Chapter 10: Chapter 10

He cocked his head to the side in the direction of a blanket that was dangling in front of a gap in the left wall. "Porta potty for camping."

She grimaced as she looked at the rudimentary building and remarked, "You really thought of everything." “Still. I believe I will make an effort to refrain from utilizing it."

Anna gave voice to what was going through her head as she evaluated what he had said about the property and then switched gears to return to the topic of safety concerns. "Someone on the inside must have divulged your whereabouts if the title couldn't be traced."

After drinking all of his water, Jerome threw away the bottle it came in. He was still in the squatting position when he turned his back to her. It is necessary.

The question was, "What about Agent Jack?"

Something grave appeared on his face for a split second, undetectable but recognizable, and was quickly wiped away with the speed and discipline of a man who was well-versed in the art of hiding his emotions. But not quick enough to avoid catching Anna's attention. She made a living by reading biographies of other persons.

He expressed it in a contemptuous manner, "It's not Jack." "Any of the marshals who were tasked with my protection could have been the one responsible."

His delivery was abrupt, clipped, and aggressive; there was even an air of defensiveness about it. Her brows furrowed, and her eyes focused intently on his features. Did he, even if it was only a hunch, suspect Jack? It's possible that he didn't want to acknowledge it or that he just didn't want it to be the case.

She inquired, "Does he know where we are now?" while simultaneously being worried for their wellbeing and the delicate nature of the topic they were discussing.

He reassured her that "no one knows where we are except for us," and the assurance in his voice helped alleviate some of her anxieties, though they were still present.

She wore a frown. I had the impression that he was going to meet us.

"At a site not too far away."

She gave a sigh of relief and nodded.

They locked gazes, and the sexual tension in the room increased as dramatically as if it had been fired into the room from a cannon. After the sudden charge, silence descended between them as it felt very heavy. Because Jerome was focusing his attention on her with such intensity, she had the impression that he could see her soul and discover any secrets that weren't already contained in her file. He didn't say a word as he inched his way closer.

Instantaneously, Anna's heart started racing as she anticipated his contact and his proximity to her. He appeared to have the intention of removing one of her boots by reaching for it as if he were about to do so. However, that triggered one of her phobias, putting an end to the sexual tension that had been building up. He had no reasonable expectation that she would be able to leave this location without her boots. Anna abruptly brought her feet closer to her body and then pulled her knees to her chest, embracing them in the process. "What exactly are you up to?"

"I hope this would ease your mind. You must be aware that your feet are causing you a lot of pain.

"Running barefoot is impossible for me." It was awful enough having to run in boots with the heels taken off of them.

He let her know that she would not be running anytime in the near future. There are still six hours left until our departure. You had better get some rest and dry off if you want to continue."

Her throat became parched. "Six hours? How come it's already six o'clock? Where exactly are we? Is there air to breathe?"

Yes. There are many different sites of ventilation located throughout the caverns.

She gave a slight nod in response. Her attempts to relax were fruitless and she eventually gave up. “Still. No. I can't. I...I just can't stay in this crater for that long. The look on Jerome's face became more relaxed. "Don't look at me like that. I am fine. I simply am unable to remain here for that much longer."

He extended his hand and gently caressed her cheek in his palm. "You can." Now, in some way, he was much more accessible. A tiny gesture in a confined place, he brought his knees to touch hers. "I'll help you."

"I do not require your assistance. Please give me some space so I can take in everything that has been said. It would only serve to make the situation worse if we surrounded her.

On the other hand, he did not retreat. His calloused fingertips brushed across the area just below her knee as they worked their way around one of her calves and inched her trouser leg upward. A tingling sensation of eagerness began to spread across her entire body. And taking into account the level of fear she was currently experiencing, this shouldn't be possible, yet he was demonstrating that it was. Perhaps she did not require any personal space. Perhaps she had a need for him. She focused on the tingling sensations he was producing within her, and she focused on his face so that she wouldn't look at the confinement created by the walls. His eyes traveled up her mouth as he did so. He said, "I'm not sure I'm capable of giving you room right now," and he was being serious. "I want you too badly, Anna."

