Page 84 of Lost Paradise

“That was fabulously intense,” she says, breathing heavily. “How are you?”

“I’m good, sweetheart.” Feeling relieved that this time worked so much better. I don’t need her thinking I’m some virginal idiot, especially when I’m competing with the other two.

An American jock and a gold medalist Olympian.

Both, of who I am sure, have had women throwing themselves at them left and right.

But hey, I've got my own game, and I'm playing it my way.

“I like how you come, Firebug,” I whisper in her ear.

She looks up at me and smiles. Her smile, like a sunbeam breaking through clouds, warms the air between us. In that moment, I feel a surge of confidence, knowing that maybe, just maybe, this is the beginning of something extraordinary.

No. I know it is.

“I like you a lot,” she says with amusement.

“Just a lot?” I say, hoping that there might be more.

Her smile widens at my playful retort, and she chuckles softly before meeting my gaze with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Okay, fine," she concedes, her voice carrying a hint of mischief. "I like you a lot... like, a lot, a lot."

I can't help but grin, feeling a rush of elation at her words. Maybe there's more to this connection than I dared hope for.

“I like you too. A lot… like, a lot, a lot.”

Leaning down to her shoulder, I nip it lightly, causing her to giggle.

A sudden movement catches my eye near the swaying palm trees. My heart skips a beat, and a wave of unease washes over me. Without a second, though, I jerk upright, my protective instincts kicking in as I swiftly move to shield Eve behind me.

For a fleeting moment, confusion clouds her features as she follows my gaze, her playful expression fading into concern. Then, as she registers the figure by the palm trees, her eyes widen in shock, mirroring my own.

Emerging from the shadows of the palm trees is a sight that chills me to the bone. It bears the primal markings of its savage existence.

“It’s a child,” gasps Eve.

Fuck. We’re so fucked.

Chapter 25

We’re all baffled bythis mysterious border that the natives on the island are reluctant to cross. An entire hour has passed since we started this journey through the jungle and walked along where we believed the line might be, but we haven’t come across a single tribesman.

The natives seem highly territorial and hostile toward outsiders. I’m not in the least keen to venture over and get them to warm up to us. Perhaps I was naïve to think that was possible when I first arrived on the island, but after seeing what they did to Astro, I now realize my Western mentality doesn’t align with their ways.

I need to let go of at least half of my preconceived notions of moral acceptability and adapt to the current environmental conditions. There's no need to change a world that has possibly thrived for centuries without external influence.

As I walk ahead, I try to keep my distance between the lads behind me. Zane and Astro have been bickering from the moment we started this trek. It’s not enough that the heat and moisture here can drive any man mad; I now have to listen to these two go on like angry old women.

Sweat drips down my back, and the humidity weighs heavily in the air.

"Astro, for the last time, will you quit walking beside me? Keep your fucking balls to yourself. No one wants them, man."

Zane's voice pierces through the thick atmosphere, sharp with irritation. Their bickering echoes off the trees, adding tension to the already fraught atmosphere. I quicken my pace, eager to put some distance between us and the growing animosity behind me. But withevery step, it feels like the jungle itself conspires to keep us entangled in its grasp.

"Maybe if you'd stop lagging behind, I wouldn't have to." Astro scoffs, brushing aside a low-hanging vine. “And for the record, I’m surprised by the comment.”

“Maybe if you just put some fucking clothes on instead of walking around like a naked imbecile,” Zane's voice dripped with irritation.

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