“Oh god,” she whispered in a high whine.
Against her will, she convulsed again and a shudder coursed through her body that set her knees quaking. Deep pulses of pleasure throbbed in her nipples and at her entrance and warmth spread between her legs. Her abdomen clenched so hard she could barely draw a breath. Brett’s tongue lapped at the skin of her neck and then his teeth lightly grazed her jaw. As though drawn to the movement, she turned her face toward his. His mouth gently covered hers just as his fingers stroked and squeezed her again. This time her hips jerked against his hand, as her swollen sweet spot tried to find his fingers. But as they fluttered just out of reach, she tilted her hips upward. Suddenly, his fingers clamped down on her mound and tugged her hips back. His arousal was thick and hard behind her and as a moan was wrenched from her throat, Brett released her mouth and groaned as well.
• • • • •
Still behind her, Brett let Jessica go and peeled her tank top off over her head. Then he undid the bra and tossed them both onto the altar. As she turned to him, his t-shirt quickly followed.
But rather than take off her shorts, Jessica’s hands went to his chest. As though she were reading glyphs, she ran her fingers over his pecs. A light smile gently curved her lips as she glided her hands down his rib cage, her eyes watching in fascination. She traced his six-pack, stroked the rippled muscles at his sides, and then rubbed upward over his pecs again. Her nostrils flared as her fingers kneaded into the broad muscles and an urgency in her touch told him that it was time.
His hands went to her waist and he pushed the shorts and panties past her hips toward the floor. As she stepped out of them and out of her shoes, he quickly dropped his shorts. But as he did, he stared yet again at her lithe body and the soft, perfect curves of it. The pink flush of arousal covered her in a warm glow. His own arousal pulsed below him and he quickly encircled his arms below her rib cage and lifted. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and he raised her the few inches necessary to set her on the edge of the altar.
The satin-smooth feel of her skin set his on fire. The fleshy mounds of her breasts seemed heated against his chest. The closeness of her, the feel of her in his arms, was incredible. Though he’d thought last night had been fueled by their brush with death, now he wasn’t sure. The same desire to be one with her swept through him yet again. If anything, she was
more
beautiful today.
She
was ‘the beautiful lady’ of the love poem. He saw it so clearly. Her breasts rose and fell with a breathless rhythm that matched his own. Her eyes gazed dreamily into his, almost half-lidded, and as he maneuvered his hips between her knees, his engorged arousal felt like it could burst. With one arm circling her waist, he leaned into her as she leaned back. And as her legs spread to him, he entered her fully in one deep thrust.
“
Oh
,” she gasped as her eyes closed and her fingers dug into his back.
For a moment, he worried it’d been too quick but her back suddenly arched over his arm and her hips pulsed into him. He thrust again, driving quickly into her, not wanting to be separate from her for more than a moment.
“Yes,” she whimpered, as he buried himself to the hilt.
Her hips jerked violently against his and though his mind said to fill her, his hips took control in a wild response. As he hunched his torso over her and held her close, a primal rhythm swept over him. He surged into her, over and over, as deeply as he could. Jessica writhed in his clutch, twisting in his arms, as her hips rose to meet each thrust. But the animal need of his hips was relentless and his arousal refused to be satiated as he speared into her with more quick thrusts.
His lungs heaved in air and Jessica breathed in sharp grunts as her body continued to writhe against him, slipping and sliding, the two of them drenched in sweat. As her head lolled back, the rhythm of her hips began to falter. As the jerking of her hips became erratic, he found himself embedded deeply, his groin pressed hard into her entrance as he held her tight. Then he reared back and plunged into her again. With the first deep penetration, Jessica cried out. With the second, she thrashed in his arms. With the third, though, her grip around his neck loosened but he hugged her to his chest and picked her up.
• • • • •
Jesse felt the words of love in the glyphs carved into the altar below her. They were throbbing with a deep, violet glow, like the symbols that swirled in the air around them. Though the magic of this place was everywhere, it faded into the background as Brett took her body to the brink.
