Uncaged Love, page 19
More color now pushed its way across the sky in streaks of pinks and reds.
“Is it safe to come out?” Harper’s voice sounded muffled.
They were out of sight of the camp, so Rafe said, “Yeah, come on.”
Harper crawled from under the console. The boat shifted, and she grabbed Rafe to steady herself.
He glanced down and found her hanging onto his hips, her face inches from his crotch. Thoughts of her lowering his zipper and freeing him tightened all the muscles in his legs. He wondered if she’d stroke his sensitive skin and taste his flesh before she took him into that sweet mouth of hers. Their brief time together in his bed hadn’t given her the opportunity to explore his body the way he’d come to know hers.
He gave her a slow sexy smile, and her eyes went dark chocolate with desire. His cock swelled and pushed against the zipper’s metal teeth, begging for freedom.
With mild regret, he grabbed her arm and effortlessly pulled her up.
“Later,” he croaked out. One hand still on the steering wheel, he clutched the back of her head and pressed his lips to hers for a fast but deep kiss. He spun her toward the seat beside him and playfully smacked her butt. “Behave.”
Rafe glanced up at the sky as it filled with deep reds that gave way to blush rose then tinged pink. “Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.”
“Yeah, there may be a storm headed our way later today,” Harper added.
“I hope we can get to Popayán before it hits. Even though it rains every day, a storm could mean trouble. The trees don’t have deep roots, and the wind blows them over easily. The jungle is not a good place to be,” Rafe explained.
Harper pulled her GPS from a side pocket and checked their progress.
Within a minute, they flew past the farmer who’d lent them his old wooden boat. Harper waved as two heads darted out of the downed helicopter. She was glad they were working on it and hoped they could get several parts removed before the speedboat owners showed up.
“Can we take this all the way?” Rafe asked as he whipped around the next bend.
“No, there are a couple sets of tall waterfalls before we get to Popayán, but it is close enough to walk from there. It’s extremely dense jungle, so it’ll be slow going from that point until we reach the road.”
Harper continued to scan the banks of the river looking for signs of human life and potential threats.
Rafe turned his attention back to the river, dodging boulders the size of small European cars. On a long, straight stretch, he backed off the power and speed and finally sat down in the driver’s seat. He was sure they weren’t being chased and took the time to check important things like the fuel levels and engine performance. Everything was fine—the tank was full, and the engines purred well below red line.
Harper monitored the GPS and their progress.
Rafe took in the white-capped mountains that towered on both sides, knowing it would be the last time he’d see them. The Andes were beautiful and dangerous mountains, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Eruptions were not uncommon, and Melina had warned them that Puracé was rumbling. Being on a river during an earthquake or, worse, an eruption, was beyond treacherous. He hoped they’d get to Popayán soon.
After nearly an hour, Rafe offered, “Want to drive?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Harper reached under his arms and grabbed the wheel. He slid up the back of the driver’s chair as she stepped in front of his seat.
He didn’t move. He couldn’t.
She stood between his spread legs, her butt cheeks brushing against his erection with every rock of the boat and shift of her hips. He was slightly bent over her, his hands still on the wheel next to hers.
He kissed her in that special spot just under her ear, and she leaned back into him. He grew even harder. No real surprise there. He wanted her again, but as they flew up a narrow river filled with huge boulders at fifty miles an hour, he knew now was not the time.
“I’ve got this if you want to check our position,” Harper said as she turned her head slightly, her mouth close to his, but her eyes still on the river.
“Sure.” He let go of the wheel and quickly moved to the seat she’d vacated. He grabbed the GPS and held it at his waist to hide his bulging zipper. He studied the map displayed on the green screen and looked at the surrounding mountains, orienting himself.
The opaque white sky was splotchy with large dusky blue clouds banked against the mountains. He hoped the rain would hold off until they were in Popayán.
Harper whipped the rear of the boat dangerously close to a solid wall of rock on the far bank as she zigzagged around the local wildlife.
