16

CAINE'S P.O.V

Nadine was trouble tied up in a very pretty bow.

I didn't know a lot of people who would go to the mouth of the cave after hearing a sound, even I wasn't that stupid, but here she was.

I heard the monster when it was still a distance away and I did everything to mask my scent. I walked between bushes, rubbed mud on my skin and tried to stay silent. I even dipped myself in another stream I saw nearby but it still stuck close. I knew it wouldn't find our cave, it had too many wildflowers around that would confuse it so I did everything possible to get back there.

Nadine was so focused on the monster that she didn't notice me approach.

The monster was close, I couldn't tell exactly where it was because they were masters of disguise but we would have to wait it out. A little noise could be the difference between life and death, or at least, that's what I told myself as I kept her pinned against me.

My back was to the cave wall and hers was pressed against mine. My intention was to pull her away from the mouth of the cave to avoid being sighted but one thing led to another and here we were. It wasn't like I hadn't felt her against me before, we slept in the same sleeping bag but this was different. We were both awake and neither of us was willing to move.

The growling lessened until it was nothing but a faint memory and yet, I didn't release her. She didn't bother trying to move either. The air was quiet once more save for the sound of crickets chirping. That told me everything I needed to know about our safety and yet, I didn't move.

I slowly released her mouth, letting my hand drop to her waist.

"Thank you," she whispered but I didn't speak, couldn't, because it would mean acknowledging what was happening. "I would have been someone's dinner."

"Something," I corrected, unable to help myself.

"Do you think it will come back?"

"I don't know."

It was the answer she was looking for but it was the one I had.

It took all the strength I had to pull back from her. "You might want to take a dip in the water before you sleep. I may have put mud on you."

That was enough to snap whatever haze had been thrown over us. She scoured every inch of her skin, looking for traces of mud while shooting me glares every few seconds. I let out a sigh of relief at that, it was much easier to deal with her annoyance than with whatever had happened a few seconds ago.

She tugged off her shirt in one fluid grip and for the first time, I didn't look away. I gave her a lot of shit about being comfortable getting naked in front of her but I wasn't an asshole. I always looked away. This time, however, I couldn't bring myself to.

Her skin was pale and soft, it looked like it would leave a mark if someone bit into it.

She was lithe and toned in all the right places, her tits strained against her little bralette. It didn't matter that she had bags under her eyes from lack of sleep or that I could see the bone deep exhaustion, she was beautiful and she knew it too. It was obvious in the way she walked, the way she talked. She wasn't the kind of girl you could win over with petty comments about their beauty.

"I can feel you staring at me," she glanced at me over her shoulder with a raised brow. "It's rude to stare."

"You're getting naked in front of me."

"You could be a gentleman and turn around."

The corner of my lips quirked. "Where's the fun in that?"

She just shook her head and started to walk away but I stopped her. I wasn't sure why but the words were out of my mouth before I could control them. She turned to me, her brows raised, and her head cocked to the side as she waited patiently for me to tell her my reason for stopping her.

For a minute, I just stood there tongue tied.

"It's better to wait a minute," I said finally. "The monster may still be nearby. We don't want to risk it hearing the sound of the stream."

It was a bullshit excuse and a part of me felt like she knew it too. I waited for her to refuse, to call me out on my lie but instead, she rolled her eyes and sat cross legged on the ground.

"You couldn't tell me that before I removed my shirt?"

I merely shrugged.

I waited for her to put her shirt back on but she didn't. Instead, she rolled it into a ball and placed it underneath her head as she lay flat on the cave ground.

"Tell me when it's safe to go out."

I waited far longer than I should have before I gave the go ahead.

I was a bastard for taking advantage of the fact that she was lying half dressed in front of me sand ogled her every chance I got.

She was a prissy princess, that fact was never going to change but she was still beautiful.

I originally planned to give her some time to get cleaned on her own but she took far longer than I expected and I was exhausted as well. I couldn't wait until she decided to be done so I made my way out.

She sat at the edge of the stream, her feet dipped inside and her hands on her elbows. The moonlight cast a glow on her, giving her an almost iridescent look. She seemed lost in thought, she hadn't even realized when I stepped out. She was literally a sitting duck and I wasn't sure if I should be pissed or concerned.

"Is your plan to get killed out here?" I drawled as I made my way over to her, stripping my shirt and pants as I did.

I stayed in my boxers and slowly made my way into the ice cold water.

"What do you care? It will be one less mouth for you to feed or worry about."

Her tone didn't have the usual warmth it always had. It was all cold edges and harsh bites. I didn't even bother responding with something snarky. Instead, I walked over to her. She didn't look up at me, didn't even blink when I placed my hands on her bare thighs.

I grabbed her chin in one hand, forcing her head up to meet my eyes. "I know how taxing this can be."

She tried to look away but I kept her immobile. "Leave me alone, Caine."

"No, being out here can do things to you. I know it's not easy but you have me."

She was so close, so close that I could count the freckles scattered on her cheeks.

She snorted. "You hate my guts, excuse me if I am not very excited about telling you how I feel."

"What I feel or don't feel in regards to you does not matter out here. Out here, it's us against them. Remember that."