Brazilian Hearts

His lips again sought hers and she grabbed his hair pulling him tightly to her. He broke the kiss and began to move down her neck seeking the sweet taste there. His lips ran along it and found the rhythm of her pulse. One hand cupped her breast and toyed with the nipple. He marveled at how it grew and hardened into a small nub which his mouth eagerly sought. The other hand moved down to her legs and parted them. He slowly rubbed her sex, moistening it.

She in turn, grasped his penis and began stroking it. It came to full length and she could peel back his foreskin and feel the lubrication of his pre-cum. Impatient, he rolled her over on her back and stationed himself between her legs. He looked down at her glistening in the night. He gazed back into her eyes, his own filled with an unasked question. Letceicia moved her hand back to his erect penis, then stroking it she nodded.

The hunter moved the tip of his penis to her opening and rubbed the tip against its length. The girl rose against him. Slowly he pushed and met the resistance he had been told to expect. Firmly, using his legs for leverage, he pushed harder. Then, in one quick thrust he entered her. Her mouth hissed against the pain. He stopped and gazed at her again, unsure as to what to do. With firm assurance she began to move her hips and he joined her in a rocking motion. Small tears formed at the corner of her eyes as he took her. José looked down, briefly concerned at the small rivulet of blood running down the inside of her thigh. For a moment he stopped his motion.

Letceicia, however was not ready to concede. She pulled hard at his neck her hips insistent. Her mouth and teeth sought his shoulder and she bit into it, the coppery flavor of his blood heating hers. Slowly their rocking picked up and the sobs of pain from the girl were replaced by pants of desire.

The intensity of their thrusts increased as José began to moan. This had not been like his brief encounter in Manaus. This was a giving and taking between a man and woman. His bucking increased as did hers. The girl now was all passion, any remnant of the pain expunged by her need. The hands reached under her, cupping her round bom-bom and pushed himself fully into her. Their movements increased as they both began the long climb to the little death.

In the night they reached their climax together, his cock pulsating as he emptied himself into her and her muscle contracted around him, milking him of every drop. They both fell exhausted to the ground. They had just enough time for one lingering kiss. Letceicia tore a piece of cloth from his shirt and wiped herself, conscious of the raw blood. She then threw it as far into the night as possible. Then they both relaxed in each others' arm and fell into a deep consuming sleep.

They came awake with the jungle. Still wrapped in one another from the previous night, José's was the first pair of eyes to open. The first thing he took in was her face, serene in sleep. A stray strand of hair brushed her faced pushed by her rhythmic breath. His hand reached up and gently touched her cheek, his fingers tracing down the firm outline of her jaw, his eyes following. His gaze drew up along the soft flush of her dimpled cheek to the outline of a small ear.

His attention moved to the outline of her eyes, still closed in sleep. Even now, small lines were beginning, brought on by her smiles and laughter. In the years to come these would deepen, bringing strength and character. The forehead was still smooth.

The mouth was slightly open revealing just a hint of her sharp, white teeth. Last night, in the throes of their lovemaking she had used them on his shoulder as she had ridden him to her fulfillment. The lips were fill and soft.

Her eyes opened and focused on him. "Good morning," she breathed.

His mouth came down over hers. Her arm came up and circled his neck and drew him closer. With a strength which belied her size she pushed him over. She threw a leg over his and reached down grasping his already hard cock. She pumped it a few times. Then she held it and set her body down on it. José could feel his cock push into her warmth. It was still tight and clamped him to her but without the resistance of the previous night's adventures. Her face found his and her eyes blazed into his as she rode him.

There was none of the trepidation of the previous night, just the mutual need of two animals in nature, in accordance with natures plan. Her hips rotated and moved, the strong muscles of her thighs keeping him locked in place. José struggled to match her intensity. Her hands found his chest and she used his strength to brace herself. Her fingers dug into his chest as her breathing quickened in time with her movements.

His hand clutched at her hips as she rocked. They moved faster as their release approached. She took one hand and began to massage her breast. A low moan escaped her. José felt his own need rise as his crotch tightened. Sensing this, the girl reached back behind her and gently took him in her hand and began to gently massage his balls sack. Unable to withstand this added assault, José pushed his hips up, both his hips and the girl. She threw her head back and she felt his cock throb and spurt deep inside her. Within seconds they were both spent. The girl relaxed and lay down on the hunter's chest and they both waited for their breath to return.

