“Obviously not.” I make appffftttsound to let her know I think she’s full of it.
“Maybe if I were here with Bear Grylls.” She starts out looking very serious, then busts out laughing at my shocked face. “I couldn't help it. It's just so obvious how much you can't stand him.”
“That’s not true. I don't even know him. I just can't understand why he feels the need to drink his own urine unnecessarily,” I say with a casual shrug.
“You're jealous!” she says, laughing.
“Am not.Anyonecould have their own line of outdoor gear.”
Nodding, she says, “Absolutely. And yet, here we are carrying around Bear Grylls backpacks that you can’t seem to stop complaining about.”
I scowl a little, then say, “Do you know who Ireallywould've liked as a princess co-host? Who's that one from England? Kate? Oh yeah, her.”
Arabella's eyes grow wide and she reaches over with both hands and starts to tickle me aggressively.
I bust out laughing and grab her hands, tugging her on top of me. “What's the matter, Your Highness? You can dish it out, but you can't take it?”
“Bastard,” she says with a grin. Her body is pressed against mine and our mouths are a mere two inches apart right now. I so badly want to close the gap and taste her lips, but my brain is screaming at me to back up and abort the mission. I don’t move. Instead, I stay as near to her as I can, hoping she doesn’t pull away.
Her eyes flick down to my lips and then back up. “What have you always wanted to do but never have?” she asks me in a breathy tone.
“You have no idea how tempted I am to say have sex on a moving raft.”
“Why don't you say it then?” she asks, giving me a sexy look. “I dare you.”
My pulse quickens as I stare at her.Do not say it. For God's sake, Will, do not say it. You cannot have sex with this woman. Not ever. She is not for you.“I can’t,” I say with a grin. “I haven't shaved my legs.”
She smiles back, but disappointment fills her eyes. Every muscle in my body grows furious with my stupid mouth and I know I will regret not seizing this moment for the rest of my life. She rolls off of me and lays back down, closing her eyes. “It's just as well. I doubt it would have been very good.”
“Because of the lack of a mattress?”
“Sure. You tell yourself that if you need to protect your fragile male ego.”
19
“Rain” in Your Feelings, You Silly Twat
Arabella
Well,I figured out why this is called a rain forest. It's because when it decides to rain out here, it doesn't bloody well stop. Ever. Yesterday afternoon, shortly after our almost-sex on the raft—which would have been a terrible idea, by the way, so thank goodness Will came to his senses. Not because sex with Will and/or sex on the raft wouldn't have been good. It likely would’ve been quite pleasurable considering the firmness of the… Never mind. Anyway, immediately following thatmoment, a loud clap of thunder got both of our attentions.
We got the hell off that river as fast as possible and quickly set up camp, using the raft as a shelter. Will managed to gather more banana leaves to make a floor, and the raft is now one side of a lean-to being held up by bamboo posts. It's large enough that we have an area for a small fire pit, as well as the tent set up along one side.
The rain is pouring down so hard, it’s more like a steady stream than drops, and it's the only sound we've heard for quite some time. The chorus of birds and all the howler monkeys have gone silent, having hidden away from the storm. It's late afternoon and we’re both hungry, so Will is out gathering food and more material to start a fire. Apparently, you can find dry bits of wood in hollowed-out tree trunks.
To be honest, it's a welcome break from being so near to him. I need to try to get my head on straight. As foolish as this is, I'm almost certain I'm falling for him. He's just so manly and delicious and thoughtful and brave. And he has such a kind heart and such a gloriously hard body and a gorgeous face, even though it’s now partially hidden by several days’ worth of beard. I've never really been into beards like some other women are, but on him …yes, please.
But never mind that, because beyond some fabulously sexy outdoor sex in the jungle, this would never work out. A shame, really, because in my entire life, I've never felt as confident or as beautiful as I do when he looks at me. Over the past few days, I've gone from being a burden to being his partner. He respects me for my abilities and for who I am, not what I am, which is like the world’s strongest aphrodisiac for someone like me.
We built this shelter together, and we built the raft together—both projects that required me to use my muscles for once. And today, he’s trusting me to make the fire, which isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. It’s actually quite hard, even with the lighter. It sounds like a silly thing to feel proud of, but I can’t help it. I’m proud of my newfound skills.
I strike my lighter, then set the flame to the bamboo shavings I've made, and gently blow on them until they catch. A few minutes later, I see Will coming through the rain, all wet and manly. Sigh.
“Hey, nice fire, Drew.” He crouches down and makes his way under the shelter, and out of the pouring rain. “You're getting good at that.”
“Drew?”
“As in Barrymore. You’re a lot like her—tougher than you look and she has some serious fire-building skills.”
