Wild Heart
'On they raced, the caravan smoothly rocking, its timbers creaking gently. Jasmine put more green cream on Lief's face, and the stinging pain eased a little…'
"Lief, you need to rest…please?"
It was this last word that finally made Lief relax into a comfortable sitting position. Jasmine was rarely so polite, and it was the shock of her manners more than anything that made Lief calm down. The raw patches on his face stung badly, but he didn't make the slightest sound. He hated seeming weak in front of Jasmine, especially with his newly awakened feelings towards her. Sighing, he found his gaze drawn to the woman in question as she tended to the slumbering Barda. Lief loved the way her wild hair framed her face, and he loved her watchful, wary eyes. He admired her courage and wit, and lately had wondered what it would feel like to hold her in his arms, to rest the bare, tanned flesh of her upper leg against his own-
Grimacing, Lief cut off this train of thought. Now was not the time for such fantasies! Besides, Jasmine would only tease or ridicule him about his feelings. He knew there was something special between them, but he also knew that Jasmine's sharp mind would not ever be experiencing the same thoughts as his, that her heart would not be burning with the same desire to press her lips against Lief's own, passionate and-
Lief cut off his wild emotions once more, and groaned softly when the light caught Jasmine perfectly and threw the definite curves of her body into sharp relief- it just made talking to her casually all the more difficult.
Jasmine must have heard his groan, for she sprang up and was beside him immediately. Tender care and friendship flowed from her eyes- but could there be something else? Lief thought he caught a glimpse of his own internal passion and lust and longing in Jasmine's eyes, but said nothing. He was probably mistaken.
"I am fine, Jasmine," he managed to croak out, his throat aching terribly. He smiled as she frowned at him then he scowled when she held up a little jar full of smooth green paste. "More? Far out, Jasmine! It hurts like hell."
Jasmine smiled sadly at him. "It helps though, Lief. And you need to be as strong as you can be when we face Laughing Jack." Seeing her point, Lief nodded reluctantly. As she was unscrewing the jar lid, Jasmine spoke again. "It is a good thing we are alone, Lief. At least only one person will need to know what a baby you are." She was making a feeble joke, but Lief laughed all the same. It felt good.
"Joke all you want, Jasmine, but secretly you are absolutely terrified of me and my terrible powers."
Jasmine laughed too. "Powers? What 'powers'?"
Lief looked at her, laughter dancing behind his solemn eyes. "Tickling, of course." Jasmine's eyes widened in surprise, but before she could move, Lief launched himself at her and started tickling her mercilessly. He knew that they should be concentrating on their task ahead, but this opportune moment with Jasmine was too good to ignore.
After a few moments of breathless giggling, Jasmine begged for mercy, and so Lief ceased his attack. He smiled lovingly at her- she looked so adorable with her hair all messed up and a blush in her cheeks. "You will pay for that, oh King," she smiled, holding up the open jar of green paste. Lief groaned- he had forgotten about that. "How about we tell each other our deepest, darkest secrets," she whispered, grinning. "All my terrible deeds will distract you from crying your eyes to shreds."
Lief rolled his eyes at her. "I am not afraid of pain. Pfft. But secrets, you say? I have plenty. You first."
He sounded casual, but inside his heart was thumping at one hundred miles per hour. He knew that his biggest secret was the way he felt about Jasmine, but he would never tell her that.
As she scooped up some of the pale cream with the tips of her fingers, Jasmine began to speak. "Alright then…this will hurt. Okay…when I met you and Barda? The first night we fell asleep together…I thought about killing you both and running off." Lief looked at her, shocked, completely oblivious to the dull throbbing in his temple as Jasmine applied the cream in methodical, circular actions. He was completely entranced by her voice, and the fact that she was so close to him, so awfully, unbearably close. Jasmine continued to speak. "It would have been so easy, Lief…so easy to just slit your throats and slip away…but something stopped me."
Lief tilted his head, the question written clearly in his face.
"You did," Jasmine whispered. "I- I had my dagger at your throat, but then…then the moonlight caught your face, and I- I…" She broke off, beginning to blush.
"You what?"
Jasmine sighed, her face burning now. "." Lief stared, then cleared his throat.
"Sorry, Jasmine, I didn't quite catch that…?" He stopped speaking, wondering if his ears had deceived him, or if he was just delirious.
Jasmine tut-tutted and hid behind her hair. "And…and I saw…all of my hopes and- and dreams inside the handsomest face I had ever seen…you, Lief. I saw you." She met Lief's eyes and cleared her throat. "Anyway…I still need to do the burn on your collarbone…do- do you have a secret, Lief?" She smiled, trying to forget what she had just told him, and bent forward to apply the last of the paste. But something stopped her.
Lief was staring intensely into her eyes, and the already awkward atmosphere between them thickened. "I do have a secret," he said, and there was no amusement in his voice. Jasmine waited with baited breath, her hand hovering in midair- "I love you, Jasmine."
There. Finally, he said it. Looking into her eyes, Lief was shocked to see his own longing reflected in them, intensified one-hundred-fold. Jasmine opened her mouth to say something, but before she could get a word out, Lief leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. He felt Jasmine stiffen at the contact, but only for a moment. A second later, she relaxed into his kiss, dropping the jar of green paste and pressing herself up against him.
Smiling inside, Lief wrapped his arms around Jasmine's waist, just as she snaked her own arms around his chest. He pulled her to him, and she nestled into his lap comfortably. Her fingers found his hair and she pushed them into it. At the same time, Lief was burying his hands into Jasmine's wild, ebony tangles, like he had so often longed to do. His hand dropped lightly to her arm, and he ran his fingers along it gently, a butterfly touch that made Jasmine sigh contentedly. Her hands came around to the front of his chest and towards the buttons that kept his shirt firmly closed. She undid the first one and was letting her fingers drift down to the second one, when-
"What the blazes is going on here?" Barda's voice cut through their passion, and Lief felt Jasmine jump. The broke apart and she slip to the floor beside Lief.
"Um…" Jasmine said, clearing her throat. "Helping?" she said, picking up the jar of green paste and holding it up. Barda glared at her and Lief, and then rolled his eyes.
"About time…" he muttered to himself, and drifted back to sleep. A smile twitched at the edges of Lief's mouth, and suddenly he and Jasmine were both laughing.
"H- hungry, Lief?" Jasmine gasped after getting herself under control.
"Yes…" Lief replied, giving her a devilish grin. "But not for food, Jasmine…something much sweeter, I think."
Jasmine grinned. "I know exactly how you feel," she said, and closed the distance between them.
Author's Note: I know I took a few liberties here…such as Lief and Jasmine are unlikely to be making out before trying to destroy an evil villain…but oh well. Sorry for any of the slip ups with the language- I'm not used to writing without apostrophes and contractions, so…oh, and the changing between perspectives was intentional, because that is really how Deltora Quest is written…isn't it?