“Oh my goodness! I forgot how muggy it can be on this side of the world,” Malena groaned, wiping the sweat from her brow.

“We’ve been out of the airport for all of two minutes.” Charlee laughed at her friend’s overly dramatic complaint. She stretched her arms in the air for a brief second. She had to admit, it did feel good to finally be able to walk around and not be on an airplane. The time difference would definitely throw her off for a day or so before her body would adjust. It was nighttime when they left the United States, and now it was evening where they were. Her internal clock would catch up after a good night’s rest.

They would be meeting up with the other scientist that would be arriving soon.

Alf Jenson was a student that won the honor of coming along on this once-in-a-lifetime trip with her. He was the top student in her graduate level biological science course.

“Rest well on the plane, Alf?” she called out from her position as he stepped out of the automatic doors of the small airport terminal.

“I did, Professor. Thanks,” he replied with a grin as he joined Jim York, their animal ecologist, and Alton Cummings, the team’s senior researcher.

“Oh, to be young again,” Charlee chuckled as she glanced around, finding the other team members hovered near their cab. Everyone would have severe jet lag if she went by the yawns echoing throughout the air.

The drivers were currently loading the bags into the back of their passenger vans. The team had a two-hour drive ahead of them to get to their first destination, the small town of Lyrino, Russia. There, they would stay at a lodge until the other team arrived. Charlee couldn’t wait. This would be a historic mission for her, working with some of the other infamous biologists and scientists who would all play a vital role in preserving this habitat.

“Well, you better stretch your legs a little longer because according to the itinerary, we have a two-hour drive,” Charlee informed Malena, looking down at her phone.

“I hope this lodge is like one of those vacation bed and breakfast—”

“Who are you, and what have you done with my assistant?” Charlee asked with a straight face.

She shook her head at her best friend’s wistfulness, but silently, she too hoped that it would be a nice place to stay. Once they hit their final destination—in the wild—it would be days, if not weeks before they returned to a warm, comfortable bed.

“A girl can dream, can’t she?” Malena joked.

“Whatever provisions we have tonight, we better take advantage of them,” Charlee said as the cab driver waved them over. Everyone piled into the cabs and tried to get as comfortable as possible.

“I’m sure everyone is itching to get into the field,” Charlee said to the group as she turned to look at them.

“Well, the Russian government calling in outside consultants is amazing,” Jim offered from the back row of the van. “I want to be able to document as much as we can before we’re forced to leave.”

“I agree.” Charlee nodded.

She then turned to Alf, who expanded on Jim’s comment. “The Russian government usually prefer to use their own scientists. Where we’re going, we’ll be the first non-Russian team to research and assist with their tiger conservation. A few professors from China will be joining us. We’ve already spoken and are ready to collaborate on a paper once our project is done,” Alton informed.

“Oh, that’s great! Dr. Zhang is amazing to work with. He and I did a paper a few years ago. You’ll like working with him,” Charlee assured Alton with a smile.

“Will there be tension since we’re American?” Alf asked, causing an uncomfortable silence to fill the air.

“It won’t be because of where we’re from, but there may be hostility for the simple fact that we’re working to save the tigers when poaching has become a big moneymaker on the black market. Poachers will not take too kindly to us at all. The security detail that’s being provided will meet us at the hotel.”

“This isn’t too bad,” Malena noted as they climbed out of the van.

“No, not what I was expecting.” The small town was picturesque and rich in history. The modern cars were out of place in a town that hadn’t been renovated in over a hundred years. Charlee could easily imagine horse-drawn carriages making their way down the cobblestone streets. It was no surprise that this small town of Russia was very poor. Charlee glanced down the street and noted the small rundown buildings that had seen better years.

Their hotel was small and quaint. It wasn’t the Ritz Carlton, but it sure did have a homey feel to it.

“It could be worse,” Malena said, hoisting her bag over her shoulder.

“This will be perfect,” Charlee smirked as they made their way into the mismatched brick building. “We won’t be here long anyway. Once we’ve met up with everyone, into the rainforest we go.”

“Hello,” Malena greeted the young woman behind the counter.

“Welcome to Lyrino,” the desk clerk said with heavy accented English. Charlee turned her back and rested against the counter as Malena took care of getting them checked in.

She watched as Alton, Alf, and Jim made their way into the small building with a few of their hard totes dragging behind them. Some of it would be the equipment they would need. She prayed that the rest of their things that they had shipped ahead were there at the hotel. Setting up camp was always a pain, but once everything was settled, it would be like a home away from home.

“Everything okay?” Jim asked as he came over to her side.

“Yes.” She smiled. “This is definitely better than that hotel we were in when we were in India.”

Jim barked out a laugh at the mention of their trip. Two years ago, they had arrived at their first destination in a small town in India, and were basically assigned huts with giant leaves for roofs. Alton and Jim quickly began updating Alf on the India trip, but Charlee didn’t hear anything they were saying. Their voices faded off into the distance as her eyes were drawn to the imposing figures that stalked through the door.

Her heart just about leaped into her throat as her eyes met a set of familiar, intense eyes. She turned away quickly, trying to catch her breath.

It was him!

Weston Rogavac had officially walked into the small hotel. She turned slightly and tried to catch another peek at the entrance, but was left feeling slightly disappointed. She blew out her breath, trying to will her heart to stop racing.

“Okay, here are the keys.” Malena’s voice broke through Charlee’s thoughts. Charlee reached out for her key, her mind still on Weston Rogavac.

“All right, time to try to get a good night’s rest,” Jim said to the group. “We leave bright and early. The train is set to leave at nine in the morning.”

Moans and groans filled the air as the guys began to shuffle away.

“Charlee—” Malena started, but Charlee held up a hand before throwing her backpack on her back and grabbing the other from the floor.

“I’m dead on my feet, Malena,” Charlee huffed, knowing that her friend probably wanted to explore the town. “I just want to try to get some uninterrupted sleep tonight.”

“I was just going—”

“Goodnight.” Charlee turned to walk away, but found herself facing a rock-hard chest. She was eye level with the open collar that displayed a few sprinkles of hair peeking out of the crisp white, button-up shirt. Drawing her eyes up, she was met with the same dark eyes that had plagued her dreams.

She gulped, and his eyes twinkled with laughter as he stared down at her.

“Cat got your tongue?” Malena leaned in and whispered into her ear. He must have heard her because he bursts out into laughter. She, on the other hand, prayed for the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

“Please excuse my friend. She’s a little touched in the head,” Charlee explained with a small smile. His friends chuckled.

“That’s quite all right, Dr. Black,” Weston said.

A gasp escaped her as she realized that he knew who she was.

“Please forgive me,” he rushed out, offering her his hand. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Weston Rogavac.”

“Well, it seems as if you already know who I am,” she breathed as she gripped his hand in a firm handshake.

Get a grip, girl, she thought to herself. Two seconds in his presence and she was like a cat in heat. She would need a cold shower to calm down her libido.

“It’s my business to know who you are,” he advised, glancing down at their still clasped hands.

“Really?” She quickly snatched her hand back, feeling her cheeks growing warm. “Why is that?”

“You have a brilliant mind. I’ve read all of your research. I’m a huge fan, and we have something in common,” he stated, crossing his arms in front of him. Her eyes were drawn to the tan skin that was displayed, thanks to the sleeves being folded up.

“Really?” she echoed again, cringing on the inside. One would have thought that she, a doctorate prepared scientist, would have something more educated to say in response. He was filthy rich and came from old money, while she, on the other hand, was raised by blue collar parents. What on earth could they possibly have in common? “What might that be?”

“Our love of cats.”