3 comments/ 16416 views/ 8 favorites Amazon Heat Ch. 01 By: fiestycat86 Jesse gripped her armrest digging her nails into the gray leather until she was sure they were going to break. The plane was going down and she wasn't going to live through it. Her mind flashed scenes of her life, her sister sitting with her last Christmas, melted chocolate on her upturned nose, her dog Berry bouncing across the yard in his prime, before she'd made the heart wrenching decision to put him to sleep. Her daddy holding her hand as he told her he loved her and quietly passed away from a twenty-six year fight with MS. Her mother's long red hair falling over her shoulder as she laughed at something Jesse's uncle said. So many great times passed before her minds eye as she felt the descent of the plane hasten. The pilot was silent now, she didn't know why, but she had the distinct feeling that he was already dead, the sense of dread heightening her need to survive. Self-preservation was sending adrenaline pumping through her veins and giving her the itch to jump from the small ten-person plane. Thinking quickly she reached for the controls, pushing the pilot out of her way. She pulled back with all her strength, nearly weeping when the little aircraft leveled out, the nose still aiming for the lush treetops, but not at such a deadly angle. She wouldn't allow herself to think about anything but landing, the moments after she hit ground too much for her to handle. She steeled herself for the impact and felt metal grind against earth, glass shards shattering around her, the force of the crash throwing her into the leather seat behind her, ultimately protecting her from everything that came through the unguarded windshields. And then silence prevailed, as the shifting wreck settled, like a great beast breathing its last labored breath. She sat up, her heart thundering against her chest and she slipped two fingers to the pilot's throat. She found no pulse and withdrew her hand, sending up a prayer for his soul. Tears stung her eyes and she felt the hormones receding, and in their wake was nothing but a pressing blackness that called her into blessed oblivion. When she woke next the sun was low in the sky. It had been almost dark when the planes small engine had cut out, so she guessed she'd been out for almost a night and most of the day. Gingerly she shifted so she could look out the broken window at her surroundings. They'd been over the Amazon Rainforest last she'd known and it looked like she was smack in the middle of it. Tropical heat pressed down on her, the humidity nearly choking her as she struggled to stand up, her legs stiff and her back tight enough to rival a coiled spring. It was then she saw a tall dark figure outside, walking low and looking inside. The small door, wrenched from its damaged hinges, groaned, and a face appeared along with a clean-shaven head and Jessie collapsed with relief, her brain refusing to make sense of anything anymore. So when a giant hand reached for her, she grasped it like it was her last link to sanity and held on tight. Little did she know she was in for the adventure of a life time, and it was in this hot steamy place she would find what she didn't even know she'd been looking for. They'd been hiking in thick forest for hours, not that she wasn't grateful for him taking her with him. It was much preferred to him leaving her at the wreckage. Jessie glanced at her watch again for the hundredth time and sighed inwardly. Jack, the walking wall of muscle in front of her, had told her that she was in a different time zone and that her watch wouldn't work, but he had conveniently forgotten to tell her which one and what to set her little waterproof wristwatch to. Now all the good it did her was to tell her that they'd been walking, (make that he was walking, she was stumbling all over the place,) for nearly ten hours. Not that she was going to complain. She was a born and raised Iowa girl, brought up on a working farm. She was as tough as the next plane wreck survivor and she would make it through this without sounding like some city ninny. She had some self respect after all. Then her stomach growled low and needy, so much for maintaining that tough girl image. "Traitor." She mumbled the word low in her throat and hoped her crashing around had disguised the sound of her hunger. She hadn't eaten in nearly thirty-six hours and it was beginning to have an effect on her. Jack didn't seem to suffer from the same problem as he lifted his massive arm to lop off another low hanging branch with his big scary machete. He hadn't said two words to her since they'd waltzed off into this huge foodless jungle, and even before that all he'd said was, "I'm Jack. Give me you hand and I'll pull you to safety." Of course at the time all she'd heard in that dark low baritone was, "Come here and let me show you the inside of my pants." Imaging her surprise when he'd neatly set her on her feet and merely walked away, using a crooked finger to indicate she should follow him, and hells yes she'd followed that camouflage-covered ass. She was a lot of things, but stupid wasn't one of them, usually. She was beginning to think this little trip to Bolivia was going on the list of dumb things she'd done. She was planning to kill her superiors when she got back to the states. This little jaunt into South America wasn't something she needed to spice up her life, although looking at Jack's taught thighs and toned hips moving under that green and brown cloth was almost worth the plane going down and sending her into this rain forest from hell, with nothing to eat and in severe need of a shower. Sighing, she pulled her hair from its scrunchy and busied herself with detangling the thick red birds nest. She grimaced at the oils she could feel on her scalp and pulled her hands away and stared in horror at the shiny residue on her fingertips. Gross. That was all she was going to say about that, no wonder Jack wasn't paying any attention to her; she probably looked like hell and smelled like it too. Anger ripped through her and she pulled the mess back into a ponytail and wiped her hands on her already nasty jeans. Jordan Heckleton was going to get socked in the face for sending her here. Truth be told, she wasn't even sure why he'd done it. He had no family here, no business partners, nothing. All she knew was that when she landed in Bolivia she was supposed to answer to a man in a black limo wearing a bowler hat, and take what ever package he gave her, back to corporate in Alabama. That was what she did for a living. She was a glorified freelance go-fer' and she'd liked the pay as much as the job itself, until now. Thunder rolled over- head and she studied the sky with a wary eye. She didn't like the idea of being out in the middle of a rain forest to begin with, but a good soaking was going to make traveling a whole hell of lot harder. She wanted to tap Jack on his great big shoulder and tell him to make camp, but her pride stood firmly in the way. Another twenty minutes passed and she found herself in need of a ladies room. Badly. Wincing she didn't want to stop, but if she didn't her already muddy jeans were really going to be a mess. Stopping she crossed her legs kindergarten stile and cleared her throat, her hands fisted at her sides to keep her from holding herself. "Uh, Jack, I need to....um...JACK!" Frustrated when he didn't answer her she jumped into a bush and struggled with the button on her pants. She was going to pee herself and that damn man was going to leave her behind. Finally she got the thin denim down around her ankles and settled herself upstream. Nothing had EVER felt better. Her bladder relaxed with a fury unknown to her and she nearly sighed out loud. She was surprised the whole forest didn't come running to see what new waterfall had let loose. Searching the ground for something to clean herself with she spotted a giant leaf that would do for what she needed. Grasping it both hands she pulled on it hard hoping it would come loose from its mother plant easily. Not so much, the little bugger was attached with a ferociousity that was astounding. It merely ripped in half, landing her naked butt in the dirt. Thankfully she missed her own urine, the spot dark and damp against the leaves and other debris she'd piddled on. Groaning in frustration she struggled into her squatting position again and sent the offending plant and withering glare. She tried to get rid of most of the mud on her skin but it was difficult with just a leaf and nothing else. Her t-shirt was dirtier than her jeans and even so she was not running around with mister sexuality in nothing but her tank and bra. She'd gained some weight in the last few months and she was not about to have him seeing the real her underneath her layers of clothes. It was bad enough he was seeing her with no make up, and unwashed hair. She stood up to assess the damage as best she could and noted with disgust that she still had streaks of dirt all over her upper thighs and backside. Damn. She was just about to give up when a thin strip of cloth landed in her hand. She grabbed at it and noted it was a piece of black t-shirt material, and it was sweat dampened. A warm chuckle behind her wiped her head around and the site dropped her jaw and fuzzed her brain. A tanned stomach, washboard hard and ripped like her panties wanted to be, she gazed at Jack like he was god, and not just some fat sissy god, no, he was Adonis with a capital yum. Her heart sped up in a way she'd never known it could and she watched with fascination as he turned his back to her and slipped on what was now a wife beater. Her only coherent thought landed on, "There really is a God out there." It was cheesy and she knew it to be so, but who could come up with better when all the tight hot muscle was within arms reach and she was naked from the waist down? The man was an aphrodisiac on steroids and she was starving for sex. Damn the bastard, did he have to look so good? She focused, or made the effort to, on cleaning herself, her hands keeping well away from that little button that begged to be messed with. She was not touching herself in front of him, back turned or not. With much hemming and hawing, she finally felt clean enough to pull her pants up. His back was still to her, and she had the distinct feeling he was laughing at her, his head lowered and those thick shoulders trembling tell tale signs that he found her troubles funny. Sadly she wasn't amused and felt the overwhelming urge to smack the back of his baldhead. Unfortunately