“Well, you are absolutely ridiculous,” she bit back, glaring at me.
We both lunged, our lips crashing together.
I didn’t know who initiated it, only that I never wanted it to end.
It wasn’t gentle. It was a detonation—a clumsy, desperate collision of two people who had been fighting our attraction to each other for weeks.
Cerise gasped into my mouth, her hands moving to the lapels of my shirt to pull me closer.
“Cerise,” I groaned against her lips, my hands moving to her face, tilting her head to deepen the kiss.
She tasted like salt and rain and the first thing in this jungle that made sense. She tasted likemine.
The world fell away and there was nothing but the sound of the rain on the leaves and the frantic, desperate rhythm of my heart beating against my ribs.
I ran my tongue along the seam of her lips, seeking entry. She let out a small moan as she opened, her tongue tangling with mine, and I took that as an invitation to continue.
Gods, I’d never felt a kiss like this. It was reckless, passionate. So fucking intense I could hardly breathe, could hardly think. The only thought in my mind wasmore, more, more.
One of my hands skimmed along her back and cupped her round ass. She whimpered into my mouth, the rain still pelting us.
I wanted to kiss every part of her. To bite and lick her soft skin. I wanted to show her the kind of pleasure I knew she likely had never experienced. To worship her. Make her whimper and beg until she couldn’t take it anymore. Make her come with my fingers, my tongue, my cock.
I broke the kiss and pulled her flush against me, running my nose along the hollow of her throat and groaning. She shivered.
Her hands moved along my chest, but then she pushed me away.
We stared at each other, gasping. Our chests heaving in tandem as we tried to make sense of what just happened.
“Liam, I—I don’t think this is a good idea.” Cerise took a step back, already closing in on herself. I could see it in her eyes. Could see her desire warring with what she deemed ‘appropriate.’
“Cerise…I’m sorry.”
But I wasn’t sorry. I wanted to do it again. I wanted to do it forever if only she would allow it.
I was about to apologize once more when a twig snapped behind us. Whipping around, we came face to face with a group of six men.
Poachers.
Chapter 19
Captured
Cerise
Every cell in my body went cold as I froze, staring wide-eyed at the group of men, their expressions eager and cruel.
Poachers. Oh gods, no.
What were we going to do?
Liam took a step in front of me, raising his hands. “We’re just passing through. If you let us go, we promise not to tell anyone about you.”
My heart raced so fast, it felt as if my chest would certainly burst. One of the men stepped forward and said to his companions, “Bring them to camp.”
Liam tensed. “Run, Cerise,” he said between gritted teeth.
I turned as fast as I could in the mud, the rain now a light drizzle as the storm passed, and took off toward the trees. But I didn’t make it far.
