Christian walked Gemma back to her room. “Will you be all right if I don’t stay with you? It’ll be easier for me to rest if there isn’t a beautiful woman lying next to me.” His hazel eyes danced playfully.
“Oh, I suppose.” Gemma exaggerated a sigh, wrapping her arms around his muscular waist. “Do I get a kiss at least?”
He smiled before taking her face in his hands and kissing her with as much passion as he had when they’d made love in the middle of the night. Gemma’s heart skipped a beat as she clung to him.
“Satisfied, Proctor?” Christian said, pulling away, his mouth turned up in a cocky smile.
“Never.” She grinned, and he patted her butt as she turned around to hold her fibroglass ring against the lockpad.
Wearing their black gear and backsacks full of supplies, including a pair of daggers and at least one firearm, Gemma and her teammates left Zion as the sun dipped below the peaks of the mountains. With the cooler temperature and no threat of bad weather, they’d opted to hook their helmets onto the sides of their backsacks, for which Gemma was grateful. Being stuck in that stuffy hood every hour of every day would make her claustrophobic. The thought of being in the desert for ten days already made her skin crawl.
“Where to, Map Master?” Imara teased.
Christian shot her a playful glare at the new nickname. “South.”
She snorted and turned on the tiny torchlamp attached to her basaltweave vest. It was no bigger than the comm they wore on their wrists. Gemma flicked hers on too, and the others followed suit, the glow providing a decent view of the area in front of them.
Their direction took more of a southwest angle from Zion into the rockier terrain of Reva. The stones beneath their feet turned into boulders, and soon they were climbing over them.
Gemma’s legs burned within minutes, and she groaned with every lunge. Her momentum slowed.
“Have you ever done a squat?” Colton taunted from behind her.
She ground her teeth.Not my fault the mines only worked my arms and core...Though, he did have a point. She should’ve been more prepared.
At least she remembered to tape her ankles.
Hours later, Gemma’s fatigue weighed on her, every step like wading through mud. She exhaled as they came to a steep, downward slope, but she could barely concentrate on where she placed her feet. Unable to stop a yawn, her eyes closed for a half of a second—her foot caught a rock.
Yelping, she flailed her arms to try to regain her balance, her heart in her throat.
A strong hand grabbed her arm before she could tumble down the hillside. Gemma looked over her shoulder. Dark brown eyes and a smug smirk.
Colton had saved her. Again.
She adjusted her backsack, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. “Thanks,” she mumbled between exhausted breaths.
“Of course. We are on the same team.” He winked.
Christian watched her with concern. “I think we need a break.”
She shook her head, hoping he’d interpret it as, “I’m okay.” But Imara plopped onto the ground, bracing herself against a boulder as her chest rose and fell rapidly.
Apparently, Gemma wasn’t the only one who hadn’t conditioned for this type of exercise.
Gemma eased to the surface and took a swig of water from the small canteen Rami had provided. It wasn’t much to start with, but he promised they’d come along some cacti eventually.
“How far have we actually gone?” Hawk asked, moonlight catching on his red hair.
Christian tapped at his comm, his map preloaded onto the device. “About eight kilometers.”
“That’s it?” Imara groaned, slouching.
“It’s harder when you’re going up and down elevations,” Colton encouraged, running a hand across his striking, pink hair, cropped short against his scalp.
Well, when Imara and I get left behind, at least we’ll be able to spot him from half a kilometer away.
“You two good?” Christian asked the girls.
