Found in the Lost

by Tarina Deaton

  Shane heaved up and smirked. “Probably didn’t think trouser snake was something you had to look out for, huh?”

  Kinley blinked at him and rolled her eyes, but he saw her fighting a smile.

  “All right, show me what got you so hot and bothered,” he said.

  “Right.” She pulled the sides of her ponytail. “You’re right—the Lago Azul text and the city are laid out in the exact same pattern. Which might be one of the reasons so many scholars had a hard time deciphering the text since it couldn’t be read in the normal way.” She tilted her head side to side. “But that also means my translation is likely incorrect.”

  “Why do you say that?” he asked.

  “Well, I based my translation on the accepted method of reading classic Mayan text, making allowances for it not being in the standard columns, but if the layout of the text matches the layout of the city, I probably missed something.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like…I don’t know. Take this symbol for instance. This part of the symbol means sun.” She circled the lower right corner of the square glyph with her finger. “This is what I was talking about before. With these two symbols added to it, I think it changes the meaning to enlightenment not sun, but it could really just mean sun.”

  Shane pulled his knees up and rested his arms on them, clasping his hands together. He had no idea what she was talking about and yet he was fascinated—and not just with watching her lips move. “Okay. Why is that important?”

  Kinley shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. It probably isn’t. It’s probably another calendar foretelling the apocalypse.” She lifted her head. “We should go back. This was silly. I have no idea what I’m doing or what I’m talking about.”

  He hated seeing the doubt in her eyes. She tried to hide it, but he saw the shimmer of tears as well. Taking her hand in his, he threaded his fingers through hers. “If that’s what you want to do, that’s what we’ll do. It’s still early—we can make it back to Flores before dinner.”

  She gave him a small smile and looked back at her notebook. A small furrow appeared between her brows and her gaze darted between the imagery and the picture of the text. She looked up at the sky, then back down at the map. Slipping her hand from his, she pointed to her left. “East, right?”

  “Yes,” he said.

  “So that’s north.” She absentmindedly pointed in that direction, then turned the maps so they aligned with the cardinal directions, mumbling to herself. Her head snapped up and she stared at Shane with excitement back in her eyes.

  He smiled. “Figure it out?”

  “I don’t know. I figured something out.”

  “Yeah? Want to share?” He scooted closer to look at the maps.

  “Okay, bear with me—I’m still working it out in my head.”

  “Will do.”

  “The Mayans built their pyramids in much the same way the Egyptians did—almost perfectly aligned with the sun or some other celestial marker. At Chichen Itza, the temple is aligned so perfectly that during the equinoxes it looks like a serpent is slithering down the steps of the temple.”

  “Okay, I’m with you so far.”

  “If you look at the position of the temple on the map, it matches up with this symbol on the text which I’m pretty sure means life. Which makes sense because the temple was the center of Mayan culture and their day-to-day life. The sun or enlightenment symbol on the text matches up with this building right here.” She tapped the spot on the imagery.

  She looked at him expectantly, but he wasn’t connecting the dots. “You lost me. Why is that significant?”

  “What if the burial chamber isn’t in the pyramid? What if it’s here?” She shook her head, grinning. “I still think the text describes the path to enlightenment, but I think it’s an actual path instead of an esoteric way to enlightenment. Why else would they draw the text in the same pattern as the city? And if it’s an actual path it would lead to the source of enlightenment. Right?”

  “It makes sense to me. Does that mean you still want to follow this path?”

  Kinley nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

  “All right. Let’s go.”

  Shane plotted the coordinates of the location in the city Kinley was so excited about and sent them, along with their current position, to the team on standby in Flores to keep them informed of their progress. He’d send them an update when they stopped for the night.

  If they could maintain a decent pace throughout the day, they might be able to make it before nightfall tomorrow. If he was alone, he could probably make it there by noon tomorrow, but he needed to set his pace based on Kinley’s capabilities.

  Checking one more time to make sure the Jeep wasn’t too visible and that everything was packed up, he looped the compass over his head, programmed the coordinates into the GPS, and hung that over his head as well.

  After finding their heading, he looked at Kinley. “Let’s go.”

  It took him a bit to get back into the rhythm of land navigation, but once he found his groove, he set a steady pace using a machete to clear a path for Kinley to follow.

  “Why do you use the compass if you have the GPS?” Kinley asked.

  Dropping the compass to his chest, he folded the map and stuck it in the cargo pocket of his pants. “Habit and a precaution. If we lose satellite coverage because the canopy becomes too thick, I don’t want to waste a lot of time orienting our position.”

  He sipped water from his hydro pack, then held the hose out to Kinley. “Drink.”

  His dick stood up like it had been called to attention when she wrapped her lips around the valve and sucked on it. Yeah…it was going to be an uncomfortable hike.

  They set off again, Shane in the lead hacking a path through the jungle while Kinley followed. Every time he glanced back to check on her, she was only a few paces behind watching her feet or him, in which case she’d give him a happy smile.

