Chapter eleven

"Joseph, I know you are pushing yourself. Please listen to me. We've been moving for hours now. Let's find a place to stop for the rest of the day."

"Clarisse..."

"No Joseph, you need to rest. Carrying me all the way is going to take its toll. I mean, what if you injure yourself? What then? What good will you be to either of us?" She looked in his eyes, sweat dripping from his brow. "Please Joseph."

When he heard her final plea, he knew he would have to stop. Honestly, his body had told him the same thing over an hour ago. Only he had refused to listen to it.

"I'll stop at the next place I find." She smiled at his words. His arms tightened around her. "Your Majesty," he added.

"Your Queen commands you to rest," she replied, feeling the security in his arms. "Your Queens needs you far too much for something to happen to you."

"You should have just said that in the first place."

Joseph followed what must have been an animal trail for another half hour. Just as Clarisse was getting restless, he stopped.

"Joseph?"

"Shhh," he whispered, looking around. He turned in circles, tuning his ears to another frequency.

"Joseph, you're scaring me."

"Water. I hear water." He began moving again.

Taking them off the beaten path, Joseph pushed himself, back first, through a mangled mass of bushes. When the limbs no longer scratched across him, he turned and sighed a sigh of relief.

"Oh my, Joseph," she said through the humid air. "Is this what I think it is?"

"I do believe, madam, we have found our resting place." He walked on over to a flat rock surface and sat her gently down. "Don't worry, few animals like hot water." She smiled at his comment.

"I knew there were some up here. I mean, I remember reading something about them on the spreadsheet when the boundary was being drawn for the reserve." Clarisse watched him drop the rest of his load and sit down next to her.

He took a long drink from the canteen and passed it to her. "Joseph," she stopped long enough to drink, "Do you think it's safe to soak it?" She passed it back to him, waiting for his answer while he screwed the lid back on tightly.

"I don't see why not. It may be too hot, though. We'll have to test it out. First, let's eat. I'm famished, and you haven't eaten either."

Joseph had set up quite a makeshift camp for the night, and was even able to get a small fire started. It burned slowly, as the limbs were still quite damp, but still it burned. Clarisse sat next to it, warming herself as an evening cooling of the air began. It wouldn't get too cool, but still the fire was nice to have for light.

"Joseph do you have something against fruit?" She popped the dried pear slice into her mouth.

"Why would you ask that?"

"Oh come on. I have never saw you eat any." She offered him a dried banana, proving her point as he refused, choosing nuts instead.

"I like pears, but have gotten so tired of them, they are everywhere. What I really enjoy are strawberries." She looked to him, wondering how he would look nibbling on a juicy red one.

"Strawberries. I'll see if I can't make sure we have plenty in the palace."

"NO. I mean, I like them very much, but strawberries are meant to be eaten on special occasions." His voice was soft and low, and he had a vision inside his head only Clarisse could see.

"Strawberries," she repeated.

"Hm."

Finishing his handful of nuts, Joseph slipped off his hiking boots. He scooted down to the edge of the rock cliff and dangled his feet over, slowly letting them fall below the waterline. He sighed, watching the steam rise before him.

"Clarisse, this is wonderful. It'll be good for your injuries too." He turned back to her, slipping off his shirt before her. "Feel like a swim, I'll be right here with you."

"How about I just soak my foot first, and then I'll see about the rest of me...although a warm bath sounds magnificent."

Joseph laid the blanket on the edge for her to sit upon, then helped her strip down to her undergarments, along with unwrapping her arm and ankle. She grimaced slightly as they were moved, but soon adjusted to them being free. Scooping her up, he carried her the few steps to the blanket, and let her down easily. Joseph stayed beside her until she had successfully submerged her feet into the hot water.

"Oh this feels so wonderful." He smiled to her and walked around, stepping over several sharp edges until he found a smooth place to slip into the hot springs. He quickly disrobed, feeling free and unashamed.

"This feels even better." Dipping himself under, he came up quickly, feeling rejuvenated. "Clarisse, you have to come in."

"Joseph, my arm."

"I know, I'll help you. Here, you can sit here, it's not too deep." Joseph sat down, showing her the water only came up to his mid-chest.

She couldn't help but look upon him, his body so sleek and handsome. He was everything to her, and here she was dreaming of him being even more. Her arm and foot throbbed, but to be honest with herself, Clarisse felt the throbbing in other places as well. Her skin was surly to flush, and she hoped she could blame the heat from the springs.

Swimming over to her, Joseph rested his arms on the rock she sat on. He lifted her ankle tenderly, studying its state of injury. Sighing at its color, he submitted it once more to the warmth of the water.

"Here," he held out his hands, "slip right into my arms." With his arms outstretched before her, he was more than a temptation than even she had realized. He had every intention of being a gentleman, but inside herself Clarisse secretly wished for more. "My..," she looked down upon her half naked body, "well what I have on will get wet."

"I have more of your things for you." she raised her brow.

"You do?"

"Yeah, I managed to grab a few things from your luggage." She held out her good arm to him, scooting herself to the edge of the rock.

She was light in the water, and Joseph easily guided her over to the shallow end. He watched as she laid her head back, closed her eyes, and let the warmth of the heat relax and refresh her. She was beautiful, and Joseph found it hard to take his eyes from her.

Keeping an eye out for any unwanted visitors, Joseph let himself freely swim in the deep end of the natural bath. The bubbles rising from underneath him felt heavenly as they ran across his skin, eager to reach the surface. Heated nice and evenly, his skin became darkened.

So did his eyes.

Being this close to her, like this, was heating his body to the extreme. Still, he had to maintain control, for this was not a pleasure trip. He could not help but think that being anyplace with her was his pleasure.

Moving smoothly through the water, Joseph swam over to her, quietly watching her breath. Her chest rose and fell, and Joseph's eyes rose and fell with her cleavage. Her smooth porcelain skin was pinkish from the heat, and Joseph yearned to touch it. How could he not?

Always knowing, Clarisse felt his eyes upon her, and then felt them draw even closer. Either her heart was skipping beats, or beating so quickly she couldn't feel the throbbing within her veins. Just as she parted her eyelids, his lips pressed to hers, and she closed them again. She closed them, concentrating only on his touch, on the fire he ignited within her body.