her hormones were more interested in curling her around him like a cat in heat. She was close enough she could smell the dark musky scent rolling off him in hot waves, her lungs inhaling him like a dieing man sucking down water. Damn, she had it bad. She looked up and down his body with an appreciative gaze, and one thought hit her square in the stomach, 'HE'S OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE!' He probably only went for little skinny twigs that could turn themselves into pretzels at will, and wouldn't ask him for food because they didn't eat. Pissed off at him for his "supposed" taste in women she stomped off in the direction he'd been leading her before she'd stopped him. Which put her in the lead and once again had her thinking. She had no idea where he was taking her. She'd just assumed he was taking her to safety, but she had no clue where that was and it disturbed her that she didn't know. She also didn't know what he'd been doing out here in the middle of the Amazon Rain forest all by himself. All she'd done was follow and ogle him the whole way. "Geez, trusting much?" She stopped so abruptly he ran into her and for several seconds she was back to front with a man who could send Medusa into tremors, and to her perverse pleasure he was very happy in the pants region, and growing ecstatic against her backside. She was sure she'd heard him hiss in a quick breath before he gently set her away from him, his big hands warm and rough against her upper arms, the thick fingers digging in ever so slightly. She couldn't move or speak with him so close to her, touching her, knowing he was so aroused and a fun little thought flitted into her fuzzy brain and stuck. SHE aroused him. An amused grin swept over her face and she turned her head to look into his gorgeous whiskey eyes. "Fancy meeting you here." She didn't register how dumb she sounded till he smiled at her and nearly caused her to throw up her heart. Could she sound any more idiotic? The sad answer to that question was a profound yes and she proved it by chirping a cheery, "Do you come here often?" Come, really? Had she used that word with him mere inches from touching her that way? Then she did the most embarrassing thing she'd ever done in her life. She started hiccupping, and not the girly little ones that were annoyingly cute, no the loud hi pitched ones that scared small children, and sent her sister into peels of laughter whenever she caught her doing it in public. Mortified she jumped away from him and started walking, calling herself so many unpleasant things under her breath. Well done, idiocy one, Jessie nada. She covered her eyes with her hand and shook her head at herself. That's when she tripped and landed herself face first into a tree, sending a flock of red winged macaws into a screaming frenzy and her body to a crumpled mess on the forest floor. She wasn't sure what had happened but she let the blackness take her, hoping she would be okay when she woke up, her mind calm with the unfounded knowledge that no matter what happened, Jack would be there when she woke up. Jack held her to him for nearly an hour while she slept, his concern for her fading as he realized just how tired she really must be. She'd been through hell in the past few days and even though her pride kept her going, her body was screaming out that it was exhausted. He cradled her soft body in the vee of his thighs, and her head in his lap, tracing his callused fingers across her cheekbone, watching her eyelids flutter as she dreamed. A small smile curled her pretty lips and found he wanting to kiss her. She wasn't a beauty in that way most women were, she had a quiet seduction that called to his baser instincts that made him want to protect her and take her as his own, though he was sure that was impossible. His home was the Amazon, and she wasn't ever going to know why. He wasn't man or beast anymore, he was both, and there was no way he could explain that to her without her running off screaming in terror. Like Kathy had done. His heart hardened at the thought of his old life and the women he'd called wife for so many years. Once the love of his life, Kathy had filed for divorce and run into the arms of another man, and she didn't even know the whole story. Out here he was known as the Deep Shadow, an ancient evil that haunted this land and protected it with a ferocity that was unmatched by human or animal. He was the man born of the old prophecy, the reincarnation of something that was made to keep the tribes and wildlife safe from the people who wouldn't respect the old ways. Jessie stirred and curled an arm around his thigh her face pressed against the taut muscles, her sleepy murmurs whispering in his ears like a sirens call. Sighing he leaned back against a tree and waited for her to wake, his hand absently rubbing her back and his mind wandering over things he had no business thinking about. Yup, this little woman was going to be the death of him, and for an unknown reason he really didn't mind. Jessie woke to a pain deep behind her eyes and a warm thigh under her head. Steady breathing above her told her Jack was out cold and opening her eyes she noted the sun was hanging low in the sky, the rosy purple of dusk washed against the clouds last sweeping brush strokes. She sighed and snuggled against him, and felt IT against her ear, her cheeks turning a scarlet that made her feel like she had a fever. Oh hell, she scooted away from him and felt his hand reach for her in his dreamy stupor. He muttered something and woke, his eyelids lifting slowly to reveal those deep whiskey eyes. Her heart sputtered like an old boat motor, and her breath whooshed out of her lungs so fast she thought she was going to suffocate. He was a wondrous human being and she was awed by his unguarded lust for her. Her soul wanted him, and her body craved him. Her mind wasn't so sure though. His gaze held a feral hint to it, as if he were a caged tiger, waiting for the keeper to screw up so he could turn on him and run free. She reached out and touched his jaw, her fingers working of their own accord as she explored the whisker-roughened lines. She sighed out a breath she hadn't known she was holding and watched with unbridled fascination as he leaned into the caress, and she was sure she felt him purr, the rumble low and soothing against her palm. Warning bells screamed in her head, and yet she couldn't move away, her body trapped in a death grip of her own making. He lowered his head, the look in his eyes one of pure possession and her body arched itself to meet his lips as he took her mouth in a kiss that seared her very soul. The explosion of emotions that hit her took her by surprise and she let her arm circle his shoulders till she was straddling him and kissing him with all the pent up sexual fury she'd been holding on to. He was all that she wanted for the moment and she reveled in the way his hands smoothed up her back and gripped her thighs. She wanted to take him here on the ground hard and fast with no restraint, her ardor hot and ragged and in serious need of cooling. To bad that's what she got. The wicked yowl of a panther sounded behind her and she froze, her mind suddenly clear and she stumbled to get off him. She was sure she smelled like hell and her hair was dirty and she was not having sex with a god when she was so gross. Disgusted with herself she straightened her shirt, trying to mutter an apology that didn't sound stupid and totally false. A hand settled around her lower abdomen and pulled her to him, her bottom landing squarely on his lap, and she grunted with the effort to get away, his arm banded around her waist as she struggled and listened to him chuckling behind her. She had no idea that her emotions were wafting off her in waves and he was well aware of why she'd gotten away from him so quickly, but he wasn't going to let her go so easily. With a husky timbre he whispered in her ear, "After we bathe, I'm going to give you everything just asked me to, and you will be screaming my name before you can stop yourself," and with that he stood bringing her to her feet with him and gently slapped her bottom with the flat of his hand, sending her off in an embarrassed huff, her ass swaying as she walked away from him. Laughing in a way he hadn't in years he set off behind her, more than sure that he was going to enjoy having her around while he did and even more sure that the sex they had would leave him wanting her for years to come, and possibly limping for a few days. Amazon Heat Ch. 02 Jack tucked his machete under his arm and watched her stumble off into the trees. This little woman was an amusing sight, especially with her pants down around her ankles. He liked her pluck, and her determination to keep up with him. He'd heard her stomach growling, and he'd known the impending thunderstorm startled her. He'd expected her to fall all over him in a mass of tears and whimpers begging him to tell her where he was taking her, and when they could eat, and how much longer did she have to keep walking? This little red head hadn't even shed a single tear the whole way, and he was tired himself. He grinned at her back, letting her take the lead for a while. Most of this path was cleared any way and it was fun watching her fall over and put that round backside up in the air. It was great payment for earlier when he'd slammed into her and she'd given him the raging hard on he was now sporting. Wincing he adjusted himself, hoping he'd get to sate himself on her soon. He knew she'd be a willing participant, with a little seduction he'd have her on her back and begging in no time. He'd felt her eyes on him the whole way, her thoughts playing in her eyes as clear as day. She wanted him. Bad. He smirked, who could blame her, he was hot. By necessity of course, but a guy has his pride. She turned to face him, her cheeks flushed and her mouth parted in a pant. Blood rushed to his groin, the growth painful and irritating. She looked like she needed sex as much as he did. His gaze locked with her steel blue one and he could almost taste the arousal in the air. He looked deeper into her eyes and wasn't shocked to find a flash of vulnerability before she slammed her guard up. It softened his ardor some, but not much. He was going to have some great sex before the night was out. Jessie's heart nearly stopped at the site of Jack's heavy gaze on her. Heat pulsed up her belly and curled itself around her nipples with a caress that nearly had her on her knees, and her back. The sexual heat rivaled the