Chapter Twelve

JORI

Samantha lay down on the sand, which was slightly warmer than the air above it. She was curled up into a ball trying to keep warm. She constantly shivered, her teeth chattered, and her eyes were closed in misery.

I felt helpless for a moment, but my training took over. There was a protocol to follow if I was shipwrecked and washed ashore on a deserted island. I would stick to the plan and hope for the best.

The most important thing for now was to start a fire and keep warm. Water, food and shelter would come next. I searched in the jungle in front of me. Although it was dusk, I could still see a bit. To my great relief, I spotted plenty of fire plant.

Fire plant was once a weed on Vandwa. Its only redeeming feature was that it burned well. It grew wild all over the planet, but when we realized it grew quickly and was a good source of fuel, we started cultivating it and harvesting crops. The amount I could see from our location would keep us warm for months. I hoped we would not be here for that long. Once I found a way to make a spark, we would be in business.

"Sam, I'll be right back, okay? I'm going to find materials to make a fire. You'll warm up in a minute."

She didn't respond. When I looked at her, I realized she was unconscious.

I moved quickly into the bush, breaking off several branches from each fire plant, being careful not to take too much from each one. I didn't know how long we were going to be here, or how much fuel we would need in the future. When my arms were full, I headed back to Sam.

After I had dumped my pile on the beach, I went back for another load. Soon I had enough to last the night. If I couldn't find rocks that would create a spark on the beach, I could dive into the ocean. There was a type of coral that would work in an emergency, but I didn't relish going back in the water right now. I was tired, and the ocean didn't have the same happy, safe feeling it had once had for me. Thanks to Sam, I was now aware of an angry, dangerous side to the sea.

I trudged along, walking further than I wanted to go until I spotted a small pile of rocks that would help me start a fire. I picked up the entire batch and raced back to Sam, coaxing a little more movement out of my aching legs. She had stopped shivering as much, but that wasn't a good sign. I needed to get her warm right away.

I made one last trip into the bush and gathered an armful of dead leaves.

When I got back to the beach, I blocked out all the distractions and concentrated on making a fire. There was an art to starting a fire from the elements, and part of it was staying focused until the fire burned healthily. Any wavering at an earlier point could mean the fledgling fire would extinguish itself, and I would have to start the laborious process all over again.

I didn't have time for that today, so I narrowed my attention to a single task.

I carefully scraped a round space of sand free of anything flammable. I made a stack of dead leaves in the middle of the circle, carefully shredding some into a fluffy mass. I took the smallest branches and formed a tent above the dead leaves, leaving an opening on one side.

Meticulously, I laid out the rest of the fire plant branches in order of smallest to biggest. I was ready to start the fire. I took the two rocks in my hand and squatted next to the little structure, striking them together and making sparks fly.

It took six or seven attempts until the shredded leaves ignited. I set the rocks down and moved close to the smoldering plant, blowing gently. This was the most delicate part of the operation. If I blew too hard, I would put it out. If I blew too softly, there wouldn't be enough oxygen, and it would still go out.

There wasn't a flame yet, but I knew there would be soon. I blew gently on the shredded leaves, and the embers grew until a tiny flame licked upward, lighting the dead leaves above it on fire. I continued to blow, giving the fire a gentle, steady flow of air as it grew. When the small fire plant branches ignited, I placed large branches on top of them.

Once I had a workable bed of coals at the base, I stacked the biggest branches on top and started stoking the fire.

Now that it was burning well, I sat back, took a deep breath and went to check on Sam. She had started shivering again, which I took as a positive sign. I left to gather some large, dry leaves. They were soft and would be more comfortable to sleep on than sand. I laid them as close to the fire as I dared, put some more fuel on the fire, and stared at Sam.

The bodysuit had to come off. It had kept her little body warm before, but there was a fire now, and she needed to get dry. I was cold as well, and I needed to get hot and dry almost as much as she did. When the bodysuits were dry in the morning, we could put them back on.

I stood watching her shiver for only an instant longer before I took action, pulling off my suit and kneeling beside her.

I had to strip her naked.

SAMANTHA

All of a sudden, I felt warm, and it was blissful. The last thing I remembered was feeling cold and miserable. I thought I was going to die and never be warm again. Now heat warmed me from the front, and a blanket insulated me on my back. I was bundled up and safe. I sighed, feeling content all the way down into my bones.

I might have fallen back asleep or been dozing, but I was awake enough to feel the blanket behind me shift and something hard push against my butt. The sensation alerted me, and I struggled to open my eyes. When they finally opened, they were so dry I spent a moment blinking until I could see clearly.

