It was a particularly hot and humid day as Sharon hopelessly sat against a huge tree trunk of an ominous looking Rubber Tree, where it loomed as high as the sky, adjacent to an equally giant but less frightful Mango Tree, handsomely giving them the much-needed shelter against the sweltering heat of the Brazilian sun. She wondered where Lieutenant Flynn could have gone in this heat. Unable to bear the beads of perspiration slowly soaking her to the core, the rays of the sun painfully rising by the minute, her strong resolve not to bathe until they reached a decent inn was beginning to crumble. Her long red hair was sticking in patches on her back and neck, longing for a date with a hairbrush, more so a douse of fresh, clean water.

Pleased that Andy was nowhere in sight, she made her way towards the secluded lagoon they stumbled on yesterday, hoping she could bather in solitary, without his disarming presence. She lightly plodded on piles of rustling dry leaves, crossing her fingers no poisonous snake nor wild animal would run into her. She finally reached the boulder that blocked the clearing leading to the lagoon. She prided herself for her excellent memory in finding it again despite the thick, numerous gigantic trees that all looked alike surrounding her. No wonder getting lost in the rainforest is a death sentence for anyone.

As she neared the clearing, she could hear splashes of water on the pool like someone bathing. Quietly, she drew nearer keeping herself hidden behind plants and rocks to investigate without being seen. Just beside the lagoon, a spot blocked by sycamores filled with lichens, the crystal blue water was in view, so clear one could clearly see the bottom of the lagoon. Sharon gasped as she caught sight of the lean, slightly muscled form of Andy Flynn floating on the pool, every sinew of his body exposed before her eyes.

She was slightly prudish due to her Catholic upbringing, she never sneaked into boys' locker rooms in high school nor ever read playgirl magazines, but she found herself unable to tear her gaze from his beautiful form. Are men supposed to be this beautiful? Jack was attractive and burly, and she did love him once, but he never took her breath away…

If she secretly thought Lt. Andy Flynn was good-looking in a rugged way whenever she found him in her office all these years, she had to change it to downright handsome. She may not like him personally, but she would be lying to herself if she said he was anything else but handsome.

Perhaps if she kept quiet, he would soon leave, and she could have her turn in the lagoon. But instead of sitting on the ground, looking away from Andy Flynn as she waited, she stayed and watched him bathe. Mesmerized, she watched him dunk his head in the water then run his hands over his hair, keeping it away from his eyes. She remembered how dark and menacing his eyes always looked when they were headed on in a verbal spar. If only she could come closer and see if his eyes were still the darkest shade of grey, it was almost black just like when he was angry even when he was calm.

To her horror, right after he took another dive under water, he resurfaced facing away from her, his fingers brushing his hair away from his face when she heard him speak, his voice reverberating in the quiet atmosphere of the rain forest.

"Do you like what you see, Captain?"

She swallowed hard and scrambled hurriedly away. If he could outrun him, she could go back under the mango tree and pretend she had never left the spot. She did not expect him to be so swift that within minutes he was half dressed blocking her way. She thanked the stars he had his trousers on. She did not know how she would take it if he had appeared before her stark naked.

"Lt. Flynn… uhm.. I was just about to bathe but I noticed someone was in the pool, so I started heading back…"

It sounded so hollow even to herself. She cursed under her breath.

Lt. Flynn closed the distance between them and gave her a devilish grin she wanted to shatter.

"You haven't properly thanked me yet, Captain, for saving your life back at the hotel."

Before she could comprehend what he meant, he grabbed her against him and kissed her, pressing her body against his hardness. With all the will power she garnered, she freed herself from his embrace and slap him.

"We may be in the middle of nowhere but still, respect me as your superior and as a woman," said Sharon, shaken by the altercation with Andy Fynn.

She immediately left him before he could reply or worse pick up from where he left off. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she ran back to their Mango Tree. Was he worse than she thought? Would he force himself on her? She was sure she was totally quipped in defending herself. How could you find such a brute handsome she scolded herself?

Andy was rooted to the spot long after Sharon had fled. He deserved that slap. What was he thinking inviting her to have sex when they were stranded in the middle of nowhere with an unknown enemy? He was startled to find her shaking. Perhaps he was wrong to surmise she was a woman of the world. He scolded himself for giving in to his attraction to her. He was immediately aware of her presence when he was bathing and when she did not look away, he took it as an invitation. Whenever he found himself in her office, the first thing in his mind was always to kiss her red lips.

Now that he knew kissing her was far better than he expected, he must control himself even more unless he wanted another slap on the cheek.

With her heart pounding rapidly against her chest, as loudly as the snapping of broken twigs and crunching noises of dried leaves beneath her stomping feet, she purposefully headed to her safe haven beneath the gigantic Acacia Tree and slumped down against its huge trunk.

The sun was still blaring high up in the sky, showing no mercy on every living being cowering beneath his scorching heat. Hot and sticky sweat was running down Sharon's pretty face but she was oblivious to the burning sun. She was all too aware of the fiery heat Lt. Flynn's kiss had awakened in her.

Sharon hugged her knees to herself, soothing her tumultuous emotion that have uncharacteristically welcomed Lt. Flynn's ardent kiss. She was more surprise by her reaction than his audacious behavior that her hand instinctively flew mercilessly to his handsome face. Her eyes caught the sudden change in his eyes like he was doused with cold water and shame… or was it guilt that suddenly overcame him after his mindless action.

For a moment she thought he would be smug and carry on his devious pursuit, and she would be left with no choice but to temporarily disable him in defense of her honor. Honor? Ha! She scolded herself for being brazen, there was only a thin line between slapping him and kissing him back. In as much as she wanted to deny it, she found him equally attractive and had she not been in control of her faculties she would have boldly kissed him back.

She sighed and buried her face on her knees. What was happening? There were more alarming matters she had to worry about but all she could think of was his kiss and how he made her feel.

Suddenly she became all too aware of a disconcerting presence beside her. Without looking up she knew who it was, and she was afraid to look up, afraid for another confrontation but it felt like a road accident you don't to watch but find yourself rooted to the spot, staring.

She slowly looked up and found herself staring intently into his dark, grey eyes, his hand extended to her for a handshake.

"I'm sorry, Captain. There was no excuse for my behavior. I…I was hoping we could forget it ever happened. I really am sorry," said Lt. Flynn.

His voice was filled with sincerity, his eyes intently staring back at her in earnest. Her mind tells her to swat his hand away, animosity will keep her safe from him. Austerity will keep her in line and away from their undeniable attraction, but her instincts beg to differ, as if it's the most natural thing in the world, her hand took his, sealing a truce and a silent pact of friendship, that no matter what happens they have each other's back.

It's just she and him against those guerillas who are after them, earnestly searching for answers to their predicament, longing to be back home in the US with their family and friends.

With his other hand, he handed her some strange looking red fruit, resembling a sea urchin.

"Peace offering," he smiled.

She burst into a slow smile. "What are these?" she asked, taking the unfamiliar fruit.

"It's called Rambutan. A citrus fruit like a Lychee," replied Andy.

He squeezed the round fruit and the soft skin opened. "See, it's easy to eat. You don't need a knife to eat the juicy fruit."

Sharon tried one. "Yeah, it does taste like Lychee."

"Eat up. We have a long walk back to the main road. We have to get into town and call overseas or call the US embassy."