“Just when you think it’s safe to go back into the jungle,” she whispered aloud, afraid if she spoke too loudly the cat would return. “Rio? Rio, where are you?”
The door was open to the night, the mosquito net blowing gently in the mild breeze. The rain was a soft fall in the distance. Rachael sat up, taking care not to jar her leg. She had more strength, but her leg was swollen and painful even with slight movement. Dragging on Rio’s shirt, muttering as it snagged on her broken wrist, she threw back the
cover. The gun fell to the floor with a clatter, the noise loud in the stillness of the night.
With a little sigh, Rachael fished around for it, reaching with her fingertips, trying to spare her leg until she was forced to move. There was no sound, but she felt the impact of his eyes. At once she could breathe easier. Rachael looked up to find Rio’s wide shoulders filling the doorway. She was used to the fact that he rarely wore clothes in the house. That his body was as hard as a rock. That there was something dangerous and different about him she couldn’t quite put her finger on. But she would never get over the sure power of his eyes.
“Aside from the fact that you left the door open and a leopard decided to visit, you have to stop taking these midnight strolls/Hasn’t anyone ever told you the forest can be dangerous at night?” Rachael curled her fingers into the blanket, making a fist, wishing she could jam it in her mouth and shut up for a change. Could she sound any more ridiculous lecturing him about the dangers of the forest when he knew far better than she? It was just that she’d been so afraid and the relief of having him back safe and unharmed was overpowering.
Rio sauntered fully into the room, totally nude but as confident as if he were wearing a three-piece suit. “I’m not about to let anything happen to you, Rachael. I should have closed the door when you were alone in the house, but I was right outside.” His gaze moved over her face, a moody, edgy examination. “Were you-trying to get out of bed?”
She forced a soft laugh. “Rachael to the rescue. I was going to put the leopard in a choke hold if it attacked you.”
He stared at her for a long moment before a slow smile spread across his face. Her heart did a funny little flip.
“What a thought, Rachael. I have this visual of you wrestling with a leopard and it’s enough to turn my hair
gray.
She loved his hair. Shaggy and untamed but shiny clean,
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like silk. “Rio, put some clothes on. Honestly, you’re making life very difficult for me.”
“Because I’m always in a state of arousal around you?” His words were low, velvet soft. The impact was physical. Her body simply dissolved into liquid heat.
She couldn’t help but see him—unashamed, natural, alone. He looked so alone standing there like a Greek god, a statue of the perfect male, with roped muscles and penetrating eyes and a sinful mouth. She wanted to be feeling absolute lust. Nothing else, just good old-fashioned lust. A fling that would burn hot and burn out leaving only ashes and good wishes and freedom behind. It didn’t help that she’d been dreaming strange, passionate dreams about making wild love with him.
How did she know she could drive him mad by simply running her fingertips up his thigh? How did she know his eyes would change, gleam like bright emeralds, hot and bright, consuming her with desire? She had seen tears in his eyes. She had heard his voice husky with passion. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, to free herself from the strange memories that were hers … yet not hers.
“While I’ll admit you’re more than tempting, and distracting, I’m not in shape to feel very sexy, Rio.” It was a blatant lie. Rachael had never felt sexier in her life. She sighed heavily. “It scares me when you go off like that. I’m really afraid something might happen to you. It’s not like I’m in any shape to go charging to the rescue.”