by Frankie Love
“Megalania?” Her eyes widen. “It’s impossible. That lizard went extinct over two million years ago.”
“I know. Bit of a dino buff myself.” I grin, but this woman? She frowns.
“No way. This is ridiculous.” She pulls her phone from her backpack and attempts to place a call. “There’s no signal.”
“Nope. No electricity, no culture, no scientific discoveries.” I shrug, remembering how messed up I got when I realized the enormity of what had happened. Life as I knew it was over.
“This isn’t funny. If what you’re saying is true, you mean to tell me there are saber-toothed tigers and woolly mammoths and–”
Just now a mastodon walks to the edge of the jungle, chowing down on a branch between its distinctive teeth.
“Oh. My. God.” Her jaw drops and her eyes fill with wonder. “I can’t believe this.” She steps toward it.
Two years ago, this friendly beast had me running for cover. Now I know better. But she seems to understand it’s not a predator right away.
She immediately begins taking photos with her phone. No use breaking it to her that once the battery dies it will never turn on again.
“This is incredible. If the team were here, they would be freaking out. This is amazing.”
“Amazing?” Now it’s me frowning, following on her heels. “Not the reaction I expected.”
She turns to me, smiling wide. “Of course it’s amazing. This is the most incredible discovery of all time.”
My shoulders lift, then fall. “Maybe, only you can’t exactly share it with anyone except me.”
Her eyes narrow, taking in the surroundings more judiciously. “Can we go back to present day? How does the time travel work? Is it like a portal we can access–”
I cut her off. “No. There is no going back. The portal is more than closed, it doesn’t exist on this side.”
She twists her lips. “So, we’re like, the first humanoids?”
“Thought you might be a bit more upset.”
“I’m an paleontologist,” she says, her brown eyes filled with the sort of child-like glee reserved for Christmas morning. “This is like a dream come true. Did you ever watch those Dinotopia movies as a kid? Jurassic Park?”
“Sure,” I say. “They were my favorites. But… you realize this is life-altering?”
She nods, slowly. “You’re right. It is.” She laughs, staring at the mastodon. Then, turning to me, she offers her hand. “So I suppose I should introduce myself. I’m Fancy. Who are you?”
“I’m Flint,” I say, shaking her hand. “And after two long years, I’m really fucking happy for some company.”
3
Fancy
I’ve never been the sort of person who believed in magic – but this is otherworldly. The smile on my face won’t break as I work out the reality of the situation.
“So, you’ve been living here, alone, for how long?” I ask as Flint and I begin walking down the beach.
“Two years. My camp is just around the corner. I go in that cave for some beetles that are a little on the sweet side. Sugar is one thing I miss a lot.”
I smile. “Isn’t there sugar cane around here?”
“Sure, but it’s not the same as a gummy bear. And the beetles kinda satisfy that craving.”
I stop, dropping to my knees in the sand and opening my backpack. “I got you covered,” I say. “I have a whole bag of sour gummies.”
Flint’s eyes grow large as I hand over my worms. “This is… wow. I can’t accept a gift like this.”
“Why not? I have more candy to share. And you earned it, considering you caught me from that deadly fall.”
Flint smiles, opening the bag and plucking out a peach-colored gummy, eating it slowly, groaning in pleasure. His eyes meet mine and my belly flip-flops. He is incredibly good-looking. Tall and strong, with a chest more chiseled than I’ve ever seen in real life.
Until now.
“Sorry, that was a bit dramatic.” He chuckles. “It’s just when I came here, my pack had zero food. I had camping gear and a gun, a few knives. Which have helped, but you’ve come with the right kind of goods.”
“Not sure snacks are more helpful than weapons.” I slide my pack back on and we begin stepping over rocks and pushing long green vines aside. Birds chirp and monkeys howl and everything feels exotic, otherworldly and new. My senses are on overdrive.
A moment later, Flint opens his hands grandly. “Ta-da!” Then he shrugs. “It’s not much, but you can’t beat the view.” He runs a hand over the back of his tanned neck. “What do you think?”
I take in his camp. A fire pit, a large lean-to facing the water with palm fronds for the roof, and a small path into the jungle. “Where does that lead?” I ask him.
“My cave,” he says. “It feels safer at night to be in there.”
“Smart,” I say, then twist my lips. “So… look, I’m not trying to intrude on your life here. Should I make a camp down the beach?”
Flint’s eyes widen. “Uh, no offense but you’ll be eaten alive.”
I scoff. “You don’t think as a woman I can take care of myself out here?”
“I didn’t say that. Woman or not, do you know how to hunt, to make fire, to build a camp without a knife? Can you fish in the ocean or climb a tree to gather coconuts?”
I exhale. “Fair points. Still, I don’t need a man. I’ve taken care of myself all my life.”
“I am not letting you walk down this beach alone. You seem overly enthusiastic for having just lost most of your life, but I’m not watching you hand over what’s left of it to some wild cat in the jungle.”
I press my lips together, the weight of what happened finally hitting me. Yes, it’s an paleontologist’s dream come true to be able to observe the animals I’ve spent my life studying, but I learned about them from the safety of a book. I don’t know the first thing about actually surviving in the wild.
