Stone looks up, distracted by the applause. Two of the troops who are supposed to be on guard duty are more focused on him and Aleska. The rest of the troop around the camp are also mischievously applauding. The only one, not amongst the approving squadron, was the out of commission McDouall. Stone marvels at his troops, they have come a long way in accepting Aleska.

She is also looking up too, having heard the raucous whistles and applause, but her interest is more in the kiss she was indulging in, with Stone. Her hands are still tightly around his neck. She drags his mouth back to continue the kiss.

So much for exercising their relationship within the confine of their private quarters!

When she is almost out of breath, she moves her lips away.
'About those parameters,' she murmurs.

'Yeah?'

She has the most beautiful expressive soft blue eyes when she allows it. Her full-lipped mouth, her delicate bone structure can torture a man to insanity.

'I guess we're going to define them as we go.'

'Yes ma'am.'

'I'm not your senior,' she laughs delicately.

'That's right, we still have issues with the notion of Serve and Obey.'

'I understand fully how to serve,' she contends.

No argument there. He knows she is battle-hardened, agile, competent. 'Yeah, it's the Obey part we have issues with. She bows her head, choosing not to respond to the soft censure.

'Let's take this to your place or mine,' he drapes one arm around her shoulder leading her towards their tents.

'No --- I'm still on duty.'

'See what I mean about you not obeying!'

'Was that an official instruction?' she grins.

'I wish,' he groans softly.

During lunch around the fire, Aleska watches with dismay as Simon picks up an inquisitive tarantula with a pair of pliers and mercilessly tosses it into the fire.

'That is cruel Captain Hack!' Aleska stares at Simon indignantly.

'What! It is deadly! It could have killed any one of us!'

'Do you know one documented case, of a tarantula ever killing a human?' She glowers at him.

'But --- but they are venomous!'

'Venomous yes! But all they cause is discomfort that is never fatal!'

'You must protect me - not that creature!' He sulks.

Stone is watching all this play out. A smug look covers his face. He knows Aleska is correct, about the tarantula being almost harmless. Although to be fair to his captain, Simon hardly knew a sting will not be life threatening.

'This is their natural habitat. You are the invasive species!' Aleska issues.

Simon is all red-faced. He squirms uncomfortably. 'I didn't know ---that,' he lowers his face.

'Now you do soldier, only attack if you face a direct threat and I do believe you can tell the difference.'

She stands up when she sees Jane leaning too close to Stone. Even though her claws threaten to unsheath, with difficulty she keeps them hidden. She didn't know she is capable of alpha-girl territorial behaviour and that is probably the real reason she is having a go at poor Simon.

'Where you going?' He questions with puppy dog eyes.

'To call home. Do I need permission?' She questions softly.

'No,' he grins. 'Is it the boyfriend?'

'Go wash the dishes. You look bored,' Aleska walks away.

A little later, Aleska is giving Scott instructions about something they need to finish when Stone makes his presence felt. She stops talking. Her eyes meet his for an infinitesimal moment, she gazes at him ... overtaken by pure unadulterated lust. She silently reminds herself to release the air she is holding in her lungs.

He speaks in her mother tongue. 'Let's take a boat down the river,' Stone informs Aleska, turning away from Scott.

'Okay I'll ask Captain Scott to come with, he can ---.'

'I don't want a crowd,' Stone interjects.

An undercurrent is raging between them. She looks up into his eyes again. 'So this is --- recreational?'

'Call it what you want,' he says in a low sound. 'I want to be alone with you on the river.'

Aleska sighs, 'Stone --- we must not lose focus on why we are here?'

'Call it border duty then,' he grins.

'Fine.' She laughs tenderly. '

It is a steaming hot day. The blazing sun beats down on them as they leisurely paddle down the mighty Amazon. The sheer volume of water is mesmerizing as it thunders over the precipitous edge of rocks before it plunges into the river causing huge clouds of spray. A variety of vegetation cascade down the vertical canyon walls on either side that stretch high up like sky scrapers. Myriad colours of every type of blossom, glaze the lush rain forest. It is a truly magnificent spectacle.

Stone wants to row by himself, but Aleska insists on sharing the duty with him. He smiles, watching her neat biceps flex as she rhythmically controls the oars through the water. She is all feminine yet simultaneously athletic. He can't take his eyes of her, thinks she looks so adorable that he quickly snaps her with his mobile.

She smiles under his long assessing gaze that make her tingle with awareness. She hungrily looks him over, cataloguing every inch of him and feels the attraction between them simmering. Beads of sweat form at the small of her back and between her breasts. It never fails her ...the prickle of awareness she feels in his presence. It is creeping up her spine, spurring the chemistry between them to be quenched. He sees the pulse hammer at her throat. She grips the oars so tightly, her knuckles are white. Stone leans forward. Her eyes grow bigger. Her starchy uniform feels constricting. He presses his lips to hers. She stops paddling. Her eyes close.

'Let's swim,' he murmurs hoarsely.

