Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Amanda never wanted to leave the shower.
It was literally the best shower she’d ever had in her life.
She’d soaped up three times and washed her hair twice—quickly.
She was now taking a couple extra minutes just to stand in the hot water with her eyes closed, enjoying the feel of not having to be on edge.
She was safe. Nash was in the other room, making sure no one barged in on her. Rain was out of harm’s way and clean.
Smiling, she opened her eyes and turned off the water.
Nash still needed to shower, and she didn’t want to make him wait any longer.
She dried herself, feeling so much lighter and happier now that she wasn’t covered in grime.
And even more so when she was able to put on a clean pair of underwear, shorts, and a T-shirt.
She felt like a completely different person than the one she’d been a month ago, when she’d innocently been teaching a class before getting kidnapped.
She opened the door to the bathroom, expecting to see Nash waiting impatiently for his turn.
Amanda should’ve known better. He probably wouldn’t have cared how long she took in the shower.
In fact, he wasn’t waiting for her to be done at all.
He was lying on the twin bed, Rain next to him, his furry little head on Nash’s chest.
Both man and dog were sound asleep.
Amanda didn’t want to be a voyeur, but she couldn’t help staring at the man she’d spent the last two weeks with.
The neatly trimmed facial hair he’d had when they’d first met was longer and scruffier.
His hair was mussed, he had streaks of dirt on his face, and was wearing nothing but the tight briefs he apparently wore under his flight suit.
She felt awful for not immediately turning away or waking him up, but Amanda couldn’t take her gaze from him.
He’d told her that he was only five-eight, not very tall for the average man, but for a pilot, he’d explained, his height was ideal, since he could fit in even the smallest cockpits and still maneuver around.
And his body was perfectly proportioned.
Except, as she’d noted in that stream in the rainforest, he’d been given more than his fair share when it came to what was between his legs.
Even asleep, he looked impressive. And now that she was safe, Amanda allowed herself to feel some of the things she’d pushed to the back of her mind while trekking through the jungle, hoping they weren’t being hunted.
She was extremely attracted to this man.
And not just physically. He was gorgeous, that was for sure, but it was more than that.
It was how he talked to Rain, how he had no problem giving the stray dog some of their precious food, how he took care of her, how he put himself between her and anything that could possibly hurt her.
It was his sense of humor. How much he loved his family and friends.
His positive attitude. She had no idea why some woman hadn’t already snatched him up.
As if he’d felt her gaze on him, Nash’s eyes suddenly popped open and he caught her staring. Amanda’s face immediately heated, and she did her best to pretend that she’d just come out of the bathroom. “All yours,” she said, gesturing behind her. “I tried not to use all the hot water.”
He grinned as if he knew she’d been ogling him. He didn’t try to cover himself—why would he? He had to know how hot he was—he simply nodded and swung his legs over the side of the mattress.
“Sorry I fell asleep on you. I was just going to lie down for a moment, then Rain joined me and the next thing I knew, I was dreaming of a pile of French fries and a huge steak.”
Amanda smiled. “Oh, that sounds like heaven.”
“I was going to make Rain a pallet on the floor, but he had other ideas,” he said, the humor easy to hear in his tone.
“He’s not stupid. He might have lived his life outside, but who can pass up a comfy mattress, fluffy blankets, and a warm human to snuggle up to?” Amanda asked.
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized she was really talking about herself.
And all of a sudden, thoughts about the upcoming night popped into her head.
It would be the first night she wasn’t sleeping in Nash’s arms since they’d met.
She was very happy they were safe, had made it out of the jungle alive, but she wasn’t as thrilled with the thought of being alone tonight.
She’d never had a problem sleeping by herself before, but that was then.
This was now. After everything she’d been through, being alone seemed scarier than ever.
“It won’t take me long to get ready. Then we can go and grab something to eat. You think Rain will be okay in my room until we get back? We’ll bring him something that hopefully he’ll like better than canned olives.”
“I don’t know, he loved those olives,” Amanda said. “And I’m sure he’ll be fine. He looks perfectly willing to lie on that bed for hours. But is he even allowed to be in here? On the furniture?”
