Colette Gale - [The Erotic Adventures of Jane in the Jungle Part II] (2 page)

“A village?” Thoughts of the wild man erupted in her mind. Perhaps he was a resident of such a place. Perhaps she’d been right when she wondered if Jonathan had ever met or been seen by the wild man during his years of living in the jungle.

But the wild man was tanned, but not dark-skinned. And he didn’t look like a native.

“Yes. And my first impression was that they were savages, for they wore streaks of paint on their faces and arms—red and blue and white. And hardly any proper clothing to speak of. Nothing but palm fronds and animal skins.”

“Were you frightened?” she asked, wondering how she would have felt, awakening in an unfamiliar place with strange people who didn’t speak her language poking and prodding at her. She’d heard stories about the cannibals of New Guinea, who shrunk the heads of their enemies after capturing them. But they were in Madagascar. Surely there weren’t cannibals here.

“I was at first. But it soon became clear that they meant to help me. And that,” he said abruptly, “is the short version of my story. I’ve lived with them for the last three years, waiting and hoping for the sign of a ship that would bring me back to England. And you, my darling Jane.”

“And so you saw our ship?” she prompted. “How near is the village where you’ve been living?”

“A two-day journey through the jungle,” he told her. “I saw the ship passing by out in the ocean. And then I saw the spirals of smoke from your camp. They were thick enough that I knew they came not from the ground, but from the height of this treehouse. I was hoping to find white men, but the last thing I ever fathomed was finding you, here, in the jungle.
Jane
,” he murmured, drawing her into his arms again. “You’ve saved me.”

She gave a little laugh and pulled away. “How silly,” she said. “I haven’t saved you. You saved yourself…and it seems as if the people here were the ones who saved you, three years ago.”

He smiled. “That is the truth, my darling. The tribe has been very kind to me over the last three years. They think of me…well, I look much different than they do. My skin is lighter, and my hair is not black, but light brown. I cannot imagine how they would react should they see you, Jane…with your pearl-white skin, blue eyes and hair the color of flames. Surely they would think you a goddess.” Jonathan looked at her, once again his mouth curving in a soft smile.

After a moment, Jane looked away, suddenly uncomfortable under his steady regard. He was staring at her as if he’d never seen her before.
 

But of course he was! He hadn’t seen her for three years…and likely thought never to see her again.
 

“I cannot believe I’ve found you again,” she said, partly to break through her discomfort. It was normal for one to feel odd and a bit awkward after being separated from one’s lover for years. Particularly if one believed said lover was dead.

“Miss Jane!” bellowed Efremina from below. As if to announce her imminent presence, she rattled the trapdoor that covered the top of the stairs, then flipped it open with a whoosh.

Jane and Jonathan exchange amused glances. There would be no further opportunity for intimate conversation—or anything else—until later.

— II—

At dinner that night, Professor Clemons opened one of the few casks of ale he’d brought from London. Jane sipped the single glass she was allotted, enjoying the warmth from both her drink and the tropics.
 

A gentle breeze fluttered leaves and the more delicate vines hanging just beyond the wall of the treehouse. It brought a heavy, sweet scent from the bright-colored flowers that decorated the trees and branches. Jungle sounds filled the air: the whistles and coos of birds, the rustling of twigs and leaves, the low cries of animals calling in warning…or in mating.

Jane felt warm, mellow and content. She could hardly believe Jonathan had returned; she continued to pinch herself surreptitiously to make certain she wasn’t dreaming. Yet, she found herself looking out into the darkling jungle more than once.

Wondering.

Finished with his plate, Jonathan stood, patting his belly in satisfaction. “How I’ve missed a good English meal,” he said with a smile at Efremina. “I haven’t had a biscuit or sausage for three years, let alone a flaky-crusted apple pie! I feel as if I’ve died and made my way to heaven.”

“Go on with you now,” she said, her cheeks pinkening. “It was lucky we are to have any shortening and fresh apples left. And with no oven, the only way to bake a pie is to cook it on the stovetop in a pot.”