Was I lying on a beach? A fire roared in front of me. Jori was in the blanket behind me. He had wrapped his arm around me, and his hand cupped my breast as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

That's when I realized that we were both naked. I felt neither aroused nor appalled. I felt comforted by the closeness of his body.

I noticed my arm was covered in bruises from the shots I had taken through the bodysuit. But when I moved, it hurt less than yesterday. It looked worse than it felt.

My eye caught our body suits draped on some nearby bushes, and everything came back. The stupid party, the gunshots, and having to crawl through a nasty little hole in the ground. I shuddered at the thought. The worst part had been the endless swimming with no end in sight. I had been afraid I would never see dry land again. I could have slipped beneath the water and disappeared, with my life not even half finished. Somehow, I had ended up here, warm, dry, and naked.

I shifted my body and realized I felt less comforted and more aroused. It was hardly the appropriate time or place, but I couldn't control my body. I was starving for him.

Jori was an enigma. His real personality had recently revealed itself to me, but the change felt complete. It was shocking and fantastic, and I could hardly believe it. At this moment, I knew I was falling in love with him.

The real Jori was kind, a hero, and willing to put his life on hold for years to keep children with their mothers. I had seen the real Jori swim and swim, towing my heavy ass across the ocean without complaining once. The real Jori looked distraught at the idea of leaving me behind. The real Jori dragged me out of the ocean, warmed me up, dried me out, and saved me.

A warm feeling spilled out of my heart, and I wanted to be close to him. I wanted to feel him pressed tightly against me. I wanted him inside me and so close that we were almost one person. I needed him right now, and I couldn't wait any longer.

I wriggled against him as a sharp spike of desire passed through me and my breathing sped up. He grunted and pulled me closer to him, squeezing my breast inadvertently which made me gasp. I was wet for him, and he was still asleep.

I could feel his erection brush against my thighs. Surely he would wake up soon. I moved my hand to my sex and touched the hard nub between my legs, needing to feel something immediately. Suddenly I felt aroused. I looked up at the sky and saw that there were already streaks of pink breaking up the blackness filled with stars. It was nearly morning; that's why he was hard.

I promised myself I would wake him if he didn't wake up himself in the next few minutes.

I tapped on my button, feeling my need increasing. When would he wake up? I remembered how close I had been to having him inside me and the walls of my sex clenched at the thought, my hips bucking. Finally, I heard his breathing change. He lay still, but I was certain he was conscious.

I pressed tiny, light circles on my clit, wondering what he would do when he woke up and found us naked together. A horrifying thought occurred to me. What if he said that he wouldn't sleep with me, again? I felt like I would die if he didn't make love to me right now. I heard him draw in a deep breath and felt his body shift. His hand squeezed my breast again, but purposefully this time. I hissed.

"What are you doing?" he whispered in my ear, kissing my neck and making me shiver.

"I'm waiting for you to wake up and make love to me," I said immediately. "If you say you won't, I'm going to cut it off."

"What?" he said, his voice deliciously growly.

I turned towards him, but I hesitated to say anything him. I was worried he didn't share my feelings. I buried my face in his neck.

"I need you," I whispered, wondering why the words were hard to say.

He chuckled.

"Why are you laughing? You're not turning me down, are you?" Despair rushed through me even as I wanted him to fill my emptiness.

"Sam, I thought you didn't want me," he said. "Nothing's going to stop us from having each other tonight."

His eyes were honest and truthful. I exhaled.

"Oh good, because I was about to kill you."

"I thought you said you were going to injure me."

"Why were you laughing then?"

He looked embarrassed. "Nathaniel and I had a conversation a while ago. I believed I could resist any woman in any situation. He laughed at me and said I was an idiot."

That was not what I thought he was going to say.

"Now I know I was an idiot."

"Why?" I whispered, gazing into his eyes as he traced my eyebrows gently with his finger.

"He said everything was different when you were with someone who was special to you. When I felt someone pressing a soft body up against me, begging me to take her, it would be impossible to resist. He was right."

"About it being different or the futility of resistance?"

"Both," he said.

"What do you mean?" I swallowed and stopped, unwilling to voice the thoughts in my mind.

"I do care about you, Sam. And when this silly adventure is all over, we can start over and do this properly."

"Yes..." I felt breathless and shivered all over, but I wasn't cold anymore.

"Tonight, you're mine. Nothing is going to come between us."

I nodded, unable to look away from his green, burning eyes.