Page 37 of Wild Life (STEAM-y #2)

Boat Klepto

Aleki

People were on my island. I hated people.

People were intrusive and demanding, and these infiltrators were no exception.

They were scientists who asked too many questions and disturbed everything.

I had intimidated them enough, at least, that they had stopped visiting my hut to ask me to be their tour guide.

Poaka despised them, too, and charged at the leader after his wristwatch had reflected sunlight into his eyes one too many times.

He was testier than ever before, existing in only two modes: agitated or depressed. The visitors didn’t help.

I wanted my privacy back.

But a part of me didn’t want them to leave since they were connected to Maris.

My Maris.

Life could never be as it had been before, when I had been alone, because she had changed me. Every smart comment, every smile, every kiss… She had awakened the parts of me that had gone dormant after my parents had died.

I didn’t have photos or home videos of her. The scientists were my only link, and as long as they remained, I had a pathway to her.

She had been surprised when Eli had shown up for her, despite demonstrating her desire to seek treatment for the bats. It was like she hadn’t been convinced she could ever leave. However, I never had a doubt. A person could accomplish anything as long as they found a purpose.

It happened sooner than I had anticipated, though. And I’d never imagined that her ex-lover would be the one to carry her home.

I spent nights wrapped in bed sheets that were still perfumed with her scent, convinced she had forgotten her promise to return once she had realized how much easier a life with Eli was. I didn’t blame her for choosing him and the amenities that a man of the outside world could offer. What more did I have to give her than a bushel of bananas and some salted fish?

Maris was a special woman—too special to conceal. She needed to be shown off, taken to nice places, and showered with gifts. She deserved much more than I could give her. And while I hated Eli with every fiber of my being, I hoped that he treated her well.

That didn’t stop my heartache, though. I missed her like a drowning man missed air. Days blurred into nights, and I moved through time like an apparition, not quite alive but not fully dead. I had stopped marking the days on the trees. It didn’t matter how many years had passed when I would eventually meet the same fate my parents had. I hoped it would come soon.

I wished that Maris was happy. Maybe one day she’d get married and have babies of her own. She’d be a wonderful mother, so enthusiastic and caring. I wanted her life to be fulfilling, allowing her to flourish.

I studied the contents of my basket. The fish were finished curing. These would last me several days until I could figure out a way to find more food. I remembered that food could be bought from stores, but I didn’t have any money. Perhaps I could set out traps for smaller prey like birds and rodents when I got to my destination.

Poaka shoved his nose into my stash, and I pulled away my goods in time. “Nope. Sorry, buddy. These are for me.”

He protested with a high-pitched squeal.

“I wish I could take you with me, but you’d hate the modern world. It’s covered in concrete, and it’s so hard that it’ll scrape your knees if you’re not careful.”

His eyes dimmed, and his head lowered. Leaving him would be as hard as when Maris had left us. I rubbed his ear and kissed his head. “Don’t worry. I promise to be back soon and bring Maris with me.”

He shuffled energetically when he heard her name. He loved her. We both did.

“Want to come wish me farewell?”

He grunted, and we set off together. The coast would be clear this time of day. I had made a mental note of the scientists’ daily schedule, and this was when they were by the pond.

We reached the beach in no time, and just as I had thought, no one was around the boat.

There had been two boats when the leader of the scientists had been here. But he had taken one of them to return to his university—to return to Maris.

He had caught me lurking around them one day. I had just figured out how to turn the damn thing on when he’d suddenly appeared from nowhere and asked me what I was doing. I hadn’t responded and instead stormed off. He was a nosy jerk, and I couldn’t make a move without him stalking me.

Fortunately, he was out of the picture, and I could set my plan in motion. Well, I didn’t have much more thought out than stealing the boat. I figured I could sail until I found land and then ask to be taken to wherever it was that Maris lived.

I crouched to the ground, eye level with Poaka. “Be a good boy. I’ll be back very soon.”

He let out a whine.

“I know. You’re not used to being left behind, since you’re in the habit of leaving me. I swear, I’ll be back before you know it, just like when you disappear.”

Poaka grunted when I rubbed his fur. I had to do this. It was the only way to salvage our family.

I boarded the boat, swaying with it as it rocked on the waves. I tucked the salted fish beneath the seat and set to turning on the engine. I had no idea what all the other controls did, but I would soon figure it out.

I closed my eyes, inhaling the fresh scent of my home for a final time. I was already homesick for my hut. I need to leave. This is the only way to get Maris back.

Suddenly, a buzzing sounded in the distance. I looked up to see another boat sailing to shore, this new one with tinted windows I couldn’t see inside.

Fuck. The scientist leader had come back to check up on me again. I had thought he’d left for good.

The boat stopped, and I prepared for another inquisition.

“Going somewhere, sailor?”

My heart seized in my chest. My ears were playing tricks on me. I had heard her voice many times before, and each time, it had been my imagination. But…this time had sounded different. More real.

