“Letting someone else lead,” Sid replied.
“We’ve got to get it together quickly,” Aidan encouraged them. “Before dark.”
“We?” Garrett challenged and he only saw desire in her eyes.
Another time, another place—he looked away.
“Go for it, man,” Sid said in an undertone as he came up to Aidan a few minutes later.
“Sid,” he warned. “Drop it.”
“All right, man.” Sid held his hands in the air; apparently he now considered himself Aidan’s buddy.
That wasn’t quite what Aidan was going for but he had seen it before in those brash, push-the-envelope types like Sid. He wasn’t going to encourage it.
“Sid,” he said, ignoring the man’s comment. “Watch for small dry branches we can use to start a fire later. Burke . . .”
“Stop!” Garrett cut him off. “You’re not in charge of this team.”
“I am now.”
“You’re not,” Garrett said. “No way. This is my expedition.”
“Egging for another dead man, are you?” he said and almost smiled. The war of words was on, the battlefields marked, and the passion flared despite it all.
“That was unfair.”
“Was it? If you want to lead this team, then lead it but take my advice. You’ve got to get a shelter up soon. You can’t be traipsing around the jungle at night, and dark will fall quickly.” He glanced upward to the trees.
“Children, children.” Mark pushed his way to the front. “If it will settle anything, I’ll be in charge, for now.” He glanced at both of them. “Unless, of course, you can quit your squabbling long enough to get camp in order. This is survival, guys, the real reality version. We need everyone engaged with nature, not fighting with each other. The enemy is out there, remember, and to them we could be just a light bedtime snack.”
“You’re right, man,” Aidan said as he clapped a hand on Mark’s shoulder.
“That was encouraging,” Garrett muttered and glanced at Ian, who appeared not to have heard Mark’s comment.
“I’m willing to try working together if you are,” Aidan said.
She swallowed. “Okay, we’ll set up camp. Here.”
“No,” he commanded and pointed. “We still have a ways to go.”
“He’s right, Garrett,” Mark said quietly.
“I know it,” Garrett admitted, and then as an aside to Mark she said, “But I don’t have to like it.”
“Go, girl,” Mark said and laughed. “You’re ballsy, I like that.”
“Sid, Garrett!” Ian’s excited voice blasted and had them all running.
Garrett was there first. Aidan was right behind her.
A line of coal black beetles made their way along the forest floor. The line of insects seemed endless. “Beetles,” Aidan said and the word was filled with disbelief.
“They’re smaller than our specimen but everything about them looks the same except they’re wingless,” Garrett said breathlessly.
Sid squatted down beside Garrett. “They’re carrying something out.”
Garrett peered closer. “Plant material of some sort.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Sid breathed.
Aidan watched them, fascinated by the awe that registered on both their faces. To him they were beetles, nothing more. And as he thought that, Garrett pulled one out of the line with tweezers. The markings on its underside were a streak of yellow. “Like the sample,” she murmured as she dropped it into a specimen bottle.
Her gaze locked with Sid’s. “Could it be possible?”
“Farming?” Sid’s voice was raspy like a kid’s on Christmas morning, the awe overwhelming.
“There are few species on earth that are known to farm.” Garrett’s hands shook. This was beyond anything she could have imagined.
Aidan squatted down beside her. “You think they’re farming? You aren’t serious?”
“I am. Insects are actually as good or better farmers than mankind. They’ve been doing it longer, millions of years longer. Beetles, termites, ants and only a few species of each, but the amazing thing is they do it as well or better than us. Mostly they farm fungi. To find another species of beetle . . .” She sat back on her haunches. “I can’t believe this. Can you mark where we are? We can’t lose this.”
Aidan’s hand rested lightly on her shoulder. “I hate to say it but we’ve got to go. Darkness will be setting in sooner than I’d like.”
She turned to him and couldn’t hide the appeal in her eyes. “This is major, Aidan. We can’t leave.”
“We must or risk being caught in weather that has been known to kill a man. There’s no guarantee if the storm will hit us or not but if it does . . .”
Her lips pinched. “You’re right.” But the words were laced with regret.
“It’ll be fine,” he whispered in her ear. “I’ll bring you back here, soon.”
She shivered. And he only wanted to take her in his arms. For he knew that despite the find, things were still a long way from fine.
Chapter Seventeen
It was the night from hell. Garrett hadn’t thought it possible but it was worse than the night before. The ground was rock hard, the night more humid than any other, and the temperature didn’t drop through the long hours of darkness. It felt like steam was rising from the earth and coming down from the trees and meeting them smack in the middle like they were in the midst of a Swedish sauna.
“This is hellish,” Ian whispered. “I can’t sleep in this.”
“None of us can,” Garrett whispered back. “Just close your eyes and try to rest. Think of the beetles. A new specimen of coleoptera, imagine what the community will say. It was incredible, wasn’t it?” But speaking the words only filled her with unease. She wanted to be there now, examining her find, marking the territory as hers. Instead she was miles away with no idea how to reach her discovery. She bit back frustration and fear that an opportunity had just slipped through her fingers.