jungle's thick humidity, and she struggled to turn around and keep walking. She began to take an astonishingly quick inventory of her body, her hands itching to explore herself as she daydreamed about his touch in secret places. She cried out when a thin branch whipped back at her and slapped her breasts. She felt him before he touched her, his hands gently moving her to the side as he brandished his machete and make short work of the vines and branches that blocked her path. She began to have fantasies of a knight in camouflage pants and heavy leather boots. They walked in silence, both simmering under their calm demeanors; Jessie's hand frequenting her stinging breasts, the audible moans slipping past her guard, much to her mortification. It didn't stop her though. He was turning her on in ways that made her feel dirty and delicious in places that were soaked through and beginning to throb mercilessly. She needed relief and she was sure that he was going to be a great scratch for her itch. She just needed to get to know him first. She pushed another plant out of her way, gasping with admiration as a thin green snake slipped up her arm. Cautiously she turned to Jack and beamed at him, showing off her new friend. His deep chuckle set off her own light laughter and she took his grin as a sign that the reptile was not poisonous. "What's this called?" She asked the question while allowing it to slide through her fingers. She had no idea the affect she was having on Jack's groin, her mind focused on the brilliant green color and lovely brown eyes of her new pet. Gently slipping his fingers under hers he gave the graceful little creature a look over and with a husky voice told her it was green tree snake. That voice turned her insides to mush. "He can't hurt you, I'm not even sure he can get his little mouth around your finger." He let the little guy go and watched him glide up a branch and into the foliage where he was hidden best. Turning to face her he watched her with a new sense of admiration. Most women he'd known were terrified of snakes and over the years he'd never have thought to see one look at a reptile let alone hold it as if it were endearing. "Bye snaky." She waved to the tree and melted his heart. She was different, this little red head. She had pluck and an ass that made his hands itch to grab it and get a good feel. She was thicker than he usually liked, but on her, he loved it. She was curvy and her breasts were heavy and pushed tight against her t-shirt, while her stomach tucked neatly into a lush pair of hips, the kind made for gripping and sinking you fingers into. Lust pure and strong hit him hard, and without thought he yanked her to him and kissed her with a fury he couldn't control. Jessie's head rolled back on her shoulders and her hands fisted in his shirt as her mind did cartwheels and her libido hit the clouds. She was in heaven as the softest lips in the world crushed hers with a brutal ferocity. His hands curled into her backside and his hips pushed at hers until he had her back flush against a wide tree truck, and he was nestled tightly against her point of need. A whimper of arousal rose in her throat and she reached up to cradle his head in her hand, fearing he'd come to his senses before she was done with him. His kiss turned possessive and he slipped his tongue over hers in a way that had her thinking about that hot heavy bulge that was currently rubbing her clit through her jeans. Her moans came freely and she explored his body while he slipped his mouth down her jaw to her throat, the gentle caress nearly sending her over the edge. She cried out as his thumb brushed her nipple, the sensation going straight to her over sensitive mons. More pressure was what she needed and without a thought she swung her leg around his waist the contact tipping her closer to the edge her breath whipping in and out of her lungs at a rate that nearly caused her to faint. Groaning she clung to him, hoping he wouldn't stop before she let go. She sensed his mouth moving and she started to tremble with the effort it took to speak. "Don't...stop...what you...were just... doing. I'm coming." Unbidden shame stained her cheeks, but he was pushing her harder now, his hips rocking against hers faster as he whispered dirty things against her throat, his mouth moving with the same urgency as the rest of his anatomy. Jessie was vaguely aware that she was no longer on her feet, but the thought passed without recognition, the beginnings of her climax hitting her squarely in the stomach, her whimpers turning to gusting cries as her muscles tightened and relaxed with her need to come. Moments that felt like hours slipped past, and in a frozen instant her world imploded as it exploded and nothing but the sweet ache between her thighs mattered. Panting and shuddering against his shoulder she felt her face contort and her inner muscles grip tight as she came against him, riding out the storm until she could bear no more. She waited through the deep syrupy after math and felt rather than heard him growl as he came against her, his arms holding her against him tight enough to snap her ribs. His breathing was rough as he leaned his head against her shoulder and he allowed her feet to slip to the ground, her knees still shaky when she tried to stand on them without his help. She nearly fell and was only saved by the fact that she had both arms wrapped around his neck. She was sweating as much as he was and her mind was beginning to work again. She'd just dry humped a guy in the middle of the freaking Amazon, and to her astonishment she was just fine with that. She started laughing her whole body shaking with her mirth and the aftershocks of a great orgasm, his arms clutching her to him as he lifted his head to look her in the eyes. "What are you laughing at?" His voice was filled with mock insult, as he raised an eyebrow at her. He was still breathing heavy and his body was warm enough to singe her skin. She ran her fingers over his chiseled chest and giggled up at him, her face curled into an impish grin. "I've just never done this before." Her eyes sparkled with a bright light that only a well-sated woman would have and his pride swelled to immense proportions. "So it was good for you?" He held her gaze looking for any hint of a lie in her transparent eyes. "It was amazing for me," she whispered, her arms slipping around his neck again, and with an air of mischief she pulled his lips to hers and without a thought to modesty she added a haughty, "and next time you'll say the same." Amazon Heat Ch. 03 The sun was going down and a chill was setting in, the rain sending an echoing thunder as it battered the canopy above them. Jack held her hand as they walked, his smile smooth and endearing. There was no way that Jessie was going to fall in love with him over great dry humping, but she was very much in lust with him. They talked as he led her through the foliage, well, she talked and he listened to her. They were silent now, their thoughts focus on private things that neither were yet willing to share. Jack watched her through a side-glance and felt a tight burning in his heart that he didn't recognize. Of course he just done everything but strip her naked and rut her in the middle of the jungle, but he wasn't willing to except that this sensation was based solely on sexual gratification. She was fiery, and fierce in her own way, and his respect for her was growing in leaps and bounds. She'd told him about her family and it left him feeling empty and alone. Four hundred years of watching over a man versus animal rainforest could do that to a person. His mind shifted to a happier time, his wife in his arms, her hands ruffling his hair as she laughed that low throaty laugh he'd come to hate. Her eyes had looked at him with admiration and pride, the ownership of a great man her biggest success in life. He'd been so foolishly in love with her, so very much into the way she led him around by his pants rather than his heart. She'd been his every dream, waking and sleeping. So lucky he'd thought himself, to find someone so late in life. After the third century he'd given up on finding someone to spend his life with. Shaking his head he tightened his grip on Jessie's little hand. She wasn't going to stay with him, there was absolutely no way he could keep her here, but for the time she was in the jungle, he was going to soak up the human company to its fullest. They reached the cave just as Jessie was sure she was going to pass out from hunger. Her stomach was growling loud enough that Jack was laughing at her every time it gurgled, and she wanted to be mad at him, but she really couldn't get much further than wrinkling her nose at him and poking him in the ribs. Despite her hunger she had to admit she was having fun. Jack was easy to be around and his laughter brought out a side to her she didn't know existed. She adored teasing him, especially after he'd thrown a leafy looking Preying Mantis in her hair. He'd given in to her when she just stood there, hands on her hips and waited for the damn thing to fly away. She had the sneaking suspicion that he was proud of her reaction, and encouraged, he'd shown her every nasty looking grub he could find, and after several tries to gross her out, he'd even eaten one particularly fat and pasty looking one, claiming it was great once you got past the gut taste. Ducking through the caves rocky entrance and out of the chilling rain she turned and grinned at him, "I still can't believe I kissed that bug eating mouth." She hugged her arms around her waist and nearly melted when he gave her that wolfish little grin of his and merely set about starting a fire. Within minutes a blaze was going and she sighed at the site of all the home comforts he'd obtained. In one corner of the square cavern a bed was made up with a blanket and several others were piled at the foot, and under the bed even more lay on a pallet of branches. On the other side lay a pile of Jack's folded clothes, like the ones he wore now, the threads worn thin and the cloth faded into a bleached out camouflage that suited his lifestyle. Knives hung from the walls all around her, and several traps lay scattered against the back wall. From the ceiling hung a net that when let down would encompass the entire space, leaving no quarter for insects. He obviously liked his peace while he slept. It wasn't until she began searching the actual walls though that she found a crack, about the size of a man, and from it curled a misty heat that wafted over her face and wet