“You followed us to Bogota and knew exactly when we reached the hotel there, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. Once you were safely on the plane, I returned to Pensacola.” He stroked her silky arm, loving the citrus fragrance she’d washed with.
“What about the men you’re after?”
“It’s not good news. Remember Bettinger and the guy you called Lion Mane from the club?”
“Ohmigod, they are here? As jaguars? The smugglers captured them?”
Wade snorted. “They’re in on it.”
Maya lifted her head and stared at Wade, her eyes wide. “You’re not serious.”
“Yeah, I am. A couple of hunters arrived earlier. I believe Lion Mane and Bettinger are serving as the trackers. I wonder now if you did actually see them earlier at the airport. They probably planned to meet the buyer at the club before they took off. Then they saw you.”
“The dark-skinned man. He was with Lion Mane and Bettinger. Maybe he was the buyer.”
“I took a picture of all three of them and sent it to my boss. Hopefully, he’ll be able to identify them.”
She snapped her mouth shut.
“That’s what I do, Maya.”
“I never saw you do anything like that. Did you take a picture of me?”
He chuckled and pressed her head to rest on his chest again, loving the feeling of her soft body pressed against his. “Yeah, but only so I can keep you close.”
She seemed to ponder that for a bit while her fingers caressed his abdomen. If she kept it up, he was going to want to make her come all over again.
“And the other women at our table?” Maya finally asked.
“Yeah. It’s my job.”
She grunted. “Did you get just a picture of their faces or of their remarkable assets, too?”
He smiled, not believing she could be serious. She had nothing to be envious about. A woman who could shift and run with him through the jungle was high on his list of preferences for a mate. The way she was so kind and caring toward Kat, protective of her, taking her in like she was her own sister, spoke volumes to him about how she was toward an extended family. And she was every bit as close to her brother as he was to his. That Maya was beautiful and had her own pair of remarkable assets only added to the package deal.
But she was so much more than that.
Even now he hated leaving her. He needed to. He should’ve been searching for the bad guys, not snuggling with one helluva sweet-smelling feline shifter. David would probably never let him live it down after he’d waited and waited and waited for his brother to leave her cottage.
“I took pictures of everyone,” he said, “but only in regard to whether or not they might turn out to be the bad guys.”
“What about me? What if I was living a secret life?”
He kissed her forehead, then rolled her onto her back and straddled her. “Then I’ll have to do a little more digging to satisfy myself that you’re one of the good guys.”
She gave him such a wicked smile as she reached up to tug at his shoulders that he knew she was ready for further exploration.
Chapter 12
Maya was alone. She sensed it before she even opened her eyes. Fingers of early morning sunlight stretched through the glass windows, and like a big cat, Maya extended her arms, yawning and slowly waking.
Wade had left her without a word. She told herself he had to go before her brother discovered him here with her and that his own brother was waiting for him. That he had a job to do. But the gnawing at her gut that he’d left her without saying good-bye wouldn’t quit.
Before she could yank off her covers and head for the bathroom and a thorough shower, a knock at her door and her brother’s voice shook her from her thoughts, startling her.
“Maya, are you okay? Breakfast is served.”
She groaned. If her brother smelled Wade on her—and he would if she didn’t shower—he’d have a fit.
“Sorry. Overslept. Be right down.”
“Hurry. They won’t serve breakfast for very much longer.”
She jumped into the shower, scrubbed her skin and hair good, then dressed in jeans, a long-sleeved cotton shirt, and a pair of boots and hurried down to the lodge’s dining room. This time the room was filled with guests, all mostly having finished their meals.
Kat smiled brightly at her and stood to hug her. Connor was glowering at her. Maya wanted to ask if he’d slept on the wrong side of the bed. But she knew he figured something was up with her since he had reminded her last night when he dropped her off at her cottage that they would share breakfast this morning and had specifically given her the time.
“I ordered you the tortilla stuffed with egg and cheese, skipping the onions,” Connor said as they all took their seats.
“Thanks, Connor. I appreciate it.”
Waffles smothered with coconut and fruit rested on Connor and Kat’s plates already.
“Sorry I was late.” Maya tucked the napkin onto her lap.
“Bad night’s sleep?” Kat asked, seemingly oblivious to the storm building between Maya and Connor. Or maybe she was trying to defuse the situation.
One heck of a great sleep! Sex could do that for a body. Cuddling against Wade for most of the night had been wonderful. “I guess I just needed more sleep this morning.” Maya avoided looking at Connor. She knew he was watching her, judging her reactions, questioning what she’d been up to.
“We saw that jaguar in the jungle again,” a woman said at another table. “We were so excited, but by the time we got our camera out, he was gone.”
Maya’s heart did a flip. She couldn’t help but look in Connor’s direction. He was observing her.
Had it been Wade, leaving too late from her cottage? Or David?
Her face burned with mortification. Knowing her brother the way she did, she was certain he’d investigate around her place right after breakfast, smell that Wade and David had been there, and learn the truth.
“Are you ready to explore the jungle a bit?” Connor asked.
“Like we are now?” Maya asked. She suspected Connor meant to take them much farther away before they shifted. “I’m ready, but I need to talk to you both.”
“We’ll meet you at your place after breakfast,” Connor said.
“I’ll meet you at
This time Kat and Connor exchanged looks.
Okay, maybe they both already knew about her and Wade, but Kat was trying to be gracious and pretend she was clueless. Maya should have known better.
Wade and David loped in their jaguar forms through the rainforest as they made their way back to their cabana. They could have stayed in the jungle all day, searching for the smugglers and their guides, but Wade wanted to go to the main lodge and send a message to Martin about the latest news and ship off the dagger and T-shirt wrapped around it that had been in Mylar Cranston’s room.
When they reached their cabana, David went in first, shifted, and threw on a pair of boxers as Wade headed for his bedroom.
“I thought you were only going to warn her about Bettinger and Lion Mane,” David said, humor lacing his words.
“Don’t start with me.”
“Hell, Wade, I knew you were going to get caught.”
“What do you mean?”