“You’re not kidding. I’m not sure if it’s the heat or thinking of beetles that farm, but I’m just too wired to sleep.”
“Me too,” she admitted. “We’ll get moving again as soon as there’s a shred of light.”
“Oh, that’s something to look forward to,” Ian said.
An hour later, there were deep snores all around her. The inky blackness was punctured by starlight, and despite that the forest canopy was murky against the night sky. Around her foliage rustled as the voiceless occupants of the forest slid quietly about their nightly business. She shivered despite the heat. It was difficult not to feel helpless when she couldn’t see what was moving in the forest around her. When she knew that a predator could be only feet away and she couldn’t see it but it could see her. When a murderer might still be out there. When the find of a lifetime was just out of reach. Stop it, Garrett, she thought and shifted, rolling over and away from Ian, who had slipped further into sleep and joined forces with the other snorers.
The campfire’s flames danced in the night sky. She could see Aidan squatting back on his heels on the other side of the campfire. With the fire between them, he was a shadowy yet comforting figure. She had tried to distance herself from him, even dislike him; instead she wrestled with the desire that just escalated with every minute she spent with him. And she was exhausted. She hadn’t anticipated how difficult it was to keep control in an environment where she was at odds. She wasn’t giving up but she was tired of pushing, tired of being the one that was strong. She got up, picking her way among her team sprawled at all angles around the fire.
“The forest is more alive than most nights. I don’t like it,” Aidan said and stirred the embers. The fire leapt as he placed another piece of wood on it. Around the fire sat rocks that had been in this spot for generations to prevent the chance that the campfire could spread.
“What are you thinking?” Garrett asked as she settled quietly, cross-legged, beside him.
“The wea
ther’s about to change. The rainy season is almost on us but this has the feel of something more. Typhoon off the coast, heavier rain, I’m not sure.”
“We should be at the village before that?” Garrett asked.
“Maybe. That’s two days away, a lot could happen.”
“I’m not sure Sid could handle that, and Ian . . .” She laughed. “Never mind, Burke—he’s not doing too well either.”
They were silent for a long moment. He cleared his throat. From the far side of the clearing, her team snored and in the forest the predators roamed.
“What are you going to do when you get back?” he asked suddenly.
“What do you mean?” She laughed nervously and tried not to consider the fact that they were alone in the wilderness, that there was no one and nothing to stand in their way—only her own common sense and his.
“You can’t come back here,” he ground out.
“I have no choice.”
“Then let me pick a qualified guide next time.”
She hesitated. She couldn’t rely on him, not for anything. After he got them out of here, it was over. She couldn’t confide in him, not about her future or the reality that she would return not just once but over and over because she may have found her life’s work. Revealing that meant an intimacy of more than the physical kind. That intimacy was dangerous.
“I’ve never met anyone as passionate about what they do as you,” he said softly and shifted in the darkness, his arm brushing her shoulder.
“There’s something about insects. They’re one of the most tenacious creatures on the planet. They’ve survived for millions of years and will probably survive millions of years after we’re gone.”
He picked up a stick and snapped it. He threw it into the fire and they watched the flames spark and whoosh, lighting the dark sky. Overhead something screeched and then chattered softly. “Sorry, old boy,” Aidan muttered.
“A monkey?”
He nodded. “So insects endure all. An admirable feat but not grounds for lifelong study. What got you hooked on studying bugs?”
She laughed. “Bugs?”
“Bug. I understand an interest in botany but it’s your phylum choice that has me crawling.” He grinned at his own joke.
“To think I called you Wild Man only days ago and thought of you as a monosyllabic entity.”
“Monosyllabic?”
“You’ve got to admit you were doing your best.”
“It didn’t work,” he murmured as his lips skimmed over hers. The kiss was as light and gentle as the warm night air. As she turned into the kiss, he broke away.
“Tell me?” he repeated and they both knew he referred to the insects.
“I told you. My father is an entomologist so I was exposed early.”
His fingers laced through hers.
She pulled away. “Don’t.” It was all she could do not to turn into his arms. To begin where his kiss had left off. She wouldn’t do it. “Father wasn’t an overly affectionate parent. But he’s passionate about his work. After Mother died, I think it was a way to get close to him. At first.”
“How old were you?”
“Eleven.” He handed her a stick. She snapped it and threw it in the fire. “The insects caught me even before that. I spent hours studying them. I begged to go to Father’s lab with him. I couldn’t get enough. Insects mutate to fit their environment. They are incredible, ever-changing, and we know so little about them. How could I not be passionate?”
“Never not,” he murmured and his knuckle grazed a sensuous trail down her cheek.
“Aidan,” she warned.
“What?” But he dropped his hand.
But her heart still thumped and she couldn’t stand the feel of him so close and still keep her distance. She shifted away and pulled her knees to her chest.
“I can picture you as a little girl.”
“Don’t,” she said, scared of where this was going. Her skin tingled in places she wanted him to touch. She shifted another few inches away.
“Why not? What were you like?”