her curiosity. Returning to Jack she knelt beside him and watched as he hacked strips of meat from some indistinguishable carcass. It looked like a pig, but it was so cut up she really couldn't tell, and seeing him eat the slimy little grub quelled her need to ask. She was fascinated by the speed with which he put together their meal, his big hands deftly spearing hunks of meat on a handmade spit that hung over the fire, sturdy enough to hold nearly the entire pig...thing. When he noticed her curious stare he merely muttered "Tapir" and went back to cooking. She watched him as he worked, momentarily forgetting the heated crevice as the scent of roasting meat hit her nostrils, and sent her stomach into a cramping frenzy. Desperation coursed through her as she watched the meat turning, the juices hitting the hot coals with a sizzling pop. Licking her lips she did her best to sit still and not be grabby, but four days without food and she was sure she was going to die from the pain in her gut. Time was sliding slowly by when he finally handed her a plate from a cupboard behind him and heaped it full, motioning her to sit back and dig in. Her hands shoveled the hot fare into her mouth and she wolfed it down without thought to the way she looked. Juiced dribbled down her chin and she smeared it away with the heal of her hand and continued to push more into her mouth, not stopping until her cheeks bulged and her throat rebelled at taking anymore in. It was Jack's chuckle and apt stare that brought her attention back to the cave and her dinner partner. Mortified she chewed what was in her mouth and took the paper napkin he held out to her. A muttered sorry was all she could mange around another bite of food. He shook his head at her and kept smiling and eating, his appetite just as great as hers. Slightly comforted by the thought she continued with her meal, though the pace was greatly reduced. Nearly an hour later, her belly full to bursting and her head resting back on the rocky cave wall she drifted in and out of sleep, her mind unfocused and her bones weary. She dreamed of her family, her abusive ex boyfriend Michael, her friends all back at home, all of them unaware that she was so far away and having the time of her life. She dreamed of staying in the jungle with her Tarzan-esque rescuer. In her dream she didn't have to turn the notion away in the face of reality, and she liked it. She drifted peacefully, only waking when strong arms lifted her effortlessly and settled her into the big bed; his large body tucked behind her, the warmth and weight of his arm around her waist just what she needed to send her off to dreams that flashed passion and tenderness and rocked her to her very core. A blood-curdling scream ripped Jack out of his feast-induced sleep and had him sitting upright, his head fuzzy from sleeping so soundly. Beside him Jessie shuddered in her sleep, her cheeks wet with tears and her hands clutching her head as she whimpered and wept. Heart in his throat he shook her, trying to wake her and get her away from whatever it was that had her so terrified. She muttered something about a Michael and then covered her head with her arms, as if blocking something. Again he shook her, the effort rewarded with more fearful murmurs. "Jessie, wake up!" His voice hoarse and a lot sharper than he'd meant it to be, but he watched her open her eyes and his heart started to settle. Her gaze was glazed over and her sobs still came at an alarming rate and she looked at him as if he were a monster. Voice thick and tearful, she reached up and cupped his face in her hands and whispered, "Don't hit me anymore, Michael, please." Anger tempered with tenderness caught in his vocal cords rendering him speechless. Now he knew why she seemed to love his affections so much. Some prick named Michael had abused her. It was none of his concern, but he was outraged that she'd been touched in a way that gave her nightmares that had her screaming in the middle of the night. She was far too special for that. He slipped his hand over her cheek and nuzzled it, a soft whimpering sigh slipping past those sweet lips. He tenderly kissed her awake, most of the terror erased from her face as she came too, her head resting on his chest as her held her to him. Jessie was aware that she'd been dreaming of Michael, and she was also aware of the fact that she was with Jack and he must have heard her and shaken her to wake her up. His chest pillowed her face and the scent of his hit her nose with an intoxicating mixture of man and smoked meat. She snuggled to him, letting the dream pass as she focused on the feeling of being held in two arms that had never been raised to hit her. She couldn't help but want to be around this man. He'd saved her and been sweet to her, never once getting upset with her, always with her even though there was clearly another reason he was out in the middle of this god forsaken tree hell. Affection nudged at her heart, growing a little stronger with every thought of him. "You're a good man Jack." A chuckling rumble against her ear was all the response she got, his laughter comforting her in ways words couldn't. Giggling she punched him in the stomach, the blow barely registering against all the hard muscle. God wasn't even an appropriate term for the man. He was fascinating and her fingers lingered over those t-shirt covered ridges. Just as she was getting settled into really exploring he suddenly lifter her and effortlessly swung her in a wide circle, something no one had done to her since she was a teenager, and many pounds lighter. He made her feel like a feather, soft, light, and beautiful. Breathless and happy she clung to him, her smile hidden in the curve of his neck, her arms slung around his shoulders. He took her into another cavern through the opening she'd found earlier and the heat met them, hot, thick, and wet. Curious she lifted her head and gazed around the huge room, the ceiling alive with a purple light mingled with neon yellow and a green that was nearly fluorescent. She looked out around her and noted that it was the only source of light, but she could see fine, the atmosphere warm and inviting. "Wow, this is amazing." She slipped to her feet and his hand in hers began to explore. The place was as big as a house, and water ran right through the middle, stream curling off the surface and adding to the ambiance. With raised eyebrow she gazed up at him, questions alive in her brilliant blue eyes. His nod made her squeal, and she started throwing her clothes off, her excitement surpassing her inhibitions as she slipped into the heated bliss, her muscles responding to the searing heat the instant she was submerged. A moan escaped her open mouth, and she ducked her head under to try and clean her hair, her face rising out of the water with a look of sheer pleasure written on her delicate features. Jack felt his heart give, the shifting painful and awe-inspiring all at once. She was all that he wanted in a woman, with a vulnerability that made his baser instincts reach out to protect her. If he'd known that he was falling for her at that moment he'd have sent her to the mission, telling her where to go, or gotten her a guide from one of the tribes that surrounded his home. He'd have gotten her the hell away from him before he could get so entangled, but his lust was stronger and the allure of her naked body sluiced with all the hot water numbed him to his own emotions, and it was at that moment that it bloomed in his love starved heart, unchecked, roots growing deep and sturdy, where he'd never get it out. He felt it, but it didn't register, and he went to her with his eyes alight with something more than what he was willing to give. Jessie dove deep, the bottom tapering off to nearly fourteen feet deep and felt the burn of scalding water against her eyelids. She felt like a fish, kept to long out of water, and her skin crawled with the need to be clean. Coming up she bobbed on the surface and her eyes riveted to Jack, his body naked and very aroused. She'd known he was big, it had been hard to miss, but standing there, legs spread and arms akimbo he looked like sex trapped in the body of a man. Drawn to him she treaded water, the motion pulling him in his direction. A smirk on his perfect mouth made her want to play and she splashed him, her own grin coy and cunningly curled on one side. He was too much for her to handle, but she wasn't going to go down without a little play fighting. "You know I have soap right?" He held out his hand and showed her the big green bar, and her eyes lit up brighter than the ceiling. Laughing he held it out to her just so that her heavy breasts peaked out of the water, the peach tips peaking out at her every grab as he yanked it out of her reach, laughter ringing bright and freely as they teased one another. Frustrated she ran out onto the sandy bank and jumped up to grab his hand, but her calculations were off and she didn't make it to his hand, landing naked and soaked against his hard body, her stomached prodded by his heavy cock. The ache in her groin came on her hot and intense and her head swam from the need to touch him. God she wanted him, and tonight she was going to give him all she had in her, for once she was going to give of herself fully, without thought to tomorrow. Jack watched the play of emotions on her face and wanted to know what she was fighting with. Determination flashed over that pixie face and he wanted her to keep that look. It was a look that said he was going to get laid and it was going to be all of her with him, in essence it was challenge for him to be at his best. Setting her away from him he pushed her back in the water, his head fuzzy with lust as he followed her. He wanted her, but he needed her to want him back before he made love to her. He'd never been one to linger over sex; it was a part of himself that he only explored with the native women when he felt like he was going to go crazy. He never really spent time getting them ready for him, they just always were, but Jessie was different. He wanted her to enjoy it as much as he did. Running his hand through the spring he wet the soap, and ran it over her back, the suds trailing down the curve of her spine, turning her skin slippery. A soft sigh passed her lips and she held her hair up from her neck so he could do her neck and shoulders, the rounded curves of her body heating his blood and sending him to heights of arousal he'd never known existed. He wanted to bend her over and drive himself into her till she was screaming