She looked up at her man and smiled. They kissed.

"We must go. We have already spent too much time here," she observed.

"What about breakfast, José asked returning her smile.

"You have just had it. We can eat on the way," she replied, disengaging herself. She tore another piece of cloth and wiped herself. José smiled as she handed him the remains of his tattered shirt. Quickly they gathered their remaining items and headed off in the direction of the Rio Negro.

For the next hour, they swept through the jungle trying to put as much distance as possible between them and any pursuer. Shortly after mid-morning, José stopped. The girl pushed to move past him. His arm shot out and grabbed hers.

She looked at him inquiringly. He motioned to a patch of ground in front of them.

"Not that way," he said. The girl examined the ground ahead of her but couldn't see anything out of place. She said so.

"See the patchwork of fronds lying there and just there," he explained pointing.

The girl followed his pointing finger. "Yes, what of it?"

"That is a trap used by the chefe Buck for capturing el Tigre. The beast walks across and its weight is enough to cause the collapse. The pit is very deep." His eyes began sweeping the surrounding bush. "He must have moved into this area recently. That could work in our favor."

"Well, that is interesting but we need to be moving. We are being followed."

José glanced at her. "How do you know?"

"I just know," Letceicia answered. She motioned off to a point to their left. "We can go this way. About three hundred yards in that direction is a place where the river narrows. There is a ford people sometimes use to cross the water. Often it is too swift to cross but the rain was light last night so it may still be passable," she explained.

They set off in the direction and after a short while came into the area. The river was high but there, still suspended and visible across a narrow channel was a suspension of three ropes. Two ran parallel to one another and formed the basis for the walkway. Across and interwoven with these was a system of boarding. The third was situated higher up and acted as a handhold for the journey across. Despite evidence of attempts at ongoing maintenance, its use would be treacherous at the best of times.

They drew near the bridge when a shot from the jungle to their right stopped them. The couple turned to the sound. Out from the foliage stepped the man, Ignacio. In his band he carried a long tubular blow gun and at his waist hung a machete similar to the one José possessed. He stood about fifty yards from them.

"Letceicia, I knew you would come here to cross, but I expected you sooner." He smirked.

"How did you get here before us?" she asked.

"Simple. I knew where you would bring this one. I traveled all night to get here before you and wait. I have been here waiting most of the morning."

José calculated the odds. The man was bigger than José, not as muscular but the blowgun was the great equalizer. He knew that before he could close the distance, the blow gun would come up and he would die in agony from the curare laced dart. Even if fate stepped in and the man missed, the machete at his side could swipe of the hunters head owing to the longer reach. And there was the girl to consider.

José turned to Letceicia, speaking in a low timbre. "We have one chance; I have an idea. When I say, I want you to run for the clearing we just came from."

"The one with the trap?" she whispered incredulously.

"Yes. Don't argue, just do it. Can you make it?"

She snorted. "I will be there while you are still turning around," she said.

"Good, then I won't have to wait for you," he whispered in reply.

Ignacio started toward them. "I am going to enjoy killing you, stranger. You came in and stole from me and you deserve death for that. The woman is mine as is the power she and her father possess. With it I will be the head man of the village. They will serve me. "

José grinned. "I doubt that, porco! You have to catch us first. Now! Go!" The last commands were directed toward the girl. He and Letceicia took off back toward the clearing.

They ran back toward the clearing where the trap had been. It was a risk, but a calculated one. If José could inflame the man enough to make him careless, but it was a large if. They never looked back; the sounds of crashing jungle behind told them that the villager was right behind them. The only worry José really had was that the man would tire of the chase and bring his blow gun to bear but if José had read his man right, his pride would prevent him from doing that. He would want to kill José with his own hands.

The pair entered the area and took up a position just the other side of clearing. With a crash, their pursuer came into the clearing and stopped short. Jose would have to lure him in closer. Wit slow deliberation the hunter drew his machete.

"You want her? Come and get her! Personally, I think she would rather mate with a lizard than you, porco!" he taunted.

Jose had guessed right. The place to strike this one was in his most vulnerable spot, his pride. Ignacio, pulled his own weapon and advanced, hi eyes burning holes into the hunter.

