Page 58 of Chasing Paradise

“Yeah?”

“What do you think that was?”

“There are several nocturnal animals it could have been.”

“Such as?”

“There are tapir, bush dogs, nine-banded armadillo, capybaras, kinkajous…”

“You’re leaving something off, I can feel it.”

Her gut feelings were uncanny.

“Jaguars.”

“Seriously?” she asked, trying to shoot up, then whacking her head into the bug net.

“It’s fine.”

“It’s fine? They’re apex predators.”

“Yeah, but they almost never attack humans.”

“Almost never is not never.”

“You’d have to provoke them.”

“Aren’t we provoking it by just being in its home?”

“No. You’d have to shoot at it or try to move in while it’s eating or something like that to provoke them. We’re safe in here.”

“When we wake up, are there going to be hideous little bugs all over the net?”

“Maybe. But don’t worry. I will go out and sacrifice myself to them first.”

“That’s all I’m asking.”

There was a smile in her voice.

I couldn’t stop my own lips from curving up.

“Goodnight, duchess.”

“Goodnight, Wick.”

As she drifted off to sleep, her body tangling with mine, I suddenly wasn’t in such a rush to get out of the jungle.

Of course, that wasn’t actually up to us. As we’d learn the next day.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Violet

“You’re just going to leave me here?” I asked, my voice high and squeaky, dangerously close to hysteria.

In my defense, I’d been introduced to no fewer than twenty new—and disturbing—insects since we’d both woken up in that tight little hammock.

I mean, I’d been pretty miserable at first—still overheated from another ill-advised little tryst with Wick.

---