Read Online Love In The Jungle by Ann Walker - Free Book Online Page A

kids and
try the food and everything else that this adventure entailed, I wasn’t ready
to be thrown up a creek without a paddle just yet. I wanted wanderlust. I
wanted to be the fearless voyager. Unfortunately, I was also quickly learning
that I needed to be eased into new situations, something I hadn’t realized
about myself until now.
    Grant was the epitome of relaxation. Once we were in the
van, he dispensed with his sweater, swapped his polished leather soles for
comfy brown sandals, and had rolled the sleeves of his button-up shirt up to
his elbows in that ridiculously sexy way… He was calm, cool, and collected.
Sitting with one leg crossed over the other, his arm thrown over the back of
our bench-like seats, he wore his expensive sunglasses and a million-dollar
smile. He was quick to laugh suddenly, which I discovered was a rather
infectious trait.
    The combination of my anxiety and excitement melded with his
giddy positivity, sending both of us on a high as we bounced toward our rural
village.
    When it seemed we’d finally exhausted all of our questions
about the environment, Henri went for the radio. I tried to hide my smile as he
hummed along with some local tunes, bopping his hands on the steering wheel,
and a quick peek at Grant told me he was also trying not to laugh. Now that I
was out of the airport (all of them, and their tiny planes), having Grant
working alongside me didn’t seem like such a bad thing. Sure, we had this
awkward sexual history hovering over us now, but he seemed like a genuinely
nice guy. He would certainly make the trip away from home easier.
    “So what brings you out here?” I asked when he caught me
staring at him, lost in my musings over what a nice guy he was. Damn it. I need
to learn a bit of restraint or I’m going to be embarrassing myself a whole hell
of a lot: it was difficult not to stare at Grant. “I mean, I know you’re
volunteering just like me, but what motivated you to do it?”
    Even his one-shouldered shrug was effortless. I nibbled my
lower lip when he propped his sunglasses on top of his head, then swiveled in
place to talk directly to me.
    “I’ve been the head of my company for a number of years
now,” he explained, and I was suddenly hyper-aware of the way the frizzy bits
of my hair brushed against his fingers on the back of our seat. I shifted so
that they wouldn’t touch anymore, and I could practically feel the butterflies’
wings droop. “I really wanted to find a way to give back that wasn’t just
writing a check, you know? I mean, I specialize in agriculture and well drilling,
and a friend of mine put me in touch with this organization, and I thought
there was no better way to give back than to help people find a permanent
solution to food shortages and clean water initiatives.”
    The corners of his lips quirked upward ever-so-slightly when
he undoubtedly noticed the way my mouth was hanging open and I quickly pressed
my lips together. Sexy, funny, and community-oriented. Was this guy the
total package or what?
    “That’s… That’s amazing,” I told him, stammering a little as
my face dissolved into a look of stunned disbelief. “I’ve worked in the
corporate world for a long time, and I can’t think of any of the company heads
I know who would give up their time and, well, money to do something like
this.”
    “The economy’s been good to me,” Grant insisted, seeming a
little embarrassed about admitting it. “I’ve always wanted to do something
meaningful with me life… Heading into business after my engineering degree
isn’t exactly wandering the off the beaten path, you know? Volunteering gives
me a chance to really help people and satisfy my innate need to travel.
So, really, I’m a bit selfish.”
    “Ha!” My single bout of laughter was so loud that Henri’s
eyes darted up to the mirror in surprise. My cheeks colored, warming to the
touch, and I cleared my throat. “Hardly selfish. I volunteered because I needed an