Marley pulled her tattered confidence up over her shoulders with her flight suit and zipped it up tight, praying that she was strong enough to hold it together until they got out of this godforsaken jungle. The lush green trees she’d considered breathtaking only an hour before now seemed to reach out to her with deadly intent. Every rustling, every howl or scratch in the woods set her teeth on edge. She’d been to some hellish places before now, but the freaking Congo beat them all.

The attack had been bad—worse than bad—but it stung even more that she’d broken down in front of Mack and sobbed in his arms like a weakling.

All her years in the Girl Scouts and training for the Air Force had bolstered her strength and her self-confidence and made her think she was a strong, capable woman. Hell, she flew C-130s in and out of combat operations. She had raised her daughter as a single mother after her husband was killed. She had faced down scores of men who’d looked down on her and her profession simply because she did not have an appendage hanging between her legs.

But so many horrors stacked on top of one another within a short span of twenty-four hours was enough to make a god crack. She knew that logically. Logic didn’t have shit on her emotions though, which were currently wreaking havoc on her.

Mack had tried to help her descend from their cave using the thorny vines, but she’d refused his hand. She couldn’t even look him in the eye.

The sensual lovemaking she and Mack had shared was in such contrast to the violent attack on her body that she couldn’t process the information.

They reached the solid ground at the edge of the forest, and Mack paused to gather his bearings before they entered the deadly maze in search of his team.

He’d looked at her with such compassion, held her so gently. A man like Mack Grey would take care of his woman—Marley had no doubt of that. And God, she wanted him to take care of her right now. If not for her stupid stubborn pride and the stiffening of her spine whenever he tried to help her, she might cave and follow him around like a whipped puppy.

But she had more respect for herself than that, and if Mack wanted anything to do with her, especially after this jungle, he needed to realize she could stand on her own. Even if she was indebted to him for a lifetime for saving her from that beast.

“We’ll head this way—” Mack indicated the direction with his hand, “—I think we can make it there before nightfall as long as we don’t run into any more soldiers.”

Marley inwardly winced. She hoped she never saw another guerrilla again. “Can I have your knife? I never got mine back after I dropped it from the tree.”

Mack leaned his rifle over his shoulder and pulled the sharp KA-BAR from his pocket without hesitation. “Stay close and keep your voice down,” he said as he handed it over.

Did he know that being weaponless made her feel afraid? Her strength was no match against a man, but she usually made up for that difference in speed and weapon skills. If she’d had anything on her person when that soldier had snuck up on her in the cave, she would’ve handled him easily on her own. But he’d caught her with a surprise backhand, the force of his blow enough for her to momentarily lose consciousness. She touched her cheek and rubbed the swelling. She could only imagine what it must look like. Especially from the way Mack’s gaze darkened and narrowed. “I’ll protect you, Marley. I’ll die before I let anyone else harm you. You have my word.”

The urge to fling herself into his arms nearly overpowered her. It would be so easy to give in and give up. Marley let her hand fall to her side and flicked open the blade on the knife. “Let’s go.”

She didn’t want to talk about it anymore—thinking about it made her want to cry, talking about it would ensure she did. Mack stared at her a moment longer.

“Please drop it.”

“Don’t get out of my sight.” Mack turned and entered the forest, trusting Marley to follow him. Feeling incrementally better with the knife, Marley tucked in close to his heels, not dumb enough to take on this place by herself. She couldn’t help but notice Mack’s lethal grace.

He moved like a Bengal tiger constantly looking for prey. Only a man with absolute certainty of his dominance and power could move that way. She’d seen him in action, more than once now, and his strength and cunning were awe-worthy.

Her father, who’d always valued ability over politicking and ass kissing, would admire Mack. Colonel Mitchell treated everyone the same, from those who outranked him to the lowest soldiers on the totem pole. If they screwed up, her father would let them know it without couching his words to spare their feelings. And equally as important, he praised those who did well and worked hard to excel.

