Page 21 of Risks of Temptation

He got it just for me?

"Are you going to eat? I thought you said, 'have dinner with me?'"

He breaks a small piece off then pops it in his mouth. He nods for me to eat while he chews.

We eat silently. My sister paces the tent, leaves, then comes back in and talks with Vanessa. Andre steps into the tent, and she leaves with him.

What is she freaking out about?

"Are you okay, ma belle?" Malin quietly asks.

I turn to him. "Mmhmm. Thanks for dinner."

"Anytime. Do you want to try out my night vision goggles now? See if you think they are all they are cracked up to be?"

Alone in the dark with a man.

Anything could happen.

Naomi will have a fit if I'm gone and she doesn't know where I went.

"Sure."

"Good. But we are only going if you are all right with me carrying you. The ground is muddy and full of sticks." He raises his eyebrows.

"Ummm...okay."

He picks me up in a swoop.

I secure my hands around his thick neck.

"You learned quickly," he teases while stepping out of the tent.

Thank God it's dark and he can't see my face right now.

I need to stop blushing like a schoolgirl.

We go behind a second tent, and he sets me on a log. He takes his goggles and holds them in front of me. "I'll make you a deal."

"What's that?"

"You let me see where your bruises are. I'll put the arnica on while you wear the goggles."

My heart thumps quicker. "Ummm..."

"Bruises can lead to internal bleeding. And whatever they did to you today, your body hasn't fully felt it yet. The pain will be worse tomorrow. The arnica will help all this."

I take a deep breath. Be the woman I want to be and not the weak girl.

I clear my throat. "I'll have to take your T-shirt off."

His Adam's apple bobs. It's dark out, but I see it in the moonlight. "I'll be respectful. I promise."

Courage is something I've never had. Where it comes from, I'm not sure.

"Put your goggles on, then," I demand.

I slowly remove the top and watch his chest move up and down faster. He reaches out and gently touches my stomach. As my flutters oscillate, he asks, "How did this happen?"