She still had no idea what had possessed her to sleep with Gerald or why she’d let him control her life for the short time they were together. He’d been a mentor at first, then a well-respected colleague. His persistent wooing had worn her resistance down, and changed everything.
After they’d slept together, she’d discovered how controlling he could be. She couldn’t leave his side without having him questioning her for details. When she’d grown tired of his obsessive behavior and tried to end things, he’d spread vicious rumors at the college that he'd broken it off and she’d begun to stalk him. Unsubstantiated claims, but still faculty and students alike whispered behind her back, laughed at her for being obsessed with a man almost twice her age.
God, how she hated being talked about—even worse, mocked—because of something that’d been beyond her control. She hadn’t stalked Gerald. He’d stalked her—relentlessly until she’d become frightened for her safety. And no one had believed her, not when the man was a beloved professor who had taught at the college years before she’d been hired.
Mattie pushed the past where it belonged—in the past. By the time she returned to Washington University, all the rumors surely would have died down and Gerald Elders had hopefully found some other woman to harass. It’d probably take her years to trust again.
She rose and walked over to the basin to wash up, then dressed hurriedly. She wasn’t picky about what she wore. Anything she chose would be wringing wet by the time they were ready to leave camp anyway.
Outside the tent, she found the group gathered at the table having breakfast. The thought of food made Mattie’s stomach clench. She was too tired to eat.
Maybe a cup of coffee would rouse her appetite.
She glanced around the group. Everyone looked rested except for their guide. With dark circles under his eyes, he appeared as weary as she. He’d obviously had trouble sleeping too.
Had his thoughts been about her, or just on keeping the team safe?
Don’t make another stupid mistake, Mattie. All you need is to be caught fawning over a man who clearly has no interest in you. The team would think it was Gerald Elders all over again.
If anything happened between them, she’d be putting herself at risk. She couldn’t allow that to happen. No matter what.
With that in mind, she made her way to the table, determined to ignore Mr. Kane.
She poured a cup of coffee from the percolator and sat, catching up with the conversation. Everyone seemed excited about the day’s travel ahead, ready to move deeper into the rain forest, hoping to get glimpses of animals and plants never seen by the human eye. This was everyone’s first trip to the Amazon so they were all viewing things for the first time. Exciting, but overwhelming as well.
“Let’s get things moving.” Travis stood. “There’s an area thirty miles from here with a waterfall. I’d like to get there this afternoon, to set up camp for the night. It’s very lush and rich with vegetation.”
As he spoke, Mattie’s gaze locked onto his mouth; she inadvertently wondered what his lips would feel like covering hers.
She looked away and sipped her coffee, angry with herself for having no self-control when it came to him. She had to remind herself what he thought of women—inferior to men. Hopefully that would keep her mind where it should be—on her job. And if that didn’t work, she could always remind herself of the interrogations and accusations she’d gone through six months earlier concerning a man.
* * * *
Travis held the steering wheel tight as the truck hit a deep rut in the road. They’d been traveling for four long hours, the humidity in the cab becoming oppressive.
They neared the area in which he planned to make camp and he was thankful for that. The heat wouldn’t normally bother him, but after the trip to New Hampshire, his body’s thermostat had a hard time readjusting.
He looked forward to taking a swim later. He was sure the team would as well, especially the women.
An image of Mattie Wentworth wading from the water, her shirt clinging to her breasts, water glistening off her skin, made his body respond, his cock swelling against his pants.
How was he ever going to get through this trip if his thoughts kept going there? His body would be screaming for him to give it what it wanted—Mattie Wentworth.
“Are we almost there?” Dana Rutherford asked.
He glanced her way. “Another half hour.”
“You said we’d be camping next to a waterfall. Will we be able to wash up?”
Travis nodded. “I think we’ll all be in need of a good cool down by then. I do want to get camp set up first though.” He turned to Dana. “Did you have trouble sleeping last night?” Maybe she could tell him a little about Mattie and her restless night. The minute he’d seen her that morning, he’d known she hadn’t gotten much sleep.
“I actually had no trouble. Sara and Beth were asleep before I was. I believe Mattie had a rough night though.”
He knew that feeling. Served her right for keeping his eyes open all night. Every time he closed them, he saw her stunning eyes and those full, strawberry-colored lips. He couldn’t count how many times he’d wondered if they tasted like the fruit.
His cock responded again, expanding to painful proportions against the crotch of his pants.
He’d definitely need that swim. He just prayed the water would be ice-cold—frigid enough to douse this burning inside him.
Think treasure. Think never having to work again.
No woman could overshadow that.
The truck’s left tire hit a rut and brought Travis’s attention back to the road. The trail into the Amazon was treacherous at times and keeping his eyes open was crucial. Right now he needed to clear his mind and keep his head in the game.
With that thought, he gripped the steering wheel again.
A flash of something reflective to the right of the cab caught his attention. What the hell was it? Could someone be out here—watching them? Before they left Manu he should have found out if any other crews were in the region. He would have asked normally, but they’d been in a hurry to get started and the things he’d have usually done before a trip were superseded by getting supplies. That, and finding out how Chaz had died.
