“Okay.” Grateful for his company and his willingness to take the lead, she fell into step behind him. If she’d been alone, she might be dead at this moment. Dead from a stupid snake bite. It was a sobering thought.
As he marched forward, her eyes roamed over him, starting at the back of his dark head. He had thick hair with a slight wave. A little too long, probably from being locked up and not exactly having access to a barber. The color intrigued her—a midnight black with blue glints when the light hit it just right. It was the kind of hair a woman liked to run her fingers through, and she imagined grasping and tugging where it curled up at the base of his neck.
Essie curled her fingers into her palms and stifled a sigh as her lazy perusal moved to his broad shoulders. So very strong looking. His T-shirt clung to his muscled arms, and she noticed patches of sweat on the back of the shirt. Even though the jungle temperature was cool at this time of day, the man was working up a good sweat.
Her attention slid down his tapered waist and zeroed in on his firm ass. With every step, those fitted black cargo pants showed off his cheeks like that was their only job. His legs, not too short or too long, pumped endlessly. He was in perfect proportion and damn attractive.
Essie reached up and caught her cross between her fingers. Xander Hawke was the kind of man to make a good girl turn bad. To put all sorts of wicked thoughts in her head.
Instead of looking down and paying close attention to the ground, she was so caught up in checking out Xander’s perfect… attributes… that she stepped into a small hole. Her ankle twisted and she cried out as she went down.
Xander spun around and dropped down beside her. “What happened?” Concern flooded his features.
“I twisted my ankle. So stupid.”
“Let me take a look.”
“I’m sure it’s fine—” But he was already tugging her jeans up and unlacing her boot. “Xander, it’s nothing.”
His head snapped up, and he pinned her with those royal blue eyes. So sexy and intense. Almost hypnotizing. Her belly fluttered.
“You’re going to let me look.” He carefully pulled the boot off, and she tried not to grimace at the flash of pain. “We might need to wrap it.”
She pressed her lips together then relented. “You’re very bossy.”
“I prefer assertive.”
Carefully lifting her ankle and setting it on his thigh, she watched as he began prodding and poking at it with his long fingers. Squeezing.
“Ow!” The sting as he touched one particular spot made her eyes water and her breath catch.
“I don’t suppose you packed a first aid kit?” He unzipped the backpack and began rummaging through it.
“I did, actually.”
“Got any antivenom in there?” He looked up and sent her a dazzling smile complete with perfect, white teeth. Of course, they were just as perfect as the rest of him. It was like God had chosen his most beautiful mold when he’d created Xander Hawke.
She got the feeling he was joking. “No.”
“But we have this.” He plucked a stretchy bandage out, gingerly lifted her foot again, and began to carefully wrap it. For such a big, strong man, he possessed a gentle touch. “That should help,” he declared and stuffed everything—including her boot—back into the pack, zipping it up.
“Um, I’m going to need my boot.”
Xander stood then reached for her hands and helped her up. She attempted to put pressure on her injured ankle and hissed, clutching his hands tighter.Crap.This was so not good. Not when they had hours left to travel over uneven ground.
“No, you don’t. I’ll carry you.”
Her eyes went wide. “What?”
“I’ll give you a piggyback ride. We’ll make better time without you limping along.” He handed her the backpack. “Put it on then hop up.” He turned, presenting her with his delicious backside.
Essie slipped the backpack over her shoulders then hesitated. “I can try to wa—”
“Get on,” he commanded, lowering down in a squat so she could hop on more easily.
“Well, okay, Bossy.” She climbed onto his broad back and wrapped her arms around his neck. When he stood up to his full height, she pulled in a soft breath as his hands slipped under her legs, holding them against his sides.Wow.His height gave her a whole new perspective on the world. “How tall are you?”
“Almost six three.” He started walking and she tightened her hold, pressing closer. “You?”
