Free The Treasure by Jennifer Lowery Page A

now?”
    Anger evaporated, Amelia nodded and jumped when thunder cracked overhead.
    “Wait here,” Brody said.
    Amelia waited while Brody checked over the plane. At first, she thought he mourned the loss, seeing if he could piece it back together, but when he motioned her over, she discovered she was wrong.
    “We can camp out in the fuselage,” he said.
    “The what?”
    “Cargo area of the plane.”
    “Are you sure it’s stable?”
    Lightning cut across the sky. “Stable enough. Get in.”
    With Brody’s help, she managed to climb in the plane. There was barely enough room to stand, but it sheltered them from the storm.
    “I hung your bags on a tree,” she said over her shoulder.
    “I’ll get them.”
    Since the plane was tilted on its side, she had to sit on the curve of the wall. Brody climbed in, seconds later, with both their bags. He set them aside before dragging a piece of the damaged plane across the opening in the fuselage. His makeshift repair worked to keep the rain out.
    In the darkness, Amelia carefully stowed her bags beneath the seat next to her. Brody moved around the cargo area and moments later a lantern lit up the tight space.
    Although it was warm inside the plane, Amelia started shivering. She rubbed her arms and wondered why her heart beat so frantically. Her head began to ache along with the rest of her body.
    “You need to get out of those wet clothes,” Brody said from where he sat across from her.
    Amelia looked around. “Change here?”
    “I’ll close my eyes. Then we’ll bandage that cut on your cheek.”
    “What about the wound on your temple? It’s still bleeding.”
    “I’m fine. I’m not going to keep my eyes closed for long so get moving.”
    Amelia hurried to find a change of clothes. She settled for the first thing she found; jeans and a tank top. She hadn’t packed any warm clothes because she didn’t think she’d need them in the jungle. But now she wished she had.
    After bumping the sides and roof of the plane a few times, she managed to shimmy into her clothes and hang her wet ones over the backs of the seats. Chilled, she sat back down. “You can open your eyes now. Why am I so cold?” she murmured, rubbing her arms again.
    “Shock. Don’t you have anything warmer?”
    Amelia shook her head. “I didn’t think I’d need them.”
    With a scowl, Brody reached into his pack and tossed one of his shirts into her lap. Soft and worn, the fabric smelled like him, leather and the outdoors. Amelia slipped into it. The sleeves covered her hands so she rolled them until her fingers peeked out. Instead of buttoning it, she wrapped it around her and snuggled in.
    “I don’t think I’m in shock,” she said. “I feel fine.”
    Brody made a noncommittal sound before he fisted his shirt behind his head and tugged it off to reveal his bare chest.

Chapter Eight
    Amelia stared at Brody’s muscled chest. The hard lines and ridges of his torso. All that tanned flesh …
    “Let me see that cut.” Brody was suddenly beside her, her chin in his hand, turning her head toward him and the light. Heat from his body seeped into hers, his masculine scent wrapping around her like a warm blanket.
    He dabbed her cheek with a gauze pad from the open first aid kit that sat on the floor beside him. “Not deep enough to need stitches,” he said, applying a bandage.
    Amelia concentrated on Brody’s chin. She was afraid that if she met his eyes, the urge to kiss him would win out over her rational side. Especially when he paraded around half-naked. The desire to know what it would be like to be kissed, possessed, by a man like Brody overwhelmed her. She had a feeling he would stake his claim to a woman like he did everything else in his life.
    “Does that hurt?” Brody asked, his eyes dropping to her chest, which was rising and falling rapidly. Heat spread through her for another reason entirely.
    Amelia shook her head, dislodging his hand. It wasn’t safe for him to touch her