But their water supply was running low. He didn’t have to tell her that, even if they made it through today, they’d likely be empty by tomorrow. Then what? She didn’t need an expert like him to tell her that they wouldn’t last long in the desert without hydration.

That was tomorrow, though. Today they’d dodged another bullet. She was lucky to be alive.

Axel bailed out of the side of the helicopter and slung his pack on his shoulder, then jogged around the front of the vehicle to her side. She spilled out into his waiting arms. Axel scooped her up and held her tightly against his body. She felt his racing heart against her own. He smelled like man and sweat and life.

Mystery blinked up, looking into his eyes. His expression, so sharp and aware, made her catch her breath. She dropped her gaze to his lips, aching to know what they felt like.

He grabbed a fistful of her hair and tugged, his stare sliding over her, fused to her. Then his lips crashed down onto her own. She gave a cry at the impact.

Axel took her mouth, possessed it. God, she’d been kissed before but not by anyone who could make her feel his touch through her entire body. The drugging relief she’d been feeling just after the crash mixed with a pure sexual thrill to give her a zing that soon had her climbing his big body, wrapping her legs around his waist, desperate for more.

Axel lifted his head, panted harshly in her face, then swooped in for another blistering kiss. This time, he drilled his tongue into her mouth and tangled it with his own, sweeping deep, scorching her all the way to her soul. His addictive flavor filled her. It wasn’t like artificial breath spray or toothpaste. It wasn’t whatever he’d been eating or drinking. It was just him. She tightened her legs around him and struggled for her next breath, not really caring if she found it.

He pulled at her scalp as he slanted his mouth across her lips at another angle, then dived deep into her a third time. Aching for him everywhere, Mystery wriggled on him and . . . Oh, did she find him hard and ready and so big. Yes. She wanted that. She wanted him. She yearned for more of his fingers tangled in her hair, his kiss taking absolute command of her body. She yearned to find out what it felt like to be filled by a guy who wasn’t simply trying to score.

She whimpered and tightened her arms around his neck. He gave a groan as he filled his hands with her ass and ground her against his raging erection.

He hit her right against the most sensitive spot. Mystery couldn’t stop herself from breaking the kiss and tossing her head back in pleasure. “Axel . . .”

Drawing in deep draughts of air, he set her back on her feet and jerked his hands from her as if he’d been burned. “Jesus, I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m fine. I—”

“Grab your pack.” Axel gritted his teeth, then gave a jerk of his head toward the expansive distance in front of them. “Let’s go.”

She frowned but did as he asked. Once she had it on her back, she fell into step beside him as he headed west, into the sun beginning its fall from its midday zenith. “What’s wrong?”

He refused to look at her. “I feel like an asshole. That was totally inappropriate.”

Mystery frowned up at him. “I liked it. A lot.”

That admission only seemed to turn his expression grimmer. “We’ll walk away from the crash site. With the transponder disabled, it should take whoever sent those guys a while to find their chopper.”

“So you don’t think my dad sent them?”

Axel shook his head. “If he had, they shouldn’t have been shooting at us. I waited to see if they’d fire first. When they started lining up their first shot, I acted accordingly.”

So whoever had paid for her abduction already knew she’d been rescued and was coming after her. “How long do we have?”

“Before they come after us again?” He shrugged, looking like he didn’t want to answer.

“Sheltering me doesn’t do us any good.”

“I know.” Axel squinted against the sun. “You’ve already been through a lot and . . .”

He didn’t want to put her through more. She appreciated that, but that didn’t help them. “It’s not over, so I can’t be a spoiled little rich girl and sit around waiting for someone else to solve my problems if I’d like to live. And the last thing I want to do is drag you down with me.”

“If he’s got another team on standby, an hour. Maybe two. If not, we might have a few hours more.”

The temperature sweltered. In order to reach the nearest town, they had to walk in the direct, blazing sun. They’d probably leave tracks in the sand that a blind man could follow.

“So we either find a place to hide nearby or make a run for it?”

“Yeah. And neither option is particularly good.”

Mystery understood that, but she hadn’t come this far for nothing. If she’d survived an abduction, a bullet-ridden rescue, a trek across unforgiving landscape, and busted out of her comfort zone so she wouldn’t be a burden, all of that couldn’t be for nothing. She wouldn’t let herself, her father, or Axel down.

“It seems to me that the closer we get to civilization, the better off we’ll be. Once we can tell someone I’m still alive and where to find me, they’ll have to give up. Or at least regroup.”

He nodded, then sent her a look filled with pride. “Hanging here makes us sitting ducks.”

“Then let’s keep going. If it doesn’t work out . . . we’ll know we did our best.”

“Good call.” He tilted his head at her. “Now drink water.”

“You’re bossy.”

Despite the gravity of the situation, a smile tugged at his lips. “That’s never going to change.”

Probably not, but she liked that about him. In fact, she liked everything about him. And if they survived this ordeal, Mystery didn’t think she could go back to her life without telling him exactly how she felt.

Chapter Five

THEY walked the better part of the day, skirting hills, rock formations, tall shrubs—anything that provided cover. The sun blazed, and they used up the last of their sunscreen. Axel donned a hat to protect his scalp from the rays. Mystery fought with her long hair until Axel found a length of string in his pack. She tied it on top of her head and kept putting one foot in front of the other. As afternoon waned, their water supply dwindled dangerously low, and she wondered what they’d do if they ran out altogether. Die within a few miles of civilization?

Axel glanced her way and frowned. “You look exhausted.”

She was. “It doesn’t matter right now. Are we walking until night falls?”

He studied the landscape, then turned back to her. “I’m thinking we need to make our way to that outcropping of rocks.” He pointed to a spot in the near distance. “We should rest there, soak up a little shade. We haven’t been followed yet, which tells me that whoever wants you is regrouping. When night falls, we’ll set out again. If we walk then, we’ll have to endure the cold, but it will preserve water.”

Right now, Mystery couldn’t imagine being not sweltering but she knew from experience that once the sun set, the wind often picked up and the temperature plummeted. Then the dry chill would whip at her bones.

She nodded, and they walked to the designated spot in silence. Neither of them said a word about the kiss. Had he just been damn glad to be alive and willing to lock lips with anyone to celebrate that? Or did he feel something for her that he’d written off as either unprofessional or a distraction to his mission? The question gnawed at her brain.

Once they reached the outcropping, Axel gestured to the shade wedged between two of the boulders. “Set your stuff here for a minute and take a load off. Make sure nothing is crawling around before you do. I’m going to climb up here and see if we can spot anything that might resemble dinner. MREs are running low.”