There were folks in the Nagle organization who a.s.sumed they were an item. Ash neither con rmed nor denied unless she was asked, and no one ever got that personal, not even Tubby. It wasn't always diplomatic to mention family to a contractor. For various reasons, many didn't have one.

Ash climbed into the pilot's seat, next to Klaus, and sized up their takeoff area. There was enough room for a single bounce, and they would need it. They were loaded to the max.

As the Huey rose grudgingly away from the thatched huts and staring tribesmen, Klaus rotated a map to follow the compa.s.s heading and gave her some coordinates. Ash pulled into a hover and checked the gauges, then moved the bird slowly forward. With a slight shudder, the Huey sank and she let the skid toes bounce, then increased airspeed so the blades could bite into clean air. The strained rotor responded with the additional lift she was seeking and they gained alt.i.tude, a triumph greeted with audible relief by the pa.s.sengers behind her.

Ash had done this so many times she no longer held her breath, but she knew everyone else in the Huey had just gulped a lungful of air and the overdue oxygen was making them giddy. They all started talking at once with exaggerated relief, as if no one had feared for a moment that they would end up dangling from a tree.

* 133 *

Heading due west on course toward the lake bed, Ash ipped on her audio switch so she could listen to her favorite ying music. She liked the oldies, maybe because she could remember her mother singing along to Joni Mitch.e.l.l and Lynyrd Skynyrd. A cool wind oated through the Huey's open sides as the altimeter crested a thousand feet, and in her headphones Neil Young prophetically mourned Mother Nature in "After the Gold Rush . " Ash stared out at one of the last true Edens on the planet and wondered what this view would be like in twenty years'

time.

After they'd been cruising just on ninety knots for a while, Klaus lifted one of her earphones and protested, "You're making my nose bleed."

She dropped some alt.i.tude and patched the music through the intercom just in time for Pink Floyd. Why not display her age and outdated musical tastes to everyone on board? "Got a visual on the white treetops yet?" she asked Klaus.

Her copilot lifted his high-powered binoculars and visually prowled the dense canopy below for the markers Ash had noted on several occasions when she'd scoped this region out in a Cessna. One of them was a stand of trees covered in white owers at this time of year. They would be hard to spot through the cloud cover, and she would need to nd a safe spot to y low if she hoped to see the other physical landmarks she'd recorded.

Keeping an eye on the shrouded slopes before them, she pulled the Huey into a climb to adjust to the rising topography. Flying in the mountains was always dangerous, but the dense cloud made the trip almost lunatic. Ash felt like calling back to Miles, Having fun, smart guy? Still think ying into the uplands is no big deal?

They were heading for the western summit of the ranges, an area deep in the unexplored heart of the island and often drowning in cloud for weeks on end. The eld party had been warned that both supply drops and changes of staff could be compromised by weather, but Ash had the impression no one took this seriously. She wondered if their opinions were changing now.

"Nine thirty," Klaus said, pointing through a lmy break in the cloud. "That's your marker and I have visual on the lake bed."

Ash accelerated and dropped to a couple of hundred feet above the ground so she could verify. "Roger. We're going in."

The trees marked the beginning of the steep glide path into the * 134 *

landing zone. The approach angle was dangerous and she was coming in hot, the vegetation rushing up at her with alarming speed. Her heart pumping, she pulled more power and raised the nose a fraction to slow the rate of descent. They were already putting down on marshy ground.

She didn't want them digging in any harder than they needed to.

She was vaguely aware of a deathly hush from behind, where her nervous pa.s.sengers were no doubt whispering their Hail Marys.

Laughing softly, Ash ared hard, demanding as much pitch as the blades were willing to deliver. She knew this low bird like no one else, knew every quiver and whine. The rotor rpm began to bleed off and the body shook in protest. The Huey succ.u.mbed to a small, sharp bounce, then remained in the air at a hover, about ve feet above the ground.

There was nothing more awe-inspiring than executing a perfect in-ground-effect hover. Ash always savored the challenge, never taking for granted the magic of holding both alt.i.tude and airspeed as close as possible to zero, yet remaining airborne and ready to break free.

"That's a genuine bog down there," she told Klaus. "We'll need everyone out double time."

She pedal-turned until she faced across the slope of the ground, progressively lowered the collective, and kept the cyclic moving uphill until the gear touched down. Rolling off the throttle, she yelled over her shoulder, "Haul a.s.s and keep your heads down."