But now she felt herself lifted up and she gasped at the unexpected movement. He took all of her weight in his strong arms, pressing her to him, but slowly he lowered her on his thick arousal, the fullness of him swelling inside her.
“
Brett
,” she moaned.
She convulsed and shuddered in waves and her hips began to obey an instinct that she hadn’t known she possessed. Her hips began to gyrate, slowly at first, as her hands gripped his powerful biceps. But as he finally pulled her down all the way, her legs locked around his narrow waist and she ground against him, rocking her hips forward and back, left and right, as the molten need between her legs took over.
“Yes,” he hissed.
He lifted her and then pulled down, thrusting up to meet her. She willingly sank down on the rigid shaft, helping it to penetrate to her pulsing core. The forceful pressure filled her and an irresistible tension suddenly coiled inside–and he thrust again. Over and over he plunged into her until the throbbing, vibrating need in her abdomen threatened to shatter. She frantically pressed her hips against his as she bucked in wild desperation, searching for release. Her mound dug into him as her pelvis whipped forward. Her sweet spot collided with him at each penetration. The tension in her abdomen ratcheted tighter until it felt like it could rip her apart. But as the pleasure mounted higher and she teetered on the edge of pain, a familiar sensation quickly claimed her body.
Her climax exploded. A hoarse cry ripped from her throat as uncontrollable, shuddering contractions filled her. Her abdomen clenched in a hard spasm and her back arched convulsively. Brett’s harsh groan echoed dimly as his massive thickening pulsed inside. Then he released himself, stiffening inside her, jerking against the walls of her body. Rippling ecstasy rolled through her, as waves of contractions flowed along his length. As his rigid arms suddenly tightened around her, his climax flooded into her, hot and deep.
Jesse clung to his neck as a chain of spasms rocked her body. She convulsed around him, clenching deep inside, as he grunted in response. Though her hips weren’t hers to control, they slowly, finally began to quiet and the last crest of pleasure ebbed away.
A deep, shuddering breath escaped from Brett, joining her agonized gasps. For several moments, all they could do was breathe. But finally, as the heaving of their chests gradually slowed, he lowered her to the altar. Jesse felt the cool stone behind her as Brett gently laid her back. She opened her eyes to see him bending over her, his arms still in the curve of her back. A little smile flitted across his lips just before he lightly kissed her and then, slowly, he laid his face against her chest. As her fingers idly ran through his hair, she closed her eyes and smiled.
• • • • •
Though it was the last thing he wanted to do, Brett finally pulled back from her. He stood at the edge of the altar, looking down at Jessica’s glistening, creamy skin. He lightly ran his hands over her ribs, then down her flat tummy, and finally over her thighs as he backed away.
Though he waited for her to move, she lay still, her legs still dangling over the edge of the altar. As he put on his clothes, he found that he watched her intently. Her breathing was steady and deep, as though she might be sleeping. But a stone slab was no place to rest. He was just about to wake her when she finally stirred.
As she slowly sat up, her hand went to her forehead and her eyes remained closed. Something was wrong.
“Jessica?” he said, immediately stepping forward into the same position he’d just been. He put his hands around her waist. “Are you okay?”
She nodded ‘yes’ but that couldn’t be true. As she opened her eyes, he crouched down to look directly into them. Though they seemed a bit glassy, she focused on him.
“I’m okay,” she said quietly and smiled. He frowned but didn’t reply. “Really,” she said, sitting up straight. “I’ll just get dressed.”
He helped her down from the platform and stood back.
Slowly and very carefully, she bent to her clothes, picked up her panties and put them on, then her shorts. She was moving in slow motion and Brett couldn’t help but stand a little closer. As she stepped into her shoes, Brett realized she always kept one hand on the altar. Now she put on her bra and tank top but she leaned against the altar with her hip.
“Jessica, you’re not okay,” he said, putting his arm around her waist for support. “Please just tell me what’s wrong.”
She shook her head but the movement was apparently the last straw–her knees began to buckle.
“Jessica!” he said, as he immediately scooped her up from behind. Her head lolled back and her eyes quickly closed. “Jessica!” he tried again.
