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invitation.
    She had never been one to follow, preferring to take the lead, but this one time she relented, slipping her hand into his. Even feeling that zing of desire awaken, as it did every time he came near, she found comfort in his solid presence.
    She followed him as he led her to the cabana by the pool for a brand-new swimsuit. As he waited outside, she slipped on a string bikini, remembering his earlier admonition about less being better. The small suit barely covered all the necessary parts, leaving her feeling a little exposed, so she slipped her robe back on, earning a questioning look from Rey as she returned to his side.
    â€œI’m not used to running around almost naked,” she confessed, and he chuckled.
    â€œYou may find that it’s not so bad.” He took her hand again, guiding her from the back of the house toward a well-traveled footpath that led into the nearby rain forest.
    Although it was dark, a bright moon provided some light, and while she’d been in the cabana, Rey had picked up a portable lantern. Still, it was a little eerie passing through the swath that had been cut out of the surrounding jungle. The underbrush lay dense along the ground, and overhead, a thick canopy of trees only allowed shafts of moonbeams to pass through here and there, creating a surreal landscape as a slight breeze shifted the canopy. The area around them shimmered with the moon’s hoary touch, alive with motion. The moonlight caressed the leaves, flowers and fronds of the vegetation with bursts of alternating shadow and light.
    It was far noisier along the path than it had been in her room. The sounds were intensified because of their proximity to the animals inhabiting the rain forest. Luckily, there was no feline rumble because she couldn’t imagine what they might do if they ran across a jaguar.
    They had been walking for about half an hour when the path before them opened into a large clearing. Here the moon’s light illuminated the space, casting its silvery glow on the many flowers in the trees and along the edges of a pool and waterfall. Clear water filled the pool and shimmered brightly beneath the moon’s rays.
    Rey walked to the edge of the pool and then looked at her. “We need to swim beneath the waterfall,” he said and pointed to a spot in the center of the crystalline waters.
    Before she could say anything, he was pulling off the dark blue polo shirt he wore, exposing that magnificent chest and a chiseled midsection. There wasn’t an inch of his upper body that wasn’t lean, powerful male, and the sight of him caused a skitter of need within her.
    She had definitely been working too hard, she thought, splaying a hand across her belly to quell the flutter. As he began to pull down his pants, she looked away and unbelted her robe, slipping it off and folding it into a neat bundle, which she placed beside the edge of the water.
    A splash alerted her to the fact that Rey had entered the pool, and she turned to find him treading water. His gaze slipped over her body, warming her once again with the desire she saw there.
    â€œYou’re very beautiful,” he said, no trace of guile in his voice.
    She was coming to learn that Rey was direct and quite transparent. A welcome relief from the men she usually encountered. Because of that, she found herself relaxing some of her normal restraint.
    â€œYou’re not so bad yourself,” she teased.
    He smiled broadly, displaying a deep dimple at one edge of his lips. A refreshing hint of humble color flashed across his cheeks.
    She stepped to the edge of the pool and jumped in feet first. It was deeper than she had expected, and she drifted downward for a moment before propelling herself to the surface beside Rey. But not before she caught a glimpse of his totally bare body.
    The man was all male, she thought, but refrained from any mention of it as she treaded water beside him.
    â€œIt’s not far. Are you