More Than Paradise (20 page)

She didn’t want them digging in any harder than they needed to.

She was vaguely aware of a deathly hush from behind, where her nervous passengers were no doubt whispering their Hail Marys.

Laughing softly, Ash ß ared hard, demanding as much pitch as the blades were willing to deliver. She knew this low bird like no one else, knew every quiver and whine. The rotor rpm began to bleed off and the body shook in protest. The Huey succumbed to a small, sharp bounce, then remained in the air at a hover, about Þ ve feet above the ground.

There was nothing more awe-inspiring than executing a perfect in-ground-effect hover. Ash always savored the challenge, never taking for granted the magic of holding both altitude and airspeed as close as possible to zero, yet remaining airborne and ready to break free.

“That’s a genuine bog down there,” she told Klaus. “We’ll need everyone out double time.”

She pedal-turned until she faced across the slope of the ground, progressively lowered the collective, and kept the cyclic moving uphill until the gear touched down. Rolling off the throttle, she yelled over her shoulder, “Haul ass and keep your heads down.”

Her passengers spilled out the side in an untidy scramble of khaki-clad bodies, and Ash caught a glimpse of Charlotte staggering across the spongy expanse with everyone else. She looked back toward the Huey and waved.

“I told you,” Klaus said with earnest satisfaction. “She likes you.”

• 135 •

• 136 •

MORE THAN PARADISE

Charlotte opened her eyes in stages, letting them adjust to the beckoning light of dawn. They’d been camped a short distance from the lake bed for three nights and she still woke each morning with a sense of awe that remained with her all day. The morning birdcalls alone were like nothing she’d ever heard, a melodic cacophony that went on for at least an hour and was then repeated throughout breakfast as the ornithologists played back their tapes and argued over which vocalization belonged to this honey-eater or that fairy wren.

While all this was going on, Billy Bob Woodcock ß ipped pancakes over a propane stove and occasionally cast appreciative stares in her direction. The security guard made her uneasy. He was always scrupulously polite and never did anything untoward, but Charlotte hadn’t seen him looking at anyone else the way he ogled her.

She had considered mentioning it to Ash but decided it was just a guy thing and she was being overly sensitive. She didn’t want to get him in trouble. Ash was clearly the one handing down orders to the Nagle crew and Charlotte was sure if she complained the guy would be spoken to. She didn’t want him feeling got at for no reason. Better to keep her powder dry until there was really something to complain about. Hopefully, it would never come to that.

She glanced across to the empty sleeping pad on the opposite side of the tent. Ash always rose before her and left the tent quickly out of good manners. Even though Charlotte was faintly disappointed to Þ nd herself alone, she appreciated the gesture. It was nice to be able to wipe herself clean with the large-sized antibacterial towelettes she’d packed for bathing, and get dressed in privacy.

• 137 •

JENNIFER FULTON

Miles had organized volunteers to take turns looking for a safe pool along the stream that ß owed near their campsite, so they would have a place to bathe and wash their clothes. But so far they’d only found sections they could wade in up to their knees. Today’s searchers were planning to venture farther upsteam until they came to the source of their little tributory, hopefully a fork where a larger body of water divided. This could offer the kind of pristine pool that would enable swimming. Charlotte could hardly wait. Despite her best endeavors with the wipes, she felt like a walking microbe factory.

She Þ nished dressing and left the tent to use one of the improvised bathrooms rigged up south of the camp. This was one Nagle-operated service she was thankful for. Their port-a-potty was housed in a small shack skirted with ß eshy palm fronds. It would be replaced each time there was a supply drop. Not far from it, another mountain stream bounced over a small boulder, creating a natural faucet for washing hands and cleaning teeth. A spittoon nearby enabled them to do this without introducing toothpaste chemicals into the water.

Charlotte was bending over the stream rinsing her mouth when she became aware of large booted feet a few yards to her right. Forcing herself not to betray her nerves by jerking upright, she Þ nished what she was doing, then slowly turned and said, “Good morning, Billy Bob.”

“Ma’am.” He ß ipped his black beret and ß ashed a wide set of teeth. He was well over six feet and had the beady-eyed satisfaction of a male who knew he was intimidating. “Must be hard on y’all, coping with this. Not a real positive situation for a lady like yourself.”

