Chapter Eight

Getting Kate off beneath the waterfall had been the highlight of this whole jungle adventure. She was so responsive, so eager, and the moment she'd offered to return the favor, they'd been interrupted. Donovan inwardly groaned. Running through the jungle with a massive hard-on wasn't his idea of a good time.

Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. But, just in case, he tried to think not-naked-Kate thoughts as they hunkered down in the underbrush, well-concealed from the approaching men. As they stepped into view, Donovan squinted, assessing the situation. Two armed tangoes. Dammit. He'd been hoping to run into friendlies from a nearby village then hop on the first bus to Rio.

Although he didn't choose the SEAL teams as a career, the extensive training had been ingrained into him. He was pretty sure he could handle these guys easily enough on his own, but he worried about Kate. The last thing he wanted to do was get her caught in the crossfire. So, Donovan decided it was best to lay low and bide their time. Once these guys left, they could continue their trek.

Keeping his eyes on the men he dubbed Assault and Battery, Donovan kept a reassuring hand on Kate's arm as they patiently waited for the duo to pass. Slight movement caught his eye and Donovan's attention slanted sideways, settling on a brown snake flicking its forked tongue.

Fuck. It was a bushmaster, the largest pit viper in the world, and its beady eyes were trained on Donovan. He squeezed Kate's arm. "Don't move," he hissed in the lowest voice possible. The last thing he wanted to do was alarm a creature that was infamous for biting repeatedly, and at great speed, with their two-inch fangs which delivered large amounts of venom. Hell, they were even known to chase after anything they considered a threat.

She instantly tensed beneath his touch. Even though her breathing picked up, she remained frozen in place. They needed to slowly edge back and move away from the venomous snake, but Assault and Battery were taking their good ol' time, as if they were out for a Sunday fucking stroll.

Gritting his teeth, Donovan knew they couldn't wait much longer. The snake looked like it was getting agitated. Hell, they were probably near its nest and, God forbid, that nest had eggs in it.

Moving as slowly and silently as possible, Donovan carefully guided Kate backwards. He kept his eyes on the bushmaster, praying it didn't start rattling the spine on the tip of its tail. At the first sign of that, they were fucked because it meant an attack would be imminent.

Amazingly, they crept back without incident. Releasing a breath, Donovan cursed inwardly when one of the men turned and spotted them. Fuck. Frying pan, fire.

"Lá!" he yelled. Over there!

"C'mon!" Donovan grabbed Kate's hand and they took off, bent over and trying to stay low as gunfire filled the air. The two thugs chased after them, bullets pinging off tree bark and splitting palm fronds.

Dodging around a fallen tree, they hurried forward. Up ahead, Donovan could see the river and his heart sped up. It was rougher in this area with some rapids, but it was their best chance to escape. Kate began to slow down, but he tugged her along.

"Into the water! And don't let go!" When they reached the edge, they leaped into the rapids and were instantly swept away from their pursuers. Keeping his eyes open for submerged logs and rocks, Donovan did his best to guide them. But, the currents were deceptively strong and their hands were ripped apart.

"Donovan!" Kate screamed, and he watched helplessly as she spun away from him, caught in a watery maelstrom.

"Kate!" He lunged for her, missed, then slammed into a rock. Knocked sideways, Donovan cursed as the rough water dragged him further away from her. There was no point trying to swim against the current, so he let it pull him along. Hopefully, the river would calm down again soon and they could climb out.

So much for that, Donovan thought dryly, his gaze locking in on the deadly sight ahead. A waterfall. And he had no idea how high up they were or how powerful the falls would be. There was no escaping it, though, and he sucked in a deep breath as the powerful current swept him right over the edge.

◆◆◆

Kate may have asked for an adventurous weekend, but this wasn't what she meant. The moment the waterfall came into view, she panicked. She'd never cared for water parks or slides and this was the ultimate thrill ride. Only problem was there was no guarantee she'd come out the other end unscathed. Or even alive.

Fighting the impossible strength of the river was pointless, so she did her best to avoid sharp obstacles. She watched helplessly as Donovan flew over the edge and a scream tore from her throat as she followed right behind him.

Once again, Kate was airborne, only this time she was caught up in the powerful rush of water and her stomach flew up into her throat as she fell. The drop happened fast and she honestly wasn't sure how far the actual fall had been. But she hit the water below and was immediately sucked under.

Oh, God. It felt like she was being spun and tossed around in a washing machine. The force of the water was unlike anything she'd ever experienced and she tried to swim away from the vortex attempting to pull her deeper. Clawing and kicking her way forward, little by little, she managed to escape one danger only to be sucked up into another strong current that dragged her forward.

