Mateo led her back towards the jeep, where José was already leaning against the door, his rifle slung across his back and a grin plastered on his face. The air between the two men crackled with tension.
Without a word, Mateo opened the back of the jeep and gestured for her to get in. When she hesitated, his eyes flicked towards José, whose smirk widened. Her heart took off at the unspoken words between them.So if I act up, does that mean José gets me?That thought was all it took, and she climbed in without protest.
He tied her wrists again, though this time the knots were much looser. She could easily escape and it felt more for show. Was he trying to be nice? Even so, it didn't make sense. Mateo didn't intend to let her go, so these small concessions were pointless. Why even tie her in ropes if they were so loose they were barely effective? Surely, he didn't believe her to be brave or daring enough to jump from a moving vehicle? He had to be aware that she knew she wasn’t resourceful enough to survive in the jungle alone. She knew there was no way out of this situation without him—not alive at least.
He trusts you to stay put with or without the ropes,but nobody else does. Especially that repugnant José.The realization dropped like a stone in her stomach.
The closing of the door was the final nail in her coffin, and her world narrowed to the sound of her heart beating against her ribs. What was it Liam Neeson said? Don't let them take you to a second location? Well, she was certainly past that point.
José climbed into the passenger seat, humming under his breath as if they were going on a joyride instead of transporting a hostage. Mateo slid behind the wheel, started the engine, and the jeep lurched forward, wheels crunching over roots and debris. The camp disappeared behind them, leaving nothing but smoke and footprints.
Gabriella leaned her head back against the cold metal frame, eyes burning, wrists sore. She had no voice, no plan, no power.
For now, she was at their mercy.
CHAPTER 8
GABRIELLA
The first campsite they set up was cramped, with a small river flowing to the right. The second was hardly any bigger, and night was coming closer again after nearly twelve hours of traveling. They broke up into different camp sites when they realized the issues with the terrain, leaving Mateo to fend with Gabriella on a smaller site off to the side.
José grumbled about something that Gabriella couldn’t understand, and she was grateful when he stormed off. She presumed he was going to bark orders at somebody somewhere. From her vantage point in the jeep, she saw Mateo was efficient in setting up his tent. Muscles dancing against the rhythm of assembling and building their temporary haven. It made her heart speed up and legs press together in an embarrassing way.
Time passed until, eventually, he came over to untie her.
By this point, she was beyond tired and her muscles cramped from the long hours of sitting. She also noted how badly she had to pee, but a stubborn side of her refused to give him the luxury of hearing her beg. Not to mention, old habits were still hard to stop, when she knew she could be seen as an inconvenience.
“Always a fucking issue with you. Why can’t you wait until we get home?” Her ex-husband’s mocking words filtered through. She hated that she still thought of him occasionally.
Mateo put his hand out for her. “Come on Gabriella.”
She tried to step down, only to fall straight into his firm tawny chest.Well, point one for idiocy, she admitted as she felt the flush rise from her cheeks down her neck.Why is he so fit?She wanted to cry at the unfairness of it all.
And all through her mental gymnastics, Mateo held her gently, hand splayed on her lower back, with the other now caressing the back of her neck. His firm grip awakened a fire so deep and dark, she nearly groaned. Despite her full bladder, her body responded, nipples taut against her sweat-soaked clothes, clit tingling from denial, and her body shuddered.
Mateo’s grip on her back tightened as his words tickled her ear. “Easy,tica.” Mateo’s voice was low and comforting, but she felt his body tense in an assertion of power. “I might start to think you like me with how you’re acting.” `Even when he whispered, his voice was sexy.
She felt the hard lines of him against her soft ones and with a subtle hint, his hips pressed against hers in a way that made her stomach flutter. Heat pooled between her legs, reminding heragainof the insistent need to pee but also of the arousal gathering.
Pretty sure this is a kink thing, but I doubt Mateo is into that.She laughed into the gag which seemed to raise Mateo's interest.
“Something funny?” he asked from above her.
She felt his breath tickling the hairs on top of her head. She glanced up, noting the slight tilt of his lip as he raised a brow to her. The fading sunlight turned his eyes into molten copper, his skin brandishing under the light. He was so close to her, hisarms gently tensing as if trying to decide to pull her in or push her away.
He's nothing like Justin, she thought. Where her ex was cruel, Mateo had been nothing short of kind, which was an odd quality for an international poacher. She didn't think she would ever compare them again.
She shook her head.
“Let's take this off then.” He helped her remove the gag and rope. His fingers were light and deft, leaving trails of warmth as he untied the last of the rope. “Better, see?”
She inhaled a deep breath, his scent filling her lungs in a way that made her lightheaded. Neither of them moved. He stayed just as close with his hips pressed against hers, the unmistakable length of him now pressing between them as his arms seeped with the warmth of him, encasing her in comfort.
“We need to pull away from each other,” he said easily, his tone taking on a hint of mirth. “Need me to count to three?”
“I think I preferred you when you were the easy going tour guide Mateo. This cocky version of you is exhausting,” she admitted, though she couldn’t stop the way her mouth twitched.
“Both versions of me are true. You’ll learn that eventually. Come on.”