Page 10 of One Weekend in Rio de Janeiro

“Vacation. It was going to be a bucket list trip.”

“Really?” He popped the entire cookie in his mouth, dusted the crumbs off his hands and leaned back against the thick tree trunk. “Never been to Rio?”

“No, but I’ve wanted to go for a long time.”

“You might be a little late, but we’ll get you there. I figure we’re a little over one-hundred miles away. Once it gets light out, we can start walking and hopefully find a town or something. Then maybe borrow a car or catch a bus.”

“This is crazy,” she murmured, looking up at the dark canopy of leaves above them. “And you want to know the most ironic thing about this whole situation?”

He leaned closer, eyeing her closely. “What?”

“Right before I left, I hoped for an adventure.” And maybe to meet a handsome, interesting stranger, but she sure wasn’t going to admit that.

Donovan’s mouth edged up. “Well, I’d say your wish came true.”

“Maybe I should’ve been more specific,” she added with a chuckle.

“What? You mean you wouldn’t have wished to be lost in the Amazon rainforest with a tech geek after living through a plane crash and bad guys shooting at you?”

Tech geek? He had to be kidding. Nothing about Donovan Briggs said geek to her. Not his firm muscles or his chiseled jaw or those deep brown eyes of his that made her think of melted chocolate with swirls of caramel.

“I could’ve done without the crash. And the bad guys.”

His bare shoulder brushed hers and a sliver of heat warmed her insides. “What about the rainforest?”

“To be determined.”

They stared at each other and she waited for him to continue. Found herself leaning in and hoping for his next question.

And he didn’t disappoint.

“And the tech geek?”

Kate felt his low voice rumble through her entire body where their shoulders touched. Suddenly, the air felt heavier, more humid, and she found it slightly harder to breathe.

“TBD,” she answered, mouth edging up.

He gave her a crooked smile then leaned back against the tree again. “Fair enough. Although I did rescue you,” he added teasingly.

“Maybe I rescued you.”

He chuckled then sent her an interesting look. “Maybe.”

As she pondered over that one cryptic word, he closed his eyes.

“We should get some rest, but take turns sleeping,” he said. “Then we’ll start hiking at first light.”

“Okay,” she murmured, settling back against the tree, trying to get comfortable. “Since your eyes are already closed, guess I’m going first?”

He chuckled and looked over at her. “Do you want me to go first?”

“No, it’s okay. Get some rest and I’ll wake you up in a little bit.”

Donovan gave her another grin and his lids lowered again. Settling into her watch, Kate listened to the sounds of the jungle and stayed vigilant. Even though they’d briefly mentioned sleeping on opposite sides of the tree, she was glad they were side by side. She wanted to be close to Donovan. He made her feel safe, protected like no one else ever had before.

And she could really, really get used to that.

Chapter Six

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