She handed it to him, then leaned over and pointed a grubby finger at one place she’d been considering. “I think this road leads to a waterfall. I’m not sure, but the topography looks familiar.”
The sun was high overhead now, indicating that it was around mid-day. The heat was stifling and, combined with the ever-present humidity, it was unbelievably oppressive. There was a trail of sweat running down the side of Calista’s cheek and she wiped it away, but not a single complaint did she utter. The woman was truly amazing!
“Let’s try it,” he replied, turning at the small space she’d indicated. “Worst case, at least we can clean up a bit.” He tilted his head towards the back.
“I’ll see if there are any toiletries back here,” she replied.
Goran stifled another groan. More torture, he thought. Sure enough, a moment later, she twisted her body and did that butt-wiggling thing again. Damn, she had a mighty fine ass! And even in this sweltering heat, she smelled good! Very good! There was a soft, feminine scent about Calista that…now that they were alone and not surrounded by strangers, he could mentally pause to appreciate.
Was that all that they’d needed over the past several months? A bit of time to get to know each other? No, he thought as he maneuvered the Jeep over the rough, barely-there road. He doubted that simply spending time in a normal setting with Calista would have allowed her, or him, the freedom to really relax and let their true personalities be revealed to one another. She had always seemed so tightly wound, so closed off to him as well as the rest of the world.
“I think I found something!” she called out, then shimmied herself back into the passenger seat. “Ta-da!” she sang, lifting up what appeared to be a man’s shaving kit. It was rougher than usual, but that was to be expected with mercenaries. The shaving kit of such a person couldn’t be the buttery soft leather kind that his valet packed for him whenever Goran traveled. This one was made of canvas and had several pockets with that Velcro stuff holding it closed. Goran snorted at that.
“What?” Calista asked, startled by his disgusted sound. “What’s wrong with this stuff?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m glad that we have something that will allow us to clean up a bit before we enter civilization once again.” He focused on down-shifting to get over a particularly rough area of the road. “It’s just the Velcro closures.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
He smiled slightly. “It’s not the kind of bag one should take into a combat situation.”
She relaxed back against the canvas passenger seat. “Why would anyone bring toiletries into combat?”
“You’d be surprised at the items some people bring into combat. Everyone has their little luxuries. For me, it’s shaving supplies. I hate the feel of scruff on my face.”
She turned her head, a slight smile to her soft lips that was shockingly sexy. “I kind of like the scruff,” she commented.
That surprised him and he glanced at her, only briefly because he really did need to pay attention to the road. “You do?” For a moment, he considered leaving the scruff on his face, which actually shocked him. He’d never changed his mind just to please a woman before. The women in his life changed to please him. And yet, the idea of doing something to make Calista happy was…well, it made him feel good.
“Yeah, but do what makes you comfortable.”
“I usually shave twice a day.”
She looked at him, startled. “Your beard grows that fast?”
“Yeah.”
She laughed, but covered her mouth quickly, turning her face away.
“What?” he growled.
She shook her head, but another snort of laughter tumbled out. “Nothing,” she replied, then bent her head to giggle again.
He turned onto the dirt road she’d pointed to on the map.
“Calista, what the hell is so funny?” He slowed the Jeep, downshifted, then accelerated over a rather large log, the thick jungle surrounding them on all sides.
“I just…” she snickered, then recovered but the amusement lingered on her lovely features. “I used to wonder why you seemed to always have such smooth skin!” she laughed again. “I thought the lack of any sort of beard indicated a low testosterone level.” She laughed at the low growl, but couldn’t contain her amusement any longer. She bent forward, then leaned back, even arching her back as she laughed harder, her shoulders shaking with her mirth.
He turned the corner and came to an abrupt stop, the sound of water coming to them. Her laughter eased and she looked up and…her amusement morphed into an expression of pure pleasure. “Oh my!” she gasped. “What a lovely spot!”
Goran was still looking at her and had to agree, but when she looked over at him, then back out through the windshield, he turned his gaze forward, astonished when he noticed the picturesque scene in front of him. It was straight out of a romantic movie, he thought, his body tightening all over again as he pictured Calista, naked, as the sparkling water tumbled over her bare skin. He could also picture her swimming naked through the clear water in the pool of water created by the waterfall. There were big rocks in several places along the shoreline, but the rest of the shore was made up of tree roots and low hanging branches, making the area look secluded and incredibly exotic. Yeah, he could definitely picture a romantic scene happening here. Or a porn flick!
Banishing that thought from his mind, he put the Jeep in park and shut off the engine. The silence was broken now only by the rushing waterfall while the tension between himself and Calista seemed to increase as they both stared straight ahead.
Calista felt as if her body was on high alert. She could feel the tension thickening in the already teeming air between them. Which was crazy since she suspected that he was just as surprised as she was by their sudden attraction.
And yet, the idea of him seeing her bathe in that water was…well, it was a pretty romantic spot! The area looked as if there was a constant battle between the water and the jungle, both trying to take over the limited space.