Beth sunk her teeth into her bottom lip to stop it from trembling. She wouldn’t give Zach the satisfaction of knowing he’d reduced her to tears. Again.
“You’re right. I have changed my mind.” She rolled away from him; his low opinion of her would never change no matter what she did or said. The thought that he was the One, and that one day he’d feel the same, died a sudden death.
“Beth…” His deep voice intruded on her thoughts as she shimmied into her panties and pulled on her top.
“There’s nothing more to say.” She cut him off and slammed her eyes shut. She would go to sleep even if it killed her. But of course that was easier in theory than reality. Not that she tossed and turned, she was too aware of him beside her for that. She tried counting sheep, but it wasn’t until the sky was lightening that she drifted off.
The creak of the door opening disturbed her slumber, and she cracked a sleepy eyelid open. Zach was entering the room. He must have been out buying breakfast if the bag he was carrying was any indication.
She pushed back the covers and stomped into the bathroom without a word, not prepared to face him yet. Despite his low opinion of her, the sight of him and the memory of what they did excited her still. What the hell was wrong with her?
The warm water splashing on the tiles masked the thumping of her heart. Who was she kidding? Their relationship had been tenuous at best, now it was completely down the toilet with no comeback.
She turned off the water, and wrapped in a towel, walked into the bedroom.
Zach gave her an unreadable look. “I’ll step outside while you dress.”
“Don’t bother,” she said, rummaging through her backpack and pulling out clean underwear. “I’ll dress in the bathroom.”
When she emerged a few minutes later wearing the same skirt from last night and a long sleeve button-down white shirt rolled back to the elbows, she was more composed.
“Babycakes, about last night, I…”
“Forget it. And don’t call me that stupid name,” she snapped. “I’m not a child, and haven’t been for years, so it’s way past relevant. There’s nothing more to say to each other, so let’s just get our stuff and get on our way.”
Her abrupt words stripped the concern clean off his face. Good. Anger was the best form of defense she decided as she threw her things into the backpack with satisfaction.
“Have it your way.” Zach grumbled and collected his gear as she slung her pack over her shoulder and stomped through the doorway.
He followed her out to the jeep, closemouthed as she tossed her bag into the back and climbed into the passenger seat. He stowed his stuff with hers and then slid behind the wheel.
The air was as thick as a London fog, the tension could be cut with a knife as he turned the ignition key, but hey, not her problem. The engine fired, and they drove off in strained silence to rendezvous with Havoc and Hawk.
Theirs was the only vehicle on the muddy road. Hawk hadn’t gotten his wish—the weather had turned nasty during the night, replaced by brilliant sunshine this morning.
Zach spared her a glance, but she kept her eyes on the road ahead.
After driving for what seemed an age but in reality was no more than five or six minutes, he shifted down through the gears and slowed the jeep to a halt. Without speaking or glancing her way, he took out his cell phone and made a call.
“Havoc, where are you?” he barked into the phone.
Jerk. Just because he’s angry with me, no reason to snap at the guys, she thought as she heard Havoc reply. “Back down the road about half a click where you left the gearbox. So much for secrecy, dude, we could hear you grinding through those gears from a mile away.”
Zach closed the phone and without a word did a three-point turn and drove back to where Havoc and Hawk were standing by the side of the road, both wearing camouflage. The jeep skidded to an abrupt halt and the two men went around to the passenger side.
“Good morning, how are you both? Was the bed nice and comfy?” Hawk wasn’t in a jovial mood, the rain must have dampened his humor.
“Thank you for asking, but as luck would have it, it was most uncomfortable.” She couldn’t help snagging Zach’s glance with accusing eyes.
“Well, you don’t look any the worse for it.” If only Hawk could see her from the inside he’d have a different opinion. She was falling apart.
Havoc was quick and caught the look that passed between Zach and her. The big Aussie lifted an eyebrow and sent Zach an inquiring look.
“Have you two eaten?” Hawk asked, worrying about his stomach as usual.
“No, but I’m not hungry. I guess I had more than enough last night.”
Zach recoiled and sucked in a loud breath, but tried to be civil. “You’ve got to eat and maintain your fluids whether you’re hungry or not. You’ll feel faint if you don’t in this altitude. I bought bread, cheese, and fruit when I was out this morning, so at least eat some fruit.
“Shove your fruit,” she murmured under her breath.
*
Zach’s hearing was acute, as was his temper this morning. Anxious to get a move on, he snarled at his friends, “Get in, you two, we can eat on the way.”
“Hold your horses, mate, I think we should wire Beth first and test it out. We don’t want any nasty last-minute surprises.”