She found herself entranced, caught in those chocolate-colored eyes of his, and she found it difficult to swallow in response to the bluntness of his comments. She felt want well up in her veins, erasing the terror once more from her body.

Jerome began to inching the zipper on her boot downward very slowly, his fingers trailing her exposed skin in its wake as it moved. Anna attempted to stifle a shudder since she did not want him to realize how easily he could impact her. Even taking off a boot was made to look seductive by this man.

"I didn't want to leave you that first night," he muttered to her. "I didn't want to."

The off-the-cuff remark caused her to show signs of irritation for no apparent reason. She leaned forward in an instinctive manner and covered his hand with her own, thereby stopping his movement. As a result of this, their lips came closer together. He should not have smelled so nice after spending so much time in the forest, yet he did. Hot and aggressive.

She questioned him, "But you did go, didn't you?" as she reflected on how he'd sneaked past her defenses and then left her sitting at that table, feeling like a fool. "But you did leave," she said. It was painful, and the recollection made her back tight.

"Had I stayed, I would have taken you to a hotel room and made love to you in as many different ways as you would have let me." "If I had stayed, I would have taken you to a hotel room." She struggled to muster the strength to resist as he wrapped his fingers around her other calf, but she was powerless to do so. "But if anything had happened, by the time dawn rolled around, you would have despised me."

She mumbled, "I should hate you," while she was split between her want to acknowledge her attraction to this man and her fear of what embracing her attraction to him may imply. "I should hate you." The concern that he may reawaken a portion of her that had been put to sleep for a specific purpose in her life. "What you did was not acceptable."

His eyes moved away from her mouth as he did so. He looked at her intently before asking, "Do you?" "Anna, do you have it in for me?"

She tilted her head up ever-so-slightly. He was completely mistaken if he believed that passion and appreciation, or even like, were the same thing. Her previous partner had taught her a valuable lesson: sometimes sex was just sex. "I haven't decided yet."

His lips twitched ever-so-slightly as he said. “Good. If that's the case, I'll still have an opportunity to weigh in on the matter.

Jerome gave her a tantalizing kiss while leaning into her and caressing her lips with his own in a way that left her wanting more. He said to himself in a low voice, "Anger can be a potent aphrodisiac." "If you put your mind to it, I'm sure you can come up with some solutions to make things fair."

This resulted in the issuing of the challenge. Which way will you go?

Should she remain in this cave and allow her fear to take control, or should she show Agent Jerome Sandro how much out of his sexual league he truly was?

She smiled seductively at him for a fraction of a second before gently biting the bottom of his lip with her teeth. "Shall we get started, if you don't mind?"

She swiftly slid away from him and put her back against the wall as she evaded his grasp. "Get up on your feet and strip off your clothes."

"Get up on your feet and take your clothes off." A challenge was given when Anna repeated her comments and allowed them to hang in the air for a while. She was aware that Jerome was not the type of man who willingly ceded authority, which was precisely why she was so excited about the prospect of persuading him to do so now. "If you dare," she said, her words intended to elicit a response from the listener.

However, Jerome was not the type of person to give in to a manipulated emotional response. He had a blank look on his otherwise lovely face, as if he had been stuck in place. Oh, but she was able to pick up on the calculation in him and the fight that was going on deep within his soul.

Finally, with a tone that was tight and low, he spoke. "Once we're even, we're even. The game starts afresh from the very beginning."

She responded with defiance by asserting that "this is not a negotiation."

Simply cocking an eyebrow and crossing his arms in front of his massive chest was all that Jerome did to show his disapproval. He was insisting that she give in without using any words.

Man who won't give in. She had no choice but to devise a plan to siphon off some of the power. "Fine," was the response she gave. "But let's talk about it when we're both even."

Despite this, it was clear from his expression that he wasn't going to bite. A sound of exasperation came from her mouth. "What would you recommend in that case?"

The expression on his face was becoming crystal apparent, but the corners of his large mouth gave off the impression that he was smiling. It was starving, agitated, and positively radiating with sexual arousal.

When he responded, the heat in the room vibrated through his voice. When we've reached an equilibrium, we'll both be aware of it. He reached behind himself, pulled his shirt over his head, and then tossed it aside, demonstrating not just in his words but also in his actions that he possessed a high level of self-assurance.