“By the time I was twelve I had my own laboratory set up in Father’s garage.”
“You were serious. I picture a pixie.”
It was too much. The questions were building an intimacy that she had done everything to avoid.
“What happened between you and Sid earlier?”
“Why?”
His arm once again brushed her shoulder. Somehow he had gotten closer again in the last few minutes.
“He was acting different. I know he said he’d cooperate but it’s difficult for him to cooperate when he’s afraid.”
“Afraid. Why would you say that?” His voice was comforting, with only the light of the fire reflecting in the night shadows.
“Why else would he have all that aggression except to mask his fear?” she asked.
“You’re an amateur psychologist?”
“You could say that. On this trip it’s come in handy. Anyway, behaviors don’t change that quickly unless something interceded. I’m thinking it was you.”
“Actually it was my fist.”
“You hit him? Aidan!” His name came out warm and breathy.
“I like when you say my name like that.”
“I didn’t say it any special way. I was just surprised,” she objected and tried to still her hammering pulse.
“Well, then stay surprised,” he said as his breath grazed her skin and his lips met hers.
“No,” she protested halfheartedly.
“The lady does protest too much.” The sound and feel of his voice against her lips was exquisite. She could smell mint, clean and sweet. How had that happened? How had they gotten so close? Had she shifted closer to him or had he moved closer to her? She didn’t know. She turned and she was in his arms.
“Garrett,” he murmured as his lips fully claimed hers, as her body meshed with his, as the kiss combusted in the chaos of their mutual attraction. She had lost the war. And she gracefully admitted defeat.
But she claimed him with every bit of desire that he claimed her. The desire hotter than any anger ever could be. There was no turning back. They possessed each other, falling to the forest floor in a knot of limbs. Their bodies, both lithe and fit, wrapped around each other in an undistinguishable mass. They both sought pleasure, hard and fast, an erotic splurge of sexual sensation.
Later, Garrett lay naked and sated beside Aidan. She ran a finger along his naked hip bone. “You’re beautiful.”
“I don’t think a man is considered that.”
“You are.”
“Hmmm.”
She didn’t expect anything else. For now it was comforting to lay here and catch her breath. After a while, they slept.
She awoke to his voice. “Garrett,” he whispered. “Get up. Get dressed.”
She sat up, instinctively covering her breasts.
He chuckled. He handed her her shirt. “You might want to put that on before the others get up. Mark has eyes in the dark.”
“Really?”
“No. But he’ll be awake soon.”
She pulled on her pants, pulling the drawstring with trembling hands, and then put on her shirt.
“There can be nothing between us, Rett. Not in the long term. You know that.” And with that he disappeared into the jungle.
“What the hell?” In one breath he had offered a nickname, an endearment of sorts. Rett, she rather liked the sound of that. What was she thinking? It was just sex, nothing more. Yet it was more than that. He had left her emotionally raw. It was hard to deny, the slight knot in her throat hinted at tears and reminded her of that. Tears! Jeez, Garrett, you’re no girly girl.
In the darkness, leaves rustled in the hollow where Aidan had disappeared. Now there was only the shadowy blackness and her thoughts. This was a brief romance and that’s why she’d dodged it. Dodging was over. She knew that as instinctively as any invertebrate that called this place home. But there would be nothing
between them once they left the rain forest. When they left the jungle, everything changed. But civilization was still two days and two nights away.
Chapter Eighteen
The skies opened up about noon the next day and the rain came down in buckets. They were soaked within seconds.
“Can it get any better?” Burke muttered.
Sid, for once, said nothing.
Ian looked like he would cry, but then lately he always looked like that. If he did, Garrett thought, there would be no way to tell as water streamed down all their faces.
They trudged for hours in silence. Finally Aidan stopped and they all stopped, one after the other, like a row of reluctant ducks.
“What are you stopping for?” Drew asked.
“Shut up,” Sid snarled, finally getting his familiar edge back.
“Ladies, ladies.” Mark smiled, holding up his hand.
It happened in an instant, without Garrett ever expecting that their misery could explode into this rage of testosterone, but there it was. She hadn’t even heard Sid’s comment but there was no mistaking Mark’s repetition of the insult.
“Little man?”
She should have known by Mark’s tone. It was deadly and still at the same time. And in that instant the world stopped and a window of rage opened as Sid and Mark faced off.
“Yeah, that’s what I called you.”
Mark launched a fist at Sid, who ducked the first blow and came up swinging. His fist caught Mark under the jaw, but Mark reciprocated and Sid staggered before recovering.
“Stop it.” Garrett dove in between the two as her inner voice screamed something about the craziness of it all. All she knew was that one minute she was wrestling to pull them apart and the next she was skidding across the rain-slicked forest floor with a bloody nose and stars flashing before her eyes.
“Garrett, are you okay?” Ian crouched beside her. “Thank God you only got the edge of Sid’s fist.”
Brush crashed around them and Aidan appeared. “What happened?”
“Sid hit Garrett,” Ian said without thought. “No, it wasn’t like that,” he said as Aidan’s fists balled up.
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