Jade (6 page)

I think it’s so cool, and I’m jealous that I didn’t think to do it.

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I get back at camp before sun-down, and the crowd in the refectory is small. The Belgian team has gone back to Europe and the Japanese group is away this week. Tonight, there’s a table with a group of four French speaking people and then the guys from Oliver’s mining crew. 

I recognize Liam, Dylan, and Jack and bump into a tree trunk. Actually it’s a man. My eyes are below his shoulder level. I raise my head and then my eyes. Patrick’s smiling at me. I had no idea he was so tall… and large… and cute too when he smiles. There’s a blond stubble on his chin and I wonder what it would be like to touch it. Scratchy, or silky? 

Oh my God. What’s wrong with me? My hormones are raging and taking over.

“Hey, guys, look, here’s our little red demon!” He says to his friends who look up to me. Liam smiles at me, and gives me a thumb up. 

What’s with them? Did Oliver say something to them? He wouldn’t do that, now would he? 

I shrug and go get food. I slide onto the bench at the French people’s table, and introduce myself. It’s a group of law students, they’re all of Asian origin, and live in France, Belgium and Canada. They’re touring the countries that composed the provinces of Indochina to document ancient matrimonial rules. They manage to make it sound interesting. The research is not abstract-it’s to be used for estate distribution when the people who got married in this part of the world and emigrated West pass away. It’s interesting but not enough so as to linger and chat after dinner.  

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CHAPTER NINE

THE WEATHER’S BEEN SO NICE since I arrived, that I forgot it’s monsoon season. The weather is catching up with a vengeance; my sleep was rocked all night by the rumble of thunder. 

There’s no way I’m going out to the pond. 

I walk through the hall to the showers. Most of the bedroom doors are open. It’s so hot that even those who started the night under a bed sheet are now completely exposed. In the semi-darkness, I recognize my dorm companions by shape. Liam is laying on his side, curled in a fetal position with his back to the wall. He sleeps with his underwear on. In the next cell, I recognize Patrick’s muscular body. He occupies every inch of his bed, and then some. His feet are sticking out. The cots are not long enough for the likes of him. A tent has formed in the middle of the bed sheet wrapped around his waist; someone’s having a fun dream. 

I hit the showers before anyone else is up. I stand in the lukewarm water, and wonder why it’s been so lonely being me. Agatha tells me that it’s mainly my fault and it’s my decision to set myself apart. She’s probably right, but when I try to do it differently it usually backfires. 

The power dies as I finish rinsing. I wrap my sarong around me and get out of the shower without bothering to dry myself. The humidity is so bad that it would be futile.

Oliver’s standing by the shower door with a towel around his waist. The noise of the shower must have covered the sound of the door opening.

“Hey, how’s my favorite red demon this morning?”

I’m surprised at how happy I am to see him, but I’m annoyed at being called a demon again.

“What’s with this red demon thing?” I ask, remembering that’s how Patrick called me yesterday.

 “Oh well, there’s a new legend in town. I’ve heard it several times since I got back yesterday, and it gets more amazing every single time it’s told. Would you care for the latest version?”

He pauses for effect, but doesn’t wait for my answer. He continues with a story telling voice, “Once upon a time right by a bank of the Mekong River, a little boy and his buffalo were attacked by a gigantic monster.”

Now I know where this is going. I press my lips together to hide my smile, and watch him tell the story with wide gestures for emphasis.

“The boy climbs up to the top of the highest tree, abandoning the buffalo. The kid’s horrified. The animal is one of the main family assets, maybe the only one, and there’s nothing he can do to save it. Just as he’s about to die of shame while watching the monster go for the kill, a shrieking red demon jumps down from the sky and chases the monster away.”

He’s crouching, doing a half-ass imitation of the local demon dancers. I’m ready to give him a standing ovation, but he stops me.

“Wait, it’s not over. Now that the monster is gone, the demon puts a spell on the buffalo,” he points his fingers and wiggles them around. “When the demon vanishes and the boy comes down from his tree, his buffalo is fixed, good as new. The only proof he has that it wasn’t all a dream is that traces of the monster’s bite have remained on the buffalo’s flank.”

