Page 92 of In the Heat of the Jungle

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At dusk, Leigh was washing her hair and bathing. Jace should arrive any day now, and she wanted to be ready to confront him at her best. She stepped from the tub and reached for the drying cloth.

“Still as beautiful and enchanting as ever.”

Leigh whirled, dropping the bath sheet from her light grasp. Jace was leaning against the doorjamb, grinning broadly with a devilish sparkle in his green eyes. She retrieved the cloth and wrapped it around her naked and dripping body. Her heart pounded from more than startlement. Her face glowed a vivid pink from more than modesty and anger. He had caught her off guard, and her wits scattered at his sudden appearance and close proximity. “Damn you, Jace Elliott! How dare you sneak up on me like that! Get out of here, and close the door!”

“You weren’t shy or reluctant when you enticed me to join you for a bath after that quicksand incident,” he murmured in a husky voice, and strolled forward. He yanked her into his confining arms and teased, “Is this any way. to greet me after such a long and painful separation?” His mouth closed over hers.

When he released her, Leigh stared into his merry gaze. She felt weak and anxious. Her breathing was fast and shallow. Her cheeks were aflame, as was her body. Her pulse raced like a wild and unbroken mustang that was fleeing wranglers across the plains. Her heart throbbed in her chest and ears, and she wondered if Jace heard it, too. His allure was overpowering, his touch burning like a skin-searing tropical sun as his potent gaze and strong embrace held her captive. “Let me go,” she ordered in a strained voice, her throat clogged with warring emotions. “This wouldn’t look proper to Abena. Get out and let me dress. Then we’ll talk. You and I have a lot to settle, Mr. Sneaky Elliott.”

“Abena has left for the night. We’re all alone, my tawny lioness. She said you’ve … mostly been a good girl. That was wise.”

Leigh gathered her wits and used them. “Stop playing these silly games, Jace. We both know why I’m here. I’m your prisoner.”

“Partner, love. I won our wager, so you owe me your undivided attention and delightful company.”

“I don’t owe you anything. You lied and cheated. I lost points only because you plotted and carried out devious incidents. You can’t force me to honor a deal you won unscrupulously. I only agreed to rules one, two, and four. I never agreed to rule three to wager a year with you.”

Unyielding, Jace persisted, “Our bargain is binding, Miss Webster, so you’ll have to abide by the rules we agreed upon. You allowed me to include rule three and you signed the contract.”

“As a joke, and you know it, you sneaky devil.”

“Did you mark it out or change it and initial the revision? No, so it’s part of our deal. I warned you to read carefully before signing. I won fair and square. Actually, under rule two, you owe me over an extra month because you were in trouble and danger every day. Why not admit you wanted rule three in and you wanted to break it?”

“I’ll admit to no such thing, Mr. Lawbreaking Elliott. I did fine without your interference. You ended the safari, not me, so I win.”

“Even if I agreed, the contract says if I terminate the safari for any reason, you get an extra prize: me, anyway, any time, and any place you desire. Well, here I am: ready, willing, and able.”

Leigh frowned at the grinning man who had her entangled. “I decline my extra prize.”

“If you prove to me you won,” Jace reasoned, “you can’t refuse me. You can’t change the rules. We had a deal. You gave your word.”

“So did you,” Leigh protested, “not to cheat. All right,” she conceded with a taunting grin, “by the contract, I want you … in London, in prison, and for life.”

Jace laughed. “There’s only one catch, love; I never quit the safari. I finished it, but you didn’t. Therefore, I am the winner.”

“I didn’t finish because you tricked everyone. Kidnapping and faking deaths are illegal, even here in the jungle. This is British territory, and under English law. We’re both English citizens.”

“I’m a criminal; they don’t obey laws.”

“‘Alleged’ criminal according to what you told me. In light of this illegal action, I’m not certain you told me the truth. I didn’t cancel the safari and wasn’t given a chance to earn more points, so how could I lose?”

“Simple: ‘prove unable to complete it … presence in my home for one full year … pay your debt immediately and in full.’ Nothing was listed as a disqualifying reason for being unable to finish.”

“Are you deaf? I never agreed to that! I can’t stay here a week or a year. Release me and I won’t press charges against you.”

“I won. You’re mine, until I decide otherwise.”

“You promised you wouldn’t make me lose, or help me lose!”

“With all those accidents happening to you, there was no way you could complete the safari. I had to protect my interest and winnings.”

“By abducting me? Faking my death?”

Jace watched her blue eyes dance with fiery lights. Her wet hair looked darker and flowed down her bare back. The drying cloth clung to her enticing frame and beads of water stood on her silky skin. “You left me no choice. We both know, you were lying and cheating. I kept my word. You will, too.”

Leigh could not vow she had never misled him, so she didn’t. He was cocky, handsome, maddening. “I had no intention of breaking our agreement, so you should have won it honestly. You planned this little abduction from the start. That night you rescued me on the waterfront, I told you I was meeting Chad. Your craving for revenge saw a way to get at him through me. That’s why you trailed me to Lord Salisbury’s and tried to dupe me with your charms. You wanted to get close to him, and I was your path; When I mentioned the safari and that Chad was my guardian, you saw an even better way to obtain vengeance on him and Grandfather. You came here, lay in wait for our arrival, then pounced on me like a leopard. You were the one using me as bait in your trap for Chad, not the other way around like you accused at Mr. Johnston’s party. The wager was just another beguiling trick by a clever seducer.”

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