She rolled her tongue over her lips, making his quivering cock twitch a bit. “You really know what to say to me, don’t you?”
Gripp wanted to pull her in for a deep, fervent kiss and maybe even get into round two. Shifters had longer lasting erections and quicker recovery time than the average human male, but the way April made him feel was truly supernatural.
They heard a gunshot fire further off, and they both moved out of the groves and jogged lightly away. Gripp was intoxicated by April, watching her move along next to him with a broad smile plastered on her face. He breathed a sigh of relief as the gunshots finally dissipated, both of them slowing to a jaunty walk.
“I haven’t had this much exercise in ages,” April said.
Gripp grinned, his heart glowing inside his chest.
She looked at him as they walked, the only light coming from the crescent moon above. Her hair was still somehow tied in a bun but had been loosened from the sex and the sudden burst of energy they put into running.
She blinked a few times, her eyelashes fluttering at him.
“Do you think we’re far from the rendezvous point?” she asked.
The thought of them parting made Gripp’s smile melt away. He turned to face the path and moved forward, realizing that he was dreading the moment they were set to leave each other’s company.
“It’s not far from here,” he replied. “A day or two at most.”
April nodded, still walking beside him. The mood had altered, and though Gripp was trying not to let on, April was picking up on it.
She elbowed him as they trudged on, following the moonlit pathway under the canopy of tropical trees.
“I feel like you’ve done a lot of this before,” she said. “I would love to hear more about it if you don’t mind telling me.”
Gripp felt a surge of anxiety move through him. He hadn’t ever spoken about his experiences as a child and even less about what he had done to earn him a spot in the Supermax prison. He tapped his fingers against his legs, keeping his eyes on the path.
“Well, as I said before, I grew up here,” Gripp began. “I wasn’t a planned child, so my parents weren’t very present. I quickly found solace with some of the mercenaries stationed around Eblax.”
April listened quietly, nodding as he spoke.
“Because of that, I fell easily into a military-style way of living. But not in the governmental sense. I’ve never trusted any form of government. Their words are a lot like sand.”
“Falls apart easily,” April said.
He nodded.
“Exactly. It was a group that was for hire, so not exactly legal. We had strict ethics, though many people would doubt it,” Gripp sighed into the cool night air. “We were sent to rescue some kids from the uranium mines, which was really tragic. That was how I ended up in the Supermax.”
“You wouldn’t give them any information?” April asked.
“Nope,” Gripp said. “I won’t give any of those bastards what they want.”
Gripp turned slightly and saw that sweet smile growing on April’s lips. They still looked wet from their last encounter.
“I can totally respect that,” she said. “It’s pretty amazing what you did for those kids and the ones from the other day too. It shows what an amazing man you are.”
She turned to look at him, transfixed. Her beauty was hypnotizing, and, for a moment, Gripp allowed himself to believe that he might actually be a good person.
He smiled bashfully at her, then she slipped her hand into his. The gesture made his heart beat like a kettledrum.
They walked hand-in-hand until they came across a cave nearby. Gripp went in with his flashlight before emerging and letting April know it was safe.
It was narrow but deep, which reassured Gripp that if anyone were to come by, they’d have a place to safely hide. They both ducked down and crawled in as much as they could, then settled in for the night.
Gripp left briefly to get some sticks and brush to make a fire. He brought it to life easily, with the two of them sitting on a blanket and taking out some of the food that remained from the monks. They would have to hunt for a bit more soon, but Gripp wasn’t worried.
He stared into the licking flames, thinking about when April would leave him. Because of his lack of trust in essentially everyone beyond his mercenary team members, Gripp assumed that it would go the same way with her.