"Porco, eh? We will see who porco is when I am feeding your entrails to the monkeys!" he sputtered. He came forward heedless of anything save his hatred and his injured pride. In four long strides he was on the latticed carpet of fronds. He knew his mistake immediately but it was too late to recover. The branches gave way and with a scream he fell the fifteen feet to the bottom of the pit, a new specimen for the chefe Buck.

Jose walled over to the edge and peered in. The man was lying still unconscious. Letceicia came up and smiled. "The Americano will be surprised at this capture." She laughed.

"Yes, he will. I would like to be the one to put him in the cage." He turned to the girl.

Letceicia gazed back down at the man lying at the bottom of the pit. "He is a greedy man. Hungry for power he can never control. Perhaps you should kill him now"

Jose looked from the woman to the man. "No, that would solve nothing. By the time he recovers and is freed we will be long gone from this place. And the spirits would not like killing a helpless man for no good reason." He turned away for the pit. "Besides ending on life is not a good way to begin ours, Letceicia. We could wait here until someone comes to check the trap. In that way I could get my money sooner and maybe the chefe will have a quicker way to Manuas. What do you think?

Letceicia shook her head. "No, I want to be well gone before he awakens. Besides, we don't know what else may come looking for a meal from this porco. Your friend can still bring you your money. It is better to be on our way."

José nodded. They set off back to ward the river. Within two hours they were free from her people's territory and heading towards Manaus. Their life together there would just begin.



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…………and so they married and the rest you know." Maria finished happily.

Astonished, I sat back thinking over the last hour and the tale my wife had just told. Did I believe it? Of course not! Spirit theft? Flying in the air, alternate realities, bruxa's and shamans, stealing a woman from her people, passionate lovemaking in the Brazilian jungle? The chefe Buck could only have referred to the legendary hunter of the 20's and 30's Frank "Bring 'Em Back Alive" Buck. How could I believe it? Just how gullible did she think I was?

And yet, as we put the first lustrum of the new century behind us, I also questioned of how much in life we can be assured? Aircraft can bear down and destroy the greatest structures built by man; tsunamis take tens of thousands of lives and show us just how fragile our existence is on this little blue ball in an obscure solar system on the edge of a galaxy. All too often, our lives seemed to be at the mercy of pure chance than to any guiding principle yet discovered.

Maybe there are alternate realities. Maybe when evil strikes it is brought on by our own inattention to our world and our place in it. Maybe we have all 'lost our spirits' and need to recover them. Maybe we need to find a balance between our fear of the vaguer ties of life and the wonder of it. Maybe some things are just meant to be.

But then again, maybe Maria was just putting me on.

I looked at the photos. "Querida, I have a question. If the forest people thought that taking a photo stole your spirit or soul or whatever," I held up the photo of Maria's grandmother, "how is it you have this?"

The music of her laughter filled the room. "Oh, Peter you are such a silly man at times. Those were taken years after they were married and were living in Santos. And besides, you don't think all brasileiros are so silly as to believe that superstition, do you?"

I didn't know for sure whether that justified as response. I decided to let it pass and instead contemplated the two photos from a time and world away from mine. I couldn't help but marvel at how these two people, whatever the validity of their story, had been responsible for beginning a journey the culmination of which now shared my life and bed. The new life which now grew inside of my loving Maria would ensure their legacy for generations to come. We were all of us bound.

Maria rose up and kissed me. Our tongues again met in that brief and heated dance we had come to know so well. I held her close.

"Are you coming to bed, meu caro?" she whispered into my ear.

"You go along and I will be right in, querida. I have to rinse out my cup and put it in the washer. Plus, I have to set out the coffee your mamacita sent us for John so I don't forget it in the morning. His eyeballs are going to cross when he tastes that!" I grinned at the thought.

She smiled. "Well, hurry. All this talk has left me excited and I need you, meu homem velho."

That was certainly motivation enough for me. I patted her bottom as she went off down the hall to our bedroom. Watching the sway of that bottom was bewitching enough for any man in this reality or another.

"And, Peter?" she called back.

"Sim, minha cara?"

"Take the empty carton out of my refrigerator and put it in the garbage where it belongs," her voice called back.

I stepped over to the refrigerator and peered in. The carton was still there exactly as I had left it. I picked it up and shook it. It was still empty. My eyes went from the carton to the direction of our bedroom and then stepped over to toss the empty carton in the trash. As I placed the sack of roasted, ground Brazilian coffee beans on the table for work tomorrow, I couldn't help but wonder:

How in the hell had she known about that?