Ryan let out a sigh. There was no going back to his woman right now. He turned and followed his team towards their helicopter, hoping Esperanza would be there when he returned.
Chapter 10
Belinda gasped when John’s lips covered hers. For a second, she was frozen in shock, and then a delicious awareness set in and all she wanted was more. More of John’s touch. More of his lips against hers. More of his engulfing strength surrounding her and pressing into her. Oh, how she wanted him pressing into her. She tightened her grip on his shirt and pulled him closer.
His kiss was dark and dangerous, like the man. There had been no preamble. No gentle touch. This was a taking. A desperate, wonderful taking. And she was just as eager to let him have anything, and everything, he wanted. He kissed her deep, plundering her with his tongue. Nipping at her lips. Sucking on her. He tasted like sin. But it was his strength that undid her, the feeling of his hands on her jaw, holding her in place. The flex of his muscles under her touch. The sheer overwhelming power of the man, channelled into one blistering kiss.
She pressed her tender, swollen breasts against him, seeking relief. She wanted him to release his strength. To let loose. To let her have it all. She wanted to feel all of that contained passion and power that rippled through every movement he made. She wanted his control destroyed. Because of her. For her. She wanted to be overwhelmed by him. She wanted to lose herself in him. She’d never felt anything like it before. Never. He was raw in his maleness. Raw. Powerful. Commanding. And she was desperate for him.
Suddenly, he ripped his mouth from hers, his hands fell to his sides and he staggered back. Belinda swayed, fighting to stand without him to lean against. She felt dazed, desperate. She stumbled towards him. Just one step before she could stop herself.
“What the hell?” His words stopped her in her tracks.
He was breathing hard. His hands were fisted at his sides. His cheeks were flushed, and his lips, those amazing lips, were parted and swollen. She’d done that. Her. And she needed more. Although her feet didn’t move, her body leaned towards him. All she could see, all she could feel, was him. It was as though he’d wrapped her in a cocoon. A place where all of her senses were heightened and her only focus was on pleasure, on him. And now, he’d cast her out in the cold.
“That was a mistake.” Harsh words that jerked her back to reality.
She blinked several times as her environment came crashing into focus. She suddenly saw the jungle, heard the animals, and felt the humidity coat her body. For a moment, while John had been touching her, she’d been somewhere else. A place where only the two of them existed.
“What…?” she whispered as her fingertips touched her lips.
He ran a hand through his short hair. “That was a mistake,” he said again.
Belinda started to shake and wrapped her arms around herself. “What happened?”
“Damned if I know.” He took another step back and ran a hand over his mouth to his jaw. “Adrenalin?” He let out a heavy breath. “Had to be adrenalin. Yeah. We were working off adrenalin.” He nodded to himself. “It can’t happen again. We need to focus. We weren’t focused.”
She watched his jaw harden and knew what he meant. Anyone could have sneaked up on them. Anything could have approached. They’d made themselves vulnerable.
“That’s never happened before…” She’d lost herself in him. And part of her yearned to do it again.
For a heartbeat, they stared into each other’s eyes. She saw the same desperate need in his eyes that must have been in hers.
“It was an anomaly,” he whispered, his eyes still trapped on hers. “Too much adrenalin. Not enough sleep.” He cleared his throat and tore his gaze from hers. He nodded as though that explained the way they’d combusted together—with just one kiss.
“Yeah, adrenalin…” Belinda wasn’t so sure, but she was equally desperate to cling to any viable reason that excused their reaction to each other.
“Adrenalin.” He looked back at her, sounding firm. In control again. Unlike her.
“Yeah…”
“We don’t do that again.” It was a decree that might have carried more weight if his eyes weren’t glued to her lips while he made it.
“Yeah.”
“Come on. We need to keep moving.” He looked at his watch. “We’ve only been out of camp for an hour. We need to put as much distance between them and us as possible.”
“Yeah.”
His lips twitched and his eyes sparkled. “Worked, though. The chatter has stopped.”
“Yeah.”
“Come on, Hollywood. Let’s get out of here.”
She almost reached for him. Instinct told her to hold him tight, that he shouldn’t be walking away from her. Her hand was up, reaching, when shots rang out. Rapid fire. An automatic weapon. Birds shrieked and scattered. Belinda swallowed a scream and dived for the ground, only to find Beast beside her.