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The ind gently carried the etation of the rain forest, traveled high into the dense canopy that shrouded the jungle in mystery Wild honeybees built combs just beneath the crown, out of reach of , they ignored the tales and went about their business Birds of every kind, parrots clothed in a riot of color, helossip and conveyed it swiftly on bright wings, shrieking with delight throughout the forest Noisy troops of long-tailedmonkeys heard and leapt fro with anticipation The orangutans h the trees in search of ripe fruit, edible leaves, and flowers, , the neas everywhere There were few secrets in the co with concern

He heard the news long before her scent reached hietation, his chest tight and his body taut with sudden anticipation She was here at long last In his do hunt to find her, nearly ied it He had deliberately lured her to his lair and she had come He was so close, he had to use iron self-control to keep fro too quickly He couldn't spook her, couldn't tip his hand, allow her to realize for onearound her It was essential to close every avenue, drive her to the center of his domain, and cut off each escape route

His strategy had been planned for years He had had time to plan while he searched the world for her, while he reviewed every document in his hunt for his prey When he was certain he had the right wo his lawyer to draw her into the rain forest, into his territory

He h the thick fauna, silently but quickly, effortlessly leaping over fallen trees as he le A rhinoceros grunted nearby Deer scraht his scent Smaller animals scurried out of his way and birds fell quiet at his approach The her reaches of the canopy but they, too, re to raise his ire as he passed beneath them

This was his kingdom and he seldom flaunted his power, but every species are interference would not be tolerated Without his constant vigilance and his continual care, their world would soon disappear He watched over and protected them and asked little in return Now he demanded complete cooperation Death would come silently and swiftly to any who dared defy him

Everything was different the le She was different She felt it Where the heat on the coast had been oppressive, stifling, within the forest that sae perfumed world With each step that took her into the deeper interior, she beca fro was much more acute She could hear separate insects, ident

ify the trilling sounds of birds, the cries ofin the branches overhead and se, yet exhilarating

When Maggie had first learned of her inheritance, she had thought to sell it off without seeing it, out of respect for her adoptive ie never enter the rain forest Jayne had been frightened by the very idea of it, repeatedly begging Maggie to proie loved her adoptive ainst her wishes, but after Jayne's death, a lawyer had contacted Maggie to inforhter of a wealthy couple, naturalists who had died violently when she was a child, and that she had inherited their estate deep in the rain forests of Borneo The teie had made to her adoptive mother, she had journeyed halfway around the world to look for her past

Maggie had flown into the small airport and rendezvoused with the three men sent by the lawyer to meet her From there they'd traveled in a four-wheel-drive utility vehicle for an hour before they left theinto deeper forest It seemed as if they had bumped over every rut and pit in the dirt road Eventually they had parked the vehicle to proceed on foot, a prospect Maggie hadn't been happy about The huh and she knotted her khaki shirt around her backpack as they trekked into deeper forest

Theand well prepared They ell built, quiet when they walked, intensely alert She had been nervous at first, but once they alking along the trail in deeper jungle, everything see home

As she followed her guides, winding deeper into the darkened interior, she became aware of the mechanics of her own body Of her muscles, the way they moved sleekly, easily, her strides almost rhythmic She didn't stumble, she didn't make unnecessary noise Her feet seeround

Maggie became aware of her own femininity Small beads of moisture ran in the valley between her breasts, sleek with sweat, her shirt plastered to her skin Her long, thick hair, her one call to glory, was heavy and hot against her neck and down her back She lifted the heavyher breasts beneath the thin cotton tee, her nipples rasping gently on the ie twisted her hair with the expertise of practice, fastening the thick rope to her head with a jeweled stick

Strange that the heat and prile should suddenly ently swaying, al, someone she wanted to entice In her entire life, she had never been a flirt or a tease, yet now the te It was as if she had corown place with vines and leaves and every kind of plant iinable

Shorter trees vied for sunlight with the tall trees They were draped with liana vines and creeping plants of various shades of green Wild orchids hung above her head and rhododendrons clirew on the trees, stretching for the sunlight that htly colored lorikeets and other birds were in constant motion The raspy call of insects was a noisy hum that filled the forest The air ith perfumed flowers that teased her senses It was an exotic, erotic setting where she knew she belonged

Maggie tilted her head back with a s at the sweat on her throat with the palm of her hand Her lower body felt heavy and restless with each step she took Needy Wanting Her breasts were swollen and achy Her hands treh her Life pulsed in her veins An awakening

It was then she beca her Hot eyes on the movements of her body The curve of her hips, the thrust of her breasts straining against the fabric of her T-shirt The rise and fall of her breath as she walked along the narrow path Ordinarily, knowing that she was being watched would have embarrassed her, yet she felt wanton, almost an exhibitionist

Maggie exas, and was shocked She was aroused Totally aroused She had always thought she was a bit on the asexual side She never noticed men the way her friends did, never really was attracted to them They certainly didn't find her attractive, yet now she not only are of her own sexuality but was reveling in the fact that she was turning s It didn't feel right to her She wasn't attracted to the men, even as aroused as her body was It wasn't thedeep within her she couldn't comprehend

Shethe weight of stares, hearing the heavier breathing of the men as she went deeper into the darkened interior of the forest The jungle see across the trail The wind gusted, heavy enough to drop leaves and ss onto the forest floor Flower petals, vines, and even a few sround so that it looked as if it hadn't been disturbed in eons