Dizzy and discombobulated, Kate's head finally broke the surface and she sucked in a deep, grateful breath. Giving in to the watery pull, she let the river drag her forward as she searched frantically for Donovan. What if he'd hit his head on a rock or became stuck on debris underwater?

He's a SEAL, she reminded herself. That meant he'd be a strong swimmer. If anyone could survive this, he could. He'd been trained in the water and could probably hold his breath way longer than her.

When the rapids finally eased up and the water began to calm, Kate swam toward the side and pulled herself up onto the riverbank. Breathing hard, cheek in the mud, she felt like a drowned rat.

"Kate!"

Donovan's voice was music to her ears and she shoved up from the slippery riverbank. It was steeper than she anticipated and her foot slid in the mud as she tried to climb up. But then a strong pair of hands wrapped around her wrists and heaved her up onto dry land.

"Are you okay?" Donovan asked, running his hands over her body, searching for injuries.

"Um, I think so." She'd never been so happy to see anyone in her entire life. Donovan looked just as bedraggled and dirty, and she couldn't help but smile. "We went over a waterfall."

He pulled back and grinned. "Fuck yeah, we did. No Amazon adventure is complete without it. Lost my damn glasses and laptop, though."

"Oh no! What about your files?"

He patted his pants pocket. "Flash drive. Safely concealed in my waterproof wallet. I'm always prepared like that."

She released a half-laugh, half-snort and then she was in Donovan's arms. "Thank goodness."

"You sure you're okay?" he asked, voice rough.

Pressing her face against his chest, she nodded. "I am now. Sorry about your bag and glasses." Her reassurance had his body sagging and arms tightening around her. His lips touched her wet hair. After a long moment of just breathing each other in, Donovan pulled back.

"I can always get another pair. But I can't get another you." His words made her heart skip a beat. "We should get moving. I could be wrong, but I think we're close to Petropolis."

They followed the river for a bit and, after a couple of miles, they stumbled into a town. Kate had never been so happy to see signs of life. There was a small hotel and they headed straight to it. The man behind the counter looked at them strangely, but she didn't care. All she could think about was a cool shower and washing all the crusty mud off her skin. Oh, and getting some new clothes. And food. God, she was starving.

Luckily, Donovan hadn't lost his wallet and he paid with a credit card.

Once they got to the room, Donovan told Kate to go ahead and shower first. "Bless you," she said a little breathlessly and rushed into the bathroom, peeling her disgusting clothes off as quickly as possible.

The clean water felt divine and the amount of mud, dirt and general jungle crud Kate washed off her body was enough to start jarring and selling to a high end spa for an exorbitant fee. After luxuriating a little too long, she flipped the water off, not wanting to hog it. Then she dried herself off and pulled on a fluffy bathrobe.

Steam poured out behind Kate as she opened the door and the smell of delicious food filled her nose.

"I ordered us some stuff from downstairs," Donovan said, moving past her. He paused, breathing deeply. "Damn, you smell good."

"You mean you didn't like my eau de jungle?"

"I like this much better," he murmured and dropped a quick kiss on her bare shoulder. Then he disappeared into the bathroom, leaving her entire body tingling from head to toe.

Kate's gaze moved over to the large bed and her stomach somersaulted. Whatever tonight might bring, she was ready. More than ready. Especially if that meant finishing what they'd started beneath the waterfall earlier.

◆◆◆

After rinsing the muck from his body and hair, Donovan couldn't help his grin as he slid his arms into the clean robe. While Kate was showering, he'd gone downstairs to borrow the phone and call Kent Warren's office. Donovan explained the situation, apologized profusely and told the billionaire he'd try to catch the first available bus to Rio.

"That's one helluva story," Warren finally said. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Barely," Donovan joked. "Snakes and waterfalls may have been involved."

"Apparently, plane crashes, too," Warren added dryly. "Listen, take your time. It's Carnaval right now, so why don't you get in tomorrow, enjoy the rest of the weekend and we'll meet Monday morning."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I have plans tomorrow, anyway." He cleared his throat. "But, you're safe now? At a hotel?"

"I am, thanks."

"And where did you say you are?"

"Petropolis."

"Okay, good. Stay put for the night, get some rest and we'll meet Monday at ten. If that works?"

"It definitely works. Thank you, Mr. Warren. I look forward to meeting you."

"Same."

Donovan slicked his wet hair back. Everything with Warren was back on track and he had a beautiful, nearly naked woman waiting for him in the next room.

The day had started out shaky, but now things were definitely looking up.