In Dedication
to

my friends, the new and the old, you have always been there for me, and I do my best to be there for you.

my family, the people who I share DNA with and the family I have chosen, they mean the world to me.  My Grandmother inspired me to write, I haven't looked back. She inspired a lot of the books I have written and a few I have plans to write!

the crazy things aboutin life, the good and the bad, the happy and sad, the incredible and the insane. They all add up to on the little things in life, and that is what makes life so amazing! 

The good times, enough said.

life, yes I'm dedicating this to life, I am breathing so therefore I am alive, which is a good thing, I don't think zombies have publishing rights.  On a not so odd note, in dedicating this book to life it is hard not to take inspiration from the living beings and creatures around you, including the vegetation (says the woman who writes her stories in a high desert climate,  ha!). Truly though, life is all around us!

in dedication to NaNoWriMo, I wrote this lovely little adventure for the crazy 30 day 50,000 word insanity otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month!  This is my second year participating, though it is the 4th book I have published.

Now onto the Intro to Waterfall!

If you have never stood on a rock, soaking wet and looking down at the bottom of a large waterfall you have no fucking idea how fast my brain was racing.  The rock was large enough to hold me, but I was praying to whatever god could hear me that it would hold me for as long as I needed it to.  Water was roaring past me on both sides, spraying me with a fine mist as it splashed against the rocks under it.  I could see rocks and rapids at the bottom of the long drop.  I estimated it to be a reasonable fifty foot plunge into the raging water, if I was lucky.  Very lucky.
I took a deep breath and spoke to myself, because I knew at this point there was no one sane enough to be remotely close to me:
“You had a good life Sam, five....four....three....two...fuck it.”  I stepped off the rock, the water catching me as I fell down into the depths bellow.

P.S.

I rather enjoyed writing this little novel. I took inspiration from many different forms, conversations with friends and family, movies!  Books, music, dreams (it's true) and lots of Google searches, as well as research in several books I have acquired over the years.

please enjoy! 

P.S.S.

If you don't like heights, I don't suggest reading, granted you already read a short about a giant waterfall so if you can handle that, and bugs, and other dangerous creatures you should be ok!

Also, fair warning, their is language in this book. And sarcasm. 

Chapter 1...