It didn’t matter, really. He’d watch for trouble, especially since this wasn’t a typical expedition. This trip was all about finding his future and nothing was going to screw that up.
Twenty minutes later he parked the truck to the left of his vision of the Garden of Eden. These were the most scenic falls he’d ever seen—and he’d seen his share. Hidden away from the world, almost too beautiful to describe. Water so crystal clear you could see to the bottom of the pool.
Travis jumped from the cab and guided the other two trucks to park alongside his. The team exited the cabs and he found himself zooming in on Mattie, who looked more than weary.
“Let’s get the camp up and then we’ll all take a swim.” The boom of excitement made Travis smile. He had known they’d be thrilled by the prospect.
He shuffled to the back of the truck, leaped into the bed, and tossed the tents onto the ground, then gathered up the torches. The sooner they got everything ready, the sooner they could enjoy the falls.
Travis looked forward to a little leisure time, and not having to worry about anything more than making sure no one drowned in the pool.
*
Mattie’s mouth dropped as she took in the water falling from fifty feet above. The pool was so clear you could see to the bottom, and the flora growing around the water was more lush than any she’d ever seen. It was like a paradise on earth.
She couldn’t wait to slip into her shorts and swim—wash away the sweat of the day. The word grimy didn’t come close to describing how she felt. Though she was no novice to field work, she was used to taking a shower every morning, and washing in a basin would hardly constitute the same thing.
She glanced around, her gaze landing on Travis, who now watched her. His attentio
n unnerved her, made it impossible to keep her mind on the job. His eyes seemed to undress her from head to toe, made her skin tingle, her belly quiver.
Mattie determinedly looked away and aided the team as they erected tents. She had to stay focused on the task at hand, not on the man whose hands were large and calloused, something she’d learned when he’d touched her the night before. Clearly, Travis Kane was no stranger to physical labor and that intrigued her. Elders had had soft hands; his fingers and palms had done nothing to stir her body when he’d touched her. Travis only had to glance her way to turn her to molten lava, to grace her with that sexy stance and she turned to putty.
After the tents and the torches went up, Mattie grabbed her bag and ducked in to set up her cot.
Inside, she went about the job and once it was up and the bed made, Mattie changed into khaki shorts and a white T. She thought it best to leave her bra on, considering the thin material of her top. She didn’t want to draw undue negative attention to herself. Never again.
She slipped into hiking boots and left the tent as Sara, Beth, and Dana were about to enter. “Hurry and get your beds made and change,” she said, smiling. “We want to be able to swim a while before it starts getting dark.”
Mattie strolled to the edge of the pool, then slipped off her boots and dipped a toe into the water. It was surprisingly cool considering the temperatures around them. She couldn’t wait to feel it against her skin. Later, after she swam, she’d wash some of her dirty clothes and hang them to dry. They might be in the rain forest but that didn’t mean she couldn’t try to stay clean.
“Are you going to swim?” Just the sound of his voice sent a thrill of excitement through her, made her skin heat.
Mattie turned, noting those buttons were undone again, a light perspiration visible below the pulse point at his throat. “Yes, I’m going to. How about you?”
“Maybe later. I still have a few things to take care of.”
His answer disappointed her. She’d hoped to see what lurked behind those buttons. A glimpse of golden skin only made her eager to see more of what he looked like beneath his shirt.
Could he be as buff as she’d pictured him?
“I won’t keep you,” she said, whirling back to the pool, needing a cold reality check. You’d think she’d have learned her lesson with Elders. But in a way, Travis was different. She was attracted to this man. She hadn’t been to Gerald. She’d given in to him, but was never washed away by passion. That had never happened with any man—unless you counted the dream she’d had the night before they’d left Manu.
Could Travis be the man in the dream? Was that why she was so drawn to him?
That was crazy. It was just a dream. That’s all.
Slowly she waded into the water, the liquid swirling around her, washing away all that troubled her. When she was up to her waist, she dived under, the coolness instantly reviving her.
She resurfaced and swam toward the middle of the pool where Drew floated on his back. She splashed him to get a reaction.
“Now you’re in trouble,” he said, a mischievous glint in his light blue eyes making Mattie backpedal toward shore.
Drew dived on top of her and they both went under, the playfulness transporting her back in time. She felt like a child again. Before her father destroyed their family’s happy existence with his excessive gambling.
Mattie came up and shook her head, spraying water around her. It had been ages since she’d enjoyed herself so much. The only thing that would make this perfect was if Travis was the man she was playing around with.
Stop it, Mattie. It’s obvious he doesn’t want you like that, even though his eyes seem to say otherwise.
Mattie rolled to her back and drifted on the water, her attention riveted to the clear, cloudless sky that was the most amazing shade of blue. Nature seemed so much more vivid in the middle of the Amazon, the colors brighter somehow. She could stay here forever and never be able to soak it all in.