his name. Breathing deep, he scrubbed her till she was clean from top to bottom, her backside cleaner than any other part of her. His hands reached around her waist and started on her front, beginning at her ears and working down until he reached her breasts, her breathing unsteady her hair hanging limp over his shoulder her hand gripping his neck as she leaned against him, grinding her round ass against his groin. She was going to be the death of him. Jessie tried her best to hold back, adoring the way jack was touching her, his big hands rubbing her skin with a pressure that was arousing and relaxing all at once. Her thighs clenched together as she tried to ease the ache between them, his fingers slipping down her front in slow lazy strokes, teasing her till she thrust her chest into his talented hands, the soapy wetness slick and cool against her heated skin. A keening moan fell from her lips and she used her own hands to show him where she wanted him, pinching her own nipples as he rubbed lower and lower his touch reverent and sure, while her ass ground against that thick hardness. The knowledge that he could enter her from behind thrilled her to no end, sending her mind into a million fantasies that all involved him behind her. Finally he reached her center, his soap slick fingered parted her and probed at her, tickling and exploring, getting to know her in ways not even Michael had. He finally found her clit and in long slow strokes he teased her, her legs giving way as she reveled in the intimate touch, her breathing ragged and rough, the sound of his own breath turning her on as she rubbed herself on him, heat spearing her belly as she rocked with him, his fingers pushing her to the edge, slipping further back till she was slipping them in and out of her, her moans coming freely as the passion rose and filled her to capacity. "Come for me baby, you can do it." His rough whisper in her ears nearly pushed her into the black tightness of her orgasm, but it was the feeling of his mouth on her neck that tossed her into the pulsing clenching of muscles and breathless pleasure. Her lungs refused to suck in air and her heart sputtered as her thighs clenched and held his hand, even he continued to send her higher and higher till she could respond no more, her body sagging limp and boneless. Slowly he lowered her to the ground and settled himself atop her, his lips finding hers, the kiss sweet and reverent, as he stoked the fires again, her mouth finding the rhythm as he touched her, his body hard and slick against hers. She felt the thickness against her swollen center, and wanted him like she wanted to live. Without a word she gripped him in her hand and slipped his massive head into her tightness, the movement like a switch in them both. Grinding her hips upward she plunged him as deeply as she could take, a keening whimper punctuated with the feeling of being filled 'till she was satisfied. Then he moved, pushing his length in till there was none left, and she was screaming his name. The feeling of him so deep sent her into frenzy, her hips slapping against his as she urged him on. It was as if this was all she had and it was the only way to save her from the empty place Michael had left in her shattered heart. With every thrust Jack put her back together, leaving nothing behind as he called her soul to touch his. Finally she felt free, safe and in love. Tender feelings settled in her mind as she looked into his big brown eyes, the sight of him watching her, his heart unguarded, love brilliant there brought a smile to her lips and an ease to her soul that had never been there. Laughter bubbled up between them and she squealed when he turned her to sit astride him, their hearts beating together, the rhythms matching as she rode him, sucking in a stuttered breath as his thumb found her clit, pushing her into another orgasm, this one hard and more than she could take, the pulsing thickness within her adding to the sensation. A guttural groan ripped from her lungs as she fell forward and struggled to stay conscious. Amazed that she'd come so hard she lay against him as she pushed in and out of her, her mind nearly numb as she waited for him to finish, his big hand splayed against her ass, forcing her to ride him even as her body tightened once more, the feeling deliciously creeping up on her as she came against him, her head resting on his chest. She heard his heart speed up as he spilled himself inside her, her arms wrapped tight around his chest as he tipped her over with him, her every nerve dead and alive all at once. It was at that moment that she understood the French term La Petite Morte. She felt dead; her body limp and sated the feeling of him falling out of her like removing a limb. They lay there in silence, simply breathing as one, there thoughts muddled and unfocused. Jack was the first to speak his baritone rough and sleepy. "Wow, that was a first." His hand sank into her damp hair, the strands curling around his fingers as if even they were unwilling to let him go. His chuckled rumbled against her cheek and she nodded her response, her voice still locked behind air-starved lungs. Rising up on shaky elbows she looked down at him, smiling, and her head woozy as she struggled to stand, her body sore in places she hadn't known existed. Pulling his hand she crooked a lazy finger at him, beckoning him back to bed. They went slow, supporting each other, his arm around her waist, and her head leaning against his shoulder, their bodies sated and their minds tired. Tomorrow would come with responsibilities, but tonight, they would sleep and love one another till morning imposed on their perfect solitude. Amazon Heat Ch. 03 "Hope your up for another ride baby, cause give me five hours of sleep and I will be." Jessie flashed an impudent grin up at him and laughed at the look of disbelief on him handsome face. Ahhh, this was going to be fun. Amazon Heat Ch. 04 Hope you enjoy this next chapter of AmazonHeat the story of Jack and Jessie. I adore these two characters and I hope you do too. If you have any suggestions, or if you have any thoughts as to how the story should progress, please feel free to leave me a comment and I will try to incorporate your thoughts as best I can. I can't always tell my characters what to do, but I will try. Enjoy! Morning came, the glow of the tropical sun lighting the entrance of the cave as Jessie rose and stretched her achy muscles. Jack lay next to her, his back bared in a vision of taut sinewy muscle, and again, incredibly she hungered for him. Through out the wee hours of the night they'd taken each other in a dance as old as time, their minds running wild with passionate fantasies that only they could have played out, their bodies locked in the throws of lovemaking that had her wincing as her thighs resisted lifting her from the mattress. Emptying her bladder was the only thing that actual got her to the trees out side, her entire being rebelling the imposition. Relieved she stumbled back to bed, noting the way birds called and a monkey hooted in the distance. To her amazement it felt like home. The thought of leaving Jack here alone gave her an empty feeling in parts of her that had never felt empty before. A tear pricked her eyes and she wiped it away, curling an arm around his shoulder and her ear to his back so she could hear his heart. Shock kicked her in the stomach. There was no beat. Several minutes past and she waited, willing the heavy thud she'd felt last night to great her here in the morning. His breathing came in slow, even shifts, but his heart had stopped. Shaking her head she tried her hardest to think, but the thought that his most vital organ didn't move dumbfounded her. Pulling away, she curled into the corner of the bed, the blanket pulled up to her mouth as she tried not to scream, thus waking him. Time, she needed time to think, to figure out why a healthy viral man, in his prime, and survived in the damn Amazon, lived, yet his cardiovascular systems had all but failed. "Shit." The word sputtered off her tongue a lot louder than she'd meant it to and he stirred, rolling over on his back, his big arm snaking out to catch her leg and pull it to him like a teddy bear. Sighing she let him hold on to her, knowing he was safe enough. He'd done so much for her in past days that she knew he had no reason to harm her, but the knowledge that he was not normal crept on her in slow pressing waves and she needed answers. Calling her mind to calm she focused on an energy she'd not needed since her girlhood. Heat pooled off her in rolling movements, her insides burning as she pushed herself into the world outside herself, calling on an imperfect double, a doppelganger that could speak and act on her behalf in any situation. Sighing when the other her stood on its own she let her temperature sink back to healthy levels, nearly kicking her double for drooling over the man in the bed. "Oooh he's a cutey, why don't we play a bit? A threesome would kill him for sure!" Disgust ran through Jessie. She could duplicate herself exactly ten times, each copy owning its own personal identity. Sadly she'd not called on them in so long she'd forgotten how to bring them forth by said identity. Instead of calling Brain the smart intellectual one, she'd mistakenly let loose the most sexual sadistic side of herself, Vixen. "Hey Vixie, I need you to do something for me." Voice low she pulled her leg back and slipped from the bed and out into the light, where they could talk without waking Jack. Steps light, the leather-clad version of herself followed, asking, " What's up Jess, and why are we here?" The other her leaned her head close trying to catch every whisper. Vixen tended to be the only Other that really listened to what Jess had to say, despite her perpetual state of arousal. "That man is my rescuer, but he's not normal, something is just wrong about him and I need you to project yourself to Bolivia and look up any and all myths about this region of the Amazon." She took a side-glance at the bed and watched Jack as he slept, unaware of their conversation. Vixen did the same and smiled at her with an almost motherly air that reminded Jessie of her other alter ego Matilda, the sensible side of herself. "If you love him and I find something really wrong, what then?" Her Others didn't always know what was happening with her, but in the case of strong emotions they tended to feel them in muted echoes, and Vixen read them better than the rest. Putting a hand to her fore head she called Roxie out, and next to the