“Well, if you can do such a fine job in these circumstances, I cannot imagine how good your pies must be back home. And thank you, Everett, for celebrating my arrival with one of your precious kegs of ale. It was a welcome refreshment.” Jonathan turned his attention to Jane. “Would you like to walk with me? I’d like to show you something.”

Jane rose. Although the sliding door was open in the treehouse, it was still warm and sticky. Fresh air, perhaps by the ocean, would be welcome. “Of course, if Efremina doesn’t need help cleaning up. Here away from London, we’re less formal,” she added in explanation.
 

Her hands, which back in London had only ever been blemished by paint, had acquired other signs of unladylike behavior since her arrival in the jungle. Scratches, rough skin, and even a little bit of a tan since she hadn’t worn gloves since leaving England.

“No, Miss Jane, you take a walk with your young man,” Efremina said. “I don’t mind cleaning up at all. The professor will surely keep me company.”

Jane cast a look at her father, who’d hardly eaten two bites of the sausage and biscuits as he examined his latest specimens (although his cup of ale had been refilled several times). The only sort of company Papa would provide was that of taking up space. He’d be utterly unaware of her absence as long as he had his journals and equipment spread out in front of him.

She smiled to herself. In many ways, that could be considered a benefit.

As Jonathan crossed the room to the lift that would take him and Jane to the ground, he glanced at Kellan Darkdale. A measured, meaningful look passed between the two men, but neither of them spoke. Kellan turned to pick up a book and was settling in a chair as Jane followed her fiancé onto the lift. She wondered what their exchange meant.

To her knowledge, the two men had hardly interacted since Jonathan’s arrival, and she was curious as to whether there might be some sort of discord between them. After all, Jonathan could blame Kellan for not looking hard enough to find him when he disappeared three years ago, and Kellan could be upset with his partner for doing such a foolhardy thing as going after his pack and ruining their trip.

On a previous moonlit walk, Kellan had told her about the map that originally brought the two men to this Madagascar jungle. It was a charter that led to a discovered but untapped diamond mine. Whatever had happened to the map, its loss could be a bone of contention between them.

Or perhaps she was being fanciful. She hadn’t noticed any tension between them. The two men had been friends and business partners. They’d been so close that Jonathan had, according to Kellan, talked often and in detail about the intimate relationship he’d had with Jane. Kellan had used that information as an attempt to court her…if one could call attempting to seduce her in her bedchamber
courting
.

For that reason, Jane was relieved Jonathan hadn’t invited his friend to join them for a walk. She’d never been wholly comfortable with Darkdale and the way he looked at her. Even though he apologized for the incident in her chamber, she still felt self-conscious about what had passed between them.

“I don’t know as you have to watch for snakes tonight Miss Jane,” Efremina said with a nod. “Not when y’got Mr. Kent with you.”

“What a beautiful breeze coming from the ocean,” Jane said as she stepped onto the ground a moment later. She slid her hand around Jonathan’s arm, suddenly boisterously, deliriously happy to be here with him.

It was a miracle.

“Come, Jane. I’d like to show you something.”
 

A little squiggle of anticipation whipped through her, and Jane smiled up at him. Her gaze went of its own accord up and beyond his head, focusing on the tall dark treetops swaying above them.
 

Was
he
up there somewhere? Watching from a shadowy perch?
 

Jane forced herself to look away, back to ground level. Whoever or wherever the wild man was, she had no reason to care any longer. She’d never see him again, and it was just fine with her.

“What is it?” she asked, turning her whole attention onto Jonathan.

“Remember back in London, how after dinner the men and women would separate? The men would go into the study and smoke their cigars and pipes, and drink whiskey and brandy?”

“Of course,” she told him with a laugh. “It must seem like forever for you, but I’ve only been gone from London for three months. Yes, we women were relegated to the parlor with, if we were lucky, a tiny glass of sherry. We’d have to wait until you males were finished with your masculine pursuits, and then you might join us for cards or games.”