“You trying to knock me out of this fuckin’ boat?” Rafe shouted above the engine noise. “Maybe I shouldn’t have let you drive,”
“I love this boat! It handles like a fighter jet running down mountain ranges. This is living. Woo hoo.” Harper’s voice echoed off the thick jungle on both sides.
With each set of rapids, they climbed higher up the mountains, and the river grew shallower as they passed convergences of other streams.
“Whoa!” Harper backed off the power to an idle in a large pool at the base of a waterfall. “I think we’re at the end of the line.” Picture-perfect rushing water dropped from a height of thirty feet into a natural pool that was crystal clear to its deceiving depths.
“Confirmed.” Rafe pointed to the GPS screen.
Harper expertly drove the boat over to a tree that had fallen into the pool, and Rafe tied it to a large branch. They could practically walk off the boat onto the branches then to the shore. Whoever found the boat could have it and fight with the cartel farther down river over its ownership.
“I need a shower.” She looked at the gorgeous waterfall. “And so do you.”
They’d been on the run for hours. Adrenalin had heated their bodies, and sweat soaked their clothes. The warm breeze from the boat dried their clothing, but the sour smell remained.
Plus, with very little sleep during the past two days, Rafe hoped the cold mountain water would wake and invigorate him. They still had a long way to go before they were safe and reached a place where they could be rescued.
“You okay?” Rafe was concerned as his eyes raked over her. Dark smudges had appeared under her beautiful brown eyes that now drooped. She looked exhausted.
Rafe wished they could rest for a few hours, or days. But not yet. He’d carry Harper if he had to. He had to keep her safe and get her out of Colombia as soon as possible.
“I’m tired, and it’ll be hours before we get to Popayán. Maybe we can hitchhike. That’s why I need this shower. The way I smell, they’d dump me off within a mile of where they picked me up.” She sniffed. “And you’re just as bad.”
Rafe helped her to the branch and followed her to the shore where they hid while he scanned the area through the scope on his rifle. While Harper unloaded their backpacks and weapons from the boat, he scouted the circumference of the pool, looking for trails and signs of human life.
“Only game trails and animal scat,” Rafe announced. “We’re pretty far off the beaten path. I think we’re safe enough for a swim and a shower.”
Harper sat on the rocky edge of the pool, and Rafe joined her. They took off their boots then emptied the contents of their pockets into them. With a fleeting look at each other, they ran into the water, clothes and all.
Rafe dove under the surface and stretched out as he swam through the clean mountain water. It was warmer than he’d expected, but as refreshing as he’d hoped. He surfaced, face toward the sky that was milky blue with bruised gray clouds that threatened rain. He moved beside Harper and heard her take in a breath. He reached for her and pulled her to him. He kicked for both of them as she wrapped her long legs around his waist.
Her lips were cool, but the kiss was hot, demanding. She opened her mouth to him. He dove in, thrusting the way he wanted his cock to move within her, the way she liked it. When they finally broke apart, they were breathing rapidly, and this time it had nothing to do with adrenalin.
“Let’s wash these clothes then take a shower while they dry in the sun.”
He liked her suggestion—they’d soon be naked—so he started to kick his way to shore. She clung to him, just along for the ride. And ride him was exactly what he had in mind.
When he could stand, Rafe held her as she slowly slid down his body. The cool water hadn’t affected his erection one bit, nor did it drop the temperature of his blood. He needed her.
He took her face in both hands and kissed her. He kept it easy, careful not to reveal the depth of his need—not just desire, true need.
Harper pulled back and reached into her pocket. She pulled out the small bar of soap. She started with Rafe’s shoulders and ran her hands over down his chest, leaving suds in their path. He loved the feel of her hands on his body, even through the clothing. She seemed to need this control, and he gave it to her. He’d give her anything she wanted.