I couldn’t believe my sight when she hopped into the water and peered up at me. She shined like an angel, or some other worldly being in a green dress, like she had been born amongst the trees.

Poaka jetted up to her, splashing through the water that he hated very much, and she ran to greet him, her brown hair falling delicately over his fur.

I jumped down from the boat. “Maris?” I was unable to shake the disbelief.

“You remembered my name,” she joked, twisting her fingers as she always did when she was nervous. The redness on her face from the days of constant sunshine had disappeared, and her lean physique had softened slightly, giving her more noticeable curves. She had been beautiful before, but now she had a magnificent glow about her.

I approached her slowly, afraid she’d vanish as soon as I reached her. I wanted whatever this was to stay—this mirage, this dream—for as long as possible.

I reached my hand out, yet didn’t touch her, worried it would break the spell.

She took my hand in hers and pressed it to her cheek. I soaked in her warmth. “This is real.”

Her eyes glistened with tears. “It is.”

Mine grew wet, too. “You came back.”

She pressed a kiss to my palm. “I would never break a promise to you.”

“You didn’t stay with Eli?”

“Eli who?” She smiled. “There’s no one but you.”

I hugged her tightly, and she wrapped her arms around me and dug her fingers into my skin. It was as if we had been away from each other for a lifetime, but my heart mended immediately as I pressed her to it.

I pulled away, cradling her beautiful face. “How did you get here?”

“The university sent me. I worked out a deal with my boss. I will be permanently stationed here and head the bat treatment project. He will deliver medication and supplies by boat, and I will administer them.”

“Does that mean more scientists will be coming?”

She giggled, and my ears devoured the heavenly sound. “I heard how much you love them. On the contrary, they’ll go back in a month or two after we get a good handle on the roost locations, and I’ll manage here on my own. Every once and again, a few may come to help with treatment or set up new technology, but they’ll be mostly invisible.”

Her eyes twinkled as brightly as her smile, but I could see a light murkiness behind her shine.

“How are you?” I whispered. I had wished for her wellness and safety every night.

She shrugged as if she didn’t want to relive the details. “It was a rough few months away, but I made it out alive.”

I knew exactly how she felt. Both of us had experienced similar starts to life, and though we had been forced down different paths, our trauma had left us both orphaned enough to bring us together—to complete each other.

“And how long will you stay here?” Now that I had her back, I couldn’t imagine losing her again.

She bit her bottom lip, as if expecting rejection. “As long as you’ll have me, babe. I’m yours.”

I grinned, my heart ready to burst. “Forever, then.”

I lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around me. My lips found hers, and we kissed each other hungrily, picking up as if no time had ever been lost between us.

Fabric rubbed against my abdomen. “Three months away, and you started wearing panties again?”

“I couldn’t flash the captain of the boat my vagina when I was getting on and off. Plus, I brought more with me.”

I drew my neck back in disbelief. “You brought underwear?”

“Oh, yeah,” she answered excitedly. “And clothes, pots and pans, dishware, toys for Poaka, and more books for you!”

I searched around, not seeing any bags. “Where are they?”

“They’re still on the boat with the crew.” She waved back at the ship, still in my arms, and was greeted by a series of whistles from the men aboard.

I immediately pulled her dress down to cover her panties. “They’ve been watching us the whole time?”

She nodded, a wide smirk on her lips.

I let out a possessive growl and carried her far away from the audience. She was my woman and for my eyes only.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked, bouncing in my arms while I ran through the jungle at top speed. I was a man on a mission.

“To the hut.”

“But my bags!”

“Fuck the bags. They can wait.”

“Why?”

“Because I have plans to ruin this underwear first…in private.”

She giggled as I carried her into the hut and threw her onto the bed. The hem of her skirt slid high on her thighs, and her breasts heaved as I lifted the fabric, exposing red lace.

I hummed thoughtfully, tracing my finger along the edges.

“Like them?” she asked shyly.

“ Love them.”

She raised her head and whispered, “Good, because I packed some more lingerie for us to enjoy.”

Excitement bubbled in my chest. I had read about them in novels and seen them in magazines, but seeing them firsthand was more exhilarating, especially when Maris was the one wearing them.

I pressed my nose to the apex between her legs, inhaling the scent I’d missed so much. She gripped my hair, and I couldn’t wait any longer for her. I pulled down her panties and slid them off her legs.

“I thought you were going to rip them off like a caveman.”

“I’m saving them. They’re sexy on you, and I want to see you in them when I tie you up later and fuck your mouth.” I ran my finger down her drenched slit.

A seductive hiss escaped her lips. “I don’t remember you being this slutty. I’m impressed.”

“What can I say? You drive me wild.” I plunged into her, sheathing my pulsing cock inside her warm walls.

Her back arched as I pumped into her, reaching so deep inside that I could feel her heart pounding only for me. Our breathing grew ragged.

She cupped my face. “I love you so much.”

“There will never exist a day when I will stop loving you, even after I leave this earth.”

We moved in unison, our souls joined and chasing our destiny together again, and finally, this wild life felt like home.