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Bjornolf’s direction. His expression was neutral, but he was totally annoyed. Bjornolf couldn’t stop thinking about staying with Anna at the hut, and he definitely didn’t like the idea of being in a separate cabana away from her. All his protective instincts were on overdrive.
    He loathed the idea of Anna being out of his sight, and that was beginning to annoy him, too. Bjornolf thought of himself as a quintessential loner, and now he was anticipating a mission with a partner. If that wasn’t bad enough, the partner was someone he was getting way too personally interested in.
    Before bedding down for the night, Hunter sent Bjornolf and Anna to buy meals from a local eatery. The owner of the cabanas had recommended three of them. Eating at the others was at the customers’ risk. They chose one that looked a little less rustic than the others. Small wooden tables filled a flagstone patio surrounded by rough, yellow stone walls topped with white Christmas lights. More lights wound around vines and hanging plants, while the smell of arepas wafted outside. Friendly chatter and the clinking of bottles of beer filled the air. Chickens clucked and pecked at bugs scurrying around on the pavers. A donkey brayed in the distance—adding to the South American– style holiday ambience.
    Anna surveyed the surrounding area again, watching for any sign of danger while they waited for their meals. Bjornolf caught Anna looking at him, which made him smile a little. Garbed in civilian clothes to fit in with the other tourists, Anna wore a jungle-print, see-through blouse over a green tank top. A pair of black jeans and heeled boots were a lot sexier than the combat ones she’d had on, though he knew she could use those boots as weapons. He had to admit anything she wore looked damned good on her. She appeared as beautiful as the colorful birds and flowers of the jungle, he thought.
    She quickly looked at the patrons again. Like any good operative, she’d been observing the patrons as well as the jungle. When their gazes collided, he watched her cheeks flush. All fresh and clean, she fairly sparkled. Her auburn hair hung in damp curls around her face, her green eyes widened a bit when Bjornolf continued to look at her, taking her in, every delicious part of her.
    He’d never seen her dress in anything but camouflaged clothes, or on that last mission when he’d first run into her—close-fitting black for cat burglar–type operations—so this was a new look for him. The colors were still dark, but he couldn’t pass up another look at the sheer blouse that hinted at a playful suggestiveness. She might not be suggesting anything, but he liked to believe she was teasing him a bit.
    “What?” she said, casting him an annoyed glance, arms folding defensively over her chest.
    “You look nice.”
    Her mouth opened as if she was about to give him a smart-assed reply, then she closed it, eyes narrowing.
    “ Really ,” he said. He wanted to tell her that it was okay to accept the compliment, that it wasn’t demeaning or anything for someone who tried so hard to be just one of the guys. “ Really nice,” he said, in a way that meant his appreciation of her beauty had nothing to do with wanting to get her into the sack.
    Not that he wouldn’t love that, but he hadn’t meant the compliment in that way.
    “Thank you,” she said, her voice sounding a little suspicious.
    Okay, so maybe the appreciative look he gave her did border on lingering, and definitely indicated that he was interested.
    “ Señor ?” a young dark-haired woman called, coming up to him and handing him the bags of food, the spicy scent making his stomach rumble with anticipation.
    “ Muchas gracias ,” he said, thanking her.
    His mouth was watering, too, but that had more to do with the way Anna looked than anything to do with the food.
    Anna quickly took some of the bags, then they left the eatery.
    “So… about the sleeping arrangements…” Bjornolf