Charlotte gave him a noncommittal smile. “Yes, but it’s not for long and I’m thankful to be here.”

“Some of us are mighty thankful, too.” He delivered a heavy-handed compliment. “Looking at you beats the heck out of all them frogs and birds your pals wet themselves over.”

Charlotte had heard enough. She tapped her wristwatch and said,

“Speaking of which, the frog-hunting party must be back by now. I can’t wait to see what they have in their specimen boxes this morning.”

“Oh, yeah. Me either.”

Charlotte’s heart pounded a shade too quickly as he walked her back to the camp. But she kept her pace at a steady, casual stroll, determined to reveal nothing of her unease. As soon as she saw Ash, she made a beeline for her, thankful that her companion drifted off in another direction.

• 138 •

MORE THAN PARADISE

“Hello, stranger,” she greeted Ash with a slight edge.

Despite the fact that they were sharing a tent, Charlotte had barely seen her since they’d arrived. Each night she tried to stay awake long enough to see her come in, but exhaustion claimed her almost as soon as her head touched the pillow and Ash was so quiet slipping in, whenever she Þ nally got around to it, that Charlotte never woke up.

During the day, Ash was endlessly embroiled in getting the camp set up and helping build the platforms and walkways the mammal experts needed for their research in the upper canopy. She and the Nagle team had also created a perimeter for the expedition. No one was permitted to venture outside of this without an escort. Everyone was also equipped with 900MHz GSM cell phones and ß ares for emergencies.

The few occasions when she was free to talk were usually around meals, and other members of the team were present. For the Þ rst two days, Charlotte had been so overwhelmed with the surroundings and so excited by her work that she’d been able to be philosophical about the disconnect between them. But today, she didn’t feel quite so contented, and the odd menace she’d sensed from Billy Bob had unsettled her even more.

Although they hadn’t spoken beyond meaningless conversation for days, Charlotte had been constantly attuned to Ash’s presence. She’d fought her awareness for about twenty-four hours, then she just gave in and decided to enjoy the sight of her whenever she could. Sweaty.

Untidy. Stripped down to her tank to work on the various building projects. Head thrown back, laughing at something Nitro the nutcase said.

Charlotte had never encountered a woman who seemed so completely at ease with herself physically. When they sat together for a meal or when Ash stalked past her in the middle of some task, Charlotte never felt neutral. Instead she was so conscious of her she felt a sharp sense of loss every time their work took them in opposite directions. Even then, it seemed some invisible force connected them, and Charlotte could actually feel it grow stronger as Ash came closer again.

She wanted to believe the unconscious bond wasn’t authentic; that with her senses on high alert and her mind constantly racing, what she was experiencing was a consequence of heightened survival instincts.

Part of a larger picture. Charlotte could sell herself on that idea when she was being logical. The rest of the time, she was gloomily aware that

• 139 •

JENNIFER FULTON

her attraction to Ash was undiminished; in fact, it seemed to be growing exponentially. No matter how much or how little she saw of her, the feelings churned away inside. And lately, when she tried to convince herself this would pass, her reasoning lacked conviction. She just didn’t believe it. Even more unnerving, she didn’t want to believe it.

For the Þ rst time in years she felt alive, jolted out of her numb inertia by a current of anticipation so strong it delivered frissons of heightened awareness every time she saw Ash. The slow, easy rhythm of her voice Þ lled Charlotte with contentment. And she knew the smell of her so well she could recall it when they were apart. It always made her think of that kiss, the one that had made it impossible for her to remain in her safe, comfortable, remote bubble.

Now, under Ash’s questioning scrutiny, those knowing blue eyes narrowed, that hot, slow simmer of a smile tugging with the corners of her mouth, Charlotte felt a whimper rise in her throat. Her stomach churned and all she could think about was that mouth on hers. Those hands on her body. Ash’s weight pinning her. The two of them in a sweaty tangle. Gasping. Coming.

Unnerved by the vivid images, she looked away and frantically tried to regroup. The power of these cravings threw her into turmoil.

Since when did she allow sexual feelings to overtake her? Was she really as frustrated as she felt? Charlotte dismissed that idea with scorn.

She had a perfectly normal sex life, admittedly a somewhat sparse one in recent times. But who was counting?