Her pa.s.sengers spilled out the side in an untidy scramble of khaki-clad bodies, and Ash caught a glimpse of Charlotte staggering across the spongy expanse with everyone else. She looked back toward the Huey and waved.

"I told you," Klaus said with earnest satisfaction. "She likes you."

* 135 *

* 136 *

CHAPTER TWELVE.

Charlotte opened her eyes in stages, letting them adjust to the beckoning light of dawn. They'd been camped a short distance from the lake bed for three nights and she still woke each morning with a sense of awe that remained with her all day. The morning birdcalls alone were like nothing she'd ever heard, a melodic cacophony that went on for at least an hour and was then repeated throughout breakfast as the ornithologists played back their tapes and argued over which vocalization belonged to this honey-eater or that fairy wren.

While all this was going on, Billy Bob Woodc.o.c.k ipped pancakes over a propane stove and occasionally cast appreciative stares in her direction. The security guard made her uneasy. He was always scrupulously polite and never did anything untoward, but Charlotte hadn't seen him looking at anyone else the way he ogled her.

She had considered mentioning it to Ash but decided it was just a guy thing and she was being overly sensitive. She didn't want to get him in trouble. Ash was clearly the one handing down orders to the Nagle crew and Charlotte was sure if she complained the guy would be spoken to. She didn't want him feeling got at for no reason. Better to keep her powder dry until there was really something to complain about. Hopefully, it would never come to that.

She glanced across to the empty sleeping pad on the opposite side of the tent. Ash always rose before her and left the tent quickly out of good manners. Even though Charlotte was faintly disappointed to nd herself alone, she appreciated the gesture. It was nice to be able to wipe herself clean with the large-sized antibacterial towelettes she'd packed for bathing, and get dressed in privacy.

* 137 *

Miles had organized volunteers to take turns looking for a safe pool along the stream that owed near their campsite, so they would have a place to bathe and wash their clothes. But so far they'd only found sections they could wade in up to their knees. Today's searchers were planning to venture farther upsteam until they came to the source of their little tributory, hopefully a fork where a larger body of water divided. This could offer the kind of pristine pool that would enable swimming. Charlotte could hardly wait. Despite her best endeavors with the wipes, she felt like a walking microbe factory.

She nished dressing and left the tent to use one of the improvised bathrooms rigged up south of the camp. This was one Nagle-operated service she was thankful for. Their port-a-potty was housed in a small shack skirted with eshy palm fronds. It would be replaced each time there was a supply drop. Not far from it, another mountain stream bounced over a small boulder, creating a natural faucet for washing hands and cleaning teeth. A spittoon nearby enabled them to do this without introducing toothpaste chemicals into the water.

Charlotte was bending over the stream rinsing her mouth when she became aware of large booted feet a few yards to her right. Forcing herself not to betray her nerves by jerking upright, she nished what she was doing, then slowly turned and said, "Good morning, Billy Bob."

"Ma'am." He ipped his black beret and ashed a wide set of teeth. He was well over six feet and had the beady-eyed satisfaction of a male who knew he was intimidating. "Must be hard on y'all, coping with this. Not a real positive situation for a lady like yourself."

Charlotte gave him a noncommittal smile. "Yes, but it's not for long and I'm thankful to be here."

"Some of us are mighty thankful, too." He delivered a heavy-handed compliment. "Looking at you beats the heck out of all them frogs and birds your pals wet themselves over."

Charlotte had heard enough. She tapped her wrist.w.a.tch and said, "Speaking of which, the frog-hunting party must be back by now. I can't wait to see what they have in their specimen boxes this morning."

"Oh, yeah. Me either."

Charlotte's heart pounded a shade too quickly as he walked her back to the camp. But she kept her pace at a steady, casual stroll, determined to reveal nothing of her unease. As soon as she saw Ash, she made a beeline for her, thankful that her companion drifted off in another direction.

* 138 *

"h.e.l.lo, stranger," she greeted Ash with a slight edge.

Despite the fact that they were sharing a tent, Charlotte had barely seen her since they'd arrived. Each night she tried to stay awake long enough to see her come in, but exhaustion claimed her almost as soon as her head touched the pillow and Ash was so quiet slipping in, whenever she nally got around to it, that Charlotte never woke up.

During the day, Ash was endlessly embroiled in getting the camp set up and helping build the platforms and walkways the mammal experts needed for their research in the upper canopy. She and the Nagle team had also created a perimeter for the expedition. No one was permitted to venture outside of this without an escort. Everyone was also equipped with 900MHz GSM cell phones and ares for emergencies.