“I always thought that an absurd tradition,” Jonathan told her. “For why would we want to be separated from the women? There are so many more interesting pastimes with the fair gender. I mention this because the native tribe that I’ve been living with has a completely different tradition after the meals.” He looked down at her and she could see the gleam of his teeth in the moonlight.

“And what might that be?” she asked.

“I’m looking forward to showing you.”

Her heart pounding in anticipation, Jane allowed him to lead her away from the treehouse and camp, deeper into the jungle. After their brief interlude earlier today, they hadn’t had any further opportunity to be alone. Jane ached to have his hands on her.

Moments later, Jonathan brought her to a clearing in the thick jungle. A bed-sized pool glistened in the moonlight, and off to the side was a small glow on the ground. Jane recognized it as smoldering coals and as she stepped closer, she saw that they were enclosed in a shallow stone bowl.
 

A soft rumble that sounded like a waterfall drew her attention, and she realized it was coming from the pool of water. It rumbled and bubbled like a massive soup pot.
 

“Hot springs?” she said, thinking of the Roman spa she’d visited in Bath, England. The water there was rusty and green, staining the stone and marble walls red. Here it was a very different, completely natural setting. She waved her hand over the water and felt heat from the steam.

“Yes, my love, this pool is fed by hot springs,” Jonathan told her. She turned to see that he’d begun to unbutton his shirt.

Jane’s pulse spiked as anticipation and a spark of pleasure darted down through her belly. Not for the first time, she was appreciative that her clothing here in the jungle was much less complicated than what she wore back home. She could undress herself.

A mere week ago, Jane would never have imagined stripping her clothing off anywhere other than in the privacy of her chamber. But since she walked down the gangplank of the ship that brought her here, many things had changed. Two days ago, she wanted to bathe so badly she undressed in the middle of the sunshine and swam beneath a waterfall, reveling in the privacy of the jungle.

As she untied the simple drawstring around her skirt, Jane shivered at the memory of that aborted bath. She had been enjoying the sluice of water over her skin when a large rodent-like creature appeared, startling her, and causing her to flee into the jungle…where she’d been caught in a trap made by the wild man.

He’d freed her, but only after seeing her completely naked, trussed up in a tangle of vines. Jane felt hot all over again, remembering how he’d looked at her…how the mere expression on his face, the heat and desire and wonder had made her body tingle as if he actually touched her.

“Do you need some help, darling?” Jonathan’s voice broke into her thoughts.

She looked over to see him tall and lean and completely naked, gilded by the moonlight. He stood near the glowing coals, holding a handful of palm-sized leaves. “No,” she told him with a smile, noticing that his cock had begun to swell, jutting out in a gentle arc silhouetted by the low light. “Jungle attire is much easier to remove than what you’ve been used to.”

“Come over here,” he said. She stepped out of her skirt and, as she unbuttoned her shirtwaist, Jane made her way to his side.

He laid the leaves over the smoldering coals, blanketing them lightly. Instead of putting the fire out, however, they began to smoke, and their ends curled then burst into flames. A heavy, pungent odor wafted from the burning leaves, sweet and yet bitter.

“Breathe,” Jonathan said, and leaned over the shallow bowl filled with smoking leaves. He took Jane’s hand and drew her close.

As she inhaled the heavy scent, she became aware of his hands sliding down her arms and torso, reaching around to pluck the last of her blouse buttons. She made no protest as he pulled the remainder of her clothing off, unlacing her simple corset and untying the chemise beneath. That final flimsy garment ended up caught in the delicate branches of a bush, like a cloud of white cotton.

By now, her senses clogged with the sweetly bitter aroma, Jane was feeling both drowsy and very much awake. Her pulse sang through her veins, her knees were weak, and her skin felt as if it had come alive. Jonathan smiled and led her to the bubbling pool, and just as she made to step in, she noticed him peering into the darkness behind her. He made a sharp gesture and she turned to look.