Page 2 of Hopelessly Wild


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It’s the start of my new life after working at the local delicatessen since finishing school two years ago.

Two years. And I’ve been with Albert for almost a year. Tonight, I’m heading to his house because his parents are out playing cards with his relatives. He said the card games can continue into the early hours of the morning. I know what he’s implying.

I’m not afraid. In fact, I’m excited knowing we will be alone.

I turn the page back and forth, but that entry doesn’t continue. Hell, was that my grandparents’ first time? My breath catches, and guilt fills me knowing I’m reading my grandmother’s private notes, only I can’t look away.

19th January 1956

Last night wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it was going to be—not after the stories I’d heard from the other girls. Maybe it’s because we have come close on other occasions. This time he was prepared. The latex hurt a little, so I need to find an alternative, and I’m not sure who to ask. I’m not telling anyone I have lost my virginity because I don’t want them to judge me. And they will judge.

Last night, Albert accepted my decision about nursing.

6th February 1956

Do they really expect us to wear these starched uniforms? Matron has a ruler and measured the length of my tunic. After one day, I can predict we will not get along. But I want this more than anything, so I will have to abide by the rules. At least my room in the nurses’ quarters is near Brenda’s room.

“Hey.”

I drop the diary and scramble out of the hammock.

Samuel runs his fingers along the netting covering the doorway and adheres the mosquito net to the edges. Leaning forward, he shakes water from his hair as though he has just stepped out of a shower.

“How are you feeling?” He wipes his hands over his face and flicks water from his fingers before checking the net remains secure on our open windows.

“Good. I’m…” I hesitate. His gaze lands on the diary in the hammock. “I have Gran’s diary, and up to now, I was too afraid to read it. The jammed lock didn’t help, but I picked it. I found a paperclip in your bag, and I think it loosened the clasp.” I fail to mention the impact of the diary landing on the wall resulted from my frustration of acting like a caged animal. He wouldn’t know it now, for in the short time reading Gran’s words, it feels as though I’m embarking on a journey with her. I’m in her time warp, and it’s almost serene.

He raises a solitary brow. “My only paperclip?”

Is he seriously concerned about one paperclip?

“So you’re not concerned about the fact I foraged through your stuff or that I’m learning about my grandmother?” I fold my arms over my chest and release them with a sudden ache. Every week my boobs are growing and becoming more uncomfortable.

“You’re reading about her past. Something we can’t change. So, no, it doesn’t concern me. The only thing that matters to me is you. It’s the first thing I asked when I stepped inside.” He takes me in his wet arms and rubs his hands up and down my back. The moisture left on his skin gives some relief to the muggy heat, so I rest my cheek on his chest, hoping to cool my face. “So, how are you?”

I turn to hide my face in his hard chest. “Hormonal,” I murmur. “I’m sorry if I’ve been narky these past few days, but I am going stir-crazy. I mean, if you were here with me then—”

He takes my shoulders and pries me off him. “I’m here. I told the shaman I need to focus on you. I can’t do much more until the rain settles.”

“Which is when? I can’t believe how much I miss the weather app or the news. I mean, even if I could play my Spotify list, it would help. There’s nothing to do.” A mischievous smile tweaks my lips. “I thought about reading your notebooks, but when I picked up one of them, I didn’t even get through the first page of not understanding half of it. The medical terminology? I’m not even pretending to know what you’re talking about.” I throw my arms in the air. “So, I decided today was the day I faced my fear and open Gran’s diary.”

His lips curl into a smile. “Face your fear.” A light chuckle bursts from him. “You’re in the jungle. You traveled here alone, and your fear is in a small book with words of the past?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” I turn and scoop water from the bowl in the corner and cover it again with weaved twine.

“I think I’d understand, considering my past. You’re lucky I have all day for you to tell me what spooks you most.” He comes over, bundles me in his arms, and carries me to the hammock. He curses when he lays me down and swats at the buzzing above his head. A small clay dish on the bench holds the balm he uses to protect us from the mosquitoes. Samuel grabs it and stops the hammock from swaying before lathering it over my face, arms, and legs. I could do it, only it’s like a relaxation massage by the one person whose touch I crave. Flicking my hair from my shoulders, I expose my breasts. I close my eyes, relishing the way his hands make circles over my skin, over my stomach, around my breasts, to my shoulders, and my neck. Warm fingers glide down to my breasts again, the action slower with a gentle squeeze. I open my eyes and meet the fire in his blue hues.

“Did you say you had all day?” I rasp between moans.

“I do.” He places the tub of balm on the ground. “I’ll do your back after.”

“After?”

He leans in, lowering his lips to mine. I sigh into his mouth, and it’s enough for him to lift a leg onto the hammock. A giggle passes my lips when the hammock sways.

“You’re losing your touch.”

He lifts his head and frowns at me.

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