The few occasions when she was free to talk were usually around meals, and other members of the team were present. For the rst two days, Charlotte had been so overwhelmed with the surroundings and so excited by her work that she'd been able to be philosophical about the disconnect between them. But today, she didn't feel quite so contented, and the odd menace she'd sensed from Billy Bob had unsettled her even more.

Although they hadn't spoken beyond meaningless conversation for days, Charlotte had been constantly attuned to Ash's presence. She'd fought her awareness for about twenty-four hours, then she just gave in and decided to enjoy the sight of her whenever she could. Sweaty.

Untidy. Stripped down to her tank to work on the various building projects. Head thrown back, laughing at something Nitro the nutcase said.

Charlotte had never encountered a woman who seemed so completely at ease with herself physically. When they sat together for a meal or when Ash stalked past her in the middle of some task, Charlotte never felt neutral. Instead she was so conscious of her she felt a sharp sense of loss every time their work took them in opposite directions. Even then, it seemed some invisible force connected them, and Charlotte could actually feel it grow stronger as Ash came closer again.

She wanted to believe the unconscious bond wasn't authentic; that with her senses on high alert and her mind constantly racing, what she was experiencing was a consequence of heightened survival instincts.

Part of a larger picture. Charlotte could sell herself on that idea when she was being logical. The rest of the time, she was gloomily aware that * 139 *

her attraction to Ash was undiminished; in fact, it seemed to be growing exponentially. No matter how much or how little she saw of her, the feelings churned away inside. And lately, when she tried to convince herself this would pa.s.s, her reasoning lacked conviction. She just didn't believe it. Even more unnerving, she didn't want to believe it.

For the rst time in years she felt alive, jolted out of her numb inertia by a current of antic.i.p.ation so strong it delivered frissons of heightened awareness every time she saw Ash. The slow, easy rhythm of her voice lled Charlotte with contentment. And she knew the smell of her so well she could recall it when they were apart. It always made her think of that kiss, the one that had made it impossible for her to remain in her safe, comfortable, remote bubble.

Now, under Ash's questioning scrutiny, those knowing blue eyes narrowed, that hot, slow simmer of a smile tugging with the corners of her mouth, Charlotte felt a whimper rise in her throat. Her stomach churned and all she could think about was that mouth on hers. Those hands on her body. Ash's weight pinning her. The two of them in a sweaty tangle. Gasping. Coming.

Unnerved by the vivid images, she looked away and frantically tried to regroup. The power of these cravings threw her into turmoil.

Since when did she allow s.e.xual feelings to overtake her? Was she really as frustrated as she felt? Charlotte dismissed that idea with scorn.

She had a perfectly normal s.e.x life, admittedly a somewhat spa.r.s.e one in recent times. But who was counting?

"I saw Billy Bob walking you back from the rest area," Ash said in a neutral tone, mercifully oblivious to Charlotte's lurid fantasies.

"Everything okay?"

"Yes, ne." Charlotte's voice sounded thin and reedy, even to her.

She watched a pair of birds involved in an elaborate dance at the edge of the jungle. The male strutted around, icking his wings and rippling the white plumes along his sides, whistling sweetly to attract the rather drab female watching this display. As she drew closer, he dropped low and hopped from foot to foot, his two-note song getting slower and hoa.r.s.er. Their mating was inevitable, but still they danced as if nothing could be taken for granted.

"Can we talk somewhere?" Charlotte asked huskily. What exactly she planned to say was unclear, but she suddenly needed to get away * 140 *

from other people. She wanted Ash to herself for a few minutes, just to be with her. She didn't want to think about what that could mean.

Ash got to her feet. "Sure, let's walk."

Her expression was hard to read. Charlotte thought she saw a glint of anger, followed by a tension in her lower jaw. She followed Ash along a freshly cleared track toward a stand of mahogany trees far enough from the camp that they could not be seen or heard. As usual, she found herself mesmerized by the way Ash walked. Hers was a sensual prowl that spoke of harnessed energy and nely honed control. She would be a good lover, Charlotte thought, watching the rm muscles of her b.u.t.t working beneath the khaki fabric.

Her heart sank when she glimpsed a subtle change in her body language, a rigidity in the set of her shoulders. She was suddenly tense, as if she'd just thought of something that annoyed her. Charlotte was almost ready to insist that they just go back to the camp when Ash stopped abruptly in her tracks and turned to face her.

"Tell me exactly what he did," she said.

Charlotte stopped walking, too. "What?"

"Billy Bob," Ash prompted sharply. "What did he do?"

