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‘It’s so quiet,’ Chloe said, pleased by how level her voice sounded. She leant forward to look over the edge of the boat. ‘The river’s very deep. Are those dark shadows down there rocks?’
‘Yes,’ Lorenzo said. ‘Larger boats can’t go very far upriver because of them.’
‘It’s incredible,’ she said, looking around at the scenery. It was startlingly different from the glittering turquoise sea and white sand she had grown accustomed to back at the hotel and on their trip along the coast.
The water was very deep and flowed so slowly that the surface was smooth like a dark green mirror reflecting the lush green growth on either side of the river. The banks themselves were made of massive grey-brown boulders rising high above the water. ‘I feel like I’ve stepped into an adventure, going up the Amazon into uncharted territory or something.’
‘It is beautiful,’ Lorenzo agreed, ‘but hardly uncharted. We’ve come early to have the place to ourselves for a while.’
Chloe glanced at the driver of the boat and at Lorenzo’s personal bodyguard, who was also with them. They weren’t really alone, and she found herself feeling disappointed.
‘What’s that noise?’ Chloe asked suddenly as the faint but unmistakable sound of rushing water reached her ears.
‘Can you guess?’ Lorenzo asked, his playful grin flashing in a way that made butterflies flutter in her stomach. It was wonderful to see him like this—it was almost as if they were back to their early days of dating, before so many horrible things had happened.
‘A waterfall?’ Chloe asked in delight. All her life she had loved waterfalls, being completely entranced by their beauty, power and romance.
The boat wound its way slowly up the river, the driver expertly manoeuvring between the great boulders that hid just beneath the surface.
‘Wow!’ Chloe breathed as the boat moved past a particularly large rock and the waterfall came into view. ‘It’s beautiful.’
She stared in awe at the mass of white water pouring down over a sheer drop into the river in front of them. She could feel moisture rising up from the foaming water, refreshing her warm skin.
‘Come on,’ Lorenzo said, holding out his hand to her as the boat pulled up to a rocky ledge. ‘We can climb up and swim at the top.’
The mention of swimming sent a tingle of excitement thrilling through her. A vivid memory of the last time they swam played out in her mind.
‘Is it safe?’ Chloe found herself asking the first thing that came to her, although really she knew she could trust Lorenzo with her safety.
‘Of course,’ he said mildly.
The driver had jumped out and was holding the boat steady and Lorenzo spoke in swift Italian to his bodyguard.
‘Follow me,’ Lorenzo instructed. ‘It’s easy.’
For a moment Chloe paused, letting her eyes drink in the masculine beauty that was Lorenzo Valente—her husband. He was wearing casual shorts and a skin-tight black T-shirt that showed off his sculpted body to perfection.
His vibrant blue eyes sparkled, making the intense colour of the tropical sky fade into insignificance. And his golden skin glowed with a vitality that took her breath away and suddenly made her want to run the tip of her tongue up the strong column of his throat.
She bit her lip and ducked her head to hide her blazing cheeks. Something in his expression had made her pulse quicken—as if he was about to take her to a place where they could make love. At that moment it was exactly what she wanted him to do.
‘Let’s go,’ she said, amazed how level she kept her voice considering the somersaults of sensual expectation her stomach was performing.
She followed Lorenzo across and up the rocks. It was an easy climb but it needed all her concentration. It would be too easy to slip. At the top she turned and realised that they were alone. Both the boat driver and the bodyguard had stayed with the boat.
‘All right?’ Lorenzo asked, letting his gaze linger longer than necessary on the quick rise and fall of Chloe’s breasts. ‘It’s quite a steep climb.’
‘Yes, thank you,’ Chloe replied, knowing that her rapid breathing was caused more by the realisation that she was alone with Loren
zo and the look in his eyes than by the exertion of the climb.
He led her forward onto a large flat expanse of rock. On their left they looked down at the waterfall from above, the gushing white water truly stunning with the sunlight sparkling on it.
‘It’s really beautiful,’ Chloe said in a quiet voice, gazing at the fine mist of water droplets surrounding the waterfall and the colourful rainbows that arched around it.
‘Yes, I’m still very impressed, even though I’ve seen it before.’
Lorenzo’s voice was loaded with sexual intensity and Chloe knew he wasn’t really talking about the waterfall. She held her breath and kept her face turned firmly away from him. She felt the flutter of anticipation start to rise in her stomach again and she wanted to make the moment last.