scantily clad Vixen yet another Jessie stood, this one wearing punk rock gear that would have looked all wrong on the original, but the triplet pulled off with out a thought. Twirling a finger in her stick straight red and black hair she looked bored and out of place. "What, nearly..." She ticked off the years on her black nailed fingertips, " ...twelve years we don't hear from you, and all of a sudden you want us to run off and go goddess knows where?" Folding her arms she looked Jessie up and down and muttered a, "Bitch please." "Nice to see you too, whore." Vixen stomped on her foot with her heeled thigh boot and pushed her, the violence between them amusing and disturbing all at once. Jessie wouldn't have intervened but she was losing time and she needed them to tell her who and what she'd just fallen in love with. "Hey, knock it off!" the whisper came out harsh and sharp and both women looked at her mid abusing one another, Vixen's hand curled mid air, before she managed to claw Roxie's pretty face. Finally they backed away, cursing and throwing threats at one another like two kids in a food fight. Knowing they'd never make it to Bolivia without supervision she called on her most trusted Other, dreading the conversation they'd be having when she got back. Bessie, didn't just melt off of Jessie like the others, she glided with an elegance that only a woman of her breeding could. The feature that most separated her from the other Others also made her a favorite with Jessie. Bessie's skin, which should have been pale, hugged her curvy figure like black satin, and her hair fluffed out around her head in a cloud of frizzy black curls. "Lordy, my child what is with you?" Pulling Jessie into a hug she rocked her like a lost daughter, pressing her cheek into her breasts and muttering a prayer of thanks in between exasperated verbal explosions of "Jesus be praised" "Hello Bessie, how are you?" Jessie pulled away and looked into eyes so like her own yet where blue should be, brown gazed back at her. "What you be needin' chile? I see you got these two knuckleheads out, and I ain' a goin' nowhere till you tell me why, baby." Bessie's straight forward attitude had always given Jessie a reason to smile and it had been the reason locking the Creole girl away had hurt so much. Bess was all her own, the side of Jessie that no one who knew her secret understood. Albeit the numbers were few, consisting of her sister, her mom and her psychiatrist. They had all told her that the truth of her abilities would alienate her from her classmates; that Bess was taking her over. Jessie remembered well the tears she'd shed with Bessie when the others had decided to go into hiding. Tears spilled over her lashes as she looked at her old friend and the way she'd grown. Off to her left she could hear scuffling and ignored the urge to reach out and slap Roxie, who was always the instigator when she and Vixie fought. The words gushed from her mouth and she told Bessie everything, the need to get them going a powerful motivator, the story told entirely within minutes. No one asked questions, which surprised her, and when they vanished she sighed with a relief she hadn't felt in years. Especially since Michael had found out what she held within her. He'd never seen any of her Others, not personally but he'd seen the footage of Vixen when she was little, not knowing that Jessie had been the one videotaping the whole thing. Trusting that sack of crap had been her biggest mistake, the way he'd beaten her had left her so scarred she'd stayed in her apartment for weeks, waiting for the bruises to heal, not knowing that a fresh set would take their place. Shaking her head she let the memories go, knowing that she was going to be okay. Taking the initiative she gathered wood from the ground surrounding the cave mouth, feeling peaceful, and happy with herself. Jack still slept, his gentle snore calming her more than she would have imagined. Time had allowed her to come to terms with his "special problem" and she couldn't really fault him on his little "heart condition", when she herself could multiply into eleven different people. Basking in the jets of sunlight that escaped through the canopy she didn't notice the men at her back, all of them silent, their dark skin mottled with green and yellow paint, spears in hand and ready to strike. Moving like a shadow one grabbed her from behind and laid his hand over her mouth, his palm planted firmly over her lips, and his arm banded about her waist so she couldn't move. The heavy bundle of sticks fell to the ground with a clatter and she closed her eyes to call on two other people inside her, letting Demon out with a muffled scream as the angry warlike goddess rippled from her body, pulling Fear with her. Both women dressed like ancient war goddesses, held weapons and used them well. Hissing Demon's pet snake Wrath coiled from her shoulders and slithered to the forest floor, his mind just as intelligent as a human, he took in his surroundings with a lazy flicker of his red tongue. "Hello boys." The women spoke in tandem, their attire and attitudes alike and opposite, all at once. Demon wore a black toga clasp at the left shoulder with a gold serpent, while Fear wore a traditional white one, held at the right shoulder with a silver serpent. Their hair lay on top of their heads, silky tendrils falling down their backs, as they gazed at the enemies before them. Their looks gave a come hither, but in their hands they held swords of steel, and in the other they whirled spears tipped with diamonds. They were death at its most beautiful and the greatest warriors ever birthed of man or beast. Gracefully they set about dispatching the men they could see, setting Jessie free and then they went after the ones in the trees, the sound of death eerily quiet as they worked together, moving like silk on skin. Dazed Jessie stood where she was, and didn't even hear Jack as he approached, his hands falling on her shoulders startling her into screaming. The warrior versions of herself appeared before her and within an instant had Jack on his back with four very sharp weapons at his throat. Sighing she waited to compose herself then pushed them off him, forcefully pulling Fears foot off his chest and setting it on the ground before she knelt next to him, grasping his hand. "This is Jack, you dumbasses." She sent them both scathing looks, and they backed away, their blades still clutched at their sides. Both women snorted at the name and turned to speak to one another in Latin, a language they'd spoken since their girlhood. Jessie couldn't understand them, but picked up the jest of what they were saying by the crude hand gestures and immature giggles they kept spouting. Demon and Fear were the only Others Jessie ever envied. They were in top physical condition, their bodies sculpted and hard where hers was soft and round. Jack sat up, and looked them up and down, his jaw hitting the ground at the sight of them standing there in the mid morning breeze, the sun sparkling off their bronzed skin and various matching adornments. "The hell?" His hand reached up to scratch his head as if he'd just come out of a fainting spell and Jessie smiled at his confusion. She hadn't meant to tell him yet but there was no way to cover up the women standing in front of him, so taking a deep breath she started. "This is Demon, and her twin Fear, both named for their ability to fight and win any battle situation you put them in." She pointed to each woman as she said her name knowing it was a lot to take in. Demon smiled and twittled her fingers at him, while Fear simply watched him with searching eyes. They were an intimidating pair and she wished he'd met Vixen first; her personality would have been easier for him to take in. Not sure what he was thinking she waited for him to say something, but rather than speak he simply stood up and gathered the sticks she'd dropped and went back inside the cave, shaking his head. Watching him go she gained her feet and waited, the twins both embracing her, their heads resting on her shoulders. "He'll come around, don't worry." Demon's soft alto sounded so sure Jessie almost believed her. Fear nodded her agreement and all three of them followed him, none of them talking as they watched him build a fire and put enough tapir meat on the spit to feed four. "Sit." The one word rang out like a shot, and Jessie wondered if he really wasn't anything like Michael. Fear clasped her hand as they made a semi circle around the flames, their backs to the bed, the twin's eyes on the entrance. For nearly twenty minutes no one said anything, even when Jack served them, Demon and Fear sharing a plate. Worry furrowed Jessie's brow and she cast side-glances at Jack who seemed to be having a hard time getting his food down. Finally he tossed the plate aside and stood to pace the small cavern. "Who are they?" Jessie's head snapped up at the gently asked question, and her eyes followed his every move. She couldn't speak, her mouth felt like someone had stuffed it with cotton. Demon took the lead as she always had, claiming Jessie's left hand. "We are her Others, parts of her soul that live within her till we are called to serve her. We coincide, and live dormant till she calls us back to her where we wait until she needs us again." Fear then added, "We have not been called upon for twelve years, but today we have been released and concurred her enemies." Patting her sword she nodded and smiled at her sister, their eyes saying so many things at once. "How many are you?" Jack settled in front of them his legs crossed in front of him Indian style, his arms folded like wise. Finally finding her voice Jess managed a weak, " Ten." The look on his face never changed as he processed the information, her heart in her throat, her thoughts terrorized with the idea that he was going to turn her away after all they'd shared. She watched as he turned his gaze from woman to woman, looking at them ponderingly. "You all live inside her? Do you know what she knows, are you a part of her entirely or do you live your own lives?" His hands gripped his knees with white knuckles, but his voice stayed calm and steady. It was touching that he wasn't freaking out like everyone else had. Of course he hadn't seen her let out Ginger yet so he really had nothing to be afraid of. A smile tipped up her lips and she tried to keep it at bay, but he saw it and turned a curious brow on her. "What?" "Ginger." The twins chimed in together. They knew that look from a hundred feet away. "Ginger?" Grinning