"Nothing." Was that what Ash was upset about? Had she a.s.sumed something had happened? Hastily, Charlotte explained, "He creeped me out, that's all. He...stares."

"You want me to say something to him?"

"That's not why I wanted to talk." The compulsion that had seemed so urgent and irresistible just moments ago was fast seeping away, and Charlotte felt self-conscious all of a sudden. She didn't know what to say. Her mind told her one thing and her body another. "I'm sorry,"

she said, forcing herself to get a grip. "I know you're busy. Let's go back."

"Not so fast." Ash searched her face. "What is it, Charlotte? You didn't bring me out here for no reason."

Charlotte felt like a sleepwalker who had stumbled into a dream world unlike any she'd ever known. Everything seemed foreign, every step precarious. Delaying the inevitable, she allowed her eyes to roam the surroundings. The rainforest oor was heavily carpeted in moss, and where shafts of light pierced the gloom, Charlotte could see spores swirling and dancing. Even the air was alive.

Words would be her undoing, she thought. She would open her mouth and spill out some nonsense that would enable her to back out * 141 *

before she did something she would regret. With words as a barrier she could avoid the risk of touch. She would also deny something in herself.

Ignoring the cautionary voices rattling their warnings in her head, she reached out and cupped her palm to Ash's cheek. Her hand shook.

For several deafening heartbeats they just stood there like that, then Ash placed her hand over Charlotte's and took a step toward her. In the forest shadows, her eyes glowed darker, the pupils huge and black within a gilding of blue. In a single heavy-lidded blink everything changed. Desire blazed from their depths, matching the erce longing that ared in Charlotte's belly.

She lifted her other hand to Ash's hair, carving a path through thick white-gold strands that caressed her ngers. Ash's jaw was rigid.

Charlotte could feel the twitch of a muscle in her cheek. She moved in to her until their bodies were fully engaged, their thighs and bellies claiming a home against one another, their b.r.e.a.s.t.s rising and falling in aching collision.

In the hush of the forest oor, far below the canopy, their breathing sounded loud. Ash's hand found the small of Charlotte's back, drawing her closer. Between them a question hovered, unspoken, swiftly overtaken by a low moan like a breath trapped in a plea. The sound came from Ash, and Charlotte answered it with her mouth, kissing tentatively at rst, then giving in to Ash's hungry reply.

Ash walked her back a few steps onto higher ground, where their bodies were better aligned. Bracing them against a tree, she planted one hand next to Charlotte's head. The other yanked her shirt and tee from her pants. Then it was skin. The mercy of touch. Ash's naked hand on her naked esh. And Charlotte didn't know if she was sinking or drowning. She couldn't resist and she couldn't withdraw. There was no place for her to run from her own desperate yearnings. Where had they been all this time? How had this part of herself, so ruthlessly banished, crept back to demand more?

She was wet, and sucking short gasps of air between kisses. Ash was barely touching her yet, just cupping a breast, eyes closed, face lost in concentration. Her thumb grazed Charlotte's nipple, her tongue intruded deeper. A knee nudged Charlotte's thighs apart. Reeling with desire, Charlotte caught at Ash's shirt, clumsily tugging the b.u.t.tons open.

It occurred to her that someone brandishing a b.u.t.ter y net would probably stumble across them at any moment, but she couldn't summon * 142 *

the willpower to stop. Urgently, she moved her hips down on the knee between her thighs, grinding her wetness against Ash, driven by some primal imperative that banished reason.

Both Ash's hands were on her now, caressing and exploring and making Charlotte quiver and gasp and want more.

"Please." She sought one and drove it rmly down.

Ash groaned and her teeth settled into the sensitive hollow at the base of Charlotte's throat. "You're so beautiful." The eshy part of her hand slowly circled over Charlotte's center.

Charlotte added some pressure, clamping her own hand over Ash's, demanding more. Perspiration gathered on her top lip. With disbelief she realized she was close to coming. It would take nothing to push her over the edge. "Please. I want you inside of me."

She began fumbling with the top b.u.t.ton of her pants, desperate to feel Ash's ngers sliding into her wet waiting esh.

"Baby." Ash shakily halted her. "We can't do this here."

"Don't say that." Charlotte's voice seemed too thick to shape into words, her mouth too swollen to p.r.o.nounce them.

"I don't want to stop, either."

"Then don't." Charlotte caught hold of the buckle of Ash's pants, only to have her hand gently seized.

Ash caught it to her cheek before planting a tender kiss in the palm. "I want our rst time to be special. Not rushed. Not hiding in the dark like this."