“But you still dream about getting back home. That’s what keeps you going, right?” Because that was what kept him going—getting back to his team, fulfilling his promise. No matter how much his feverish mind said it was now because he wanted her.
“I’ll always dream of going back home, but that’s not what’s keeping me going anymore,” she said softly.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop staring into her eyes. She’d thrown out an invisible net and trapped him. He wasn’t too stupid or prudish to understand exactly what she was implying.Hewas the reason she kept going.
The thrill that shot through him was so soul shattering it nearly rocked his entire belief system. Nearly. If he hadn’t already betrayed his men, if his actions and decisions had not resulted in this situation—where they relied on the compound found in Caroline’s blood for their very survival—he might let himself actually be sucked into the vortex of pleasure that her beautiful body offered. He might let himself give in to those feelings and emotions that were still trying to claw their way out.
But he didn’t have that luxury.
These daydreams were just another form of torture for them both. No matter how hard he was for her right now, he had to remember a cold truth: Caroline Cotter wasn’t his to have. She never had been and she never would be.
The abandoned hut that appeared in the distance was his salvation. “Well, Princess, I just found what we both needed to keep going.”
Caroline followed his gaze and seconds later gave a small jump in the air. “A house?”
“Your ability for optimism amazes me. Not many people would call that a house.”
“After the past few months, that shack looks like a freaking palace. If I want to call it a house, I will.”
He inclined his head, willing to give her that much, and said, “Your palace awaits.”