If you are wondering how the hell I ended up on that damn rock in the middle of a raging river, and my only option at the time was to jump for it, you have a reasonably good question.  It all started when I got a phone call.  Not just any phone call, but a phone call from my brother.  It was early, too early to be receiving a phone call.  I rolled over recognizing the ring tone as I answered the phone call:
“Hello dear Brother.”
“Sam, I need your help.”
“Hmmm?  What do you need Jeff?”
“I need you to come down to Rio.”
“Rio?  Rio de Janeiro, Rio?”
“Yes.”
“Why the hell, do you need me, to go to Brazil?”
“Well, I need your help on something.”
“Help on something?  In other words, you are up to your ears in shit creek and you think I can pull you out and make you smell pretty?”
“Please Samantha?”
“Is this life and death?”
“Mmm...not yet, and by not yet I mean only if I'm caught and that is if the wrong people find me and decide to kill me.”
“Is it illegal?”
“No.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yes.”
“Well well, I finally got some straight answers from you.  Why Rio?  Why couldn't it be California?”
“Because I was brought down here to work.”
“By who?”
“Tell you when you get here.  The plane leaves in three hours, you better grab a bag and get down here.”
“The usual airline?”
“Yes, but this time I got you first class, so you should be happy about that.  See how nice of a big brother I am?”
“You may be my brother but you're still the Devil.”
“See you soon Sam, love you, enjoy your flight.”
“Uh huh.  Bye Jeff.”  I glanced at the clock, it was three in the morning, my flight was leaving at six according to him.  He was either on a wild goose chase to find buried treasure or a different kind of goose chase to find antiquities.  Either way...Rio was better then Afghanistan.  That was a whole different story.  I sat up and stretched my neck, got out of bed and turned on my light. Grabbed my duffel bag from under my bed and opened it.  I turned to my desk and opened my laptop, the screen came to life.
I pulled up my web browser and Google popped up. I searched for the weather report for Rio.  In the Eighties with occasional rain storms.  I could handle that, though the jungle had it's own weather system.  You never knew when it was going to start down pouring on you unless you had a roll of thunder before it hit.  
I packed a range of cloths, not knowing if I was going to be staying in Rio or if my insane brother was going to be dragging me down to Cape Horn or worse, Antarctica.  I knocked on my room mates door, he opened it after a moment of shuffling, the only thing covering his perfectly sculpted body, was a pillow and a small pillow at that.  But I do mean perfectly sculpted body.  He had rippling muscles, perfect tan with as far as I could tell their were no tan lines, perfectly white and straight teeth.  The popular hair style of the month and the ego; wrap him up in one complete playboy package:
“What is it Sam?”  He was half asleep as I responded:
“Sorry to wake you but I'm leaving the country.  Don't burn the place down while I'm gone, ok.”  His girlfriend for the week spoke up from his bed:
“Who is that?”  He answered her lightly:
“Just my room mate.” She questioned him with a tone:
“Your room mate is a girl?”  He rolled his eyes and I bit my lip, she didn't sound happy as he responded:
“Yeah.”
“You're kidding me.”  He smiled lightly at me and responded once again to her:
“Sam is cool don't worry.”  He turned back to me:
“Have fun Sam.”  I smiled:
“You too Devon.”  I shook my head and he managed to smile at me as he spoke up:
“Sorry about the pillow.”
“I have caught you doing worse.”  He nodded understandingly:
“Very true.  Did you say you were leaving the country.”
“Yes I did.”  He looked concerned:
“Hang on.”  He stepped back and closed the door and I had moved into the living room area as he came back out of his room with jeans on.  If he wasn't such a playboy, and a more than capable man whore, I would have pursued him.  But as far as I was concerned he was a perfectly good waste of a mans body.  Kinda like when you meet an amazing, handsome, perfect man in a bar and then his boyfriend walks up.  Yeah...irony is a bitch.  He spoke up:
“Let me guess.  Jeff?”
“Who else would call me at three a.m.”
“Me if I needed a ride.”
“You don't need a ride in a foreign country though, and you better not.”  He nodded:
“How long will you be gone?”
“No idea, probably a week or so.”
“Ok.  Do you need a ride to the airport?”
“Nah, Eli will come and grab the car for me.”  He grinned raising an eyebrow:
“Is she going to drop it off here?”  I shrugged:
“Probably not, she usually keeps it in her garage while I'm gone then comes and picks me up in it so I have it.”
“Awe.”
“You can't touch her Devon.”  My tone of voice was clear and stern, but being the typical male he was he questioned me:
“Why not?”
“Because you're a fucking player, I have explained this to you before, why do you persist?”
“I don't know, because I can.  And this one isn't to happy about you being female so she may not last a week.”
“Did you tell her I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole?”  He laughed:
“Something like that.”  I shook my head:
“Don't make a mess of the house, my room stays locked, don't burn it or anything else down, and don't kill yourself, that includes starving.  You are a big boy you can go shopping for groceries without me.  I may be able to pay the rent in full but I don't want to have to pack up your shit.”  He laughed:
“Sounds good.”
“See you when I get back Devon.  In the event that I get killed, Eli and my mom will come get my stuff.”  He nodded:
“Let's hope you return in one piece then.”  I smiled:
