandro bought. He had a wardrobe ready for me. Both as a concession for the kidnapping, and to make sure I was presentable to his father.”
    Jackson didn’t know how to respond to that. He asked the question that had been burning a hole in his gut. “Was he rough with you when he took you?”
    “No, he invited me to dinner then drove straight to a private air strip. When we got there, he explained we were taking a trip to meet his father. I refused, but he pulled me from the car and over his shoulder. We were in the air before I stopped hyperventilating.”
    Jackson was torn between fury and amusement. But it didn’t sound like he needed to take care of Alejandro with a stray bullet. “Why do you think he left you behind?”
    “Because he knew who was coming, that I’d be safer with you, than with his father.”
    “He tell you that?”
    “No, but it’s what he would have been thinking. He’s not a bad man.”
    No, but he was weak. And he’d been careless with Suri. The thought of what might have happened if anyone else had come through that door and found her so vulnerable sent an icy chill through his veins.
    “Do you know how long it’s going to take…your mission, I mean?”
    “Not a clue. We’re on a manhunt. We’re not done until Guzman’s in custody.” The stakes were high. The drug lord had ordered the beheadings of a group of young people, one among them the son of a U.S. congressman, despite the fact a ransom had been paid. A lesson would be made of Guzman. “But you’re not to worry. People are already notifying your superintendant. You’ll still have a job.”
    “Then I won’t…worry, that is. But how will I pass the time?”
    “The rec room has a TV. But no phones. No internet. We can’t risk being traced here. Federales are likely already searching for us.”
    “They’re in his pocket?”
    She was smart. He added that to the list of things he liked about her. “Yes. You should sleep. You’ve been through a lot.”
    “I’m not that fragile,” she whispered.
    He wished she hadn’t said that. Again, his imagination shifted into overdrive with images of all the sexy things he could do to her and her not-so-fragile body.
    At last, her breaths deepened. He stayed where he was for a few minutes longer, just to be sure he didn’t disturb her, and then rolled out of the bed.

Chapter Four
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    W hen Suri awoke, it was to discover she was resting inside the curve of Jackson’s arm, her thigh draped over his, her head on his chest. She didn’t know who’d moved the blanket. Maybe they’d both naturally gravitated together. She hated to think she might have been the one to cross the line demarking their personal space.
    Partly because she didn’t want to wake him, and partly because it was a new experience lying inside a man’s embrace, she held her breath and remained perfectly still. She breathed in his scent, which was a