Page 45 of Marks of Rebellion

Let's see how she likes it.

"Sorry, I can't tell you."

She furrows her brows and tilts her head.

I'm such an asshole.

She's been treated like shit by men, and now I'm doing the same. Way to go.

I sigh. "Andre doesn't want them to lose their jobs."

Her eyes widen. "I didn't think about your job. I'll go myself."

"Over my dead body," I growl, and she jumps but not as much as normal. I put my hands over my face in frustration.

Why can't I talk in a calm voice?

She pulls my hands off my face. Her blue eyes pierce into mine. "Let's hope there's no dead body."

It takes a moment for me to realize that she's teasing me.

"At least not until you get out of Belize." I joke back.

Her face falls. "That's not funny."

"I don't know why I can't think about my tone before I talk," I blurt out.

She scoots closer to me and puts her hand on my cheek. "Hunter, I don't want you to change. There isn't anything wrong with how you talk or act."

"I want to stop scaring you."

"You don't."

"I do. You jump every conversation we're in."

She twists her hair around her finger. "I don't mean to."

"It's not you. It's me," I tell her, taking responsibility for my actions.

"No. It's not. And I feel safe with you."

My heartbeat picks up. "You do?"

She releases her hair. "Yeah."

Andre and Naomi step out of the tent and wave to us. They go to the edge of the campground and into the jungle.

"One down, four to go," I joke.

"Should we go pack? I now have one new bikini, another spare outfit, and shoes. Oh, wait! I'm wearing the shoes, and the bikini top has become my bra. So I guess that leaves me with a bikini bottom, pair of shorts, and a T-shirt. Where shall I stuff them?"

She's still not wearing any panties.

Oh Lord.

"Let's go into the tent and stock my backpack."

When we get in the tent, I dump the contents from my backpack out, repack everything, and throw in some extra military food packs from the bins Interpol flew in. Vanessa hands me her small pile. The bikini bottom is on top. It's barely there, and the vision of her perfect ass pops into my mind. I swallow hard.