He takes a bow, and signals that he’s done. I now clap my hands softly so not to wake up the sleepers on the other side of the wall.

“So, this is the legend of the little red demon. How nice,” I say.

Oliver comes very close to me. I can smell his breath; it’s fresh and minty. He asks, “What’s the real story?”

“What makes you think I’ve got anything to do with this story?”

 “Because I also heard about the sequel of the story from Cook who tells it like it is.”

“Oh right,” I say. “You’re going to be disappointed, as my version of the story is not as nice as yours.” 

He wants to hear it, anyway.

“I kind of stumbled onto the attack, shooed the leopard away and tried to patch up the boy’s cow a bit .”

Oliver’s jaw drops, “You shooed a leopard away?”

“Well, not exactly,” I shrug, and then I grin when I think back to what I actually did, “I kind of attacked it.”

He throws his head back, and laughs silently. My grin gets wider. I like that he believes me, that I make him laugh, and that he doesn’t freak out. He catches me by the waist and gently pulls me towards him.

Now that we’re not both floating in the pond with only our head above water, I see how much taller than me he is. His finger tugs my chin up so he can see my face, and he caresses my lips with his thumb. His eyes are glistening. I made him laugh so much that he has tears in his eyes.

“What about Keo?” My eyebrows shoot up. I have no idea what he’s talking about. “The baby girl.”

“Oh, yes. I went back the next day to check on the buffalo, and dress the wound with honey. That’s when the boy’s sister took me to the baby. It was a bad anaphylactic reaction so I brought her here to give her a shot of steroids.” 

“And you knew how to do that to her?”

I acquiesce by nodding.

“How come?” He furrows his brows, and three cute little lines appear on his forehead. 

I shake my head, “I’m a biologist. It’s just something I know.”  

He looks at me, thinks for a moment, and simply says, “Okay.”

The glee I feel to have someone who accepts me without having to probe further is amazing. I stand on the tip of my toes, and brush my lips against his.

“Thank you.”

He’s surprised, “What for?”

“Not being freaked out by me.”

He’s smiling, “I’m more courageous than a wild leopard!”

His grip on my waist gets a little tighter. It’s the first time that there is material between his finger and my skin. This touch is different than skin to skin. We’re doing things backwards. He leans down and kisses my neck and my shoulder.

Oliver whispers, “So this peck is all I get for being that brave? I think I deserve better.”

 “A better reward could be negotiated. What did you have in mind?”  

“A real kiss, somewhere more private,” he says, and pulls me out of the bathroom and to the opposite side of the hall. My heart skips a beat or two, but I’m not about to balk. I want to be alone with him in a private place. 

He opens one of the few closed doors of the hallway, and lets me in a room. He closes the door behind us, and leans against the wall while I look around. His room is three times the size of my minuscule cell and boasts a real desk with shelves, a full bed as well as a ceiling fan. 

“How did you manage to score these luxurious accommodations?” My tone is a tiny bit sarcastic, since it’s still a very small room despite its real window. 

But then I see that the mattress looks like it’s five times thicker than mine. Right now, I would sell my soul for a bed like this.

“You mean this royal suite?” 

“Yes!” I sit on the bed, bounce a little, and say, “Oh, and you have an imperial mattress! I’m so jealous.”

Power returns: the fan starts rotating slowly, and the light comes on. The glare is horrible. He hits the switch to kill it and we’re back in semi-darkness. Much better. 

“That kind of killed the mood,” he observes.

“Yes, kind of.”

 “I can fix that.” He’s grinning again, and looks very sure of himself.  

“Let’s begin by that kiss you owe me for my bravery,” he says as he sits next to me on his bed. He rolls us to our sides, facing each other, with his back is to the wall.

 He leans in to me, one hand slides between the mattress and my waist and curls up to rest on my hip. 

“One kiss and then we’ll play it by ear.”

With his free hand, he caresses my cheek and his mouth takes over mine. His hand makes a fist in my hair. The way he pulls on it feels good. Lovely minutes later, he lets go of my mouth and kisses my neck. It’s so sensual that I think I just purred. Seriously, I did! It’s the leopard’s influence probably.

