Page 10 of Enticing Her Love

Despite her fear, she was as impressed and thankful for how much he knew as she was mesmerized by the beauty of the rainforest. Tall trees loomed around them like lanky giants, their umbrellas allowing only streaks of sunlight to illuminate the mist hanging in the humid air. Spiders and bugs crawled on the greenest leaves she’d ever seen, and thick, woody, moss-covered vines hung from trees in loopy tangles like giant snakes. There were vibrantly colored butterflies and other winged insects all around them, and it seemed no two were alike. Then there was the earthy, damp smell hanging in the air. There was something appealing about that pungent smell, so different from the fabricated scents of her daily life.

Flynn stopped abruptly and stepped closer. “Look up there.” He pointed to two small monkeys with orange along their necks and chests running along the branches above them and watching them. “They’re golden-mantled tamarins.”

“They’re watching us. I want to say they’re cute, but are they dangerous?”

“No. They’re just curious. I’d like to get your initial thoughts on video for the show.”

“Yeah, definitely. It’s amazing seeing them in the wild instead of behind an enclosure in the zoo.”

“They don’t belong in zoos. You can talk about the monkeys first in case they decide to take off.”

“Okay. But if a puma eats me, promise me you won’t let my parents see the video.”

“Deal. But just a heads-up. If something eats me, my parents will probably want to see it.”

“If something eats you, I’m not sticking around to film it and become its dessert.”

“Fair enough.” He laughed softly. “Hold still.”

As he reached for her face, she panicked. “What is it? A spider? A bug?”

“Just dirt.” He wiped her cheek.

The breath rushed from her lungs in relief. “Thank you.”

He stepped back to get the video camera ready. “It’s good that you’re scared, Sutton. You’re more likely not to let your guard down and do something that could get you into trouble.”

“I don’t think it’s possible to let my guard down in here.”

“Let’s hope it stays that way, and for the record, I’d never hold that fear against you.”

She was about to make a smart-ass remark when she remembered what he’d said earlier. Have you ever stopped to think about how you act toward me? “I appreciate that. Do you want me to do a brief intro telling viewers where we are, so they know we’re deep in the rainforest, and then skip it for the rest of the time we’re here?”

“That’s a good idea. We can always add something later if we need to. Let’s get to the good stuff.”

He actually smiled, and it wasn’t smirky or fake. It was the kind of smile that said they’d finally agreed on something and he was glad about it, rather than just relieved by it. That made her feel the tiniest bit less stressed as he counted down to start filming and pointed at her.

“We’re coming to you from deep within the Amazon rainforest, where two golden-mantled tamarin monkeys are frolicking on branches above us and checking out the intruders.” She pointed to the tree, and he moved the camera in that direction, lingering for a few seconds before returning to her. “As you can imagine, everything here is wet, and there’s vegetation on every surface. We have to watch where we step and use sticks to move things so we don’t surprise snakes or other animals.” She held up her stick. “I’d like to invite you to take a moment to listen to the plethora of sounds serenading us.”

She was quiet for a long moment. “There’s never a lull in the noises of birds, animals, and insects. The dangers here are very real, but beyond the lush greens that cover the rainforest is a rainbow of vibrant colors. We passed flowers and plants that were shocking pink, deep purple, bloodred, and sunny shades of yellow. The rainforest is as magnificent as it is terrifying. It feels like we’ve stepped into another world, and in a way, we have. To a time when humans didn’t monopolize so much of the earth. Governments can claim ownership of this land, but make no mistake, this is not our rainforest. Those monkeys, and all the other creatures who live here, own this land. We are the intruders, and we’ll do our best to leave it as beautiful as we found it.”

She stopped talking, but he kept the camera on her. She waited at least twenty seconds before finally saying, “Are you going to stop filming?”

“Yeah. Sorry.” He turned the camera off and put the strap around his neck. “That was fantastic.”

She was stunned. He never complimented her like that. “Are you just saying that because I gave you shit for not showing any appreciation or encouragement earlier?”

“Hell no. That was raw and passionate and real, and like I said, Steele. I encourage you, just not the way you want me to.”

He sounded sincere, and looked it, too. Something unexpectedly bright bloomed inside her—and that annoyed her. She didn’t like that she wanted his praise, but didn’t everyone like hearing that they were doing a good job? Their earlier argument came back to her, giving her pause. He had given her tougher assignments than newbie reporters were usually given, and she had no idea how he could have known it, but she had always responded well to a challenge. The jerk was right, and that annoyed her, too.

“You’re starting to look like you want to kill me again,” Flynn said. “Let’s get out of here and find a place to make camp. We still need to find a water supply and food.”

As they headed deeper into the forest, she said, “We’d have food if you hadn’t thrown away my crackers.”

“Let it go, Steele.”

Chapter Five