“I guarantee not one person will kick him out once they hear about what he did out there. Give me five minutes and I’ll be back,” Nash said.
Amanda sat on the bed after Nash disappeared into the bathroom, feeling the warmth of where he’d been lying under her thighs as she waited.
Rain woke up, if he was ever really asleep, and scooted closer to her.
She petted him absently as she stared into space, wrestling with her feelings toward Nash.
She was opening herself up for heartbreak, but she couldn’t stop thinking about a future with him.
He seemed to like her well enough, and he had asked her out when she got back to Virginia, but they weren’t alone in the jungle anymore.
She had a feeling once he got back to his routine, back amongst his friends, things would change.
She remembered Sandra Bullock in the movie Speed, saying something along the lines of how relationships that start under intense circumstances never last.
But oh, how she wanted to test that theory.
She was obviously sitting there lost in her own head for longer than she’d thought, because before she knew it, Nash was exiting the bathroom.
And she wasn’t surprised in the least that she was even more attracted to him in that instant.
He smelled amazing, clean and fresh, and his beard had been neatly trimmed.
The cargo pants he’d put on hugged his muscular thighs and the olive-green Army T-shirt accentuated his wide shoulders.
“Ready? I could eat a horse. Metaphorically, of course,” he said with a grin.
Even his smile made Amanda want him more than she’d thought possible.
“Ready!” she said as cheerfully as she could.
She wasn’t going to dwell on anything other than getting through the next minute at a time.
Whatever happened would happen, she kept reminding herself.
If Nash decided he’d rather be friends, she’d have to be okay with that.
For now, she wanted to fill her belly with as much food as it could hold.
She took a moment to tell Rain to be a good boy, and that they’d be back soon with a huge plate of food for him, then she and Nash left the room to head to the small cafeteria.
It was mostly empty by the time they arrived, as it was well past lunchtime, but they were each able to get a heaping tray full of food.
They ate quickly, without a lot of conversation, too intent on assuaging their hunger. Obi-Wan appeared when they were almost finished.
“What happened to an hour?” Nash joked. “Pretty sure my watch didn’t break while I was in the jungle. You’re late.”
But Obi-Wan didn’t laugh. Didn’t even crack a smile.
Amanda tensed. That didn’t bode well for whatever was on his mind.
“The colonel got a call from Blair Gaffney, at the school. She wants to talk to Amanda as soon as she can get back there.” He glanced at her, his expression sympathetic. “Said she wasn’t comfortable having you there anymore, in case the rebels decide to retaliate.”
Amanda frowned, the food she’d just eaten sitting like a concrete lump in her belly. “But their objective was the kids, wasn’t it?”
Obi-wan nodded. “That’s what we assumed.”
“There were other teachers there. Women. And they didn’t take them. Hell, if I had run for the other door, like they did, the rebels probably wouldn’t have taken me either,” Amanda protested, not sure why she was arguing the point.
“Blair apparently believes they’ll be upset if they learn you evaded them in the jungle, what they see as their own backyard. She thinks they might want to make a point or something. She doesn’t want you to finish out your remaining months.”
Obi-Wan’s words weren’t exactly a surprise. Not after Blair had said she wanted to talk about Amanda’s agreement when they’d arrived back at the school.
She had such mixed feelings. She would miss the children terribly…but honestly, the thought of staying at the school where she’d been kidnapped, that had kicked off a horrible ordeal, wasn’t exactly appealing.
“All right. What happens now?”
“You’ll need to give your statement to Colonel Khan. Give him as many details as you can about what happened, what was said, descriptions of the men who took you. Then we’ll take you back to the orphanage so you can talk to Blair and pick up your belongings,” Obi-Wan said.
“I guess I need to get a plane ticket. Arrange to get over to the airport near the capital.”
“I’ve already talked to our colonel back home…it’s been approved for you to fly back with us.”
Amanda stared at Obi-Wan. “What?”
“Since the rescue operation was officially for you, the reason we’re here in the first place, you’ve been authorized to come back with us,” Obi-Wan repeated.