I storm off, and we don't speak. The night becomes darker, and the trees cover almost all the light from the moon and stars.
I stumble on a tree root and go flying.
"Zoe! You all right?"
Don't cry.
Pain sears into the heel of my hands and knees.
Dirk crouches down. "Zoe?"
I lift my face, blink hard, and try to get up. The movement makes me wince.
"Let me help you." He slides his hands under my armpits and pulls me up.
I cringe from the initial pressure on my knee, and he doesn't let me go.
"You're bleeding."
"I'm fine." I try to push past him, but he steps closer.
"Zoe—"
I sniffle and wipe the back of my hand across my face. I bark, "Can you move?"
"Let's stop for the night."
"I can keep going."
"No. We're setting up camp here." He picks up my hand. "Let's clean this out in the river and then I'll spray and bandage it up."
I yank my hand back. "I can take care of myself." I attempt to push past him, but he doesn't let me.
"Zoe, let me help you."
"No."
"Don't be ridiculous. That water is running fast. Let me help you."
I push him hard. "No. I don't need your help. I can manage on my own just fine."
He takes a step back, and I limp over to the river.
"Turn around," I call over my shoulder as I strip out of my clothes.
What does it even matter anymore? It feels like every man on Earth has seen you naked.
It's dark, and I can't see anything. I move several feet into the water and drop down past my shoulders.
The water drags me so I can't touch the bottom, and at the same moment that panic fills me, Dirk grabs me and tugs me into his torso of muscle
"What are you doing?" I angrily spout but cling to him for dear life.
"Saving you."
"I didn't...are you naked?"
"Did you think I would let you come in here without me?"
"Where are your underwear?"
"Where are your underwear?" He raises his eyebrows.
"I don't have any. I haven't had a pair since Santiago took me. What's your excuse?"
"Wet clothes at night in the jungle aren't a good idea. You should know that after living in a pit. I'd prefer not to get bit by bugs."
"Is that your excuse?"
"Is there another reason?" His cocky expression I want to slap and kiss.
Don't go there.
The last thing you need is another man owning you.
He tightens his hold around me.
"What are you doing?"
"Making sure you don't drift downstream. Is there something else you're worried about?" he challenges. The tip of his erection teases my sex.
You could just sink on him.
No, no, no, Zoe!
"You should let me go," I say, but it doesn't even sound convincing.
"So, you can float away? That sounds like a brilliant idea."
I stare at his lips. "I don't need your help."
His jaw clenches, and I gaze back to his eyes. Heat singes off them, full of lust and dominance, and a need that stirs in my core and makes me hold my breath. He mumbles, "Tell me again to let you go, and I will."
"Is that a threat?" I ask in Spanish.
"No. A promise," he replies in Spanish, too.
Not sure why we're moving in and out of Spanish and English in our conversations. I've never done it with anyone before.
His eyes fixate on my mouth, and his chest rises and falls faster.
I lean my face closer to him, only a few hairs away from his luscious lips I've been dreaming about since the previous night.
I should tell him to let me go, but I rile the beast further. "Not sure how much I believe your word when you're a liar."
He scowls but doesn't move. "Tell me again what I lied about?"
"That you're a fan."
"That's the truth." His palm slides over my naked ass, and his arms tighten further.
I sink a bit lower on him, and his cock dips an inch in me. "Not as big of a fan as you claim."
"Why is that?"
"If you followed me, you'd know the basics about me."
His lips brush against mine as he speaks. "What don't I know?"
"Where I come from." I follow his lead and don't move my lips from his.
"You live in Guanajuato, right outside Mexico City."
"Congratulations. You know where I moved to after I built my career." I squeeze my legs tighter around his waist and roll my hips in tiny movements, taking a bit more of him in. Flutters vibrate through my core.