She moved up and down his arms. No one had ever given him a bath with his clothes on, and it was the most erotic feeling. His muscles quivered under her touch.
Finally, she reached around him to soap his back. He automatically mirrored the motions, matching her stroke for stroke.
When she stopped, he looked down at her dark eyes. They were filled with passion that matched his own. He lowered his head and kissed her tenderly. She was special, valuable to him, and he cared for her in a way he’d thought had died years ago.
“My turn,” Rafe said and stepped back. He peeled off his long-sleeved black shirt. They exchanged soap for his shirt, and then Harper rinsed the suds and squeezed out as much water as possible before she threw it ashore. He’d never seen Harper as domestic before, but the movements seemed natural to her.
Rafe’s hands swept over every inch covered by her cammie shirt, but it felt as though he touched her skin as the wet cloth clung to her body. He spun her around so her back was to his chest. He pulled her to him and reached around to caress her breasts as he washed the front of her cammies.
He skimmed over the front of her pants and unfastened them. The baggy utilities came off and tufts of suds drifted downstream.
Harper reached down and removed her socks while Rafe washed the back of her tight black tank top. She stood up, and he once again cuddled her breasts before he caressed her from neck to hips. His fingers curled around the bottom of the tank, and he pulled it over her head. She rinsed the garment then threw it on shore.
Laundry as foreplay. This was a first for Rafe.
Chapter 22
Harper stood in her soaked lacy black bra and matching panties. Her tanned skin glinted from the clear mountain water.
She was so beautiful.
Rafe noticed the scar under her collarbone, the same one he’d found that first night before supper at the Narváez compound. He traced it with a fingertip.
“I took a bullet,” Harper claimed with pride. “When I was twelve, Mom and I interrupted a burglar. The bastard shot my mom, so I rushed him, knocked him down. He got me here then shot me in the back as he ran out the door.” She turned so he could see the fine white lines on her golden-brown back. “I wish I’d known then what I know now. I’d have killed him.”
Rafe said nothing. He knew she was a different person today than the ballsy pre-teen who’d attacked a gun-wielding criminal. He wished he could have taken the bullets for her.
“I’m proud of what I did that day, and with my life since.” She looked defiant. She didn’t allow anyone to see her vulnerable side, but he knew she had one. He’d seen it.
Rafe reached out to her. “Oh, baby, I’m so sorry. You told me your mother had died, but I had no idea she was murdered.”
Harper stepped into Rafe’s arms. His heart swelled with an emotion he’d never felt before. He knew this was a rare expression of trust for Harper. A moment of comfort. He’d gladly give her that, and anything else she needed.
“Like my body, I’ve healed and moved on with my life.” She sounded proud.
Rafe kissed her temple and just held her. It seemed to be what she needed.
For long minutes, the relentless waterfall thundered and pushed water past their thighs, but with their arms wrapped around each other, neither wanted to let go.
Clouds collected above them and blocked direct sunrays, but the temperature and humidity increased by the minute. Rafe was hot from an internal heat, one that seemed constant for the woman in his arms. He couldn’t get enough of her. Their short interlude in Cali had been just a taste of heaven for him. His tented silk boxers were evidence of that.
She rocked against his erection. Her innocent Bambi eyes had turned into those of a Cleopatra-like seductress. She wanted him. He couldn’t hold back his grin.
But Harper stepped out of his arms. “Let’s lay out our clothes to dry while we shower in the waterfall.” She headed toward the shoreline where their twisted clothes had plopped.
Rafe followed her out of their private nature-made pool. Damn she had a great ass, tight and the perfect size for his large hands. He wanted to grab her hips and nestle her sweet bottom against him. His erection throbbed as he picked up his cargo pants and squeezed out more water before he shook them and laid them in the sun to dry.
Harper hadn’t looked at him while she tended to her own clothes. His were ready and drying on rocks within a minute, but she continued to readjust hers. Nervous? That was hard for him to believe.