Pressed against his chest, I reach for his head. I can feel a rough stubble on his cheeks, and a softer one, right above his ears. Probably a bit of hair that still grows and that he shaves. He pulls away, just a little. The bed is so tiny that there cannot be much space between us. He tugs on the sarong. “May I?”

My breath catches in my throat. “Yes.”

As he unties the knot, I tug at his towel. His eyes crinkle. Clearly I don’t need to ask permission. He lifts his hips to help me, I pull it away and I throw it onto the floor behind me. My eyes are locked onto his. I’m swimming in a pool of warm chocolate.

His hands tentatively slide down my shoulders to my breasts. His gestures are sweet and tender. My heart melts as I ignite. I move back against him, and kiss his chest. Against my lips, I can feel his heartbeat, it’s fast and strong. I nibble on a nipple and he pushes me back to do the same on one breast and then the other. A strange sound comes from the back of my throat. I press his head to me. He lets out a chuckle, and he bites gently at first and then harder. I moan. Oh my God, that’s fabulous, amazing, mind blowing. It’s the sweetest pain. Each bite raises my core temperature and I’m covered in sweat.

My hand crawls from his skull to his chest. I follow the trail of hair that starts on its chest to the thick curls at the base of his shaft. His breath hitches, and his stomach muscles tense. I wrap my hand around him.   

“Slow down tiger,” he says. 

“Why?” My voice doesn’t sound like me. It’s too husky.

“You’re jumping the gun, and I don’t think it’s a good idea.” 

I’m stunned. I blink and repeat, “Not a good idea?” Then I crash.

I go from sizzling hot to freezing cold in an instant. What was I doing? What was I thinking? I should have known better. I roll out of the bed. Tears of shame are pooling in my eyes. I have to get out. My sarong is on the bed, and he’s half laying on it. 

His towel’s on the floor. I pick it up, cover myself as much as possible, and storm out. I’m so hurt that I’d like to find a Parthian shot; something witty and perhaps a bit nasty that I could say under my breath, but loudly enough for him to hear. My brain is frozen in shock, and absolutely nothing comes to mind. 

A few steps more, and I’m back in my room. I close the door behind me. I think I’m suffering from a case of emotional whiplash. I lie down on my bed, and close my eyes for a few seconds. When I really want to, I can will myself to sleep. Not today. I’m so wired that I know it’s useless. Today it will not work.

❦

CHAPTER TEN

THERE’S NO WAY THAT I can stay in bed to nurse my wounded pride, which is a very delicate animal. The last time it was hurt was in school when I flunked Physical Ed. Rope climbing was a requirement and no matter how many times I tried, I could not lift my sorry ass from the ground. Gravity is a bitch.

I got over it by telling myself that if I really wanted to, I could develop my arm muscles until they became strong enough to lift my body weight. 

It did not make me question my intelligence. It was a question of choice, and I was choosing not to invest my precious time in learning how to climb a rope, since I had no intention of joining a circus act, and had already had failed Physical Ed.

Today, I don’t know what to say to myself. 

I feel like an idiot, because I don’t understand what happened. He did come on to me. He did bring me to his room. He did push me onto his bed. So why the sudden cold shower?

I hate this; I don’t have the codes, so whatever it is that I did or did not do to screw this up, I will probably do it again. I’m so frustrated that I could scream. 

I’m happy Agatha’s not around right now, because she would really get a kick out of this. Well, maybe not, but she would say that I’ve finally come down from my puffy little cloud, and joined the rest of the human race. 

And she would be right. Ever since that first kiss in the pond, I’ve been way out of my comfort zone. I smile and start to giggle. I’m Sleeping Beauty, and I’ve just been awakened by a kiss. I’m certifiable. 

I give myself a mental kick in the ass, and throw on a T-shirt and my jeans. I go downstairs to face the world. I have to remember how fierce I am. 

Hey, I’m a Red Demon that has chased away a wild leopard… I’m a commando demon, too. Yesterday, I left my undies to dry on the line outside the building. With all this rain, I’m not about to wear a bra or panties for a few days. 

Downstairs, Cook is by herself setting the table. I frown when I see her. I wanted to be alone.