“So you’re saying I have to rely on you to get by?”
“Is that such a bad thing?” he asks, cocking a brow at me, crossing his arms. “I’d welcome the intrusion. Because having another person around is a gift, not a hardship.”
“It’s just… we’re strangers. And now I have to trust you for everything.”
“We don’t have to be strangers,” he says, giving me a cocky grin. “Because I’d sure as hell love to get to know all about you.”
My body responds to his smile. He is big and strong and maybe it’s the endorphins running through my body at everything that has transpired today, but his strength doesn’t intimidate me. It makes me hot in a way I’ve never been before.
If life as I knew it is over, maybe it’s time to start a new chapter. Isn’t that what Summer was just saying on the phone? Pack a bikini and make sure I don’t let life pass me by?
Summer.
Oh no.
The reality of losing her has me dropping my pack and walking away from camp, toward the shoreline, tears filling my eyes fast.
“What’s up?” he calls after me. “What’s wrong?”
I let the tears fall freely. Being here means I’m not there. With her.
“What’s wrong?” Flint asks, catching up with me.
“It’s Summer,” I say.
“Well, it always feels like summer here.”
“No, Summer, my best friend… she’s my foster sister, the only family I have. And I’m the only family she has. Now… she’s going to be so worried. So upset.”
Flint wraps me up in his arms. “Hey, I get it. It’s not easy. It doesn’t ever get easy.”
My shoulders shake. “That’s not exactly comforting.”
“You want me to bullshit you?” he asks, lifting my chin. His eyes melt into mine. When he looks at me, I swear I see his soul.
“I don’t want bullshit,” I tell him. “But I need something. Something to hold on to. Because losing her… she got me through the toughest times.”
“Damn, I’m sorry. I didn’t ha
ve family to lose. The guys I was in Special Ops with were the closest thing I had to brothers.”
“How did you get over that loss?”
Flint looks out to the ocean. “Grief doesn’t just go away, it changes you. But I’d already lost a lot before coming here. Sadly, losing people isn’t something new.”
“What happened to your family?”
Flint shakes his head. “Damn, you want to get to the heavy shit right away, huh?”
I shrug. “Sorry. I’ve always been awkward with people. Maybe that’s why.”
“Want to take a swim, eat dinner, and then get all touchy-feely?”
“Touchy?” My eyebrows raise.
He chuckles. “I mean, you know, telling one another our life stories.”
I lick my lips. My bikini is in my backpack. Or maybe I take a risk and just dive in.
“All right,” I say, leaning down to unlace my boots, peeling off my socks, sliding off my shorts. I lift my tee shirt up, over my head, tossing it in my pile.
When I look up to Flint, he looks away. “I swear if I get a look at you nearly naked, I’ll stare,” he says.
“I don’t mind,” I tell him. “I’ve never had a man stare at me before.”
“That’s not possible. You just didn’t know he was looking.”
I laugh. “Uh, okay. But I’ve never even had a boyfriend or gone on many dates. If any guys liked what they saw, they didn’t say anything.”
“Well, maybe that was the problem. You were thinking about guys, when what you really needed was a man.”
4
Flint
Her lips fall open; she’s speechless.
“Too forward?” I chuckle. “Sorry. I haven’t been around anyone in a long ass time.”
Her cheeks turn pink, and I let my eyes roam over her. Big tits in a white bra, narrow waist and wide hips, panties that don’t cover much.
“Is it crazy to admit I don’t mind?” she asks. “Summer told me I needed to take more chances on myself, on getting the life I wanted.”
“Yeah, and what chance do you want to take right now?”
She smiles. “I’ve never skinny dipped.” She unhooks her bra, letting her breasts free. Her nipples hard and alluring, her panties drop in the sand, her pussy bare. “Not fair if you don’t join me.”
I shake my head in amazement, untying the knot that holds up the leopard hide around my waist. Honestly, I want her to look down, take in my length, but she doesn’t. Instead she grabs my hand, and pulls me to the ocean.
We swim out, dunking ourselves under the water, and my whole fucking world has spun on its axis, into something so much better than I dreamed. I always wanted someone to come through that portal – but what are the odds it would be a woman like her? Smart and sensitive and bright and so damn beautiful?
The water is warm and the waves draw us together. I want to pull her into my arms, let her legs wrap around my waist. I want to feel her body pressed against mine. It’s been so long since I had the pleasure of human contact.
And this isn’t just human contact. It’s Fancy. The kind of woman that has only ever been in my dreams.
“It’s so beautiful,” she says, floating next to me. “I can’t believe it. Look!” She points to the sky, where a pair of birds fly. “They are so big.”
“Do you know the species?”
“Some sort of crane, don’t you think? But wow, the colors.”
“It’s always like that. In the jungle I’ll see a flower, or a fish in the ocean, and just marvel at it.”
She beams. “I like that you notice things like that.”
“Not much to notice out here besides my surroundings.” I reach for her hand, squeezing it. “Except now, you’re here.”
“I should be freaking out, and I am upset about Summer, but everything else?” She swims closer to me. “I’m excited.”
