Blooming in the Wild Page 0,36

mountainside, where the lava had flowed down in ribbons around obstacles. Bella followed it up into the hushed green damp, along the rivulet that flowed clear and bright, splashing down over the rock. She followed first one ribbon of lava, then another, until she was tired, her legs shaking, breath coming hard, not quite enough to relieve the weariness in her muscles. Sweat dewed her skin, and dirt streaked her arms and legs where she’d scrambled over obstacles and through the foliage.

She perched on a rock and looked around her, squinting in the bright sun. She was high on the mountain, above the camp and all the people and annoyances, large and small, that awaited her there.

Out below her stretched the green roof of the forest, swaying slightly in the breeze now picking up. Flashes of red lehua blossoms, yellow orchids, and the dart of a flock of bright scarlet ‘I’iwi birds colored the canopy. She straightened, head high as she surveyed the green paradise. Every motion of the living forest called to her. “Stay with us, little sister. Immerse yourself in our beauty, be one with us.”

Bella drew in a deep breath, pulling in the scents of the tropical wild. The damp perfume heated as it swirled deep inside her, twining down through her middle and out into her extremities, as if to draw her into movement, into dance. A dance of offering to the wild fertility of this place.

As much as she was coming to love all things Hawaiian, she really should learn hula. Yes, as soon as she got back to Nawea, she’d ask the Ho’omalus to teach her or direct her to a private dance class somewhere on the island.

The decision satisfied her, but it also left her restless. She shifted on her perch, arching her back, as her yearning for graceful, rhythmic movement morphed into something deeper, hotter, more intense.

She wanted…she wanted sex. She wanted a man, tall and strong and virile, moving with her in the oldest dance of all.

A face and form appeared in her mind. Joel, as clear as if he stood before her, his mouth soft from their kiss, eyes full of heat, hands reaching for her. And the male package she’d seen in his wet swim trunks now rigid, erect, waiting for her to take it, take him.

A wave of sheer, wanton desire seized her, and Bella bent over with a moan, her hands fisted on her knees. Her breasts felt swollen, her nipples hard and needy against the fabric of her sports bra. She squeezed her thighs tight, trying to quell the tortuous ache that was spreading through her pussy, at once sweet and agonizing as her body readied itself for the man it wanted.

What was happening to her? She felt half out of control. She had enjoyed sex with her few partners, but she’d never felt as if her body were taking over, leaving her at the mercy of her sexuality.

One fact was utterly clear—she couldn’t go back to camp this way. She was just carried away by nerves, tension and…and this place, that was all. She’d take care of her problem the way all single women did, by herself. Then she’d carry on with her day.

She was in the open here, though. Below stretched the sea, turquoise and clear near the shore, deepening to blue out in the deep. White-capped waves rode the surface, the white lace of the surf splashing on the point. She could see camp, a glimpse of yellow through the trees. Joel’s tent.

Out on the western and southern horizons, heavy clouds massed, belying the blue sky overhead. Below them, the air was dark and misty, as if it was raining at sea. Perhaps they would get a thunderstorm.

She must remember to check the weather, as well as figure out how to deal with Camille, Joel and Kobe. Au’e, she just wanted to hide away from them all.

The grotto waited for her. She dashed down the trail, leaping from rock to rock, grabbing a vine here, an overhanging branch there.

In a few moments, she’d reached the upper pool. The air was heavy and damp. The branches of the trees and shrubbery hung still, in an expectant hush. Bella listened for a moment, looking around her for any sign of life. But there was only the sound of her heavy breathing and the water spilling over the waterfall.

And the voices, calling her, urging her. “Come little sister. Give yourself up to us, and drink of