Free The Mercenary by Cherry Adair Page A

the water.
    Keeping her gaze
    fixed at a point to the left and behind Marc, she stepped onto the rocks on the rim and then moved
    around him. Water sluiced down the goose bumps on her skin. Every nerve and cell in her body was
    embarrassed, but she kept her back straight and her head high as she walked past him covered in nothing
    but her long hair and what was left of her dignity. Her face burned, but not for anything in the world
    would she let him see how shaken she was and how much courage it had taken for her to get out of that
    pool naked.
    She felt totally exposed and more vulnerable than she’d ever felt before. But she wouldn’t back down.
    Mingled with her embarrassment was the sudden realization of the guts it had taken.
    Oh, my God, she thought incredulously as she heard his startled gasp behind her. I did it! Her spine
    rigid, Tory forced her footsteps to stay even and refused to give in to the temptation to run and cover
    herself. There was no sound from behind her, but she would have been hard-pressed to hear anything
    over the thundering of her heart. She was five steps from the entrance to the camp when a hand gripped
    her upper arm. She bit back a scream. Marc swung her around to face him. There was a nasty glitter in
    his pale eyes. “Sex doesn’t mean a damn thing to me. Got that? So don’t throw that delectable little body
    in front of me anymore, because I’m just not buying.” Without a blink, Tory stood frozen in his grasp. His lips were a hard thin line and his eyes were
    narrowed on her face. Inwardly she flinched at the iciness of his expression. Her heart was beating hard
    enough to make her body shudder.
    What a nasty excuse for a human being he was. “How dare you! I wasn’t throw—” She’d been trying to
    prove a point, but in doing so she’d left her actions up for interpretation. And Marc Savin being Marc
    Savin had taken it as sexual instead of as a show of…independence? No, Tory thought with a lump in
    her throat.Stupidity. She dropped her eyes, fighting back tears of embarrassment. After a few moments
    she forced herself to look up at him.
    His face was as inscrutable as the Sphinx. She swallowed. “I wasn’t trying to…I didn’t mean…I…I
    don’t like being bullied.”
    “I told you I wanted to see a little backbone. I didn’t mean I wanted to see you buck naked.”
    She was gritting her teeth so hard her jaw ached. “I’m going to get dressed now.”
    “Do that.”
    Marc gave her a good fifteen minutes to get her emotional shit together. Hell, to be honest with himself,
    he needed a minute to get his own shit together. Lord. What a body. She was luscious from head to toe.
    And it wasn’t bruises he’d been looking at this time.
    Victoria Jones was the sister of his best friend, Marc reminded himself. Off-limits. Out-of-bounds.
    Besides, she wasn’t his type.
    Yeah? he mocked, all that silky long hair? The firm, creamy skin? Those long legs?
    Those beautiful,
    pink-tipped full breasts? The mouth that would tempt a saint? Right. Not his type at all.
    When he went back into their small camp she was sitting in the middle of the makeshift bed, cradling her
    arm, wet hair soaking the shirt she’d pulled on over her damp naked body. She wasn’t giving an inch.
    From the little he knew of her, he was astounded that she’d dredged up the nerve to pull that stunt. His
    eyes narrowed in speculation.
    He’d known before they started out that she’d be a pain in the ass. But damn it, he needed her to find
    her brother. He didn’t have a choice. On the other hand, he mused with great annoyance, he hadn’t given
    her any choice, either. The coffee in the metal cup was cold. Marc drank it anyway, irritated as she gave
    a little sniff. Good. Back to her usual modus operandi. Marc didn’t acknowledge the relief he felt.
    Victoria Jones, the wimp, he could handle.
    He crouched down beside her. His soap smelled completely different on her skin. “What happened?
    Does