He watched her chest rise and fall and saw the pulsing of her jugular. She was unconscious.
Jessica woke to see Brett looking down at her.
“Welcome back,” he said quietly.
Welcome back? From where?
She glanced around at the white netting and the green canvas. She could distinctly hear the rain at the cave entrance.
Weren’t we in the temple?
Confused, she looked back to his face, which was upset.
“You passed out,” he said. She tried to sit up. “Just hold on,” he said, with a hand on her arm. “Just take it easy for a minute.” Reluctantly, she lay back down. “Do you remember what happened?”
She tried.
They’d been in the temple. She’d read the love poem. And–she searched his face–they’d made love on the altar. Then the room had started to spin.
“I got dizzy,” she finally said, as though she were admitting defeat.
“Dizzy?” he said, his eyebrows knitting together. He took one of her hands in his. “What do you mean dizzy?”
“The room started to spin,” she said. He looked at her, waited for her to continue. “That’s all I remember,” she said. “Then I was here.”
He frowned.
“Is that something that’s happened to you before?” She looked away. “Jessica,” he said, a warning tone in his voice. “This could be serious. I need to know what’s going on.” He put a hand to her face and made her look at him. “What else?” he said, looking her directly in the eyes.
“This morning,” she said. “When I first got up, everything started to spin but it stopped right away.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” She was silent. “I see,” he said, his jaw muscles working. “You’re going to carry your own suitcase. You’re going to keep the fact that you’re not feeling well a secret.” He paused and took a deep breath. “You know, it’s okay if you don’t do well in the field. Not everyone is cut out for–”
“But I
am
cut out for the field,” she blurted out. He stopped and stared at her, a bit set back by the tone in her voice. “I just have to get used to it is all.”
“Jessica,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s not a big deal.”
“It
is
a big deal,” she said, sitting up. “This is something I’ve always dreamed of. I’ve never felt so…” She didn’t know how to put it. “So needed,” she concluded. “Like I fit. Finally, somewhere, I feel like I fit.”
Unbidden, the name the other children called her sounded in her ears: Jittery Jessica. The fits of reading new languages, the way her hands floated over the text–it had begun when she was young. She’d learned long ago to stop reading and translating in front of people. She felt her face flush hot.
Brett smiled at her.
“You do fit,” he said. “And you are needed.” He took her hand in both of his. “I need you,” he said, looking down at their hands and then into her eyes. “But I need you to be honest about how you’re feeling. I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s wrong.” She was about to protest but he cut her off. “And two dizzy spells, and then passing out, that’s wrong.” She closed her mouth, took in a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. “Is there anything else?” he asked. “Any other symptoms?”
“No,” she said. He waited and tilted his head at her. “Seriously,” she said. “No. That’s it.”
He nodded a little.
“Okay, dizziness, vomiting, and a lack of appetite,” he said, like a laundry list.
“But–”
“No buts. They might not be related or they might.” He thought for a few moments, looking at the floor. “You already told me what you ate in Santa Elena and that was all right. And you’re on an antimalarial,” he said, and then he paused. “Which one?” he asked. “Which antimalarial are you taking?”
“Doxycycline,” she replied.
“Okay, right,” he said nodding quickly. “That could definitely be it. The side effects are nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. It
could
be worse.” Suddenly, he stopped. “You’re sure that’s it, right?”
“Yes,” she said definitively. “That’s it.” He turned a fake scowl on her that made her laugh a little. “I swear,” she said. “That’s it.”
“Okay,” he said, smiling as he took a deep breath. “Side effects, then. That’s the good news.” He squeezed her hand. “The bad news?” She waited and he actually became serious again. “There’s nothing we can do about it,” he said, as he glanced toward the cave entrance. “We’re not going anywhere until that monsoon passes and then it’ll be a matter of going back to Guatemala City.”
“No!” she said.
Guatemala City was across the country. If they went there, it’d take days.
“Nope,” he said shaking his head. “There’s no real medical care out here. It has to be Guatemala City.” Again she started to protest and he interrupted her. “No arguments, Jesse.”