We madecamp several hours later, a small fire in the center of our tents in a clearing, surrounded by towering trees and tendrils of vines. Thunder sounded in the distance, a storm building. A cool breeze caused me to shiver, brought by the distant weather.
Being caught in the middle of the jungle during heavy rains could be quite dangerous. Hopefully it was just a small downpour and would be over fast.
“We should arrive the day after tomorrow,” said Ivan, roasting a fish over the fire. “There’s a storm headed our way. I’ll monitor it and let you know if we need to move to higher ground. But from the looks of it, it doesn’t seem like a large one.”
How could he even discern that? Especially in the dark. Icouldn’t shake the anxiety brewing as fears of flooding spun in my mind.
Liam took a seat beside me and handed me a piece of bread, fingers brushing mine ever so slightly, seemingly on purpose. He even sat closer than usual, our thighs nearly touching.
He had begun to get a little touchy with me over the last few days. Sometimes he’d put a hand on my shoulder or lower back when he came up behind me to talk, or he’d brush his fingers over mine if we were close to each other. Or the way his hands had squeezed my hips earlier today after pulling me away from the quicksand. How he held my arm when he called my habits endearing.
I had to admit, it didn’t bother me. In fact, I liked it. And I couldn’t stop thinking about the night of the prank, when he’d silenced me with his hand over my mouth. The way his voice dipped low, the shivers that had traveled over my flesh, the warmth in my core.
It was obviously just lust. I hadn’t been intimate with anyone since Ambrose and, to be honest, sex with him was boring. I rarely found release and he never cared enough to ensure I did. I’d never really had great sex. The men I’d been with were selfish and bland. Done within minutes. Maybe they thought that’s how I liked it. I was so boring in my everyday life, maybe they thought I liked boring sex too.
But I had unexpectedly liked the dominant way Liam told me to be quiet, the feel of his hand gripping my face, and I wasn’t sure what that meant. Would he be commanding in the bedroom? Would he take charge? And why did that arouse me?
My face flushed in embarrassment at the idea of him bossing me around. I was Cerise Thornheart. An uptight workaholic who had to control everything in her life. There was no way I would be able to let go in that way.
…Right?
Chapter 14
Carried Away
Liam
Ilay in my tent, listening to the soothing rain as I tried to ignore my nerves about this storm. We weren’t on high ground and wouldn’t be for a while, but Ivan had assured us it would pass quickly.
I tried to focus on the sound of the storm, tried to fall asleep, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Cerise and how badly I wanted her. It hadn’t escaped me the way her breath hitched when I would let my touch linger. Or the way her cheeks flushed when I couldn’t stop myself from watching her.
And then there was the way she’d reacted when I silenced her the night of the prank. It made me even more curious. What else would make her look at me that way? Her pupils blown and eager for more.
It wasn’t just about sex. I was growing to like her as a person, and I hadn’t felt that captivated by someone in years.
I cared about her.
I groaned and rolled over, the sound of rain growing louder. It was pouring now, and my worries about flooding grew. This didn’t feel right. My gut told me something was amiss. Giving up on sleep, I got dressed and left my tent to inspect the campsite.There was a small amount of standing water, but nothing significantly concerning yet.
But something urged me to get a closer look, so I trekked through the woods in search of the nearby stream we’d passed earlier today. After a few minutes, I reached it and froze, my worst fears confirmed. It was rising rapidly.
I sprinted back to camp, shouting for everyone to wake up, but they didn’t hear me over the storm. Reaching Cerise’s tent first, I opened the flaps.
“Get up and pack your things as quickly as possible. We need to get to higher ground. Now.”
She bolted upright, tossing her blanket to the side. She was only wearing a shirt brushing the tops of her thighs, her long lean legs on full display, and I was bombarded with the visual of those beautiful legs draped over my shoulders as I tasted her.
Now is not the time, you idiot.
I backed out and woke the rest of the team.
“But Ivan said we were fine!” Dr. Rosenshield shouted over the sound of the storm.
“Well he was wrong. Again,” I responded with irritation.
Who the fuck picked Ivan as our guide? He’d been useless. Not double checking the cave, missing the quicksand in the path, and now this storm.
Within ten minutes, we’d packed our tents and supplies, donned our fortunately waterproof backpacks, and plodded along in search of higher ground. I tucked my glasses into my pack so I wouldn’t lose them. It was raining too hard to wear them anyway.
