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God in heaven, no kiss had ever ruled her senses more than this. When she tilted her head to deepen the kiss, he obliged. Big time. He wrapped his arm around her to both pull her closer and press his body against hers. It made them unsteady, and they traveled several steps until she felt the wall behind her stop their momentum, and then the kiss turned hard, demanding, savage, like his own senses were being overruled as well. She registered the full length of his hard body pressed against hers, every muscle tightened. She ran her hands up his arms, noting every bump and groove under the thin fabric of his shirt, up the back of his neck and into his soft hair to run her nails along his scalp, and then down his chest. What would he do if she just undid a couple of buttons?
He broke the kiss, his eyes a bit wild. “Mercy.”
She panted, unsure why he’d stopped kissing her. “Ditto.”
His gaze cleared, and he seemed to notice their proximity for the first time. He backed away and straightened his shirt. She was sad to see that fiery expression leave his face, replaced with one of cold arrogance. “Did you enjoy that?”
His words were mocking, and she could only imagine that she looked like lust personified. “Nope.”
“I’d say perhaps you are the one at risk of becoming smitten.”
“I’d say pigs would sooner fly.” She held out her hand for her phone.
12
Strutting through the arid jungle, Jessie flipped her knife in the air, catching it perfectly by the hilt, like she’d done a million times before. Her mother would have been outraged the day her father started teaching her that little trick.
If she’d still been alive.
Dad had been so proud, though, when she’d mastered the technique, showing her off to all his poker buddies first chance.
She hopped over a fallen tree trunk, so decomposed it had almost melted into the ground. Nature’s artwork. It was impossible not to appreciate the majesty of it. The combined scents of vegetation, humidity, soil, and decaying wood, along with chirping birds and insects, stimulated all her senses and invigorated her.
God, I missed this.
The air was so thick with moisture and fresh oxygen, each breath was a heady cacophony of fragrance. Already she was feeling better, shrugging off weeks of ennui.
She passed more crumbling tree carcasses slowly being overtaken by vibrant new growth. Ambitious vines crept up the thick, mossy trunks in search of sunlight. Thick ground cover huddled in patches of damp soil, like little soldiers protecting their turf.
For the first time, she felt…at peace.
She supposed if her mother had been alive during her formative years, she would have spent her youth fussing with hair and makeup, having sleepovers and clothing montages with friends, or mooning over boys. Instead she’d learned how to tie slipknots and build fires and defend herself.
A twig snapped nearby. Jessie froze mid-step and glanced toward the sound. June and the others had said the jungle was safe, and shefeltthat to be true—in a mysterious way she couldn’t explain—but if Orik discovered she’d gone missing (again) and that she hadfoundher knife (again), he’d likely become infuriated with her.
From behind a row of bushes, a small critter scurried away, and Jessie relaxed.
She would have waited for an escort,as Orik had promised, if it had ever been forthcoming. Day three of her lockdown was when she’d first started pestering the staff, via the intercom, demandingrec time.
The servants who’d answered had no idea what she was talking about. When she’d explained, they’d merely transferred her to wherever Orik was. He’d always answer with a gruff, “What do you need?” She recalled thinking,How could his voice sound so sexy? Even with the underlying crackle of static between them.
It had irritated her to no end.
He seemed to grow equally vexed whenever she called him her “warden” and asked for a reprieve from hercell. She mentally replayed their many conversations over the course of the last few weeks.
“I need exercise,” she had told him.
“I will send you a fitness specialist to guide you through a routine.”
“I wasn’t referring to aerobics. I need fresh air.” What she’d really needed was to not feel trapped. Her skin itched for wide open spaces. The terrace offered a bit of relief, yet only served to tempt her with spectacular views of sunsets and the expansive forests she couldn’t explore.
This world was calling to her. Screaming more like it.
She had prayed she’d get to experience even a small part of it before she was returned to Earth.
She flipped her knife and towed over a small brook.
“I canna take you out just now,” was his usual reply, as if she were some kind of pet with a neglectful owner. She understood he was a busy man, head of the guard and all, and had tried to be patient.
