AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He wiped the sweat from his brow and I noticed then just how much he was sweating. It was hot, and it was muggy as hell. I kept forgetting how he wasn’t used to the tropics... “Here, drink some water,” I said, handin’ him a bottle. “Sip it. No gulping.”
He gave me another glare for good measure, but he did drink some water.
When he was done packin’ up his bags, he slung his backpack on, then reached for my bag and slung the long strap over his head and one shoulder.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Taking as much as I can carry.”
I took my bag off him, lifting the strap over his head. “I can carry this.”
He looked at me as if he really wanted to say something, but he shut his mouth and looked away. “Fine. Whatever. Thanks, I guess. Sorry for being so stupid.”
I put the bag over my head and one shoulder and let out a groan and handed him the tripod to carry. “Look, I’m sorry for the stupid comment. I shouldn’t have said that. You’re not stupid. You’re the smartest person I know.”
He looked away, petulantly, and I watched as a bead of sweat ran down from his temple, along his jaw and down the column of his neck.
I shouldn’t want to lick that...
I shook my head, getting back on track. “So, I’m sorry. I apologise. You’re not stupid.”
He pouted. “Fine. Thank you.”
God, I wanted to strangle him. I also wanted to kiss him and do obscene things to his body, but mostly I wanted to strangle him. “But what you’redoingis stupid. Just so we’re clear.”
He growled. Literally fucking growled at me.
My whole body reacted and I grunted, having to readjust myself. “Damn.”
He squinted at me. “If we’re discussing the measuring parameters of stupid.”
“That was hot as fuck. Can you growl at me again?”
He rolled his eyes and stomped off, following the track.
“Jeremiah?” I called out.
He spun around. “What?”
Grinning, I pointed with my thumb into the scrub. “We gotta go this way.”
I set off, not looking to see if he followed or not. The ground was wet sand and we had to climb over mangrove roots and branches. Our boots were sinking a little, nothing too bad yet, but it was definitely getting wetter the further we went.
I could hear Jeremiah behind me, his feet and the occasional grunt as he scaled a mangrove root. I was sweating now, so he had to be feelin’ it. Taking the can of paint, I sprayed a pink stripe across a tree every ten metres or so.
“Is that your version of a Hansel and Gretel breadcrumb?”
“That’s exactly what it is. So we can find our way outta here.” I looked back. “Wanna stop for a bit?”
He glanced skyward. “No, not yet. Those clouds are coming in.”
Awesome.
Can’t wait.
“Don’t look so thrilled,” he said, brushing past me to take the lead.
“Okay, you go first,” I said sarcastically. “Your turn to be on the lookout for all the things that can kill us.”
