He felt the blow in his gut, the dark spread of jealousy, the dangerous traits of his animal side. He wasn’t going to let passion rule him, it was far too risky. He had a life now, one he enjoyed. One he could live with. Rachael was not going to ruin it for him.

The wind shifted, touching their faces with droplets of water. Rio immediately leaned over her, protecting her from the rain until the wind settled again. “Bandits are common in these parts. All up and down the river. Not just here but nearly all the countries where the forest and river make it easier to disappear. Indochina, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, all of them. This isn’t a unique situation, or even unexpected. Didn’t they warn you there was danger?” He kept his voice low, even. Nothing would betray the smoldering anger stirring in his belly. She didn’t belong to him. And she was never going to belong to him.

“The odds seemed in our favor.”

“I see it all the time. You should have stayed home, Rachael. You should have gone to the police.”

“Not everyone has options, Rio. I did the best I could in the circumstances. I won’t stay here, just long enough to heal my leg.”

“Do you think it’s going to happen overnight?”

His voice was low, almost sensual it was so velvet soft, but she had to blink back tears. She brought danger with her whether he wanted to believe it or not. She wanted to think she could walk away, keep him safe, but she knew he was right. She didn’t want the reality of her life anymore. If she were desperate enough to dare the raging river, surely he could see she needed a space of time where she could pretend she was safe.

The forest called to her, a dark sanctuary capable of hiding all kinds of secrets. Why not her? The foliage and creeper vines hid his entire home, cradled high in the branches of a tree. There had to be a way to disappear in the rain forest. “Rio, I know you’re here because you’re hiding from the world. Can’t you teach me how to live here? There has to be a place for me.”

“I was born here. The forest is my home and it always will be. I can’t breathe in the city. I have no desire to live and work there. I don’t want television or movies. I go in, get my books and I’m a happy man. A woman like you can’t live here.”

“Like me?” She turned the full power of her dark eyes on him. “A woman like me? What kind of woman am I, Rio? I’d like to hear your analysis because you use that term a lot. A woman like me.”