Splashing all around brought her back to the real world.
She turned from her back and glanced around. Everyone but Travis frolicked in the pool. He sat on a large rock, one foot propped on a smaller stone. He seemed like such a loner. A man used to being on his own.
Then again, she wasn’t all that social herself. It took a special type of person to feel comfortable with only themselves as company. Travis clearly was one of those people.
At that moment, his eyes connected with hers, the intensity causing her womb to contract. As if she were pulled into a tractor beam, she swam toward him, her gaze holding his. How she wished they were alone. If they were, she’d probably do something foolish, like throw herself at him.
But they weren’t alone. Five other people were around and she wanted the respect of every one of them, and falling all over their guide wouldn’t earn her that. Especially not after the Gerald Elders embarrassment.
Chapter Six
Travis waited until the last of the crew turned in for the night then breathed a sigh of relief. Now it was his chance to take a dip in the pool, wash away the day’s dirt and sweat from his body.
He glanced at the makeshift clothesline where they’d hung their wet clothes after changing. For a good two hours the team had swam and then washed their garments.
The whole time, his attention had been on Mattie. She stared at him as if she’d wanted to eat him up, her gaze so intense that it’d almost made him lose control and dive in after her. The woman was magnificent with water glistening on her skin, the sunlight magnifying every droplet. She’d looked like a mythical water nymph. On that image alone, a man could masturbate for weeks.
Travis stripped the clothes from his body and waded into the cool water, determined to lose that picture before his swim was over.
He had to get a few hours sleep tonight or he’d have a hard time staying awake tomorrow.
For what seemed like an hour, he swam, gliding fluidly on the surface of the water, hoping it’d tire him out.
A splashing sound from the edge of the pool put him on alert.
He treaded water, his gaze darting around the pool, then coming to land on Mattie, whose barely-clothed body skimmed through the water, the moonlight casting a glow around her as if she were a ghost.
Travis sucked in a breath, caught up in her movement as she closed in on him.
What the hell was she doing? He had only so much control, and it was being seriously diminished by the look in her eyes.
As she neared, he struggled to breathe. “What do you want, Mattie?”
“I couldn’t sleep.” The words came out in a seductive whisper, and his cock throbbed under the cool water.
Christ Almighty.
How was he going to fight his desire when everything she did turned him on?
“You’re going to be worn out if you don’t get some rest.” Was he telling her or himself that?
“You haven’t been sleeping either, have you?” She inched closer to him.
If not for the water swirling around him, he’d have gone up in flames. “I’m used to not getting much rest in the jungle.”
She smiled, then dunked her head under the water and resurfaced.
As if in a trance, Travis watched her hands glide down her long blonde tresses, wringing out the water, the droplets on her face shining in the moonlight. He was lost in her eyes—lost in one particular drop of water on her plump bottom lip. Never in his life had he wanted to kiss a woman so badly. He could almost feel her mouth fused on his—taste the cool water on her lips.
This was insane.
She was on the move again, skimming through the water, her intent clear. She wanted him to kiss her, and more. How could he resist the open seduction, especially with his body screaming to stop thinking and start kissing?
When her toes curled around his beneath the water, an electric current shot up his leg, spreading out to every appendage, causing one in particular to go rigid.
She reached a wet hand out and traced
the line of his bottom lip. “You have a beautiful mouth.” It was said so low he wondered if she’d meant to say it aloud.
This whole thing was getting out of control fast. He either had to stop her now or kiss her until she passed out.
Her index finger dipped into his mouth.
Shit.
He grasped her hand and slammed his body into hers, his lips melding over her mouth, taking her in as if he couldn’t breathe without her. Sparks of passion ignited a fire in his body, leaving him powerless to stop.
Instantly her hands slid around his neck, water trailing over her shoulders, her soft breasts brushing against his chest, intensifying everything.
His cock turned to steel and rubbed her belly, a strangling groan from her sending him over the edge. He wanted to be inside her, to feel her heat around him, drive away all thoughts but of her.
He moved his hands down her back, then cupped her ass, drawing her up against his cock, grinding on her while he insinuated his tongue into her mouth.
Moans of pleasure escaped her lips, her tongue twisting around his, her fingernails digging into his back.
An unzipping of a tent door pulled Travis out of his passion-induced fog.
He shoved Mattie away and quickly swam to the edge of the pool.
No way was anyone catching them screwing around—he’d lose his credibility as a guide forever.
On the bank of the pool, he threw on his pants, water from his body soaking into the material.
When dressed, he glanced toward Mattie, who had just made it to the edge of the water. He couldn’t see her face well enough to tell if she was embarrassed or disappointed.
James ducked his head from inside the tent.
“We have a problem.”
His words sobered Travis right away. “What’s wrong?”
“Drew’s running a high fever.”
Behind him, Mattie sucked in a breath.
Travis turned to her. She’d pulled on an oversized shirt. “You all had your inoculations before you came, right?”
She nodded. “Yes. You’re not allowed to travel to Peru without them.”
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