The sun rose, and Roanna rose with it.
Jack was sprawled out in their tent, his arm thrown against Roanna as she listened to the rain thunder down on the vinyl walls surrounding them.
She knew that Ninian and Erin, uncomfortably sharing a tent, would be awake as well.
Whether or not they were talking was a different matter.
Roanna felt for Brianna, stuck all alone in her double tent, praying they would reach the man she loved in time.
Shrugging off her empathy, Roanna dressed quickly before going out into the rain.
It was cold for the Amazon, and almost as soon as she stepped out of the tent it began pouring down in earnest, thundering down on her skin like hail pellets that stung as they struck.
After a few moments Roanna’s hair was soaked and it no longer stung when the raindrops hit her.
The cool water was a much-appreciated repeal from the incessant heat of the day, and Roanna reveled in it.
“Pre-made breakfasts today,” Roanna murmured, then chuckled as she thought of how Jack and Brianna would deal with the downpour.
She trudged through the rain and tapped on the outside of Erin and Ninian’s tent, and grinned when she heard the two of them bickering inside.
“Jesus Christ!” Ninian snarled as she stepped away from the tent, tugging her socks over the hems of her jeans as she did.
Roanna tried to contain her grin as Ninian stepped out of the tent, still fuming.
“Sleep well?” Roanna murmured cheekily.
“Blow me,” Ninian muttered.
Roanna laughed throatily, throwing her head back as she did.
“We should get breakfast ready, Ro. Brianna and Jack are going to wake up soon,” Erin reminded her before stepping out of the tent.
“We won’t be starting a fire any time soon, Erin. Pre-made breakfasts today,” she said.
It was Roanna’s laugh, that full, throaty laugh that spoke of unadulterated joy.
Yes, it was the laugh that woke him from the dead sleep he was in.
And then came the aches. Every muscle in his body seemed to be screaming at him from above and below, berating him for his stupidity that was the day before.
Jack forced himself to suppress the groan he felt rising up as he sat up, surprised to find he was nearly naked. He had no memory of undressing the night before – he had been concerned only with sleeping, as soon and as long as possible.
The laugh sounded again, sneaking through the vinyl surrounding him to tempt him, taunt him.
Roanna.
“So you did it,” he murmured quietly.
Suddenly desperate to feel the rain he heard pattering on the tent, Jack yanked his pack closer to him, then groaned when his muscles protested.
Gentler now, Jack pulled out a new set of clothes, dressing quickly and gently before he slipped his boots on his feet, and tucked his clothes in as Roanna instructed.
Now cautious, he left the tent and stood in the rain for a full thirty seconds before he opened his eyes.
The rain was cold, and thundering. It was so loud Jack was surprised that he could even hear Roanna’s laughter. A glance to where he heard said laughter, Jack saw Roanna, Erin and Ninian standing in a circle, speaking to one another.