Her eyes fly open, laced with disappointment. 'I don't have anything on under my uniform --- I mean I have underwear on.'

'Take everything of,' he smiles lazily.

'No!'

'You can't be shy,' he laughs softly.

She looks around uncomfortably. She knows there are communities about, living inside the forest. She has interacted with them previously. What if somebody sees them frolicking naked in the water?

'I'm sure the inhabitants here don't bathe, fully clothed,' he teases.

She is tempted to splash in the water. She is more tempted by the thought of Stone's naked, body against hers.
Stone knows the moment she convinces herself of the idea. He begins peeling of his shirt. He tosses it carelessly on the foot of the raft. She stares unabashedly. His bronze torso gleams in the sun. Stone removes his shoes, socks and trousers.

'Should I undress you?' He gives her a lopsided grin.

She shakes her head. Her fingers clumsily fumble with the top button on her shirt. His naked body sends a spasm of awareness through her. Her fingers pause at the second button as she admires the play of muscles on his forearms. Stone stands up and lifts her up against his body.

'Not a good idea,' she whispers as they balance precariously on the raft.

'You're making it very difficult for me to keep my hands of you,' he murmurs throatily.
He can feel her softening, her whole body presses against him, moulding to his.
She drinks in the heat of his body, the scent of his hair roughened skin, the hard swell of his muscles. She cannot tear her eyes off him. Stone finishes unbuttoning her shirt. Her hands snake around him and sink into the depths of his hair. Her mouth reaches for his. They exchange a slow kiss. When she is completely naked, he holds his breath, admiring her perfect symmetrical shape. He reaches his hand out to take hers, as they dive into the cool, refreshing water.

Aleska swims away from Stone. She needs to cool down her rampant hormones. She laughs as he attempts in vain to circle her within his arms. She is swift and effortlessly cuts through the water. Miniature forests of algae tangle around her ankles. Laughingly she tries to shake them free. Stone dives underwater and frees her ankles. He hoists her onto his back and slices through the water. Aleska's arms are loosely around his neck.

'This is spectacular, Stone,' she smiles contently as they glide through the water.

Exhausted after an hour's frolicking in the water, they find some rocks under the sun, to thaw out on. Her striking body is arched towards the sun. Her wet hair is loose and stringy as it starts drying out. She looks wildly passionate and delectable. Stone get frivolous. He tugs on a blade of grass, runs it up and down her chest. She punches him playfully in the stomach. Stone laughs, lifts her up and positions her in the vee of his legs. He tugs her naked body against his chest, looping his arms tightly around her. Aleska sighs pleasurably, leaning her head against his chest, all earlier inhibitions forgotten.

'I want to ravish you,' his lips are next to her ear, his breath lifts the tendrils of her hair. His palms close possessively over her petite breasts. He knows they can't make love right now, but he can very well whet her appetite for when they get back to base. She shifts, angles her body so they can kiss.

'Stone, we need to get moving again,' she thinks their recreational afternoon was longer that their break allowed. If she does not get up right now, she will be making love to him, right there in the open jungle. Like a slow fire, his desire has been simmering. Now it is threatening to erupt.

'No,' he pleads, using the weight of his body to imprison her, beneath him.

'Stone ---,' she murmurs. 'We have a lot of ground to cover and not much daylight left,' her eyes try to scan over the Canopy, to bits of the sky visible amongst the tall trees like sky scrapers obscuring the sky and the sun.

'Aleska,' he whispers her name huskily, as his mouth seeks hers. She wants to resist his lips, but she is helpless, when his tongue dips into her mouth, and lazily entangles with hers. Her arms rope around his neck, her fingers caressing the soft strands at the nape of his neck. Stone resists a good quarter of an hour before she can get him to leave.

After dinner... she is relaxing in Stone's tent. 'It's amazing how different the sounds of the jungle are at night,' she smiles at Stone, lying naked with him; wrapped in his arms, in his bed.

'They're so noisy. Why don't they sleep at night,' Stone complains.

Aleska laughs softly. Her fingers trail down his abdomen. 'The ones you hear are the nocturnal ones.'

He presses a kiss to the tender hollow between her neck and shoulder. 'I'm glad they don't come into our quarters to visit,' he grins. His face is mostly in the dark, occasionally a flame from the fire outside traps his eyes and she can see he is smiling and looking relaxed.

'I'll take you, one day on the Canopy Walkway,' Aleska promises. 'It is the most spectacular view from the treetops,' her accent becomes thick as she describes the magnificent view of the Amazon wildlife and vegetation visible from the Canopy.

'I've read about it,' Stone smiles. 'The article mentioned something about the canopy walkway being one of the longest walkways in the world?'

'The walkway spans between about fourteen of the largest rainforest trees here and its height is roughly thirty five meters from the ground.'

Stone marvels. 'That is roughly about thirty times my height.'

'You'll love it. It's breadth-taking,' her passionate eyes locks with his in the silver of the moonlight.

'Take me tomorrow,' Stone demands.

-end chapter eleven-