Wild Rain (Leopard People 1)

"I went to school for a year in England. You'd be surprised the things you pick up," she said and rubbed shampoo into his hair with a little too much vigor. "I'd like to have the chance to meet these wise elders of yours. Greedy little vultures with their hands out and you doing the risky jobs. What about the men you work with?"

If she rubbed any harder she was going to take his scalp off. "Most of them live away from the village and of course we talk. You saw Drake. It's better for them if they don't advertise we're friendly because technically they're breaking the rules. I guess if the elders can't see it, they don't mind it."

"Sanctimonious bastards."

He caught her wrist gently. "I'm going bald, sestrilla. I can't afford the hair loss. I have a woman now and she's very edgy about certain things."

She smacked the top of his head with the flat of her hand. Soap bubbles flew everywhere, making her laugh. "I'm not in the least edgy. It's just that these idiot elders..."

"Wise elders," he corrected and hastily ducked under the water before she could smack him again. He stayed low while she massaged the soap out of his hair. When he came up she made a sound of complete disgust.

"I don't know who gave them that title. Most likely they did. In any case, are you telling me that you hauled that man through miles of forest and those men didn't even say thank you?"

"Normally it doesn't bother me. It really doesn't. But standing there with Joshua's blood all over me and my feet hurting like a son of a gun, I felt like a kid again. I felt ashamed of my actions, my lack of control, the terrible thing inside of me that won't forgive the one who killed my mother. And I wasn't certain I could forgive them, and still don't know if I have. Not one of them said they were sorry for her death. I felt like I mourned her alone. I felt rage and I felt shame. Damn it, Rachael, I hated that."

"They're the ones who should be ashamed with their no forgiveness." There was a fierce, protective instinct welling up in her. "They don't know the difference between good and evil. They aren't very wise."

"And you do?" He lifted an eyebrow at her.

Outside the birds shrieked and several monkeys screamed a warning. Rio stood up, the water pouring off of him. He turned his head alertly toward the door, taking the towel she handed him. "You need clothes on, Rachael," Rio said. "Company's coming and coming fast."

"I thought you said I didn't need clothes and I had to get over my civilized inhibited ways."

Her voice teased his senses, whispered over his skin like a silken glove. She made life worth living. He caught her hair gently, tugged her head to him and fastened his mouth to hers. He was instantly, ravenously hungry all over again. "You're killing me, sestrilla, I'm not going to survive. I don't think I have the stamina."

She laughed softly and flung her arms around him, holding him to her as if he were the most precious thing in the world. She peppered kisses all over his face. "You do just fine. I need to start cooking for you, build up your strength."

He couldn't stop his roving hands from sliding down her back, shaping the curve of her hip, cupping her bare buttocks. Rio allowed himself the luxury of burying his face against her soft throat. Love filled him up, burst out of him, a tide he couldn't stem, but he couldn't find the words to say it without choking. He held her, feeling her alive and warm and real in his arms. "Damn it, Rachael." His voice was gruff as he pushed her way, holding her at arm's length. "You're turning me into a poodle."

Her entire face lit up, her dark eyes laughing, her mouth curved and soft and beautiful. He ached to kiss her again, but tossed her a pair of jeans instead. "Stop laughing at me and put your clothes on."

"A poodle? Have you ever seen a poodle?" She finger-combed her hair, grinning at him. "I have the hair, maybe we can make a match." The sunlight pooled around her, soft rays that barely filtered through the canopy but found her, were drawn to her in the same way he was drawn. She looked radiant, filled with joy.

He had been so filled with pain and shame and anger the night before. In a few hours of bliss, she had shaken his world, turned it so that he could only feel joy and laughter and a paradise of pleasure. "You're tempting me, woman, and I'm going to throw you back in that bed."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "I doubt if I'm in any danger when you were just complaining about stamina. Wimpy male."

He tackled her, driving her back onto the mattress, throwing his body over hers. She was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. He pressed his erection against her, rubbing back and forth to show her what stamina was all about. Rachael didn't seem very impressed, laughing until he stopped her with his kisses.

The whoop, whoop of warning by the birds just outside on the railing of the verandah forced him to leave the temptation of her body. She lay on the bed, laughter fading into a smile as she looked at him. Something about her mysterious, feminine smile set his heart pounding.

Deliberately she began to pull his jeans slowly up her bare legs, wiggling to bring them over her hips and bare bottom. She left them open, exposing the triangle of tiny black curls. She stood there with her bare breasts thrusting toward him invitingly. "I can't find my shirt."

His mouth was dry. "You shameless hussy. You're deliberately provoking me." His fingers crushed the material of the shirt, his gaze drinking her in.

"Is it working?"

"Damn right it is. Put the shirt on before we shock poor Kim."

Rachael looked alarmed. "Kim? The guide?" She held out her hand for the shirt.

He held the shirt to his chest. "Come and get it."

Rachael went without hesitation, one arm sliding around his neck, pressing her breasts against his chest while her other hand slipped between his legs and began to caress and dance and cup him right through the material of his jeans. Her lips were at his throat, tongue swirling in a small, deliberate caress. Rio rocked against her hand, wanting her all over again with such an urgency it was as if he'd never once made love to her. Or as if his body remembered every magical moment and was obsessed.

Franz coughed a warning. Rio groaned and dragged the shirt around her, buttoning it quickly. It was the only safe thing to do. Barefoot, he pulled her with him onto the verandah to wait for their guest.

Rachael looked down to see Kim climbing the tree. He wasn't as fast or as efficient as Rio, but he was sure and steady. He gained the lower branches and made his way up to them.

"What brings you so far from home?" Rio greeted.

> "My father sent me with news and I wanted to tell you about the man from the church group who was missing." Kim smiled at Rachael. "You look so much better, Miss Rachael. How is your leg?"

"It's far better, Kim. I see you're looking good. I hate to admit this, and let's not tell your brother, but his green gunk works."

Kim nodded seriously, willing to be a conspirator. "Tama is renowned for his healing skills. It was foul-looking though, wasn't it?" He exchanged a smile of understanding with her.

"Which man got away from the bandits?" Rachael asked.

"The one called Duncan Powell."

She remembered Duncan well. He stayed to himself a lot, but was always extremely polite. "I hope he managed to get away safely."

"That is what you both need to know. The man who escaped on his own from Tomas was one of your kind, Rio. He shifted into the form of a cat and mauled a guard, escaping into the forest. None of Tomas's people spoke of it, but two of the church group saw the shadow of the leopard on the rocks. They said they saw the guard ripped up and it had to have been a large cat."

"The men are very superstitious," Rio explained to Rachael. "They believe that the bigger cats are deities. Leopards are rare in these forests, so seeing one, especially attacking a guard at night, means many things to them. Unfortunately, it will also bring poachers here. The attack will most likely be talked about and the incident will grow into multiple incidents and the gossip will be we have a man killer on our hands." Rio sighed and pushed his hand through his hair. "Damn that idiot anyway. He could have gotten out of the camp without being seen and no one would have been the wiser."

"The guard had beaten him," Kim said.