“Let's hope so.  Bye Devon.”
“Bye Sam.”  I walked out the front door and to my car.  Slumped into the drivers seat and started her up, pulled out of the parking spot and down the road I went.  I would park it in the short term garage for now and have Eli come get it, she had a set of keys to match mine and a list of what they went to.  This was because of a incident in China a little over a year ago when our small plane crashed and it took us a month to get home.  That is a whole different story.  
Everyone thought we were dead till we showed up at a small police station and identified ourselves.  The pilot had died in the crash, and the co-pilot stuck with us, his family hosted us till we were able to straighten out our visas which had been destroyed in the crash.  Mom and dad nearly killed us when we returned back to the states and Eli cried on my shoulder because she and mom had a hell of a time with my landlord at that time sense I was living alone.  Thus the reason I had a room mate and Eli had a set of keys to everything.  My current landlord had no problem with me leaving the country, she knew who Eli and my parents were and didn't mind my room mate and his occasional frat boy parties.  The neighbors were a group of female flight attendants and I was pretty sure Devon had at least made it to second base with all of them if not enjoying a Grand Slam knowing him.
I got to the airport a half hour later, due to all the wonderful red lights I hit, go fucking figure.  I parked the car, locked it and started walking towards the terminal.  He usually only flew on American so I would start with them, if I wasn't on one of their flights I would have to call him back and give him hell.
The lady at the counter smiled at me as I made my way through the line coordinators, annoying things they were but I didn't mind.  I didn't feel like walking under them.  I smiled back as I approached the counter, she spoke up:
“Good morning.  Checking in?”  I nodded my head:
“Yes, my name is Samantha Richards.  I'm flying to Rio.”  She smiled:
“Ah, yes our Six a.m. Flight, ok Samantha, I just need to see some I.D. And I can check you in and print off your boarding pass.”  I smiled and handed her my I.D.  She took it and clicked a few keys on the keyboard and handed it back to me, a few moments later she handed me my boarding pass and I took it from her, she looked confused:
“No Checked luggage?”  I shook my head:
“No, just the carry on.”
“But you are traveling outside of the Country.”  I nodded my head:
“I usually purchase cloths in the area I will be staying in so I travel light.”  She nodded her head:
“That is actually a pretty good idea.  Why are you traveling to Rio?”
“My brother is down there and invited me down for a vacation.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It will be interesting.  It should be anything but dull.”
“Well I hope you have a good time in Rio.”  I nodded my head:
“Thank you, I hope I do too.”  The security was easy to get through only having the carry on, let alone the flight being so early in the morning.  I was questioned several more times about traveling so lightly and they all agreed with my idea of purchasing cloths at my destination to fit in better.  I made it through the security area and was pretty much the only person going through the customs security.  I was given back my passport after they x-rayed my bag and cleared it and me through the many-many scanners that would probably give me some form of cancer.
I took up a seat by my gate so I could look out the window and await the large airplane that would pull up in the next few hours to whisk me off to Rio.  I had never been to Rio so at least I was going somewhere new.  Better then the Middle East, I had nothing against the countries themselves, but the climate was murder.  Rio was probably going to be warm and muggy but it was better then scorching, nose turning to crust and falling off your face and your lungs turning to dust that you would have to somehow cough out in short attempts to breath in a mixture of stale air and sand.  Yes I had been there, smack dab in the middle of the unrest and political bullshit, no I didn't enjoy it.  The cities were interesting, my love of people watching was fully indulged during my short time spent there.
A few more people started to trickle into the terminal I was posted at.  Hopefully they wouldn't bounce my flight to another terminal or boarding area, I didn't feel like playing magical chairs.  I spent my time before the flight people watching and wondering what kind of shit my brother was in, if it was cow shit I could handle it, pig shit and he would be left on his own.  I would rather him get hit by a perfect shot from a skunk then have to deal with pig shit.
Finally.  They started calling people to board the plane, thank god, at first class was in front of the wing so I could have a nice view as we flew.  Hopefully with the greatest of ease.  I put my bag under the chair in front of me and sat back.  First class was nice, more butt room and only two rows of seats on both sides of the plane.  
I had my iPod ready to go for when the plane took off.  It would help me relax and if I was lucky I would perhaps by some slim chance get some sleep, not that I really needed it but if I was going to have to start running when the plane hit the ground I was going to be ready for whatever Jeffery threw at me.