Enough. Rafe stepped beside her and took the black high-tech tank top she played with and quickly laid it next to the rest of her clothes. Then he turned to Harper and took her in his arms.
He was gentle because she seemed edgy. As he drew her close to him, her wet bra-covered breasts pressed against his chest and rivulets of water dripped down his abdomen.
“Let’s get rid of this.” With the snap of his fingers, he released the two small hooks. He ran his hands up her bare back and shoved the straps over her shoulders. He flung the bra next to the other quickly drying clothes and returned his attentions to Harper.
This time, when he pulled her to him, her soft breasts caressed his chest. She felt so wonderful, so right in his arms.
She stroked up his chest, and then her arms came around his neck. With an open mouth, she took his with fervor. She was demanding, but he liked that. She knew what she wanted, and he was more than willing to give it to her.
“You won’t be needing these.” Harper panted out the words when they broke apart. She hooked her thumbs in his soft, wicking boxers and kneeled as she pulled them down over his erection.
She stopped.
She stared at his cock for a long time.
“Like what you see?” Rafe certainly did. The sight of Harper on her knees in front of him, her warm moist breath heating his cock even more—he had to fist his hands to control the urge to press her face to his erection.
“Oh, yeah.” Harper looked up at him with a Cheshire-cat smile. Then she licked him…just the tip.
He almost came.
Get control.
He’d wanted her again from the moment he’d left the bed back at La Comunidad.
When she took him into her hot, soft mouth, he thought he’d lose it for sure. She knew what she was doing as she sucked, but when she cupped his balls in her warm hand, he’d had enough.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to her feet. He thrust his tongue inside her mouth as his hands went to her breasts. Her nipples were hard pebbles as he ran his thumbs over them. He needed a taste.
Rafe lowered his head to one nipple and sucked. Hard. Harper’s gasp satisfied his primal need to know her pleasure. His other hand slid down her hardened abs and under her lacy panties. When he slid a finger between her soft folds, she was wet and her clit taut. She pressed into his hand and moaned.
Yes, she wanted him.
He rubbed her center hard and sucked her other nipple deep into his mouth. She grabbed his shaft and squeezed tight.
Oh God. She gives as good as she gets.
Harper’s ragged whimper almost knocked him over the edge. “Not yet, honey,” he managed to say.
He slid a finger into her hot, wet sex. She rocked her hips, forcing his finger deeper. He glided in another finger, and she hummed.
“Rafe, now.” Both of them were breathing as if they’d just sprinted up a mountain.
“Anything you want, baby.” Rafe cupped her butt in both hands and picked her up. His boxers were still around his knees so he kicked them off. Her heat was pressed up against his pounding erection, separated by only the thin lace of her panties.
He set her down on the nearest boulder and grabbed for the scrap of lace. Harper beat him to it. She arched up and scooted them over her hips. He placed his hands over hers, and together, they slid them down her shapely legs. She shivered at his touch.
Damn, she was so responsive to him. No woman had ever been like this for him before.
He ran his fingers lightly up the inside of her thighs, separating them as he stepped to her.
When she put her hands around his neck, he needed no more invitation. He positioned the head of his cock at her opening. He took her slowly so she could adjust to his size.
Harper thrust forward, forcing him into her quickly.
“Christ,” Rafe moaned. What a woman. He withdrew slowly then thrust again, all the way to the hilt. He continued to move in and out, taking his time. He wanted this feeling of pure physical pleasure to last.
Harper’s hands were on his shoulders, her head thrown back, her eyes closed. The smile on her face told him everything he needed to know—she liked this.
He felt her tighten around him deep inside. She drew her powerful legs around his waist and pulled him deeper.
Oh God. Rafe didn’t think it could get any better, but it had.
He strained to hold his release. She had to come first.
Rafe reached between them and found her center, full and hard. He rubbed his thumb over it with his every thrust and was rewarded with clenched muscles.
