“It’s just a few scratches and bruises. I can go as long as you can.”
The pity that had been there moments ago melted. Mack straightened his shoulders, adjusting his rifle over his shoulder. “You can quit with the gruff act.”
“Act? I’m not acting. I don’t need you to baby me or handle me like a glass doll that’s about to break every time you look at it.” Marley fisted her hands and planted them on her hips. Did he not understand that she needed to prove to herself, as much to him, that she could get herself out of this mess?
“Dammit, Marley, why can’t you just bend a little? Of course I don’t think you’re going to break. You’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met.” Mack closed the distance between them, his voice silent but harsh. “You’ve been through a lot, whether you want to admit it or not. You haven’t had anything to eat or drink. You’ve been through plenty of trauma. Trained operatives can barely handle shit that heavy, so don’t tell me you’re not feeling the pressure.”
“Of course I’m feeling the pressure, but I’m not going to buckle under it.”
“I never thought you would. You’d probably walk into a fire just to prove that you could.” Mack softened his harsh words by running his knuckles across her collarbone. “But even my men know when they need a break. I can’t carry you out of this jungle, not if I’m also protecting you from attack. I haven’t been with you long enough to know how far you can push yourself before your body gives out. I’ll bet you’ve never tested it this way before.” He held her gaze. “Marley, that’s something you can’t control no matter how strong-willed you are.”
The logic behind his words robbed her of her bravado and Marley toed the wet dirt beneath her boots, suddenly feeling a tiny bit sheepish. “I’ll let you know if I need a break.”
Mack slipped a finger under her chin and tilted her face up. “I don’t think you’re weak, but I do think you’re breakable. Don’t be mad at me for wanting to protect you. That’s who I am and who I always will be.”
He was trying to tell her something with those words, maybe a hint at a possible future together? He’d opened up to her so much about his wife and his son and now this? Marley felt her shell of frustration crack and his open sincerity filtered in, filling her with warmth. “And don’t be mad at me for fighting to do it on my own,” she said. “It’s all I’ve known for years. I don’t know how not to.”
Mack’s fingers drifted over her lips, the featherlight caress sending chills down her neck. “When we get out of this jungle, I’m going to show you how it feels to be taken care of, Marley Mitchell.”
Mack’s lips closed over hers in a solid yet gentle kiss that robbed Marley of her ability to do anything but feel. When the kiss was over, he stepped back, but Marley spanned the small distance between them and placed a hand on his chest. “I’d like that.”