I opened my eyes as the sun poured through the window, at least my brother had been extra nice to me and managed to get me a window seat in first class at last minutes notice.  That or he had this planned for a while.  Now as long as the plane didn't burst into flames or break apart or otherwise crash I would be just fine.  But nowadays you had to be more worried about your plane just completely disappearing off the face of the earth as several had done recently.  No trace of the plane or the black box, hundreds of people gone. Poof.  No idea why or where.
The pilot was talking as I put my iPod away, we were roughly an hour from landing, and I had to admit, Rio looked beautiful.  I was glad that I had a one stop flight, and it wasn't a unloading stop either, everyone was kept on the plane as it was re-fulled.  There was a nice looking man sitting next to me, he was fast asleep till someone stood up behind us and grabbed his seat to brace themselves.  He shook his head and leaned back glancing over at me:
“Hope I wasn't snoring.”  I shook my head:
“Not to my knowledge.”  He nodded and smiled at me:
“Get enough rest?”
“Hopefully, with any luck I won't have jet-lag.”
“Hopefully, so why are you flying to Rio?”
“My brother invited me down to stay with him.”
“Sounds fun.”
“It will be interesting.”
“Is it your first time going to Rio?”
“It is.”
“You will love it, it's beautiful.  I am here for work.”  It was a polite and casual conversation, so I bought into it and questioned him:
“What do you do for work?”
“Business relations, accounting and so forth.”
“Numbers man.”  He grinned at me:
“Something like that.  Maybe while you are here we could grab coffee sometime.”  I smiled:
“Maybe, not sure what my brother has planned for me.”  He nodded:
“Do you know where you will be staying?”
“No idea, I am not sure if he is staying in a residence or in a resort.”  He nodded:
“Here is my business card, if you have some free time and would like to meet back up send me a line and we can make some plans.”  I took his card and nodded:
“Chris Marksman.”  He presented his hand:
“Nice to meet you...?”
“Sam Richards.”  He smiled as I shook his hand:
“Nice to meet you Sam.”
“You as well Chris.”
“So your boyfriend didn't mind you coming down to Rio alone?”  He was fishing for information, not bad information but still fishing, he was handsome, but I wasn't sure why he was interested in me:
“No boyfriend to worry about.”
“Now I don't feel so weird about inviting you to coffee.”  I smiled, he was smooth, nervous but still smooth:
“No girlfriend for you?”
“Nah, I travel a lot for business, I haven't found anyone who can put up with me traveling so much.”
“My brother travels a lot for his work as well, he has been down here for a month now and I'm sure next month he will be in a different country.”  Chris nodded:
“It is rewarding but tough, I get to see the world but at the expense of being lonely unless I want to find a one-night-stand and that isn't my style.”  I giggled:
“My room mate has a new girl every week, can't imagine how he does it.”
“For some people it's like a second nature.”
“I'm waiting for it to blow up in his face, or to backfire on him when he meets someone he can't live without.”
“How long has he been your room mate?”
“Almost a year now.”
“Maybe he can't live without you.”  I looked over at him:
“Because I am the only person so far to put up with his playboy life style.”  Chris nodded:
“Has he hit on you?”
“Nope.”
“He likes you.”
“He is out of luck.”
“Does he think you are gay?”  I shook my head:
“No he knows I'm straight.”
“Have you ever brought a guy around?”
“Nope.”
“So he parades girls in a out and you stay single.”
“Pretty much.”
“Is he a slob?”
“Not really.  His room is a little messy but that is just how men usually are.”  He smiled and nodded his head:
“Use to living with a guy?”
“Well my brother and his friends mostly.”
“Are you and your brother close in age?”
“He is a couple years older than me.”
“Just the two of you or do you have other siblings?”
“Just us.  Plenty of cousins though.”  He nodded:
“I'm an only child, and I can relate to the cousins part.”
“Do you see your family often?”  He nodded his head and responded lightly:
“A few times a year we will all get together.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It is.”  The captain came back on the overhead saying about how we were going to be landing in a few minutes.  I made sure my iPod was turned off and put it in my bag, it was pretty much the only electronic device I brought with me besides my traveling phone that had international service, it had satellite connection.  Another addition to our traveling routine after the incident in China.  Soon we were starting to make our decent, which was one of the more bumpy landings I had ever dealt with.
The tires touched the ground with a nice thump and the plane quickly slowed down as the pilot applied the breaks.  At this point I was glad we didn't go bouncing down the runway or better yet cartwheeling.  I always had these malicious thoughts when flying, what would I do if the plane crashed and I managed to survive, so on and so forth.  Especially after my previous experiences in China.  It would have been just my luck, I didn't have Murphy's Law tattooed on my back for nothing.
Eventually we pulled up to the terminal, it was nice, I had seen worse, far worse airports in my time traveling with my brother.  We departed the plane after some shuffling and some unwanted pushing and shoving.  I pulled my duffel bag over my shoulder, Chris spoke up:
“You didn't check a bag?”  I shook my head:
“Nope.”  He nodded and reached out a hand:
“Well it was nice talking with you Sam.  Hope to hear from you soon.”  I shook his hand:
“Nice to meet you as well Chris.”  I headed towards the pickup area, he was a nice guy, tall and blond, respectful body from what I could tell over his slacks and button up shirt.  I made it through the terminal to the arrivals area. 

