“Wow.” On the walkway again I watched rain sluicing off the roof to the ground beyond us.

“Mariana said that the sun took a vacation last week. But she thinks this should pass soon.”

“Seems like a great time to take a nap, since we can’t sightsee.”

“They do a jungle walk at six and another at eight.”

“We’ll be looking for a different kind of wildlife about then.”

Maybe Teo really had told Mariana a quiet room would be best, because she’d given us one so far from the lobby that at one point we had to backtrack and read more signs. But when we finally reached the correct walkway, I was delighted. Our room faced jungle, and the walkway in front of it, with two plastic chairs, wasn’t shared by another room. The key was in the lock.

The resort billed itself as ecotourism. In keeping with that, the room was not luxurious, but it was spacious and clean, built from a wood that gleamed with a golden luster. And while the room contained nothing remotely resembling technology, there were a couple of outlets and a small area where we could hang clothes. A wide-bladed ceiling fan lazily churned the air and was as close to air-conditioning as we would get.

The bed took up half the room. And there was one. No sofa bed to retreat to tonight. “Again,” I said, “they only had one room when I made the reservation.”

Teo gave his suitcase a push and it rolled to the wall. He put his arms around me and slipped off my backpack. “One room is perfect.”

“So what should we do while it’s raining? I can’t imagine bird-watching.”

He brushed my hair back from my forehead and kissed it. Then my nose, an earlobe, another, my cheek and finally, my lips.

“Do you remember how good sex was before everything happened?”

I felt warmth flooding through me that had nothing to do with rain forest heat. Suddenly my knees refused to lock. “How could I forget?” I saw what he wanted to say, but couldn’t.

“You were afraid things might be different because of the missing leg.” I kissed him gently and smoothed my hands under his shirt to feel the solid expanse of his back. “Things are different, Teo. You are so remarkable. I want you more than I did then, even if I don’t deserve you. Don’t you know I love you?”

I put a finger on his lips when he started to speak. “You don’t have to say a thing. Whatever love means? It definitely means good sex will be great sex. I am so thankful you’re back in my life. Just don’t let me blow it this time, okay?”

He smiled a little, then he reached for the hem of my T-shirt and slowly eased it over my head. I returned the favor, then I unhooked my bra and tossed it to my feet so I could feel his body, skin to skin.