Marie Higgins

by Amazon Sunset

  Heavens, this man could kiss! Never before had a man taken such liberties with her and shared something so personal. Yet it didn’t matter. She enjoyed every second of his attention. But just as she began to participate in the steamy kiss, his body stiffened. Within seconds he released her as if she were hot coals and stepped back.

  The absence of his body against hers caused her limbs to shake. She couldn’t help but miss the comfort his hard frame had provided. Soon, the heat from inside her disappeared, chilling her. Embarrassed, she scrambled to grab the sheet, which had fallen to the floor, and pulled it up to her bosom to cover herself once more.

  She stared deeply into his striking eyes, not wanting to look anywhere else. As he pushed his fingers through his hair, his expression changed from passion to confusion, and then to anger.

  “Mmm…Mmm…Mr. Knightly,” she finally muttered, “I think you should explain yourself.” Her mind was a whirlwind, and she couldn’t think properly. Yet she knew exactly what he was doing, so explaining himself would be pointless. She cleared her throat to begin again, but he shook his head and held up a hand to stop her.

  “Miss Landon, I should not have done that, and I apologize. I blame the mixture of the alcohol, tonight’s heat, and the fact that I’m exhausted.” He turned away and marched toward the door.

  “Mr. Knightly?” He stopped as he reached the door, but he didn’t look at her, so she continued. “Why did you come to see me this evening?”

  He rubbed his forehead while taking several deep breaths. “I needed to talk to you about something, but it will now have to wait until my mind is clear. I will discuss this with you in the morning.”

  She didn’t stop him from leaving her room this time, but once the door was closed, her entire body shook, and she stumbled to her bed. After crawling onto the mattress and lowering the mosquito netting, she fell upon her pillow, closing her eyes. Unfortunately, sleep was too far away to lull her into relaxing. For certain, she would not be able to forget his kiss and how wonderful it had felt to be in his strong arms.

  * * * *

  Bright and early the next morning, Katrina was dressed and sitting at a small table, sipping her tea as she waited on the inn’s veranda. Anticipation jumped through her, the longer she waited. She fidgeted in her chair and tapped her fingernail on the teacup as she watched the entryway for Felix to arrive. Apparently, he was not an early riser like she was. Obviously, he was not as eager to see her as she was to see him. That particular flaw in him irritated her more than she was prepared for.

  As she had suspected after he had kissed her last night, her mind could not rest. Even when she finally drifted off, she dreamed of being in his arms and being kissed passionately by the handsome man.

  Ahhh! How dare he do that to her?

  What worried her even more was what she would do if he kissed her again. The mere thought had her heart skipping faster. Quickly, she chastised herself and made a promise for that not to happen. She didn’t need to be fearful of him losing his head again…and she losing hers, either. In fact, she should just call off this expedition and have him take her home.

  Frowning, she sighed. No, she couldn’t quit. All these years her father had never bothered to lift a finger to give her mother any financial support. Now that Mother was ill, Katrina desperately needed his money.

  She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. Thinking about her mother’s poor health was unwise and would cause Katrina heartache she couldn’t bear. Her mother was too young to die. Katrina would do all she could to make sure she had the money for Mother’s care…even if it meant traveling three more days in the presence of a very muscular man whose kisses made her melt.

  A hint of musky cologne tickled her nose mere seconds before someone cleared his throat. Jumping, her eyes flew open. When had he arrived, and why hadn’t she heard him?

  Felix stood by the table with his gaze fixed on her. Inwardly, she groaned. He was so incredibly good looking. It didn’t matter if he was dirty and dripping with sweat—or in this case, clean, shaven, and wearing a different shirt and trousers—he was still a very fine looking man who literally took her breath away.

  Strange thing was, he didn’t appear to suffer any after effects from last night’s drinking. Had he really consumed so much that he’d lost his head and kissed her without realizing what he was doing? She honestly hoped not! Deep in her heart she wanted him to be as attracted to her as she was to him.

