Free Passion Flower: 1 by Sindra van Yssel Page A

“I’ll walk.”
    They had to go single file once they got to the path.
Walking naked into the wild made her think of the earliest humans. Of course,
they were probably quite a bit hairier, but nonetheless they must have lived in
places like this, full of natural beauty and gentle climate, at first. The line
between them and the animals wasn’t defined by clothes and gadgets but by
cleverness.
    But they also had to hunt and search for their food, and
every day survival was always at stake. She was safe. She trusted Carter not to
take her into the jungle unless he could guarantee her security. Her
imagination shifted from the evolutionary model to the legendary.
    This is like being Eve.
    The jungle that surrounded her wasn’t a tropical rain
forest, quite. That would have required rain all year round. Fleury Island got
a lot of rain but it was seasonal, and this was the dry season. Tall eucalypts
dominated the forest, not quite thick enough to stop the occasional beam of
light from getting through. In crooks in the trees where water could gather,
orchids thrived, their purples and pinks and reds glorious against the backdrop
of green. The very fact that the flowers were out during the daytime meant that
they weren’t the plant she was after, but it was impossible to ignore their
beauty. On the ground, a variety of plants grew. It was too shady for grass to
take hold, but there were little shrubs and creeping vines and bright green
lichens everywhere. The air felt extra-refreshing, full of oxygen, and yet
there was also a heavy, wet, sweet scent behind it.
    The path was clear, although the lichen managed to find
little footholds, like green veins streaking through the gray-brown of the
dirt. Here and there a tree root surfaced too. It would be easy to trip at
night, or even in the daytime. She’d have to watch her step. The dirt was moist
enough to stick to her feet but it wasn’t mud, and she soon became accustomed
to the feel of it underneath her.
    She stopped to look at a tiny green lizard that was skipping
through the brush on the side of the path. It was brightly colored, but against
the lichen, that might have been protective coloring. Curious, she bent down
for a closer look, slipping her hand out of Carter’s grasp. He stopped and
crouched down with her and they watched together.
    Try as she might to remind herself how natural it was for a
member of Homo sapiens to be naked in a jungle, it was impossible for her not
to be aware of how sexual she felt being unclothed in close proximity to him.
Him being naked too might make it more natural, but it wouldn’t reduce the
charge that built up between them.
    The lizard slipped out of sight, behind a shrub that
reminded her of a hosta but wasn’t quite the same. Its broad and plentiful
leaves, however, provided plenty of shelter for the hiding reptile. She, on the
other hand, couldn’t hide at all. Heat grew in her face as she was aware of
Carter’s gaze shifting from the wildlife to her.
    “Yes, I’m naked, what of it?” she said crossly.
    “Just as I want you,” he said smoothly. “Such lovely breasts
and welcoming thighs. And a nice round ass that I’ll make pink in a little bit.
By the time I slip my fingers into your pussy it’s going to be nice and wet.”
    Make pink. She was in for another spanking. She
wasn’t a primitive or even Eve. She was a city girl wandering about naked with
a very sexy man who was completely in charge. And she was wet now . There
was no way she was going to get any useful research done with him around. She
stood up and he put his hand on the small of her back, guiding her to continue
on the path, moving her in front of him. His hand slipped to caress her bottom.
    “Why am I going first now?”
    “Because I like to look at you. And the path is clear enough
from here.”
    She walked forward slowly, aware of his gaze on her. She had
a heightened awareness of her body, and no attempt to concentrate on her
surroundings could