outright Jessie tried to explain her most frightening other. " Ginger is a vampire, she feeds on blood, and when she can't get it while she'd inside me, she feeds on me. I hate it, but it's the only way she can survive. I know when she's doing it and I know when she's angry because I've got a blood bond with her. The thing about her is that she's not a Goth vampire. She likes..." She paused for a minute, and looked at her hands trying to find the right words. Finally she just blurted it knowing he wouldn't believe her, " She likes to read comic books and she adores pink EVERYTHING." Fear rolled her eyes and pretended to faint, falling over with her arm draped over her face in a dramatic pose. Demon smacked her, and all three women giggled like they hadn't since they were girls. Noting the look on Jacks face, Jessie managed to sober up and tapped her twins on the shoulder to get them to be silent. His eyes held an odd look that both disturbed and elated her. He didn't mind the girls, in fact he thought they were a little nuts and highly amusing. It was the idea that they all lived inside the woman he'd come to love and respect. It weirded him out a little bit to think that he'd made love to so many chicks at one time. "So, you have a vampire, as well as two kick ass warriors, and lord knows what other personalities that live inside you, and they all coexist without causing you to go insane. Do you feel them when they are dormant?" Jessie shook her head slowly, and turned a studious eye on Demon, wanting him to here it from the girls point of view. She had no clue what it was like to live inside her without a say as to what would or wouldn't happen on a daily basis. She just knew what it was like to miss her closest friends, and how it hurt when she had been so sure that she would never see them again. Demon laughed at something Fear sputtered in Latin and Jessie shook her head at the gestures they started making. Nasty girls, they thought only of war and sex, not always keeping the subjects separate. This time it was pertaining to Jake and she slapped Fears thigh with the flat of her hand giving her a look that would have withered an oak. "You have asked if she feels us when we are within her and I have to say the only one who can get through to her when on the other side is Ginger because they are blooded. The rest of us have not had contact with her since we went into hiding when we were young girls. It was thought that we would take her over and cause her to a social cast out because we are different." A shared thought past from Demon to Fear in one of their "looks, " and the sister took up where the other left off. She spoke slowly and thoughtfully her eyes not looking at anything imparticular, her voice far off and mediative. " We are like fetuses, we live in her womb, in pockets of fluid that sustain us, and if an ultrasound were taken she would appear to be pregnant with ten very tiny full term infants, no bigger than grains of sand. We do not have conscious thoughts there, but we dream, and sometimes when she feels very strong emotions we can feel it." Gazing directly into Jacks whiskey eyes she held his focus with an iron hold. "She is one of us, yet for a reason unknown she is also our host, the one who keeps us all alive even as she lives. We age the same, our bodies changing as hers does, but each of us has our own way of growing. My sister and I are battle hardened fighters, so we are hard and our bodies unyielding, while Bessie, true to her heritage is dark and healthy." Taking the other women's hands she held them to her cheeks and then kissed them. " We are one and we are many. My sister and I are closer than most of us but we share a soul and thus a bond not easily broken." Jessie felt her eyes water and she clutched Fears hand, whispering the motto they'd shared as children. "Cut one, harm all, kill one, death for all." Jack merely shook his head and watched the scene knowing it was going to be a crazy day, and he hoped lifetime. It gave him great comfort that she was different because it was the only way a woman like her would ever understand that he too was abnormal, and old beyond her interpretation of the word. In time they would come to know one another on a basis that was purely love, but for the time he was willing to tell her the truth about himself. Standing he took her by the hand and led her to the cavern where they'd first been together, and curling her in his arms he began a story that he hadn't told to anyone else in his entire four centuries on the earth. Amazon Heat Ch. 04 "I am not what you think I am, I am the light of the Amazon, and that means I am..." Amazon Heat Ch. 05 "I am not what you think I am, I am the light of the Amazon, and that means I am..." Jessie hated to think the worst of Jack but his eyes were saying things that she really didn't want to hear. She'd known since that morning he wasn't normal. Human, probably, normal, living, breathing, leave your underwear on the bedroom floor, and your nasty socks on the kitchen counter, and drink your juice with vodka in it, maybe. Live in society with a nine to five job, and a house with a mortgage and two point five kids? No. Not in this lifetime, or any other for that matter. A deep breath and she was ready to take in what ever he had to say. Well, kinda ready. Okay not ready at all and trying really hard not to be selfish. Jack watched her face, unsure whether he was really ready to tell her the truth about himself. She looked like she was having trouble with something and his instincts told him she knew something already. Something he didn't want her to know yet. "Jack, I'm sorry." Her hands started shaking and she wanted to explain herself to him before he told her whatever secret he needed to reveal. "What happened to your heart?" A wave of relief and apprehension washed over him like a tsunami. She knew he wasn't what he appeared to be, and that made thing easier to explain, but she couldn't know just how much they differed. Although with her special "talents" she was probably the only person to take this in without freaking, like Kathy, the woman who should have loved him despite his secret. A breath and he plunged into his speech, knowing there would be no returning if she decided she couldn't deal with his "differences." "I'm the guardian of this rainforest. I made a pact with the original guardian that I would watch over this place till the day I die. That means I don't live the way other people do. I'm human and my body has had to live for far longer than it should have." Her eyes stayed with his, their expression interested and pensive, her teeth chewing her lower lip where he'd kissed her so many times. So far she hadn't shown any signs of panic so he kept going, hoping for the best. "My heart stops every now and then to rest, and my systems go dead. I still breath but that's just when I have to, and when my heart isn't working I store oxygen to get it running again when I need to wake up." He looked at his hands where his thumb kept picking at his nails. "I'm sorry that you found out this way, but this is who I am." Taking a deep breath he said the words he'd been holding back, fearing she'd take them and flee, leaving him wounded in ways he didn't think could be mended. "If you cant deal with this I understand, I'll take you to the mission and get you back to where ever you want to go. Jessie said nothing for a long time, the sounds of Death and Fear chattering away in Latin almost deafening, even though they barely whispered. Finally she managed a soft, "Okay." She shrugged her shoulders and grabbed his hand, calling the Other to where they stood, the other women standing shoulder to shoulder in a line before them. Her soft hand grew warm and then scalding hot as yet another woman stumbled from her, pulling more with her. Four more Jessie look alikes stood in front of him, all of them dressed in different outfits and their hair styled in its own way. He picked out Ginger the instant she materialized, her bright pink jeans and tiny fangs a dead give away. Animals gathered at their feet as well, all of them rushing Jessie with the affection of a much loved owner. He felt his lips turn up in a small smile as several big cats pawed her thighs and yowled while a black and tan Aphgan hound barked and grinned, his long ratty tail swinging in an arc that whipped any one near enough for him to do so. Slipping off into the shadow of the Other in a lab coat, Jack could swear he'd seen a couple of snow white cobras. He'd keep an eye on those two for a while. Wrath at least didn't have venom; he was more than sure that these new reptiles could put him in the ground. Clearing her throat Jessie sat on the floor and settled a large cat in her lap, its long chiseled head cradled in her left palm while her other hand swept long strokes over it's silver and white mottled sides. A motor-esque purr thundered and she giggled at the sound. Jack merely wondered at the way it vibrated the air around them. Voices chattered as the women caught each other up on the events that had already commenced, while Jessie stroked each pet as if they were long lost friends. Jack got the eerie feeling that they were more intelligent than the animals he killed and ate, and maybe just as smart as the women who owned them. Laughter rang out, and Bessie slapped a girl in a Kiss T-shirt on the back with the flat of her hand and bent over sputtering and giggling like a girl. Latin flew back and forth between the twins and a chorus of female voices yelled, "ENGLISH." Then they all fell into fits of giggles when Demon belted out a very English, "Fuck you!" It was crazy and loud and totally mind boggling, and Jack chuckled out loud with them the feeling of being overwhelmed infectious. Still Jessie hadn't said whether she would stay with him or not and it tainted his mood, putting a crease in his brow and a frown on his mouth. Quietly he turned to the cave entrance and watched the macaws preening, adoring the sound of the wind rustling the trees mingled with the sound of ten very happy women at his back. He knew he could never give Jessie the life she was used to. She was a businesswoman, feminine and used to things like running water and a home with a door. All he had to give her came down to a cave and his broken heart. Rubbing his palms on his dirty camo pants he knew without a doubt that she should leave him, but inside his soul, where it counted, he wanted her to stay with him so bad it hurt. A hand brushed his shoulder and the Jessie clone in the kiss T-shirt and ripped jeans