Zayn wasn’t sure what animal was serenading the night, and he was pretty sure he didn’t want to find out.
“Time to make a move, flyboy.” Ria pushed to her feet, a slim shadow in the darkness.
He stood and all the aches and pains spilled in. He swallowed his groan.
But Ria was eyeing him. “What hurts?”
“Ribs.”
She stepped up close to him, her fingers pressing into his side. Damn, but the scent of sweat and blood shouldn’t tempt him like this.
“Might have a couple of breaks.” She kept probing, her brow furrowed. “But I think you’re just bruised. Can you handle riding a horse?”
He couldn’t quite get his brain to work. He imagined those quick, clever fingers on other parts of him. “Uh, sure.”
“Good. I’ll get the horse, you wait here.”
Moments later she returned with a brown mare plodding behind her.
“Just one?” he asked.
“Just one and they might not bother following us. Two, we can guarantee they’ll track us down.” She secured the animal-skin waterbag to the saddle of the horse. “I’ll get on first.”
She swung up, finding her seat.
Zayn couldn’t manage to mount with any sort of grace, not with his ribs screaming bloody murder. He settled in behind her.
“By the way, I found a present for you.” She twisted and offered him her palm.
He couldn’t see much, but pressed his hand to hers. He felt the small pills. “Tell me these are pain blockers and I’ll not only marry you, but bear your children.”
A soft laugh. “I’d like to see that. Yep, pain blockers. I found them in Clint’s pockets.”
Zayn froze. “You rifled through their pockets?”
“Assassin, remember? Good at sneaking.”
He dry-swallowed the fast-acting pills. He felt their instant effects moments later. The pain was gone and energy zinged through his veins. “You are a goddess.” Without thinking, he leaned down, tipped her chin back, and kissed her.
She went still beneath his lips. Then she returned the kiss for the barest second before they pulled apart. There, cloaked by the darkness, they stared at each other.
Shit. Zayn felt so drawn to this woman and he was certain now it had nothing to do with his past or his memories of another woman.
Ria cleared her throat. “We need to get going.”
With a nod, he urged the horse into action. Moments later, the desert darkness swallowed them.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ria sat on the horse surrounded by darkness and the heated warmth of Zayn Phoenix.
With the natural sway of his body to direct her, she didn’t have the same jolting seat she’d suffered from during her earlier riding attempts. This time they moved in a natural rhythm with the horse.
But it was the hard, masculine body behind her that stole all her attention.
As they moved, her bottom brushed against his hard body. His strong arms surrounded her, one of his hot palms resting on her belly, the other holding the reins. His warm breath puffed against her hair, giving her crazy thoughts of tipping her head back and kissing him. The way he’d kissed her before.
She released a breath. Now really wasn’t the time to be fantasizing about Zayn. They had a mission, and right now, it wasn’t going well. Who knew where Lastite Lala had run off to? There was every chance the Baker brothers would come after them. Oh, and they were lost in the desert on a harsh, frontier planet.