  “Good morning, Miss Landon. I would ask how you slept, but from the way your eyes were closed and you were massaging your forehead just now, I suspect you didn’t sleep well at all.”

  He sat in the chair next to her. A teasing grin flashed across his face.

  Inwardly she growled. By the tilt of his mouth, he probably assumed the reason why she hadn’t slept. Well, she would set him straight right now. She would not let him know her lack of sleep was due to their kiss. “Good morning, Mr. Knightly, and you are correct. I’m still not used to the humidity, I fear.”

  He took the empty cup and sat it in front of him. Before he could reach for the kettle of tea, she picked it up and poured a fair amount in his cup.

  “Thank you, Miss Landon.” He lifted the drink to his lips and sipped before setting it down. “The humidity is the most difficult thing to get used to. It took me weeks when I first arrived in this country.”

  She linked her fingers together and rested her hands in her lap. “How long have you lived here, Mr. Knightly?”

  “It’s been about ten years, I believe.”

  “May I ask what brought you to this place? From your accent, I suspect you are from England.”

  He nodded. “I’m from England. I came to Brazil when a friend of mine told me about this beautiful land. I love discovering new places, and when I arrived in the rainforest, I immediately knew this would be my new home.”

  A soft smile bracketed his face, and her heart melted a little. It was a good thing he didn’t smile more often. Her mind would be lost in dreams for sure. “Well, I can certainly see you enjoy being here.” She lifted her cup and took another drink.

  “Indeed, I do.” He adjusted himself in the chair. “Miss Landon, I need to discuss something with you before we go any further in our journey.”

  “Yes, you had mentioned that last night.” In a flash, she recalled everything that had happened, and her cheeks quickly burned from embarrassment. She silently scolded herself for reacting in such a way.

  His lips quirked in that familiar way, as if he tried not to grin. Curse him for knowing her thoughts!

  “Some of my men,” he began, “were talking to the locals last evening at the tavern, and one man there expressed his concerns about the jungle. Apparently, things have gotten worse since the last time I was here.”

  Confused, she shook her head. “What do you mean?”

  “What happened to Suzette has been occurring a lot, I’m afraid. Fire ants are building nests where they haven’t before, and their colonies are expanding. Even the howler monkeys are growing more aggressive and have scattered throughout the jungle. This particular man mentioned how dangerous it is now to travel deep into the rainforest.”

  Her heart beat a different rhythm this time, and it had nothing to do with how close Felix was sitting. “What do you suppose is the cause for these changes?”

  “I don’t know, and neither did this man. Until we can discover the reason, I have reservations about taking you further into the jungle.”

  She wasn’t sure she liked the hesitant tone to his voice. Could the jungle really be different now from the way it had been during his countless visits? For some reason, she had a hard time believing it. Maybe there was an ulterior reason for him wanting to end the journey. “Are you saying you want us to turn back?”

  “I’m contemplating it.”

  “Didn’t you say we’re about halfway there?”

  He shrugged. “Give or take a few hours.”

  “You don’t know for certain?” s
he wondered.

  “Manuel is the one who knows the way to your father’s plantation, but he will be staying here with his wife. The physician says Suzette will be all right, but it will take time for her wounds to heal. Manuel has given me the directions to the plantation, however, I fear there might be obstacles along the way.”

  “I’m relieved to know Suzette is doing better and her husband will stay with her. However, wouldn’t it be a wasted effort if we turned back now since we’re so close?”

  “In a sense, yes.”

  “But really,” she leaned closer and hesitantly placed her hand on his arm, “how well do you know this man who told you the things about the jungle? Is he to be trusted?”

  Felix’s forehead creased with uncertainty as he shifted his gaze between her hand and her eyes. She thought he would get upset because she was touching him again. Last night he stopped kissing her only after she had started to caress him.

  “I never met him before last night,” he finally said.

  Slowly, she pulled her hand away. “Then why trust his word so quickly?”

  “Because the fire ants that attacked Suzette were larger in number. I’ve never seen them so aggressive in their attack.”