Her body is a foot away, and we’re in shallow enough water that we can stand. Her tits are covered by the water, but when it moves, I can see her big, luscious globes floating. Fuck, she is beautiful.
“I’m excited too.” I draw her to me, wanting her touch. Craving it in a way I’ve never desired anything.
“Oh,” she whispers. “You’re…”
My cock is hard and I pull back. “Sorry. I–”
“No,” she says, drawing her body to mine. “I like it. I’ve just never been with a guy.”
“I’m not a guy.”
She smiles. “Right. You’re a cave man.”
“Exactly,” I say, growling in her ear. “Your cave man, if you’ll have me.”
“I think I’ve been dreaming of you my whole life,” she admits.
“We’re still strangers, practically.”
“But we’re both the only humans on earth. Both here, both…” She licks her lips.
“Horny?”
She smiles. “I am a little embarrassed to admit that.”
“Don’t be embarrassed with me. Hell, I haven’t had a shave in two years and don’t own a bar of soap. We’ll get over our shyness soon enough.”
“I wouldn’t mind speeding up that process,” she says, wrapping her arms around my neck.
“No?” I look down at her pink, pouty lips, her body so willing, her heart innocent but curious. “I want to make this first night in a new world easier on you.”
She smiles. “Really? Because I thought you wanted to make it a whole lot harder.”
I chuckle, her humor both turning me on and surprising me. “You’re more than meets the eye, Fancy.”
“What else am I?” she asks, her voice dripping with want.
“Mine,” I grunt before crushing her lips with a kiss. A kiss full of heat and need and desire. A kiss filled with a lifetime of loneliness and heartbreak and goddamn breakdowns. A kiss that feels like hope and tastes like the sun and tells me I’m not crazy. A kiss that reminds me life has a funny way of working out if you don’t give up.
And right now, I’m giving this woman all I’ve got.
Our lips part and her tongue finds mine and her whimpers turn me all the way on. I squeeze her ass, dragging her hips to my waist, her legs wrapping around me.
My cock is hard, aching, but I don’t want this to happen too fast. I want to memorize every last bit of this moment, our first time together.
I already know it won’t be our last.
5
Fancy
His kiss takes my breath away and I make a decision the moment his mouth meets mine that I’m giving in to the crazy fantasy that this day already is. I told Summer if a wild barbarian caught me, I’d let him have his way with me. I wasn’t lying then, and I am not going back on my promise now. I am giving in to this because it’s my exact fantasy come to life.
“I need you,” he tells me, our foreheads touching, gasping for breath.
I nod. “Take me.”
He carries me from the ocean and I’m scared that when our toes hit the hot sand the moment will have passed, but he sets me down and reaches for our clothes, filling his arms. “I’ll race you back,” he says playfully.
I laugh as he runs ahead. My pussy is wet as I watch his back muscles flex, his ass bare. He is so attractive, and my body heats up with excitement. I don’t try to catch him. I love the view.
When we reach the lean-to, he draws me back to his body.
“You win,” I say as he runs his hands over me. “What sort of prize have you earned?”
He groans, running his hands through my long brown hair. “You are more of a prize than I ever imagined.”
The floor of the lean-to is covered in soft leaves and grasses, and he has animal pelts spread out. “You killed these?” I ask as we crawl inside.
“It’s how I survive out here, hunt or be hunted.”
“You’re so brave,” I say.
“Says the girl who walked right up to a mastodon.”
She smiles. “They aren’t killers.”
He runs a hand over my back, drawing me near, and I
lie beside him, taking in this beast of a man who has survived out here, alone, for so long.
“You okay?” he asks. “We’re moving past strangers pretty damn fast.”
“Is it too fast?” I ask, suddenly self-conscious. “Because I thought you and me, we–”
He presses a finger to my lips. “Shh, no, I want this. I want you, but I don’t want to rush you.”
“I am choosing this. Choosing you. Now.”
He doesn’t ask permission again. Instead, he begins kissing me harder, with more intensity. Our skin is salty and our hair is wet, we’re naked and I feel so alive. “I’m a virgin,” I remind him as he begins to massage my breasts. It feels so good, having him touch me like this.
“Fuck, you know how much I like that?”
“How much?”
He takes my hand and guides it to his long, thick shaft. “This much.”
He is pulsing and big, and I stroke him, unsure of what to do.
“That’s perfect, Fancy.”
“Yeah?” I ask, licking my lips.
“Yeah, now I’m gonna take good care of you, but you have to trust me.”
“Trust a perfect stranger?” I ask as he teases open my thighs.
“I think it’s fate, don’t you?”
I nod, scared of the thought because the exact same thing is running through my mind. Isn’t this the exact scenario I dreamed up for Summer the other day? Flint literally caught me.
“I think it might be,” I admit. “I can’t touch you when you move down there,” I say as he kneels before me.
“It’s okay, we have all the time in the world.”
That should probably scare me, but it doesn’t. It frees me up to give in to this. To him. I let my knees fall as he lowers his mouth to my pussy, running his tongue over my wet slit.
“Oh, Flint,” I moan, not expecting it to feel this good. And he’s just begun.
“You’re so sweet,” he tells me in between kisses along my pussy lips.