“I saw Billy Bob walking you back from the rest area,” Ash said in a neutral tone, mercifully oblivious to Charlotte’s lurid fantasies.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes, Þ ne.” Charlotte’s voice sounded thin and reedy, even to her.

She watched a pair of birds involved in an elaborate dance at the edge of the jungle. The male strutted around, ß icking his wings and rippling the white plumes along his sides, whistling sweetly to attract the rather drab female watching this display. As she drew closer, he dropped low and hopped from foot to foot, his two-note song getting slower and hoarser. Their mating was inevitable, but still they danced as if nothing could be taken for granted.

“Can we talk somewhere?” Charlotte asked huskily. What exactly she planned to say was unclear, but she suddenly needed to get away

• 140 •

MORE THAN PARADISE

from other people. She wanted Ash to herself for a few minutes, just to be with her. She didn’t want to think about what that could mean.

Ash got to her feet. “Sure, let’s walk.”

Her expression was hard to read. Charlotte thought she saw a glint of anger, followed by a tension in her lower jaw. She followed Ash along a freshly cleared track toward a stand of mahogany trees far enough from the camp that they could not be seen or heard. As usual, she found herself mesmerized by the way Ash walked. Hers was a sensual prowl that spoke of harnessed energy and Þ nely honed control. She would be a good lover, Charlotte thought, watching the Þ rm muscles of her butt working beneath the khaki fabric.

Her heart sank when she glimpsed a subtle change in her body language, a rigidity in the set of her shoulders. She was suddenly tense, as if she’d just thought of something that annoyed her. Charlotte was almost ready to insist that they just go back to the camp when Ash stopped abruptly in her tracks and turned to face her.

“Tell me exactly what he did,” she said.

Charlotte stopped walking, too. “What?”

“Billy Bob,” Ash prompted sharply. “What did he do?”

“Nothing.” Was that what Ash was upset about? Had she assumed something had happened? Hastily, Charlotte explained, “He creeped me out, that’s all. He…stares.”

“You want me to say something to him?”

“That’s not why I wanted to talk.” The compulsion that had seemed so urgent and irresistible just moments ago was fast seeping away, and Charlotte felt self-conscious all of a sudden. She didn’t know what to say. Her mind told her one thing and her body another. “I’m sorry,”

she said, forcing herself to get a grip. “I know you’re busy. Let’s go back.”

“Not so fast.” Ash searched her face. “What is it, Charlotte? You didn’t bring me out here for no reason.”

Charlotte felt like a sleepwalker who had stumbled into a dream world unlike any she’d ever known. Everything seemed foreign, every step precarious. Delaying the inevitable, she allowed her eyes to roam the surroundings. The rainforest ß oor was heavily carpeted in moss, and where shafts of light pierced the gloom, Charlotte could see spores swirling and dancing. Even the air was alive.

Words would be her undoing, she thought. She would open her mouth and spill out some nonsense that would enable her to back out

• 141 •

JENNIFER FULTON

before she did something she would regret. With words as a barrier she could avoid the risk of touch. She would also deny something in herself.

Ignoring the cautionary voices rattling their warnings in her head, she reached out and cupped her palm to Ash’s cheek. Her hand shook.

For several deafening heartbeats they just stood there like that, then Ash placed her hand over Charlotte’s and took a step toward her. In the forest shadows, her eyes glowed darker, the pupils huge and black within a gilding of blue. In a single heavy-lidded blink everything changed. Desire blazed from their depths, matching the Þ erce longing that ß ared in Charlotte’s belly.

She lifted her other hand to Ash’s hair, carving a path through thick white-gold strands that caressed her Þ ngers. Ash’s jaw was rigid.

Charlotte could feel the twitch of a muscle in her cheek. She moved in to her until their bodies were fully engaged, their thighs and bellies claiming a home against one another, their breasts rising and falling in aching collision.

In the hush of the forest ß oor, far below the canopy, their breathing sounded loud. Ash’s hand found the small of Charlotte’s back, drawing her closer. Between them a question hovered, unspoken, swiftly overtaken by a low moan like a breath trapped in a plea. The sound came from Ash, and Charlotte answered it with her mouth, kissing tentatively at Þ rst, then giving in to Ash’s hungry reply.