Chapter 50

I waited until I heard the zipper close behind Kathryn as she left the tent before relaxing - slumping, really, a curse escaping my lips. This had started off easy - so much to do, so little time to ourselves - but it was getting harder. Kathryn was in her element here, out in the wilds, doing what she entered this field to do, and it made her more irresistable than ever.

It wasn't just the sensible vests and cargo shorts, though she wore them better than anyone I had ever seen before. It was her passion for the beautiful place we were staying and her dedication to documenting as much as she could in order to preserve it. Even her short temper with Georgie and Tim was born of a desire to protect; she clearly considered our presence to be incredibly important and it made me feel good that she had wanted me there too.

I lay back on my cot, making a face as I felt that the mattress no longer felt dry, the humidity having settled on it even zipped away in here from the forest outside. My hair was clinging to my forehead and neck in damp tendrils already and I was very glad that it wasn't any longer.

Just then Jonas unzipped his section of the tent; we hadn't quite worked out a system for our 'rooms' but luckily nothing disastrous had occurred yet. "Where'd my mum go?"

"Went to talk to Georgie and Tim," I murmured, "why?"

"Dunno," he said with a shrug. "Just wondered. It's still raining out."

"Yep. Want a couple of rounds of Shithe- Danish?"

He grinned and unzipped the section more fully. "Sure. Shithead it is."

 

We were still playing, having abandoned Danish and moved onto Spit, sitting crosslegged opposite one another on the groundsheet, when Kathryn returned. She was, not surprisingly, soaked through, and she drew shouts of protest as she leaned forward and squeezed her dripping hair over her son's head.

"Jesus Christ, mum!" he protested, jumping to his feet.

"Sorry, love - it's a bit wet out there," she said with a grin. "What are you two playing?"

"Spit," I offered, but Jonas was already waving his hand, scowling as he turned to make his way back through into his 'room'.

"I'm going to go play my DS," he said.

"Have fun!" Kathryn called, plopping down on the ground next to her cot and reaching for a small towel she had folded underneath. "Teenagers. You've got to love them."

"...Or you'll axe-murder them?" I grinned, pushing to my feet and sitting back down on the bed. "You really are soaked," I said then, my eyes trailing of their own accord over the sight of Kathryn literally dripping wet, her clothes clinging to her in ways that were doing nothing to help my permanent fight against my obsession.

"Well," she replied with a shrug, "you get used to it. Though I understand if you don't want to venture out in it just yet."

"I... think I'll stay here for now. At least until I have to leave for food," I said with a chuckle as my stomach grumbled.

"Ah, well, it should be over soon. Until it starts again."

I smirked a little. "I knew I should've brought more books."

"There's always cards..."

"Y'know, I think I played myself out of Shithead on that ferry trip..."

Kathryn chuckled, tossing the towel over her head and rubbing at her hair vigorously. "Fair enough."

"I guess I could get really good at building card houses," I said, my eyes following every movement. With her arms raised over her head it was difficult not to look at her breasts, and it wasn't like she could catch me doing it...

"Don't worry," she assured me, still under the towel. "I'll work you hard enough that you'll be glad of the break."

"Mhm?" Her shirt was still clinging to her front, still damp along with the sports bra beneath it. I could even see a hint of the outline of her nipples, presumably due to the water being cool even in this stifling heat... I squirmed. Suddenly a cold shower didn't sound like such a bad idea...

"I envision a lot of afternoon naps," she said, dropping the towel to her lap suddenly and grinning at me. Was I blushing? I was tingling from head to foot but in this heat I couldn't tell. I hoped she couldn't either.

"Not the worst plan I've heard," I murmured. I hadn't slept well at all the previous night - I'd lain still, eyes closed, scared to toss and turn and risk waking Kathryn but unable to sleep with her lying, so close and yet, as the saying has it, so far.

"Well then. If you want to get one now I'll wake you when dinner's ready," she offered, raising her eyebrows.

Now that I'd thought about it I did feel pretty tired. "Do you think that would be okay? I should really help prep food..."

"No, no need. We've got plenty of hands. You get some rest, okay?"

And somehow, I did. Something about lying in the tent with Kathryn pottering around, packing or unpacking or repacking this and that, checking over notes, moving equipment, was relaxing where lying in a cot next to her had been excruciating, and despite (or perhaps because of) the rain battering down outside, I actually managed to fall asleep.

 

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