Chapter 39 Flinched

He brought his lips back to hers and she kissed him greedily. She was enthralled with the emotions and sensations his lips and hands created.

The fire in her belly had spread. She no longer cared that she would be unable to stand if he released her. She loved the almost painful grip he had on her ass. Her lips felt bruised and swollen. Her breast ached behind their bindings.

She felt alive, more so then ever before.

She wanted to explore this opportunity. She wanted to touch him as he touched her. She wanted to touch him in more intimate ways. Her instincts guided her hand. It moved over his shoulder and down his chest. She followed his ribs to his smooth back. She slid her fingers over warm fabric and down to his hips. She pulled at the fabric, angry it barred her way.

Her passion made her brave and her fingers touched flesh. Her hand spread out and she felt his whole body trimble. His skin radiated heat.

He whispered her name and pulled the fabric of her shirt from her trousers. When his fingers splayed over the skin of her hip the heat in her belly shifted. Her hands shook as she moved them in a slow exploration of his lower back.

He opened his hand. His skin pressed against hers.

She moved her fingers along the band of his pants. She gasped when he did the same to her. Only his fingers slid under the fabric. He cupped her skin and moved to grip her butt.

Wet heat pooled lower in her abdomen. A growing ache that that seemed impossible to ignore.

His other hand pulled at her shirt on her other side.

She felt the wamth of his hand over the contours of her ribs.

Her own hand explored his back. She found soft warm flesh stretched over hot hard muscles.

She wondered what the rest of him felt like. She had dreamt of him. The dreams were always of kisses and touches that she longed to be real.

At one point, not long ago, she believed those dreams proved she was a tart. Zara had explained that most women had such dreams. They were normal but in most cases the dreams were much better then the reality.

Not this reality. It made her dreams pale in comparison. His muscle writhed under her hand as he shifted his arm.

Her lips wrapped around his lower one and she sucked gently. She marvled that his lips had a taste. Juice from a fruit mixed with something she couldn't place. It seemed to be something uniquely him.

Her lips moved over the beard that hid his face. At the bottom of the thach of hair she found his smooth neck. His pulse jumped and beat rapidly against her searching lips.

His fingers brushed the bindings over her breast and he froze.

She felt the new tension and recognized it as a threat. Some thing was wrong. Did she upset him, she wondered. She tried to pull him closer but he was like stone. The only movement was that of his chest as he breathed and his pluse as his heart beat a rapid rhythm.

"Captain?" She pleaded. She felt him flinch. She wanted to cry. It felt like being laughed at in the street. "Captain, please?" She tried again. This reaction hurt her more then the flinch. He just pulled back. His hands not droping away.

Her heart pounded loudly in her chest. He still touched her. His hands had wrapped around her arms. Without their support she may have collapsed. Her mind shifted through reasons for his sudden lack of interest. Nothing made since.

Oh, God. Please. Please. Please. This couldn't be real. Please.

"We— we have to get back to the beach." His fingers loosened. He took a few steps back.

To her the distance felt like a physical blow. She flinched.

Elle wanted to protest. She wanted to pull him back against her body. She didn't, she couldn't handle another rejection.

Tears stung her eyes and nose but she refused to give in to them. She wanted to know why he had done this again. He had drawn her, kissed her, made her feel and then snatched it all away.

Was she so repulsive that only men like Bartard and Sir Travis would have her? Had Captain Talbot not felt as she had? Why had he pushed her away for a second time?

She felt her hands trimble. She drew in a ragged breath. It came out just as harshly. The trembling had spread.

The tears had gathered in her eyes and she tried to blink them away. They spilled down her cheeks.

"Elle." He sounded almost as broken as she felt. He reached out. She stepped backwards.

He would say he wanted her. But she knew better. It was painful lies meant to lessen the rejection.

They had done this before. She had believed him before. Not this time. No matter his reason she didn't want the comforting lies.

"No." The word ripped from her tear clogged throat. She sniffled. Not again, she thought. Her eyes searched for an escape. There was no clear path away from the painful words he was sure to say. She didn't care. She ran into the brush.

"Elle!" He yelled after her. "It's not what you think! Elle!"

She could hear him following. The foliage crashed around them. Leaves and twiggs broke beneath their boots.

"Leave me alone!" She yelled.

"Elle stop!" He screamed behind her. She heard him above the crashing damage they caused the forest.

She ducked under low limbs intent on using her small side to put obstacles  behind her.

She heard a dull thud and a string of curses. For a moment the sound of pursuit ceased. She continued running as fast as her legs and the jungle allowed. She kept heading towards the beach but the vegetation only grew thicker, darker.

Branches, twigs, leaves and vines took turns slapping her. Her face, hands, arms, legs - it didn't matter to them. That took at at any part of her body that presented a target. During one such attack that the earth dropped from under her feet. She frantically grabbed at the leaves and vines around her. The ones she managed to grasp simply ripped from the ground. She slid down the steep hill side. She tried to keep her feet pointed down and managed to throw her weight to avoid obstacles which would have caused alot of pain. Some obstacles were determined and managed strike her despite her best efforts. When she stopped she simply lay there as the dirt and forest settled around her.

Tears fell and she curled up in the fetal position. She lay on the soft earth and sobbed until she no more tears fell.