Havoc made a legitimate point. Zach ripped open the driver’s door and stepped onto the road that was little more than a donkey track bordered by thick vegetation. Hawk reached into the back of the jeep and came up with a hand of bananas. He peeled off a few and began passing them around.
Havoc scarfed a couple while digging out the equipment from deep in his pack. “Beth, come on over and we’ll get you hooked up.”
Beth slid from the cabin and strolled around to where he was waiting at the back of the jeep. Zach followed and took up a position nearby.
“It’s pretty simple,” Havoc explained. “The wire’s threaded under your shirt and taped to your skin. The mic will be here.” He touched a spot on his breastbone equivalent to the valley between her breasts. “We’ll be able to hear you at all times. If you get into trouble, we won’t be far away.”
“I guess you want my shirt off?”
“If you’re comfortable with that, it would make it easier.”
To hell with that. Zach popped the last of the banana into his mouth and tossed the peel into the undergrowth before sidling up to Havoc and Beth. “I’ll do that, buddy,” he said, seizing the wire.
She stopped unbuttoning her blouse and folded her arms. “No, Zach. I’d be more comfortable if Havoc did it.”
If she’d kneed his nuts, he wouldn’t have been more shocked.
Havoc raised an eyebrow and held out his hand. Zach slapped the transmitting device into his outstretched palm. He avoided the big man’s eyes and spun on his heel, almost colliding with Hawk in the process. He was standing nearby gawking at Beth as she resumed unbuttoning her blouse.
“Make yourself scarce,” Zach snarled, made angrier by Hawk’s ogling her with a healthy red-blooded appetite.
“Huh?”
“Piss off and give the girl some privacy.”
Hawk threw his hands in the air as if he was innocent. “No harm in looking, man.” He wheeled away and moved a short distance from the jeep, muttering something about getting his head bitten off, and didn’t someone get out of bed on the wrong side.
“Slip your shirt right off, I need to tuck this up under your bra.”
Zach looked up. Havoc’s tone was even, professional, and lacked emotion as his thick fingers slipped under Beth’s sexy garment.
Zach fought the urge to knock his hand from the rise and swell of the twin mounds. The miniscule half cups were low and barely concealed her nipples. The black lace was in direct contrast to the creamy fullness of her unblemished breasts.
His eyelids shot up. The breath strangled in his throat, and the breakfast he’d eaten coagulated into a solid mass in the pit of his stomach. No image marred her skin. Her rack was perfect, flawless. It had been dark in the room last night, and truthfully, at the time, his mind was otherwise too occupied to notice.
“Where’s your tattoo, Beth?” The words shot out like a bullet from a gun.
Her forehead crinkled. “Tattoo? What tattoo, Zach?”
“The butterfly you had on your ti…you know, your, aah…” His tongue tripped over the word, and he could have bitten it out.
“What’s up, Zach? You seem a little uncomfortable.” Her green eyes narrowed, her chin lifted, and the corner of her mouth kicked up. “You weren’t uncomfortable yesterday when you discussed my period with those men in the bar.”
The little vixen’s deliberate attempt to make him squirm more worked. Havoc eyeballed him like he had two heads, even Hawk twisted around to face them, his mouth agape, his eyes wide.
Zach took two steps closer and leaned into her. “If you had done as I asked, I wouldn’t have been there to mention it.”
“Um, well, I’m leaving that alone, but tattoo? Sounds intriguing, I always love a girl with ink,” Hawk butted in from across the way.
“You didn’t ask, Zach. You ordered.”
“So what did you get? Let’s see.” Hawk was trying to be diplomatic and keep the peace.
“Sorry to disappoint, Hawk, but you’re out of luck. I’ve never had a tattoo.”
“But I saw it, that day, upstairs in Loretta’s room.” Zach’s memory was not flawed. Beth, naked from the waist up was a powerful image.
Her focus shifted from Hawk to him, and changed from mild humor to icy indifference. “When Loretta and I were sixteen a friend had a themed party. We went as punks,” she explained. “Getting tattoos seemed a cool idea, but when it came to the crunch I wussed out and only got mine airbrushed.”
Zach felt the blood drain from his face. Airbrushed! That infamous e-mail had been years later, so what did that mean? That ‘L’ was not Lizzie, but Loretta? Impossible. Loretta wouldn’t lie to him. He took a moment to process that before asking the question, his voice a great deal calmer than he felt. “So you’re saying Loretta got the real deal.”
“Cool, what she’d get?” Hawk butted in again.
“Shut up, Hawk.”
He opened his mouth to retaliate, but Beth beat him to it.
“Can we just get on with this? I’m done standing around in my underwear.”
“Okay, you two, give the lady some privacy.”
Havoc waved a hand to shoo them off. When Hawk was slow to budge, Zach shoved him between the shoulder blades and barked, “Move.”