Harder Than Stone

by Jacey Ward

  She has no idea what we could be in for, obvious danger aside. There is wildlife she’s never heard of, treacherous terrain and unpredictable rains bound to come through. We’ll be living off fruit mostly since we don’t have the weapons for a proper hunt and even if we did, building a fire to cook is risky.

  He had no idea what technology Oculus used but if he believed everything Audrey told him, they weren’t dealing with the likes of anything he’d ever seen, despite his training. He mused it was a small miracle they hadn’t been found yet.

  “Okay, the silence is killing me,” Audrey said suddenly and Jameson realized they’d been sitting in complete quiet for several minutes.

  “We need to rest,” he told her and a look of skepticism touched her face.

  “Really?”

  “I know it sounds impossible, Audrey, but we need to keep our strength up if we want to get through this.”

  She grinned slyly and unexpectedly, he felt a rush of heat through him. He knew what she was thinking even before she shifted herself closer to him.

  “Is it weird that I’m ready to drop with exhaustion, I’m dying of thirst and frankly, scared out of my mind but I can’t stop staring at your mosquito-attacked abs?”

  “Yes,” he replied solemnly. “It is.”

  She chuckled and traced a line over his chest with her fingertips, sighing softly.

  “They really did get you. We need to find something to treat all those bites, Jameson. Some aloe maybe…”

  “I’m fine,” he told her firmly and he meant it. He hadn’t even felt the hundreds of punctures on his body but that wasn’t surprising. His threshold for pain was unlike anyone else he had ever known.

  Her eyes raked over his face but the glint of desire he’d seen earlier seemed to have diminished.

  “We rest and then what?” she asked, her uneasiness apparently overriding all else.

  “We have to get hydrated, fed, rested and keep moving. We’ll head north but we can only go so far before…”

  He paused, unsure of how she’d handle the news.

  “Before what?”

  “Before we can’t use the jungle as cover anymore.”

  “What?” she gasped. “We’ll be exposed?”

  “Not exactly. There is nothing between the wilderness and the city, not really. We might encounter some native tribes…”

  Again, he trailed off, not sure of how much lying he should do.

  “You really don’t know, do you?” Audrey murmured. “This is just a guess to you.”

  “An educated guess, yes,” he replied with some exasperation.

  She gave him another small smile and suddenly the devastating exhaustion was evident in her eyes ...

  A pang of affection jolted through him and with it came the desire he’d tamped down on earlier. He pulled her into his body, relishing the scent of her sweating skin against him.

  Slowly, he felt her letting her guard down to melt against him and Jameson stifled a sigh. If they wanted to survive, they would need to trust one another, even if they didn’t agree with each other.

  “Just rest now,” he told her gruffly but even as he spoke, he sensed she was already falling asleep and he carefully stretched out, drawing her onto his chest.

  “I’m just going to close my eyes for a few minutes,” she breathed but he barely heard her words.

  “Okay.”

  In seconds, her heartrate had slowed and Jameson stroked her hair, savoring the moment while he could.

  He fought the feeling of tiredness which was overwhelming him, his own eyes gritty and exhausted.

  Don’t you dare, he growled to himself. One of us has to stay alert if we want to stay alive.

  And even though he’d been thrust into the situation unwittingly, he knew that Audrey was his responsibility now. The knowledge didn’t faze him in the least, as if he would have taken on the role, even if he hadn’t been forced into it.

  As her breathing deepened, Jameson felt his heart quicken. As impossible as it seemed in such a short time, he’d grown attached to the woman he had once sneered at, despite the attraction he felt.

  She wasn’t some new-aged doctor, exploiting people for their money. Audrey was capable of things he would have never believed possible.

  She was both powerful and very, very vulnerable because of it and Jameson was certain of only one thing as he slowly disentangled himself, allowing her to sleep peacefully when he rose.

  I’ll die before I let anything happen to her.

  He didn’t want to think about how that might become a reality for them both.

  Chapter 10

  She bolted awake, her breaths escaping in jagged rasps as she sat up instinctively. It took several seconds for Audrey to understand where she was but her panic only mounted when she realized that Jameson was nowhere to be seen inside the tiny hut.

  “Jameson?” she hissed, jumping up. Pale dawn light was filtering through the windows and she blinked several times, her pulse racing wildly as she gazed about in terror.

  Did Oculus find us?

  That didn’t make any sense, not when she was unscathed. She hurried toward the door and pulled it open, peering into the jungle beyond.

  Audrey exhaled in relief when she saw the outline of his strong back chopping away at what appeared to be pieces of a fallen tree.

  “What are you doing?” she rasped, running to join him. It was only then she realized that she was shoeless.

  He took off my shoes when I was sleeping, she realized.

  “Oh hey,” Jameson said, barely looking up from his task. “How are you feeling?”

  Audrey paused and stared at him for a long moment.

  “I’m fine,” she replied slowly. “Did you get any sleep?”

  “I rested a bit.”

  He’s lying.

  She didn’t need to read his mind to do that. In fact, since she’d promised to stay out of his head, she’d done just that but it was difficult, particularly in that moment. He was looking rough, to say the least, and the way he was going at the wood was alarming.

