Page 21 of Colombian Chemistry

CHAPTER SIX

Irene

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I tried not to complain while I followed John along the path he cleared through the jungle, but everything in my body ached. The tumble out of the Jeep yesterday had left more bruises than I could count, and my shoes weren’t at all practical for hiking. But I bit my tongue and trudged behind him, just grateful he’d managed to get us to safety despite the odds leaning heavily against our favor.

“About another hour and we should be there,” he said as he whacked a bush with the large knife he’d pulled out of his bag this morning.

When I’d watched him pull out his gear, he’d looked like Mary Poppins with the unusual array of things he’d hauled out of his bag. Well, a Mary Poppins with guns, knives, and an arsenal of survival equipment and weapons. I was pretty sure I’d seen a grenade in there, and I didn’t think Mary Poppins had any grenades in that purse of hers.

John may not have had a lamp in his bag, but thankfully he did have a huge knife that let him hack apart the foliage blocking our way. It made our progress that much faster not having to claw our way through the rough spots.

A mosquito buzzed around me but then beelined for John. He swatted at it and grumbled again, having been bit at least a few dozen times.

“Are you getting eaten alive too?” he called back.

“Nope. Seems they’re way more attracted to you than me.”

I didn’t blame them. It would be impossible not to be attracted to the man, especially with how hot he looked, all sweaty and rugged as he wielded that big knife. My trek through the jungle may have been painful, but getting to stare at the nice ass of the powerful man in front of me all day helped soothe the pain.

“I can’t believe I didn’t put bug repellent in my bag,” he said as he scratched an itch on his arm. “I always have some in there because I’m always a magnet for fucking insects.”

Yep. The insects of the world all agreed with me at the sheer magnetism of this man. He was so different from the men I normally saw... the studious types—serious, boring types like me. I didn’t have time to date often with all my studies, but I spent a lot of time with men since they dominated my field. Not one of them had ever gotten my oxytocin pumping the way John did as I watched his biceps bulge with each swipe of his knife. He radiated an animalistic power that sent my brain churning out the chemical that continued flooding my body. At least I was smart enough to know it was just a chemical reaction inside me causing the impure thoughts clouding my brain. But damn, my oxytocin-spurting brain was getting quite creative by the second, imagining all the ways he could ravage me right here on the jungle floor.

I imagined him turning around and pulling me into his arms, his tongue invading my mouth as his hands caressed my body. Then those visions warped into some that were very un-Irene... visions that were much more than the missionary-style sex I’d been accustomed to. These steamy thoughts involved our naked bodies pressed together in ways I’d never dared to imagine doing in real life.

Could my body even bend that way?

Heat flushed my cheeks as I pushed the vivid and extremely pleasant thoughts from my mind. I cleared my throat. “You know, there is a perfectly natural bug repellent right here in the jungle. Isolongifolenone is a natural compound found in the Tauroniro tree right here in South America.”

“Well, look at you going and teaching the survival expert a thing or two.”

“It’s part of my thesis. Using nature’s bounty to replace harmful chemical products. So far, our studies have shown it will be as inexpensive as making DEET, but without all the side effects. It’s quite groundbreaking, really.”

“Can you make some now?” He swatted another one.

“If we pass a Tauroniro tree, I can try.”

“Can’t say I know what they look like, but keep your eyes peeled. I’m getting devoured up here.”

I’ll devour you. Every single sweaty, muscle-covered, rock-hard inch of you.

Oops. There went that oxytocin flooded brain of mine again.

The real me, not this mud-covered disheveled woman tromping through the jungle, would never be attracted to someone like John. Cold, brash, selfish. The men I’d dated in the past were scholars, and though they didn’t radiate the pure sexual energy of the man with the perfect ass currently in front of me, they had been much better fits for a woman like me. John may have everything going in the looks department, but from the little I knew of him, he was far too cold and callous to ever make for a suitable partner. I reminded myself of that as my eyes continued molesting every impeccable inch of the man.

“What’s your last name? I just realized I have no idea.”

“It’s not important.”

“If it’s not important, then why won’t you tell me? Wait.” I stopped walking. “Are you a criminal? Are you some kind of murderer from the States, and you can’t tell me your name because then I’ll know who you are and report you?”

He stopped walking and chuckled before turning around. One large step brought him in front of me. I swallowed as I took a step back.

“And if I was? Exactly what would you plan on doing about it?”

A lump formed in my throat as I stared into his intense eyes. “I, uh... well, nothing, I suppose.”