It was only a shame that he had refused to take off his shirt.
Adam led them through the forest of bones.Here and there, the voices of Borthwick’s men echoed off the pockmarked red walls of the ravine, but Adam steered their party along the cascade, where the rush masked the sound of their movements.
They waded across the stream, water soaking Constance to her thighs.She missed her footing, and the current pushed her into a slide.
Neil threw his arm around her waist to steady her.
His chest pressed against her back.Uneven breath brushed her ear.
Constance shivered.
He quickly released her.
They caught up to the others under a flame-hued poinciana that sprawled near the base of the cliffs.Adam studied the cave Neil had identified from their hiding place.The opening sat three stories up from the ground, fronted by a shadowy line of six chipped and weathered columns.A narrow set of steps carved into the stone was the only way to reach it.
“This shouldn’t be visible from the camp until we get to the top,” Adam concluded.
“It’s still a risk,” Ellie pointed out.“We don’t know where Borthwick’s men are looking for us.”
“I don’t see any other way to get there,” Adam admitted apologetically.
Neil warily considered the climb.“Are you sure it’s safe?”
“Of course it is, Stuffy,” Constance countered.
Before he could argue, she darted onto the steps, scrambling up with easy confidence.Reaching the top, she dodged into the shadow of the colonnade.
The columns fronted a narrow veranda carved from the face of the cliff.Constance pressed herself against the back wall as she studied the landscape below for any shout of alarm or crack of rifle fire.
The gorge remained quiet save for the rush of the nearby waterfall.
She called down the stairs to the others in a pointed whisper.“All clear!”
While she waited for them to join her, she took a moment to appreciate the view—which was stunning.The colonnade was positioned to offer a broad vista of the shimmering silver falls.Majestic walls of ocher stone framed a sky full of silently roiling gray clouds.The cliffs were draped with tumbling clusters of gold and purple blooms that kissed the air with their fragrance.
Neil arrived, leaning against one of the columns as though his knees were shaky.“That was terrifying.”
Constance found herself staring at the lingering damp that glistened on the skin of his throat.
She wondered if he would let her taste it.
He peered out from behind the column to take in the view.His expression shifted to one of solemn wonder.“This is…”
Lust shifted into a softly thrilling sense of kinship.Constance knew exactly what he meant.“Yes,” she quietly agreed, coming to stand beside him.
A gust of heady wind lifted her loose, tangled hair.A low rumble punctuated the silence, the first promise of the gathering storm.
Ellie stumbled as she reached the veranda.
Neil darted out to catch her.“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she assured him with a hint of irritation.“It’s only these dashed bite wounds on my leg don’t appreciate me walking around quite so much.”
Neil paled.“I’m sorry—did you saybite wounds?”
“Was it a tiger?”Constance asked, her interest piquing.
“Fish, actually,” Ellie returned automatically.She wiped a line of sweat off her brow.“Goodness.That was precarious, even for my tastes.I do hope—”
