Page 19 of Love in the Wild

Eden watched as Thorne and the elephant shared a look of gentle, friendly affection that made her heart swell.

“Nature’s great masterpiece, the elephant; the only harmless great thing.” Eden echoed the old quote by the philosopher John Donne as she was pulled into the bull elephant’s quiet, contemplative gaze. Peace like she had never known before settled into her soul.

“What does that mean?” Thorne asked.

“It means ...” She thought it over carefully before responding. “It means that elephants are not predators like lions. They are dangerous when provoked, yes, like all animals, but at their core, they are kind, they are loving, and as one of the largest creatures on the planet, that is a rare thing, to have power and not use it to hurt others. Elephants are compassionate and gentle.” Which made it all the more painful to think of how often these creatures, like the gorillas, were slaughtered by poachers.

“No sadness,” Thorne whispered as he brushed the pads of his thumbs over her cheeks, wiping away tears she hadn’t even been aware of.

“I’m not sad,” she confessed. “I’m full of joy.”

“Eden is happy?”

“Very happy.” She curled her arms around Tembo’s trunk and hugged, unafraid of him now. She laughed as the tip of his trunk tugged on her hair, which was falling loose past her shoulders. The elephant trumpeted, but the sound was soft, sweet.

“Tembo says you have hair of sunlight.”

“Hair of sunlight?” She loved the sound of that, but then it hit her what he’d just said. “Wait, youunderstandhim?”

Thorne nodded, but he did not explain further. He reached up to touch her hair, his fingers coiling in the strands. He must have been using the elephant as a means to say what he actually wanted to say. That was it.

Eden knew she had to look terrible right now. Humidity was not her friend. But from the look on Thorne’s face, he clearly thought she was beautiful. There was a mix of innocence blended with a primal desire in his eyes that made her tremble. How could this stranger fill her with such a potent longing for things that she didn’t think she’d ever find?

Thorne peered down at her, his fingertips moving from her hair to her face. He explored her cheek, her forehead, then her lips. She stared back up at him, her heart beating like a bird trapped in a cage, desperate to be freed. Was he going to kiss her? She wanted him to, as crazy as that was.

“Beautiful female,” he whispered. His hand moved to her neck, touching her collarbone, and then slowly moved down toward her breasts. She almost leaned into his gentle, exploring touch but recalled herself and flinched back. He became tense and sniffed around them, as though he expected to find a reason for her pulling away.

“Sorry. It’s just, we don’t know each other. People shouldn’t touch like that unless ... they know each other, you know?”

Thorne’s head tilted to one side. “Thorne know you. You are Eden.” He said her name in that husky tone of his. “Mates.”

She blinked, dazed by that simple declaration. He thought she was his mate?Men.“Thorne, have you been with a woman before?”

“I am with you,” he replied confidently.

“Yes. Yes, you are.” She tried not to stare at his muscled chest, which was calling for her to touch it. She wanted to explore his body as he’d been exploring hers.

“What I mean is, have youmatedwith anyone before?” She hoped to God he understood what she meant. Understanding crossed his stormy eyes, and a blush stained his cheeks. He looked away toward the elephants, who had wandered past them.

“No. Eden is Thorne’s first mate.”

A virgin jungle god. I’m either blessed or cursed.She honestly wasn’t sure which.

“Look, Thorne, we are not mates.”

“You have mate? I will fight for you.” He puffed up his chest, and she couldn’t help but notice how tall he really was. The idea of him fighting for her should not have been hot, but it was. No modern woman would ever admit that, but she was in a primal world with a primal man.

“No, I have no mate, Thorne.”

The ferocity in his expression softened. “Good. You are Thorne’s mate.”

Men.

He reached for her face again. Eden caught his hand between hers, holding on to his palm. His skin was rough and calloused, his fingers strong and the backs of his knuckles scarred with faint scratches. She wondered what he had endured out here. Her heart was strangely heavy at the thought of him alone in the jungle for what seemed like his whole life. Where was his family? Why hadn’t he stayed with them? He still gazed at her with that sweet, intense hunger. She had to get him off the idea of mating and back to the answers she needed.

“Can you take me to the white rock?”

His eyes narrowed, as though he sensed she was distracting him.

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