“You sure about that?” With her free hand, she tugged at the rough tips of the grass blades. “Being with you definitely benefits me. You have all the tools, all the knowledge about how to survive, how to fight. I’m just an anchor weighing you down. I can’t exactly bring my accounting skills to bear on this, and I don’t think being able to spike a volleyball will help much either.”
“At least you’re an optimist.”
She laughed. God, given half a chance—and better circumstances—she could fall for this man.
What a ridiculous thought. For so many reasons. “Well, if we’re going to stay together, we need disguises.” She slipped her hand free and began walking again. Touching him made her want impossible things. “The cap helps, but your red hair is still far too recognizable. How do you feel about getting rid of the beard?”
“Pretty salty, actually.”
She couldn’t hold back a smile.
“I didn’t even bring a razor,” he said. “My plan was to go completely wild on this trip.”
An image of him going wild onherflashed through her mind and her body flushed from head to toe.Head in the game, Garcia. The voice belonged to her high-school volleyball coach, deep and gravelly, and had her snapping to attention.
“We can stop walking soon, but stay alert,” Todd said.
Alert seemed to be his natural state, aware of everything and everyone around him. Probably being in combat did that to a person.
He’d served his country, saved countless lives, survived, and now he faced this injustice.
Sometimes the world sucked.
Ten minutes later, they finally came to rest in a small meadow hidden within the thick forest about thirty yards from the stream.
“I want to get in touch with my boss,” Todd said, “but even if had my phone, I wouldn’t risk using it now. Better to pick up a burner somewhere.” He rubbed the heel of his hand against his forehead. “We can’t risk being seen until we make some changes. Even then…”
“What if I go into town alone?” she asked. “People are looking for a couple, and I look nothing like my driver’s license photo right now. I’d just be another brunette. No one would look at me twice.”
He snorted.
“What?”
“I doubt there’s a man or woman out there who wouldn’t give you a second glance.”
Her stomach fluttered, but she knew what he really meant. “Because I’m tall.”
“That too.”
She made a face at him. “You don’t need to over-flatter. If you want another kiss, all you have to do is ask.” Breaking eye contact, she plopped onto a rock, leaving a couple feet of space between them. Heat filled her face. Usually being that direct with a man required some liquid courage, but now, at literally the most inappropriate time…
“I do want a kiss. Always.” He said matter-of-factly. “And false modesty doesn’t suit you.”
He always wanted a kiss fromher, or just in general? She had no idea how to deal with someone who flat out said what he was thinking. It was both unnerving and reassuring. She preferred cut-and-dried to fuzzy, but she wasn’t used to actually getting it from people. And she didn’t know how to give it back. Maybe that’s why she didn’t excel at dating. “It’s not false modesty, just reality. I think I’m pretty enough, but I’m not supermodel material. And I don’t inspire second looks.”
Not from guys like Todd. Not unless they saw her as an easy target.
“Then the guys in LA don’t have a lick of sense.”
“Or maybe you don’t.”
He laughed, and it was magical. They way his face lit and his features softened had her heart working overtime.Down, girl.
“Besides,” he said, studying her face, “looks aren’t everything.”
Her heart thumped and she broke eye contact. Only someone who’d won the genetic lottery would honestly believe that looks didn’t impact every aspect of life. She hadn’t been above using her own in the past, but she also understood her limitations. “So about that shopping trip…”
He sobered. “I don’t like it.”
