Rain had been falling for the last couple of hours, a steady downpour that turned the road to a slick vat of mud. It was late afternoon when Gideon finally pulled over to the side of the road, the vehicle sliding briefly in the thick mud.

They’d taken so many twists and turns through such heavily forested land that Lainey wondered how he managed to know where he was. The landscape looked the same and now, with the rain, visibility was reduced to a rainy few yards. Lainey saw a cluster of bedraggled buildings not far off the side of the road.

“This road ends up ahead. I can hide the Rover there and then we’re going to have to walk. You up for it?” He looked down at Lainey’s feet, clad in sneakers, then shook his head.

“I’ll be fine.” Lainey yanked her door open, stepped out, and looked up at the gray sky. She took one step and her feet went out from under her. For an instant, she had no idea what had happened, except she was lying on her back, the rain splashing her face.

“Lainey!” She heard Gideon and blinked, wiping a hand across her face. Instead of wiping away rain, gritty mud covered her face.

“Are you alright?” He appeared above her, his face creased with concern, water dripping from the bill of his cap.

“Yeah. I think so.” She sat up as Gideon crouched down beside her. He wiped her face with his hand. It came away covered in mud.

“Can you stand?” He slid one hand beneath her elbow and she stood, tentatively putting weight on each leg. Nothing felt broken.

“I think so.” She was soaked. Glancing behind her, she saw her backside was caked in mud.

“Well, at least you’re okay.” Gideon reached behind her, brushing his hand over her back, moving lower, scraping the mud from her backside.

“Is your passport still in your pocket?” His hand patted her back pocket.

“No, I stuck it in the glove box of the jeep after we left Francesca’s. It was getting bent in my pocket.”

“Good. Come on. If you can walk, we need to get moving.” Gideon still looked concerned, his brows drawn together.

Lainey nodded. “Yeah, really. I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Gideon went to the back of the Rover and grabbed his duffel while Lainey climbed back onto the road. The jungle around her was growing dark. She clutched the heavy duffel while Gideon drove the Rover behind one of the buildings. The dark green vehicle melted into the jungle. She heard Gideon cut the engine and for a moment she felt completely alone, standing on a muddy track in the middle of the jungle, rain pelting her face.

Then Gideon jogged back to the road. He stopped in front of her and reached out, wiping a smear of mud from her cheek.

“You’re a real mess. Sure you’re okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. What’s in the bag? It weighs a ton.”

He took the duffel from her but ignored her question.

“We’re here in the beginning of the rainy season. Fewer tourists. That may have made Shane stick out like a sore thumb. Plus, he was traveling the Petén alone. That’s not recommended in any season.”

“But the weather doesn’t change your plans?” Lainey pushed the wet mat of hair off her forehead.

“No. I expected this. I can use it to my advantage.” He shouldered his duffel. “Come on. We walk.”

They squelched along what had been the road and then even that ended. Lainey found they were walking beneath the overhead canopy of foliage. The world darkened, but it kept some of the rain off them.

Trudging behind Gideon with her head down, she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, trying not to fall down again in the sticky mud or trip over roots and rocks.

When Gideon stopped abruptly, she bumped into his back. “What the…”

“We’re getting close.” His voice was tight. “We’ll stop here for tonight.”

“How can you tell? It looks just like where we left the jeep.” She stepped around Gideon, looking into the dense foliage. Everything was the same: the rain dripping from leaves, wet tree trunks, the mud covering her shoes, except it was much darker.

He looked down at her, brows drawing together. “This is my job. You keep asking questions. You have a problem with how I’m doing my job?”

“No, but…I…”

“No, but…you’re wondering what the hell we’re doing in the middle of the damn jungle in the pissing rain. I’ll be blunt – you’re not supposed to be here.”

“You’ve made that point before.” Lainey clenched her hands, fists on her hips.

His scowl deepened. “It’s a valid point. I was hired to rescue your brother. And now I have to babysit you.”

“You’re not babysitting me. I said I can take care of myself.”

He shook his head. “If you don’t trust me to do this, then we can just turn around and I’ll drive you to the nearest airport with a connecting flight to Belize.”

Lainey’s eyes widened. “I never said that. I do trust you. That’s not it at all. Scott said you were the best. I believe him. I believe in you.”

Gideon’s scowl faded, anger fading to confusion. “Then what’s with the constant barrage of questions? Every step we take, you keep making digs about my ability to get this job done.”

“It’s…I don’t know. It’s not you. It’s how I am, or how I get when I’m nervous. Or scared.” She drew a shuddering breath. “And I’m scared.”

All the pent-up emotion from the last few days rushed to the surface and Lainey finally broke down, bursting into tears. Burying her face with mud-covered hands, she let the tears fall.

Then Gideon had her in his arms, pulling her against his chest. Even through his wet t-shirt his body was warm and she turned her face against him, the hot tears mixing with the rain.

“It’s hard…but I’m trying…I really am…” The words caught in her throat.

