“I knew someone like that. He could smile and pretend to be your best friend even as he plotted to murder your family. People like that are so twisted.” Already Rachael was beginning to feel better. The strange malady that had gripped her earlier was gone, leaving her trying to remember what it felt like. She just remembered being afraid. The unexplained episode made her feel slightly ridiculous, the epitome of the hysterical woman. It was no wonder Rio didn’t think she belonged in the forest. “Rio, I’m sorry for acting like such a fool in front of your friends.”

“You didn’t, Rachael. If you’re feeling better, we’ll go back inside and see if Tama and Kim can fix your leg. They’re much more adept at healing than I am. Their father worked a bit with me, but they have had the benefit of his tutelage since they were little.”

She circled his neck with her arms, linking her fingers at the nape of her neck. “I think I’m becoming used to you hauling me around,” she teased.

“Well tuck that blanket around you. I don’t mind you going without underwear in front of me, but I draw the line at parading around in the nude in front of my friends. You’ll give Drake a heart attack.”

“I must be picking up your bad habits,” Rachael said, tugging at the blanket until it covered her bare thighs. She snuggled against his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck again, turning her head to look into his vivid green eyes.

They both smiled. It made no sense, but neither cared. They simply melted into one another. She had no idea if she moved first or if he had, but their mouths fused together and joy burst through them. The earth shifted and rocked. Monkeys chattered noisily and a bird shrieked in delight. Prisms of color radiated through the droplets of water on the leaves and moss. Petals from blossoms overhead rained down on them as the wind shifted slightly, but neither noticed. For that moment there was only the two of them, locked in their own world of pure feeling.

It was Rachael who pulled back first, smiling because she couldn’t help herself. “You have an amazing mouth.”

He had heard those words before uttered in that same voice, that same teasing, slightly awed tone. He had felt her fingertip tracing the outline of his lips before. He clearly remembered sweeping away the dishes and laying her on the table, wild with need, wanting her so badly he couldn’t wait long enough to get her to the bedroom.