  Katrina stayed silent for a few moments in deep thought. Although she should give in to his suggestion and agree to turn back, a part of her wanted to continue. Not only that, but her gut told her something wasn’t right. She wished she could figure out what exactly bothered her.

  “So tell me, Mr. Knightly. What does your heart tell you?”

  His eyes widened and a light laugh sprang from his throat. “My heart?”

  “Yes, of course. Obviously, your mind tells you to halt the expedition and return, but what is your heart saying?”

  “Believe it or not, I’m not fully convinced we should quit.” He rubbed his jaw. “I truly want to keep going, so if you’re up to it, knowing that things might get a little dangerous, then I’m willing to take you to your father’s plantation.”

  “Splendid.” She clapped her hands, surprised she felt genuinely relieved. “I’m happy to hear you say that. Do you think your men will be all right with your decision?”

  He nodded. “Of course. They are just as adventurous as I am.” He tipped the cup to his mouth and finished drinking the tea before standing. “I will tell the men to be ready within the hour.”

  “And I shall be ready as well.” She stood and then stepped away from the table.

  Instead of leaving the veranda, he stood staring at her. She wondered why he didn’t say anything, especially when he opened his mouth, looking like he wanted to talk, but then he quickly pursed his lips. The last time he was like this was when…

  Breathless, she pushed the thought aside, not wanting to think about the kiss last night. Just as she was ready to ask why he wasn’t leaving, he turned and strode away.

  Placing her hand to her chest, she sighed deeply. That man could certainly unnerve her. The key to traveling with him without becoming tongue-tied—or heaven forbid, illicit another kiss from him—would be to keep him angry at her. That seemed to have worked earlier in the journey.

  Sadly, she concluded it was indeed the heat and liquor that had made him kiss her last night after all.

  Chapter Seven

  Felix didn’t know why he felt so lighthearted as he led his group through the jungle, but the decision to keep on going was the right one. Whether he did it for Katrina or for himself, he still wasn’t sure. With a pain of longing in his heart, he knew this would be his last trip ever and he wanted to make it memorable. So far he’d accomplished that. The kiss they’d shared last night had been powerful, and literally knocked him senseless. He’d definitely remember it in years to come.

  Katrina had been frightened at first, but then she’d sighed and fell against him, and he knew she enjoyed the kiss as much as he. When she had slid her hand on his chest in a curious exploration, he’d nearly jumped out of his skin. The pleasure shooting through him was so different from what he’d experienced with other women. With Katrina, he had nearly lost control over his mind, which was why he had stopped her. Feeling that way was not a good thing and he couldn’t let it happen again. Felix Knightly always had to be in control.

  He took a different path out of Manaus, one that wasn’t as well-traveled on. More times than not, he and his men unsheathed their machetes to cut the hanging white yiel-yiel leaves and branches out of the way as they advanced deeper into the jungle.

  Katrina stayed between him and a couple of his men, which was exactly what Felix wanted, mainly since he had a hard time keeping his hands off her. Now that he had tasted her sweet kiss, he worried he would want to sample another one soon.

  Because Manuel remained in town with Suzette, the other men volunteered to help carry supplies. Even Katrina gave Felix permission to load her pack with more items. Every so often, he looked over his shoulder to make certain she was doing all right, and it surprised him to see her forging on without any difficulty. Usually, pampered women couldn’t handle such laborious tasks, yet Katrina seemed to deal with things quite well, surprisingly.

  There was something about her he couldn’t put his finger on, yet he didn’t have time to dig deeper into her past to find out what made her so unusual. He couldn’t let her distract him from his focus. Because of the dangers lurking, Felix had to concentrate on every step and keep the group moving forward. He kept his gaze scanning ahead and his ears alert to anything out of the ordinary just in case Mr. Faro’s predictions came true.

  They had come upon a swampy area, so being particularly cautious were necessary. He paused and called out to his men as he waved his arm high over his head. “Keep a watchful eye out.” Stumbling across crocodiles or even snakes was not something he wanted to do.

