“Lillian, baby. Wake up.”

A warm, strong hand is on my bottom and I have to admit, here in Nicaragua where we’ve had to fight for our lives and crossed every professional line that would embarrass my mother to no end—I like it there.

My eyes fly open and, for the second day in a row, all I see are Gabe’s legs. I squeeze his muscled thigh and when I arch my back to stretch, he gives me a squeeze through my dress.

I turn my head to look up at him and barely find the morning light peeking through the bug covered truck windows like glitter. My voice is scratchy when I offer him a small smile. “Good morning.”

His hand comes up, stroking my cheek with his calloused fingers and shakes his head. “I couldn’t hear the radio over your snoring.”

My eyes go big. “Stop it. I do not snore.”

He smirks.

I frown.

His smirk grows into a satisfied cocky smile and he raises a brow, silently relaying to me how loud I snore.

I push up from his lap but before I can get to a sitting position, he turns me and I’m wrapped up in his arms. One of his hands sneaks up into my hair and he takes my mouth.

Grabbing onto his shoulders to hang on, he somehow twists me into his lap as he devours me in his kiss. We’re all tongues and hands—my soft to his desperate. When he finally lets go and presses his forehead to mine, we’re both breathing hard and, somewhere in the back of my brain, I’m thankful for the minty gum I found in that hellhole last night. We haven’t brushed our teeth in days.

“If listening to you snore means I get to sleep next to you, baby, my ears are open and willing for as long as you’ll have me.”

I close my eyes, embarrassed and turned-on. How is that even possible?

“I said this yesterday—never seen anything like it. You could sleep through a hurricane.”

I open my eyes and shrug. “I’m a sound sleeper, what can I say?” I look around and see we’re back in civilization. Forgetting all about my snoring, I shift in his lap to take in our surroundings. “We’re back? Gabe, you got us back!”

He groans when I move and pulls me down tight into his lap. “We don’t fly out ‘til tomorrow but I’ve got a place for us to stay tonight. Let’s go get some clothes and food. I’m ready to be settled and safe while we’re waiting for our paperwork from the Embassy.”

I turn back to him, bringing my hands up to his scruffy, dirty, beautiful face that’s now bruised on his temple. For the first time since this started between my boss’s boss and me, I press my lips to his. “Thank you, Gabe.”

“And we need to find out how your grandmother is. You can make that call when we get settled.”

I nod, trying not to tear up thinking about Gran.

He runs his hand down my thigh and gives the torn hem of my dress a tug. “As much as I’ve liked you in this the last few days, I think we need some new clothes. Let me take you shopping.”

I do everything I can not to think of this man as my boss and melt in his arms. “Who are you, Gabriel Blackburn? Until we got lost in the rainforest, you did nothing but scowl at me and now you want to take me shopping? Those five little words are like a dream come true to some women.”

His blue eyes gaze intensely into mine. “Let’s get moving so I can make sure you’re safe until we can leave. We need to talk about this,” he gives me a squeeze, “before we get back on American soil.”

This.

I roll my lips in and take a big breath. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This should never happen. It’s all kinds of unprofessional. Whatever this is, it will have to end when we get back and that makes my insides ache.

But right now, Gabe is going to take me shopping for clean clothes. I might just demand some flip-flops and a toothbrush.