smiled up at him, her face lovely in its own right. She looked like Jessie, but even naked and far away he could tell them apart. This one had little horns jutting from her smooth forehead, the red thorns tipped in a venomous black. Her irises were also rimmed in a soft pinkish red that brightened the blue to a clear sapphire that both mesmerized and frightened him. "Their kinda scary, huh? Jess's mom says I have the Devil in me, and these are his eyes." Her voice held a rough hint to it, the pitch low and sexy as hell, and Jack liked her instantly. When she extended her hand he took it in a warm shake that made him feel like he'd just gotten the sister he'd always wanted. "I'm Jack." "Lauren, or Laurie." She took her hand back and set about telling him about her sisters, as she called them. The one in the lab coat, she called Brain, also known as Annie. The snotty clone in the flare legged jeans and halter-top was named Theodora, or Teddie, apparently no one wanted to spend a lot of time in her company. "The one who looks like a Martha Stewart wanna be is Matilda, or if you wanna piss her off call her Mattie like Jessie does. I do." The little red head grinned like an imp and began pointing out to whom the animals belonged to and what their names were. "The ice cat is Fears, but she lets him stay behind, and come out on his own some times. His name is Terror, but he comes to Terry. The snow leopard in my Angel, also named by Jessie's mom. She knew he was mine so she called him a devil cat. To piss her off I called him Angel. He's got my horns." Jack interrupter her to say, "Jessie's mom didn't really care much for you guys did she?" Of course he had no idea how much he understated that fact. "No she didn't. But she really hated Kharu and Kaja the most. They belong to Brain, and she loves them more than she loves chemistry, and when you get to know her, you understand just how much that really is." Snapping her fingers she whistled as if she were calling a dog and a pure white cobra glided to her feet and curled its way up her leg to peer and him over her shoulder like a parrot. The black eyes gazed through him and the black tongue flickered at him as if the beautiful snake where mocking him. "This is Kaja, she's a good girl, but never grab for either Kharu or her, because if you get it wrong, you'll get bitten and these babies are worse than a black mamba." Patting the beast on the hood like a dog she put it on the ground and it slithered off toward Wrath, obviously well acquainted with the big python. "Lastly there's Teddie's dog Theo, or, when we're mad, we call him Bear. He's a great dog, but when he was a puppy he used to eat everything. We all hated it when he did that, because Jess took the brunt of it, not Teddie." Lauren turned a pointed look at the lone woman, her head shaking at the memories of all the punishments Jess had taken for that dog. Jack wondered, not for the first time, how much Jessie really hid under that tough exterior, how much pain she'd suffered though without letting it destroy her. "So now that you're all out, what happens?" "We have to talk about this, just us, Jack." Jessie pushed the sleeping cat to the ground and stood, slapping the dirt off her thighs. She seemed hesitant, but he couldn't tell why. Her hair lay over one eye and she turned those ocean eyes to him and his gut clenched. The heat between them snapped like a lighting storm and silence surrounded them, though he was sure the Others still chattered like magpies. Grasping her outstretched hand, he let her lead him to the cave entrance, neither of them looking back, their hearts straining to hear the other beating the same rhythm, there souls screaming with the need to meld. They dodged several trees, the sound of their feet slipping through the ground foliage mingled with the call of howler monkeys and the crash of a waterfall some distance away. Jessie wanted to talk, but her mind couldn't seem to focus on anything but the scent of Jacks warm skin and feel of his callused hand grasping hers. Her clothing stuck to her in a way that made her ache to be naked and she looked up at Jacks rugged face to see if he felt the same. Clear blue eyes met his fiery whiskey gaze and the tension tightened like a fine wire, the heat more than the jungle humidity. "I can't leave you, I'm staying." Jessie managed to choke the word out before he yanked her to him and captured her mouth with his possessive kiss. The heady sense of being over powered weakened her knees and she melted into him, rubbing her swollen breasts against his chest, the wall of muscle holding her upright while he plundered her lips and stroked her in places that made her whimper with desire. Leisurely he devoured her, his head moving so he could suckle that sweet spot where her neck swept into her collarbone. The way he nursed her skin, she knew it would leave a mark, but the knowledge had her holding him to her rather than pushing him away. In no way could she bear the thought of leaving this man, her heart so irrevocably given to him, she could no more consider it hers. His big hands captured her butt, sliding inside her pants and cupping her bare skin, grinding her hips to his. A keening moan belted from her mouth, and she held to him with all her strength, the power of her own need too much for her to resist. "Jack...to much clothes, please, help me." Hands tangled in his t-shirt she tried to pull the sweat soaked material over his head, but it didn't budge. When he set her back from him to take it off himself, an aching emptiness pummeled her, the need to touch him stronger than any addiction. Tearing at her clothes she came to him, flesh to flesh, their heart slamming their ribs in a tempo that should have killed them. Lips met as theirs bodies melded, hers molded to his, tender curves laying against hard muscle as if she'd been made to make love to him. He hiked her thigh up around his and plunged into her welcoming warmth, the sensation like a drug. He wanted more, the sound of her cries, and her arms around his neck urging him on. Picking her up her carried her tight body to a small alcove of sun drenched rocks, the surface at odds with her silky backside. Sighing he lay her down on the flat warm stone, reveling in the feeling of those heavy breasts pillowing his chest. Moving against her he held her like she meant the world to him, because in the short time he'd known her she'd come to mean that much to him. Her gaze held his and she smiled at him, her tiny hand reaching up to cup his cheek in a gesture that melted his heart. Turning into her palm he knew in that instant he couldn't let her go. It would kill him to miss her, his heart rebelling at the mere thought of not waking to her sleep rumpled face every morning. Rocking her with him, he touched her in that place between her nether petals and stroked till she tipped over the edge, her whimpers those of wonder and gratitude. Her inner spasms held him like a fisted caress and he too came, his own choked sobs stuttered against her rounded shoulder, their skin so slick with sweat he slid off her and nestled his wet face into the shade of her left breast, the smooth skin brushing his nose filling his senses with the heady scent of bitter almond and clean air. Slowly their breathing returned to normal, and then to the low soft rhythm of sleep. How much time passed neither of them could tell for sure, but Jessie woke first, her backside numb and her head turned to an odd angle against the rock beneath it. Jacks soft snore made her smile and she shifted to make him more comfortable, her arms wrapped securely around his massive shoulders. From what she could see of his face he slept peacefully, his expression endearingly boyish. Tenderness poked at her heart, and behind it came the overwhelming sense that she wanted to be with this man till her death. Not ready to call it love, she waited; letting the knowledge that she was staying with him, here in the Amazon, creep up on her. It should have frightened her at the very least, but all she felt was the full and unmistakable feeling that all in the world was right and good, at least for one Jessie, and all her loved ones. Begrudgingly she allowed Jack into that thought, even though it scared her to think that he could hold her heart and not knowing when or even if he would break it. It was madness to know that she no longer lived to please herself. Sweet carefree madness and inside of her, where no man had touch her before, Jack took hold and stayed, filling her with a sweet security more potent than an army of Demons or Wraths. "I'm staying." The words come out on a slow breath and she had not meant for Jack to hear, but she knew he had because he smiled and sighed as if the entire world had fallen from his chest allowing him the freedom to breath again. He'd been sleeping only moments ago, and now he was lifting her up over him like a rag doll, his face lit up in a smile that made her feel like a teenager in the back of her fathers car. It felt good to love someone so much. Crouched, hidden in the bushes, he watched the emotions pass over her face. All around him the heat pushed in on him, his clothes hot and wet from his own body and the thick humidity around him. "Jessie lost weight," he thought to himself. He'd always managed to keep her thinking she was fat, but now she was just right, plump and lovely, and no longer his to control it seemed. Michael scrubbed a hand over his face to keep the sweat out of his eyes. The man with her was a giant wall of raw male power, and if he was going to get anywhere with his plans for Jessie, this Jack guy was going to have to go away. Searing jealousy rippled through Michael's body as he watched his ex snuggle into that behemoths embrace and allowed her gaze to turn sickeningly loving. He'd never seen her look like that before, and it killed him to know he'd lost her. For the time being he would sit tight and continue to watch them. His two way clicked on, and alerted him that someone was trying to reach him. Silently he slipped away from the two lovers, looking back once to see her kissing him on the head in a way that turned his stomach. The bitch thought she'd gotten away, but if he played his cards right, she'd be under his thumb again in no time. The distance far enough for him to hold a conversation, he turn up the volume on his radio and waited to hear a response to his hello. A gruff man answered him, wanting to know the status of his mission. Grinning he held the mic to his mouth and laughed. "She be yours by the end of the week general."