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insult me some more?”
    Chase sighed, a sound that was both exasperated and resigned. He used the hem of his shirt to wipe his face clean, giving me a five second glimpse of his delicious, golden abs. Jesus Christ, if he wasn’t such a jerk, I’d have mounted him then and there.
    “Look,” he said, letting his shirt fall back into place, “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean any of that stuff I said.”
    “Sure you did,” I scoffed.
    He shrugged. “Okay, you got me there. I did mean it, but I still shouldn’t have said it. I’m having a bad day, and you just rubbed me the wrong way.”
    “Apology accepted. Now, kindly go to hell.”
    Turning on my heels, I continued on my way. To my surprise—and annoyance—Chase followed me. “That’s it? All I get is ‘go to hell’?”
    “I’m not sure what else you want from me,” I answered.
    “How about a chance to make it up to you?”
    I paused in the doorway of the hotel, eyeing him thoughtfully. “Make it up to me how?”
    He ran a hand through his brown curls, adorably tousling them. “Well, your first rainforest experience wasn’t exactly the best. What do you say I take you out and show you the good stuff?”
    “How do I know you’re not going to shove me into a snake pit and call your little buddies to come eat me?”
    “Because they’re still working on the last unsuspecting girl I lured down there,” he said with a laugh. “Look, I swear, no more snakes—at least, I won’t let you see them. They’re everywhere, and that can’t be helped, but you’ll have fun and I won’t let anything eat you. Scout’s honor.”
    “You would be a Boy Scout,” I grumbled.
    He grinned. “Made it all the way to eagle. You in or what?”
    “Definitely not. Hiking in the rainforest … that’s fun? I have a spa appointment in the morning.”
    “So meet me right after. Noon?”
    I crossed my arms over my chest. Part of me wanted to tell this guy to kiss my ass—both cheeks. Another part of me couldn’t help but notice that he had dimples that magically appeared when he turned on that megawatt smile. He wasn’t at all my usual sort of guy, but I wasn’t in the market for anything permanent. I gave up on permanent a long time ago and started opting for temporary fun. Besides, his invitation was more than what it seemed. It was a downright challenge, and I never back down from a dare.
    “Fine,” I relented. “I’ll be here.”
     
     
     
     
    I was in a surprisingly good mood when I met Chase in the lobby for our outing. It might have had to do with the hour long massage, Tahitian vanilla body scrub, seaweed wrap, and mani/pedi I got before meeting him. I’d donned my boots—which had dried overnight from their soaking on the boat—a pair of white shorts, and a turquoise tank top. Underneath, I’d put on my black bikini, hoping to get to the beach after my rainforest excursion with Chase. Unfortunately, the chances of that were slim. The day was already overcast, and it seemed highly likely that a storm would squash any plans to hit the beach.
    Chase was yummy in khaki cargos and a black tank top, his biceps bulging and forearms defined. One of his biceps was tattooed, a tribal design that circled his arm, standing out stark black against his sun-tanned skin. He frowned when I got closer.
    “You smell like a sugar cookie,” he said.
    I grinned. “Right? The Tahitian vanilla body scrub treatment was a last minute addition to my spa day, but I love it.”
    He rolled his eyes as he rifled through the backpack I hadn’t noticed until just then. “You’re going to need this,” he said before thrusting a spray can in my face. I choked and sputtered as he covered me with foul-smelling bug spray.
    “Dude, what the hell!” I screeched, sneezing a few times as the aerosolized repellant wafted up my nose.
    “You don’t want to go into the rainforest smelling like that,” he said with a shrug, jamming the spray back into his bag. “You’re just