Page 68 of Stains of Desire

Her lips twitch. "I don't know the name of it. It was Millie's favorite lullaby. This will sound stupid, but I usually hum it around bedtime every night, hoping she can hear or feel it."

"That isn't stupid."

"No?"

"No." The ground becomes solid again, and I set her down. "Is Millie a girly-girl or more of a tomboy?"

Penelope smiles. "She's a girly-girl. Loves pink, purple, stuffed animals, and dolls." Her face falls. "When we got to Santiago's, they took my bag. Her blanket and pink teddy bear were in it. Every night, she slept with them, and they wouldn't give them to me. I asked, but they just didn't care. I wish she at least had those things to give her some sort of comfort."

There is nothing I can say to make that better, so I put my arm around her shoulder, tugging her close to me, and kiss her head.

We walk for hours. The temperature rises and the air thickens. We stop for a rest. I reach up and pick a bunch of bananas off a tree then remove the mango Penelope got us the night before. There's a flat rock on the edge of the river, and we sit on it while I peel the mango and slice it with my knife. I hold a piece up to Penelope's lips. "If we didn't need to keep moving, I would make good on my promise."

"What promise?"

"To lick every ounce of juice off your perky tits."

The blush I'm coming to crave rushes up her porcelain cheeks.

I push the mango into her mouth, watch her chew it, then lick the edges of her lips before sticking my tongue in her mouth. "I'll make it up to you though."

She bites on a smile.

I pop another slice in her mouth and then put one in mine.

When we finish our fruit, I pull a package of macadamia nuts out of my bag. "Are you allergic to nuts?"

"No."

"Good. Hold out your hand."

She does, and I pour a dozen in it.

"Eat all of these so you have some protein and fat in you."

"You guys seem serious about your macros," she says.

"We've been trained. The amount of hiking we're doing can be hard on your body. Plus, it's hot. Drink some water, too."

"You're awfully bossy," she teases.

"Only about things I'm sure of." I hold the canteen of water to her mouth, and she takes a few sips. "And I'm sure about everything regarding you, green eyes."

She straightens her back and shyly looks at me.

I wish we had time so I could wreck her to pieces right now.

I need to keep it in my pants. We need to keep moving.

I lean in and kiss her, but I don't make it too deep. "Eat." We finish our lunch and continue forward, taking several breaks throughout the day. Eventually, we come to a road that heads east and west.

It's a two-lane, dirt path, but tire tracks are on it. They don't look fresh and could be several days old. I assume few vehicles travel on it.

"If we head east, we move toward the ocean. Either way, we need to get through the border of Guatemala and Honduras. It would be easier by boat, but I'm not sure if we'll have the opportunity. We might waste a lot of time heading east instead of continuing south if we can't find water transportation," I admit.

"Do you think we might find some sort of transportation easier if we follow the road?" Penelope asks.

"You're a smart woman. I would believe so, but we also need to be careful. Santiago is running around this jungle somewhere, and we don't know who else. Let's stay on the edge of the trees so we can hide if needed."