Mack was that kind of leader, too. His men looked at him with unquestioning trust and respect in their eyes. If they trusted him with their lives, Marley could trust him with hers. He’d see her out of the jungle if it was at all humanly possible and return her to her family and her daughter.

More than likely he’d deposit her on her doorstep and walk away, disappearing like a ghost in the wind as he said he’d done with Barbara. For some reason, the thought made her feel hollow inside.

She tried desperately to think of John, but his face was a vague blur in her mind. It had been so long. She was tired of being alone. Not that she was truly alone—she had Maddie and her parents and a job she loved—but Mack made her realize how much she’d cut herself off from the world beyond her inner circle.

He had made her remember how good it felt to have a man’s hands caress her body. To share a connection so intimate she couldn’t describe it in words.

And now that she’d felt it, touched him, and took him inside her, she knew she couldn’t go back to the way things had been before.

Mack lifted his arm and rubbed a thick hand over the back of his neck. His biceps flexed and shoulders rippled. She became more aware of the tenderness between her thighs. Her skin seemed hypersensitive. Just seeing his fingers made her remember how they’d felt inside her.

Mack had awakened a dormant part of her that she hadn’t even realized she’d shut down. There was no way in hell she had a hope of flipping the switch back off.

“You okay? Need to take a break?” Mack paused as he glanced over his shoulder.

Marley stiffened and stopped in her tracks. They’d only been walking for a couple of hours. “I’m good.”

“Yeah, but you’ve been injured and—”

“It’s just a few scratches and bruises. I can go as long as you can.”

The pity that had been there moments ago melted. Mack straightened his shoulders, adjusting his rifle over his shoulder. “You can quit with the gruff act.”

“Act? I’m not acting. I don’t need you to baby me or handle me like a glass doll that’s about to break every time you look at it.” Marley fisted her hands and planted them on her hips. Did he not understand that she needed to prove to herself, as much to him, that she could get herself out of this mess?

“Dammit, Marley, why can’t you just bend a little? Of course I don’t think you’re going to break. You’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met.” Mack closed the distance between them, his voice silent but harsh. “You’ve been through a lot, whether you want to admit it or not. You haven’t had anything to eat or drink. You’ve been through plenty of trauma. Trained operatives can barely handle shit that heavy, so don’t tell me you’re not feeling the pressure.”

“Of course I’m feeling the pressure, but I’m not going to buckle under it.”

“I never thought you would. You’d probably walk into a fire just to prove that you could.” Mack softened his harsh words by running his knuckles across her collarbone. “But even my men know when they need a break. I can’t carry you out of this jungle, not if I’m also protecting you from attack. I haven’t been with you long enough to know how far you can push yourself before your body gives out. I’ll bet you’ve never tested it this way before.” He held her gaze. “Marley, that’s something you can’t control no matter how strong-willed you are.”

The logic behind his words robbed her of her bravado and Marley toed the wet dirt beneath her boots, suddenly feeling a tiny bit sheepish. “I’ll let you know if I need a break.”

Mack slipped a finger under her chin and tilted her face up. “I don’t think you’re weak, but I do think you’re breakable. Don’t be mad at me for wanting to protect you. That’s who I am and who I always will be.”

He was trying to tell her something with those words, maybe a hint at a possible future together? He’d opened up to her so much about his wife and his son and now this? Marley felt her shell of frustration crack and his open sincerity filtered in, filling her with warmth. “And don’t be mad at me for fighting to do it on my own,” she said. “It’s all I’ve known for years. I don’t know how not to.”

Mack’s fingers drifted over her lips, the featherlight caress sending chills down her neck. “When we get out of this jungle, I’m going to show you how it feels to be taken care of, Marley Mitchell.”

Mack’s lips closed over hers in a solid yet gentle kiss that robbed Marley of her ability to do anything but feel. When the kiss was over, he stepped back, but Marley spanned the small distance between them and placed a hand on his chest. “I’d like that.”