  God, he missed this. Not the sweltering, wet heat of the jungle, but setting an objective and finding the way there through the unknown. His mind and body were in tune and focused in a way they hadn’t been in longer than he could remember. Ever since he’d blown out his knee, it was as if he’d been looking at life through a fogged-up lens—the center was in focus, but the edges were hazy. Now it was like looking at everything in high-definition technicolor.

  About two hours into their hike, Kinley had slowed down, increasing the distance between them. They entered a small clearing—he could have stretched his arms out and almost touched the trees on either side—and Shane decided it was as good a place as any to rest and refuel.

  Using the machete, he made sure the ground was clear. “Set your pack down and sit on it.”

  Wet tendrils of hair stuck to her temples.

  “Let me see your back,” he said after she’d dropped her pack to the ground.

  She turned around, revealing the back of her soaked shirt.

  “Sit.” He dropped his own pack and rummaged in the front pocket, pulling out an electrolyte packet. Filling it with water, he swirled it around and passed it to Kinley. “Drink this.”

  She took a gulp then scrunched up her face and stuck her tongue out. “That’s disgusting. What is it?”

  Shane laughed. They were gross. “It’s a sports drink on steroids. You’re losing a lot of water and you need to replenish your electrolytes so you don’t get dehydrated. Do you need to pee?”

  She shook her head.

  “That’s not a good thing. I want you to take a large sip of water every ten minutes while we’re walking.”

  She nodded and choked down the rest of the electrolyte mix. “How far have we gone?”

  “A little more than four miles, give or take.”

  “That’s it? It feels like it should be more than that.”

  Smiling, he said. “We’re doing about fourteen hundred meters every twenty minutes.”

  “What is that in miles?”

  He did the math in his head.
“Eight-tenths of a mile, I think. We do all our pace count in meters since it’s easier to calculate than miles.” He pulled out a packet of crackers and cheese, passing them to Kinley. “Next best thing to gourmet.”

  She took the food from him. “Huh. I need to go to the gym more.”

  “I’ve been setting a pretty fast pace. I can slow down if you need me to.”

  She shook her head. “I’m okay.”

  “We have a few more hours before we’ll camp for the night. We’ll rest again in an hour or so, but if you need to stop before then, let me know.”

  “Okay.” She ate the cracker and looked around their little rest stop.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I have to go now and I’m not looking forward to squatting in the jungle.”

  “Oh. Hang on.” He unzipped several pockets before he found the item he was looking for. “Here.”

  Kinley took the thin cardboard triangle. “Thanks. What’s it for?”

  “It’s a funnel.” At her blank stare, he said, “So you can pee standing up.”

  Her eyebrows raised and she pressed on the sides of the cardboard, opening up the funnel. “Why do you have them?”

  “Paige included them in all our go bags so she doesn’t have to try to squat with all her gear on. I’ve only ever had to do it a few times, but it’s not fun.” He paused, realizing he was talking about taking a shit with his gear on. “They’re biodegradable, so you can leave it when you’re done.”

  “Cool.”

  They each went to different sides of the clearing, Kinley walking a few extra steps into the brush to relieve herself. With the possible exception of his mother and sister when he was little, he could honestly say he’d never peed around a woman before—not even his ex. They’d always done their private business in private. He didn’t feel any discomfort or embarrassment or need to hide the fact that he was human and had bodily functions like every other person on earth. It was weird at the same time it was comfortable.

  They set off again, Shane setting the same pace as before. When he offered to take another break, Kinley waved him off and told him she’d rather get as far as they could that day, although she did accept another electrolyte packet with a grimace as well as a granola bar.

  As the light faded, Shane kept an eye out for a suitable spot to make camp. Finding a spot slightly larger than the one where they’d taken their break, he cleared the area of branches and underbrush as best he could for the tent.

  “It’s going to be tight.” He stepped on the anchor with his heel to drive it into the ground. “We can’t leave anything outside the tent.”

  “Why?” Kinley asked.

  “Snakes. Spiders. Wayward monkeys.”

  Kinley stared at him with wide eyes and a horrified look. He didn’t know which of the three creeped her out the most. For him it was spiders. Not exactly an arachnophobe, but there were only so many camel spider encounters one person could have before developing a healthy desire to avoid them.

  “It’ll be fine,” he said. He unrolled the sleeping pads and sleeping bags and positioned their packs in the corner of the small tent.

  Backing out of the opening, he said, “It’s MREs again tonight.”

  “Okay.” Kinley sounded like she was fading fast.

  “Why don’t you wait inside while I get everything ready?”

  She nodded and crawled into the tent.

  “Soup’s on,” he said about ten minutes later. He peeked into the opening of the tent when he didn’t get a response from Kinley. She lay on her side with her head propped in one hand, but her eyes were closed.

  Shane shook her foot. “Kinley.”

  Her head fell off her hand and she jerked up. “Huh?”

  “Eat something before you go to sleep.”

  “‘Kay.”

  He passed her one of the entrées and watched as she half-heartedly ate, barely able to keep her eyes open. She passed on anything else and laid back down in the tent, asleep in seconds.

  Shane smiled and untied her hiking boots, pulling them off and setting them on her pack. He cleaned up the remnants of the MREs and shoved it all into the pocket of the pack he’d designated for their trash.