“Yeah. I know. It is hard. It’s family. But that’s what I’m here for. If you’d just trust me…”

Lainey pulled back, turning her tear-stained face to Gideon. “I do trust you. I really do.”

He gave her a small smile. There was something unreadable in his eyes, words Lainey felt he left unsaid. But he simply nodded.

“You’re still covered in mud. The rain has stopped. We need to find a place to hole up for the night.”

“In the jungle?” Lainey looked up at Gideon. She’d never camped out before. Roughing it hadn’t crossed her mind.

“I wasn’t expecting company and I’m used to primitive conditions. But we need to get the mud off of you. There’s no way for you to get dry, but you’ll be more comfortable if you’re clean.”

“Clean? How’s that going to happen?”

“There’s a stream close by. I can hear it. You can at least rinse your clothes, get the mud out of your hair.”

She reached up, running a hand over her hair. It was gritty and stiff and she scowled.

Gideon laughed. “Come on.”

He led her through a screen of brush, pushing aside branches. She stood beside him, looking down a small rocky embankment. Below them was a stream. A short distance upstream, the water tumbled over an outcropping of rocks, creating a small waterfall that cascaded into a small pool. Despite the mud in her hair and crusted to her shoes, she smiled.

“It’s beautiful.” Ferns crowded the bank, giving the whole place an enchanted feel.

She turned at the sound of Gideon’s laugh. “Yeah, it is. This really is a beautiful country. There are so many ruins close by, but it’s also one of the most dangerous places in the world. It’s a shame, really. So much beauty amid unbelievable chaos.”

He started down the low bank. Turning back, he held out his hand to Lainey. “Come on. Don’t fall. It’s slippery.”

“Everything is slippery.” She rolled her eyes and took his hand. “But I promise to be careful.” She took a step, slid a short distance, and let out a startled yelp. Gideon reached for her, hands grabbing her around the waist.

Her weight threw him off balance and she fell against him. For a moment, they were pressed together, his hands on her waist, her pressed against his chest. Lainey looked up, startled. Gideon’s eyes flashed dark and hot as his fingers tightened against her body.

“I said don’t fall.” He growled out the words as he pulled her closer. “You never listen.”

She opened her mouth to protest but he bent his head, kissing her hard, silencing her words. His mouth moved over hers, forcefully parting her lips, his tongue claiming space in her mouth. With incredible strength, he pulled her against him, one hand sliding around her waist, hovering there briefly before moving lower, cupping her ass. His other hand rose to cradle the back of her head, fingers tensing against her hair.

Lainey allowed herself to be pulled into his embrace, her arms winding around his neck. She let him take her mouth, his tongue stroking forcefully along hers. Shivers ran down her spine and she felt weightless in his powerful embrace.

Gideon’s hands started moving over her, tugging her t-shirt up her body. Letting go of him, she raised her hands over her head. The shirt came up over her face, then her arms. Gideon dropped the shirt to the ground.

His eyes traveled over her body for a moment, lingering on her bra-covered breasts, moving lower as he reached for the zipper of her jeans. Lainey watched as he tugged down the zipper, her breath drawing up short as his hands moved to her waist, pulling the jeans down her body.

She rested a hand on his shoulder, wiggling her hips as he lowered the jeans over her legs. Dropping them on the ground, he straightened, his eyes smoldering as they rose to meet hers. His hands were back on her hips, teasing his fingers beneath the elastic of her panties. A wave of heat washed through her body as he rubbed his fingers over the sensitive skin of her stomach, teasing the garment lower.

Before he could move any further, she grabbed the edge of his t-shirt, tugging it free of his pants. He raised his hands, as she’d done, and she pulled the shirt up as far as she could, standing on tiptoe. He pulled the shirt over his head and added it to the pile of clothes.

With eager fingers, she reached for the fly of his pants, undoing the first button. Gideon’s hands stilled against her skin and he watched, lips parted, as she moved to the next button. Her fingers brushed against the bulge of his erection and she heard his sharp intake of air. For a moment, she froze, wondering what the hell she was doing.

But then she looked up at Gideon, the sensuous lips curved in a seductive smile, green eyes dark with passion. And any doubt she had vanished. She didn’t care if she was thousands of miles from home, in a dangerous country with a stranger. All she cared about was the heat thrumming through her body, the chance to feel alive again, even if it was momentary. Even if it was wrong.

“I’m not holding a gun to your head, Lainey.” Gideon’s words caught her off guard. “You’re free to step away if you don’t want to be here.”

“Do you mean here, in Guatemala? Or here, doing this?” In a bold move, she reached out and cupped Gideon’s erection.

He held her gaze a moment before he answered. “You know what I mean. Don’t be coy. It’s not your style.”

“What is my style? Crazy?” She squeezed him, and in response he flexed his hips forward, a subtle gesture but so erotically charged she lost her mind and almost melted at his feet.

“Right now, it’s far too talkative…again.” He stepped forward, forcing himself against her hand. His eyes bore down on hers and for a moment all she could do was blink up at him.

“You’re a woman of action. Take what you want when you want it. If you want this…me…then take it.”