Dangerous Desires by Dee Davis Page A

balls.”
    “Takes the romance out of it every time.”
    “I don’t think romance was ever part of the equation.” She shook her head, and for the first time, Drake noticed the bruises on her shoulders and neck.
    “Jesus,” he said, reaching out to touch the purpling skin. “I shouldn’t have made light of the situation. Looks like the bastard really hurt you. Are you sure you’re okay?” He felt gently along the line of her collarbone. “I don’t think anything’s broken.”
    “I’m fine,” she said, pulling away, the loss of contact oddly disarming. “It’s just bruises. Believe me, I’ve been through worse. But if you hadn’t gotten here when you did…” She stopped, and then shrugged. “Seems that I owe you—again.”
    “It’s just part of the job.” He shook his head, studying her for a moment, then with a frown, he turned back to the cliff edge. “Is he one of di Silva’s?”
    Madeline nodded. “I recognize him from the grounds of Casa de Orquídea. Just a low-level flunky.”
    “With an appetite for taking what doesn’t belong to him.” Drake’s jaw tightened as he considered what had almost happened here, surprised at the depth of his anger.
    “But I’m okay,” she said, laying a hand on his arm, her fingers warm against his skin. “He didn’t hurt me. Not in any way that matters.” She waited for a moment, and then stepped back, shading her eyes as she looked up at the smoky sky. “I heard the blast.”
    “Fireworks courtesy of Tyler.” He nodded. “She managed to blow the cache.”
    “Di Silva and his people are going to want blood.”
    “Without a doubt,” he said. “And, at the moment, we’re sitting ducks. We made enough noise to draw out an army, so if your man down there has got friends, they’re probably on their way. ”
    She frowned, scanning the surrounding jungle. “I thought you guys had an evacuation plan.”
    “Past tense. I’m afraid that ship has sailed—or flown, as the case may be. I saw the helicopter take off just after the weapons blew.”
    “So they just left us?”
    “You didn’t give them much choice. Your defection cost both of us our chance at an easy way out. If you’d stayed put like I told you—”
    “I did what I thought was best,” she said, her tone defensive. “I figured I’d be better off on my own.”
    “Right,” he said, irritation swelling. What was it with the two of them? They couldn’t seem to hold on to the peace for five fucking seconds. “That’d explain the maniac with his hands around your throat.”
    “I hadn’t counted on di Silva’s men coming from this direction,” she admitted. “Anyway, I would have figured a way out.”
    “Look,” he ground out, his hands clenching, “if I hadn’t arrived when I did, you’d be dead.”
    She blew out a breath, shoulders slumping. “I know.” The admission was almost too soft to hear, but even so, Drake understood what the words had cost her. “But they didn’t have to leave us behind.”
    “They had no choice. I asked you if there was a second way out. If you’d told me the truth we could have planned our exit differently. And more safely. As it was, youromission put my entire team at risk. They had to blow the cache and then make a run for it straight through the line of fire.”
    “But you said they made it out all right.”
    “I said I saw the helicopter. There’s no way of knowing if everyone was on it.”
    “So we’ll go back and check.” It was a noble gesture, and from what he could see sincerely offered.
    “Impossible.” He shook his head. “When Tyler detonated the explosion, it cut the ruins off from this part of the jungle.”
    “So the only person I really hurt—was me,” she said with a little sigh of relief. “And you, I suppose.”
    “You’re not listening. If you’d told us the truth, we’d have all been able to use the lower path, and Jason could have brought the helicopter to a clearing like this one instead of having