Free Bodyguard Pursuit by Joanne Wadsworth

it’s Ben. We’re on our way back, or we will be after a quick detour to the resort.” His gruff voice rumbled over her from close behind as she walked. “What time’s the flight?” A pause. “I’ll have her back by then. Talk to you again soon.”
    Continuing on, she weaved through the trees.
    “Tyler said the chopper leaves at nine sharp, and you and your sister have to check in every two hours.” He passed her then lifted a low branch blocking her way.
    “Thanks for calling him.” She ducked underneath.
    “Why the rush to see the doctor?”
    “I need to get the hormone injection—ouch.” She grabbed her foot. She’d stood right on top of a spiky twig poking through the bracken.
    “Here, I’ll carry you. I don’t know how you ran through here last night and didn’t get hurt.” He tossed her over his shoulder and her belly thumped into his rock hard shoulder.
    “Ben,” she growled. “I’m sure there’s a better way to carry me than this.”
    “Not when I need one hand free to move the branches.” He patted her backside. “Or to ensure you don’t slip out of my hold. You have the sweetest looking bottom by the way.”
    “Yours is pretty hot too.” With a hand on each of his cheeks, she stroked his tight butt in slow circles. “More than hot.”
    “Stop it.”
    “You started it.”
    “I’m not in the right state of mind. You’re without panties, and I haven’t forgotten. Let’s talk about something else.” He kept one hand firm around the back of her knees as he walked. “After the wedding, what do you intend to do?”
    “That would be sailing back to Auckland. Are you catching a flight or coming with us?”
    “Catching a flight. Work calls. What about after you return home?”
    “Do you mean where am I going to live?”
    “Exactly.”
    “I’ve got a bit saved so I’ll find somewhere to rent, and look at you getting all worried about me. You need to snap out of that.” She gripped his back and eased herself up enough to loop her arms around his neck. The move made him lose his firefighter’s hold, and she slid down his chest and into his arms. “That’s better. A girl can get dizzy swinging around like that. Your penthouse apartment is right above your offices, isn’t it?” He’d mentioned it a couple of times.
    “Yeah.”
    “Your place must have a ton of space. Care for a roomie?”
    “I live alone. Always have and always will.”
    “Mmm, yet you’ve been living with me for a year.”
    “There are times when I go where the jobs are, as in your case. We’re here.” He stepped out of the jungle and into the meadow. Sunshine bathed the tranquil spot. Gently, he set her on her feet.
    “Thanks for the ride.” She reached onto her toes and kissed his cheek. “And I mean every single one of them.”
    “Quit the sexy talk.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her along the coral sandstone path toward the main four-story building. Others strolled along the nearby trails weaving in and around the thatch-roofed bures.
    Inside the main building on the lower floor, the glass fronted pharmacy where she needed to make her appointment held a sign saying it opened at nine. She wandered to the clinic next door, tested the knob and found the door locked.
    Ben tapped his thigh. “It opens right when you need to be winging your way to the mainland.”
    “Making an appointment will have to wait then. I’m not in a huge rush anyway, not since sex with you is off the cards.” The delicious scents of cooked meats and tropical fruits floated to her on the breeze and distracted her. Her belly rumbled and she rubbed it. “Mmm, I might eat here rather than on the ship.”
    The open-air restaurant held a large servery in the center, while along the perimeter chefs attended four individual cooking stations.
    “It’s busy, Saria. Can you handle that kind of a crowd?”
    “Hospitals hold crowds, and I need to get used to being around lots of people.” She ran her fingers through her