  “Jameson,” she said softly. “Look at me for a minute.”

  He dropped the axe and turned to her.

  “What’s up?”

  The wild look in his eyes was worrisome.

  “You need to sleep a little bit. Forget about supplies right now.”

  He laughed.

  “I scrounged for what I could find. There’s a little shed slightly east of here which is where I found the axe but there were some other things there that we can use. Including traps.”

  He nodded away from him and Audrey’s eyes widened when she saw a net filled with fish nearby.

  “I ran into an ocelot,” he continued, grinning almost maniacally. “But I managed to get away, before it pounced.”

  “Jesus,” Audrey muttered. “All right, Jameson. You’ve done enough. Let’s get you inside.”

  “There’s no time,” he warned her. “We need to build a fire, eat and get back inside and off the radar. I already wasted too much time fishing.”

  “Why didn’t you wake me up to go with you?” she demanded, frustration mounting inside her. “You shouldn’t have gone alone.”

  “You needed to rest.”

  “So do you!” she exploded and for a minute, she didn’t know why she was so angry.

  “I’ll rest when I’m sure we’re ready to move on a dime. We need to eat—”

  “I’ll handle the food,” she insisted, her pulse racing.

  He snickered again and Audrey feared he was on the brink of madness.

  “Have you ever gutted a fish?”

  “Yes,” she lied. “I have.”

  “No, you haven’t.”

  “GO INSIDE!” The wildlife stirred at her order and Audrey was stunned at how forcefully she spoke and it was only then that she understood why she was so on edge.

  He’s the only chance we have of getting out of here alive.

  But it was more than that, if
she was being honest with herself. His exhaustion was almost palpable, even without reading his mind, and Audrey knew he was at his breaking point.

  If anything happens to him because of me, I’ll never forgive myself.

  “Don’t talk to me like that,” he growled, his eyes narrowing. “I’m trying to secure an exit strategy for us.”

  “I know,” she said quickly and lowered her eyes apologetically. “I’m sorry.”

  She looked up again and stepped toward him, quickly placing her hands on either side of his face.

  “Listen to me,” she murmured. “It’s already daylight. If they’re scouring the jungle, they’ll smell fire. We need to go back inside and stay out of sight.”

  She wasn’t sure if that was true but she was trying to appeal to his survivalist instinct.

  Jameson glanced up at the sky as if gauging the sunlight but she jerked his cheeks back down toward her.

  “Jameson,” she breathed, pulling his mouth closer to hers. “Come with me. Please.”

  He started to refuse again but Audrey wouldn’t accept his “no” and pressed her lips to his mouth even though sex wasn’t exactly the first thing on her mind in that moment.

  Still, when their mouths collided, a newly familiar fission of pleasure slithered through Audrey.

  Instantly, Jameson responded, any objections he might have had forgotten.

  Their tongues meshed and without warning, Jameson scooped her into his arms, drawing his head back slightly to stare into her eyes.

  “Well, when you put it that way,” he murmured, striding toward the hut with Audrey in his embrace. He kicked open the door before returning his lips to hers and her arms linked around his neck, her apprehensions sliding away when his mouth trailed along the line of her chin. And just like that, they resumed where they had been forced to leave off the day before.

  On the thin mattress, they disrobed and Audrey marvelled at how easily their troubles seemed to disappear when they were locked in one another’s arms.

  Jameson’s hot breath dissipated each of her concerns individually, causing her skin to prickle with desire and when he suctioned against the tender skin of her nipple, strong hands kneading at her buttocks, she doubted she would care if Oculus burst into the cottage in that moment.

  It was the only time they felt safe, being together, entwined in each other.

  “We should stay like this,” she purred, shivering as the scruff of his face tickled the flesh of her stomach.

  “Hmm…”

  His mouth continued its exploration, the ripple of his muscles causing surges of heat through her body and even before the tip of his tongue met her sensitive clit, she was soaked and ready for him.

  Without teasing or taunting, Jameson’s lips closed around hers and his laps began with long, even strokes.

  Audrey’s back tensed and she arched upward, willing him further inside.

  “My God,” she gasped. “How do you do that?”

  He didn’t answer her but from where she lay, she saw his eyebrow arch. The query only made his tongue work faster and she emitted a low groan as she realized she was about to come.

  She told him as much and he grunted, waiting for her juices to spill over him in the waves of passion she couldn’t believe she still had in her.

  It’s the only thing that’s keeping us going, she thought, cries escaping her in short squeaks. Fingers digging into his shoulders, she let herself go, falling fully back onto the mattress and pulling him up toward her.

  “Fuck me,” she begged him, her breaths uneven. “Make me forget about all this.”

  “I got you, baby,” he replied, his voice a low growl. He pulled her legs up against his broad shoulders and Audrey was positioned almost parallel against him as he thrust into her.

  “Oh shit…” she moaned but it was clear by the look in his eyes that Jameson had a lot of pent up stress to release.

  I opened this door, she thought, biting on her lower lip as Jameson began to pound into her. And I don’t regret it in the least.

  She locked her ankles around him and clenched around his driving cock, sucking him inside as their eyes held.