  Zipping up the tent behind him, he stripped down to his boxers and laid down facing Kinley. She’d kept up with him like a champ, even though she’d been dragging at the end.

  He moved a piece of hair away from her face. Her eyes fluttered and she sighed in her sleep. What the hell was he doing in the middle of the jungle helping a beautiful woman find a lost city? His gut told him he was exactly where he was supposed to be. He’d been lost before, wandering aimlessly without a purpose. Today it felt like he’d found his way and it had nothing to do with the city at the end of the compass and everything to do with the woman right in front of him.

  Chapter 10

  Kinley woke with a numb shoulder, something heavy draped over her, and a stick poking her in the back. All reasons why camping had never been her thing. Opening her eyes, she confronted the tan fabric of the tent mere inches from her nose. The stick pulsed against her back.

  Not a stick—a trouser snake.

  Her lips tilted up at the corner and she nestled her ass against the warm, hard body behind her. She’d never been shy about asking for what she wanted in bed, which had been one of the many problems with her ex. He thought she should just lie there and be grateful for what he was giving her instead of critiquing his technique. Not that he had any.

  Shane on the other hand—he had technique to spare.

  A low rumble vibrated against the back of her neck and his hips pressed into her ass. The arm over her waist lifted and he unbuttoned her pants, which she’d fallen asleep in, and dove into her waistband.

  She moaned low as he cupped her mons and pressed from the front and back, one of his fingers rubbing small circles through her underwear.

  “How far do you want to go, Kin?” he asked against her neck.

  “Far,” she said. “So, so far.”

  “Take these off.” He pulled against the front of her pants with his arm, then pulled it out of her pants.

  Wiggling her hips, she shoved them and her underwear down to her thighs as she felt him sit up behind her. Kinley rolled to her back and pulled her pants off inside out as Shane pulled a condom from his pack.

  “Back on your side,” he said, lying back down.

  He slid an arm under her neck and shoved his hand into her sports bra, cupping one breast.

  Kinley gasped and turned her head, seeking his mouth. His tongue mated with hers as he ran a hand over her hip and thigh while he slid his cock between her slick folds.

  “Shane,” she gasped.

  He lifted her leg over his and entered her from behind.

  “Oh god.” Kinley reached blindly for a leg or hip—something to hold onto.

  “You’re so beautiful. Hot and wet. I can feel you all around me, squeezing me.”

  His words were punctuated by his strong, leisurely strokes and it was driving her insane.

  “It’s all I can do not to flip you over and drive into you, but I want it to last. I want it to drive you crazy until you blow all around me.” He spoke against her neck, licking, sucking, and nipping between words.

  “Stop talking,” she said.

  “Does it make you hot?” He sucked on the tender lobe of her ear.

  “Yes. If you want it to last, you need to be quiet.”

  “So you can concentrate on feeling me slide in and out of your tight, hot pussy? So fucking good. I can feel you pulling at me like you don’t want to let me go.” He flicked her clit and that was it.

  “Oh. Fuck! Shane!” Her orgasm powered through her and she bore down while he pumped into her hard until he buried himself balls deep and scraped his teeth along the column of her neck.

  The slight sting sent a smaller orgasm crashing through her, chasing the tail end of the first one.

  Kinley’s breathing eventually returned to normal
while Shane brushed his lips and mouth over the spot he’d bitten. She couldn’t have stopped the satisfied smile if her life depended on it. What a way to wake up.

  Her stomach rumbled. “I’m hungry,” she said.

  Shane laughed and squeezed her hip as he slipped from her, leaving an emptiness behind. He leaned up on an elbow and tilted her face to him. “Let’s get cleaned up and I’ll see what I can do.

  Kinley pushed the vine away from her face and sipped from the valve of her water bladder. Her goal for the day was to avoid drinking that gross, super sweet, fake lemonade crap Shane kept making her drink. He’d forced one on her before they set out and that was more than enough for the day as far as she was concerned.

  Sweat crept down the small of her back. Her hiking pack helped absorb most of it, but there was nothing to stop the steady trickle into the crack of her ass. The pack was too bulky for her to reach the small of her back to rub the spot and keep it from dripping down.

  As enjoyable as their activities were that morning, she was starting to regret it. Cleaning up with baby wipes hadn’t been exactly refreshing and now, with all the sweat, she could smell herself. This wasn’t what she’d envisioned when she’d pictured herself marching through the jungle to be one of the first people in thousands of years to set foot in an ancient Mayan city. The only thing keeping her from turning around and calling it quits was her determination to prove she’d done what everyone said she couldn’t have.

  The view of Shane’s butt ahead of her didn’t hurt either.

  Her stomach grumbled even though it had only been a couple of hours since they’d eaten breakfast. She’d devoured the MRE Shane had handed her including the crackers and peanut butter that could be used as mortar if they had to build a hut.

  “You good back there?” Shane asked.

  “I’m here.” He looked like he was barely breaking a sweat as he swung the machete in front of him to clear the path for them. “Do you have any granola bars handy?”

  He stopped and turned. “Hungry?”

  “Yes, which is weird for me since I don’t usually eat more than a couple of times a day.”