  Another branch hung low, so he whacked it with his machete and threw the branch away from the path. As he readied his arm to cut another, Katrina’s terrified screech made him jump and turn toward her.

  She stood frozen, pointing to a tree. Ready to become the warrior she needed and battle whatever unknown creature had threatened her, he raised his machete prepared to attack. When he realized what had frightened her, relief poured through him and he lowered his arm. “This?” He pointed to a purple and yellow amphibian sitting on a leaf. “Is this, what scared you?”

  “Yes.” Her voice shook. “It fell from that tree.”

  He stepped closer to her. “My dear, Miss Landon. This is a frog.”

  The other men nearby laughed.

  She tore her gaze from the frog and looked at Felix with confusion. “A frog? Since when are frogs purple and yellow?”

  Felix chuckled. “Frogs that live in the rainforest are odd colors. You will find many different colored frogs as well as odd-shaped ones. Some will have huge eyes and others will be so small you almost cannot see them. Some will have very long arms and look like they belong to the monkey family. I assure you, Miss Landon, there will be many things in this jungle you are not used to seeing.” He shrugged. “That’s what makes this place so spectacular and unforgettable.”

  Her frame relaxed, and she took a careful step toward the creature, crouching closer. “The frog is actually very beautiful. I was just startled because of its different colors.” She reached out a hand toward the amphibian.

  “Katrina, don’t.” He grasped her hand and pulled it back. “You can look, but don’t touch.”

  When she met his stare, she arched an eyebrow. “Why not? I’ve handled frogs before.”

  “I’m certain you haven’t held any like this before. The more colorful they are, the more poisonous they can be.”

  She jumped back, and her shoulder knocked gently against his chest.

  “Poisonous?” she asked softly.

  “Indeed.” He nodded. “That is why I cautioned you not to touch. Not only can their bite be venomous, but their skin as well.”

  “Yes, I can see now why you stopped me.” She wrung her hands against her middl
e.

  “This close to water, you will see many types of frogs. The ones that are not poisonous are the green or brown ones. Just remember what I told you about their bright colors.”

  “Yes. I will certainly keep that in mind.”

  “Good girl.” He winked. “Shall we continue now?”

  She motioned her hand toward the small trail they were taking. “Lead the way, my good man.”

  Chuckling, he wandered to the front of the line with Carlos and they returned to chopping branches. Every few steps he peeked over his shoulder to see what she was doing, and he was happy to realize she walked more cautiously followed in his tracks without deviating from the path.

  It took a few minutes before he realized he’d been smiling…and it was due to Katrina. But quickly, his smile became a scowl. Falling in love with Katrina would be dangerous, nearly as perilous as the howler monkeys, fire ants, and the poisonous purple and yellow frog.

  If Felix was to banish Katrina from his thoughts, he should try thinking more about the women he’d met ten years ago in England, but the more he remembered their characteristics, the more his head hurt.

  Those women were only in London during the Season to put on a show for the available men. It was their sole purpose to snag a husband no matter what means they used to get one. Men with more money and a title were singled out. Men like Felix—second sons—were not necessarily sought after. Men like Felix were the ones these women liked to use and toss away like leftover food. He was quite certain Katrina was the same kind of woman who would break a man’s heart.

  He shook his head. What was he thinking? He shouldn’t be comparing her to anyone! Her only purpose was to keep him entertained during the journey to her father’s plantation. If she made him laugh, that was fine. If she made him smile more than normal, he could handle that. Of course, he didn’t think he could handle anymore sultry kisses like the one she’d given him last night.

  He wiped those thoughts out of his head and concentrated on the trail ahead. Unfortunately, Katrina’s pretty face kept appearing in his mind. The way she laughed, the way she stared at him with dreams in her eyes, and the way her face softened whenever they were close. He enjoyed watching her expressions when he introduced her to a new animal in the jungle. Her eyes were so wide with interest and so amazingly green.