  The muscles of his jaw twitched dangerously and Audrey suddenly had the sense he was fighting with some inner demon she didn’t understand.

  “Jameson! Harder,” she managed to choke, knowing that he needed to release all he was holding in. Jameson grunted and Audrey moaned as the head of his cock drilled through her, knocking the breath from her lungs.

  “Like this?” he growled. “You need it like this?” He pounded into her, punctuating each word.

  She couldn’t respond, her gaze still fixed on him as her mouth parted to release only small screams of pleasure.

  “Or like this?” He continued, his voice barely a growl and suddenly, she felt the swell of his shaft between her legs, his sack slapping against her ass.

  “Hm?” he insisted, his words hoarse. He groaned once and a shudder flooded her body as he spurted inside her in long, unending streams.

  But there was definitely something else, something that Audrey couldn’t avoid. She was in his head as he released and she was paralyzed to stop it. It wasn’t intentional but his raw emotion had called out to her, brining her in, whether or not he realized it.

  Jameson fell forward, his body shaking as he struggled to maintain his breath.

  “God, you feel incredible,” he wheezed, burying his face in her neck. “We really should stay like this all day.”

  Audrey said nothing, her heart thudding wildly in her chest.

  “Hey,” he asked, propping himself up to look into her face. “Was I too rough?”

  “Oh, no,” she replied, finally finding her voice as her mind tried to make sense of what she’d just glimpsed in his head. “Not at all.”

  Was that a memory I just saw?

  Jameson was still watching her with concern, apparently oblivious to the traumatizing thought he’d had.

  But how can that be?

  In his primitive state, something had called out to her and inadvertently, Audrey had gotten inside but the words he was thinking didn’t make any sense. Unless…

  “Why do you look underwhelmed?” he asked, a slightly defensive note in his words.

  Audrey shook her head, unable to get it out of her head.

  “Tell me about your childhood,” she ventured, aware he would be alerted to her reading him. He snorted and withdrew from her, anger coloring his face.

  “Really? You said you’d stay out! You’re going to psychoanalyze me right now?”

  Audrey’s face heated.

  “No, of course not,” she muttered, realizing how her question had sounded. “I-I’m just curious.”

  That was lame and obvious.

  “Well, sorry to disappoint you, Doctor, but I had a wonderful childhood. No mommy or daddy issues.”

  She gritted her teeth, steeling herself from reading his mind even though every part of her longed to probe him again.

  “Any traumas?” She asked, trying to keep her voice light.

  “What the hell is this, Audrey? Because your pillow talk sucks.”

  He turned away, showing her his back and she supressed a sigh.

  “Sorry,” she told him gently. “You’re right. It’s been a while since I’ve been intimate with anyone and I guess I’m a little rusty on this.”

  She willed him to turn around and look at her and to her relief, he did, eyeing her begrudgingly.

  “Pro tip,” he offered. “Don’t ask a man about his childhood after sex. Or before sex. Actually, don’t ask him at all. As a psychologist, you should know asking pointed questions usually makes a patient clam up.”

  “You’re not my patient,” Audrey replied quietly. “And that’s only true if the patient has something to hide.”

  He chuckled, his eyes lightening.

  “I’m not kidding. I had an idyllic childhood. My parents are still together, my brother is a veterinarian. We have no history of
mental illness although my sister is a Trump supporter. We have family dinners, call each other frequently and loathe each other in the same doses as any other family. There’s nothing there.”

  Audrey’s skin exploded into a mass of gooseflesh and she gulped back the lump forming in her throat.

  “Okay,” she managed to squeak. “I believe you.”

  It wasn’t what he’d said that chilled her to the bone because she knew there was truth in that; it was what he’d thought – perhaps a thought, he himself wasn’t even aware of.

  I can’t question him on that now, she told herself firmly. He’ll know I read his thoughts again.

  “You don’t sound like you believe me,” Jameson commented observantly and Audrey forced herself to smile.

  “That’s because your sense of what’s happening is skewed. You’re dead on your feet right now.”

  They both cringed at the metaphor but to her relief, Jameson nodded with resignation.

  “You’re right,” he confessed. “I am exhausted. I need to rest for a couple hours. We’ll wait for nightfall and start moving again.”

  “Okay,” Audrey agreed weakly, maintaining her smile but as he closed his eyes without prompting, she had to wonder if she’d made a huge mistake leaving her life in his hands.

  Not that I had much of a choice in the matter. Oculus was coming for us both. They were shooting to kill…weren’t they?

  It seemed impossible that the group would hunt down her father and uncles for so long, only to kill her but those bullets were not made of rubber.

  Could they have been after Jameson all along? Am I not the target?

  Suddenly she regretted letting Jameson fall asleep and she contemplated waking him.

  I need to confront him about what he was thinking, she thought, biting on her lower lip. Or I need to get as far away from him as possible. Which idea is worse?

  Chapter 11

  Audrey paused to wipe the sweat off her brow and catch her breath. Every bone in her body was aching but there was a tangible sense of danger lurking around which made her pick up her gait and follow after Jameson.

  “You want to stop?” He asked, looking back as he realized she’d slowed.