There he was, my devil of a brother, standing with a big smile on his face, looking like a local with the tan he had going on.  At this point I was glad I had gone up to the lake with Eli the previous weekend, at least I had a good tan going on.  Though it was not as rich as his.  He was wearing cut off shorts and a tank top, he was the first one to speak up:
“Sam!  I missed you!”  I gave him my, I'm barely awake and you better have a damn good reason for dragging me to this side of the planet smiles:
“Hey Jeff, missed you too.”  He took my bag for me:
“Glad you traveled lightly, I already bought you some cloths, hope you like them.  I have a car waiting for us hope you don't have to pee.”
“No, thankfully I don't.”  I rolled my eyes and shook my head, I was sure by the time we got to our destination I would have to but at this time I was just happy to be out of the cramped seat.   We stepped out of the airport, in a old soft top land rover sat a man around my brothers age.  
He smiled at us as we walked up, he was wearing aviator sunglasses and a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top two buttons undone, revealing some respectable chest hair, he had on a pair of cargo shorts, this package was made complete by his toned arms and legs he had, and I don't mean just tan.  Jeff opened the front passenger door for me and I got in next to this unknown man.  Jeff got into the back seat behind me with my bag and spoke up:
“Sam I would like for you to meet Josh.  Josh, this is my sister Samantha, but you can call her Sam.”  Josh reached out a hand and I shook it:
“Nice to meet you Sam, I have heard a lot about you.”  I smiled and nodded my head:
“Fantastic, I haven't heard anything about you Josh.”  Josh grinned and nodded his head:
“Jeff will fill you in after we get out of town.”  I nodded my head and started watching the vibrant city life pass me by as we made our way out of the city and into the dirt path, vegetation reaching out and smacking the car as we drove along the makeshift road.  Jeff leaned forward and spoke up:
“So, to fill you in on what has been going on.”  I turned in my seat to look at him, though we all had sun glasses on, I could tell Josh would occasionally glance over at me.  I spoke up:
“That would be a good thing to do Jeff, I only flew to another continent for you.”  Jeff smiled at me, we could be as smart ass, sarcastic and rude to each  other as we wanted, but if someone hurt one or the other.  It would be hell to pay, and I'm not just talking fire and brimstone, I mean seventh level of hell, you better be fucking ready for what we are going to do to you because depending on what you have done, we will make you regret it to the point where you wish the doctor had pronounced you dead at birth.  Jeff spoke up:
“So we, we being myself and my best buddy Josh here were sent down with the intentions of finding some artifacts from the tribes that lived down here centuries ago.  We came across something we didn't expect to find.”  Josh spoke up:
“Sense then a few more people have been added to the team but we still needed another person.”  I smiled at him and nodded my head:
“So I got voluntold.”  Jeff grinned:
“Only because of how amazing you are Sam.”
“Keep buttering me up Jeff.”
“Oh don't worry sis, I will.  Anyways we found this treasure map and...”   I pulled my sunglasses down and looked at him over them, he grinned and took his off smiling at me.  His piercing blue eyes that were exactly like mine looked back at me, excitement and adventure bursting from them as he continued:
“I shit you not Sam, it's legitimate.  We just need six people to get through some of the...we will call them trials to get to the actual treasure.”
“Almost die did you?”  Jeff answered:
“Well, not exactly, we actually followed a group of thieves and watched them die.  So...we are a little more prepared then they are...well...were...”  I nodded my head:
“So you dragged me down here to follow a treasure map that you found.  That has already lead to the deaths of several people, and you expect me to help you die trying to get it?”  Jeff nodded:
“If we get this treasure, it will be the biggest find in South America, our names will be in the history books and we will all be very-very well off.”  I shook my head:
“Or our names will be on identification tickets tied to our toes as our mangled bodies lay in the city morgue and that is if we are lucky and they even find the bodies.  Are there any other prospects after this treasure of yours?”  Jeff shrugged:
“The legend of it is well known, but very few people know about the starting points or the map we have in our possession.”
“So how did you come by this map of yours?”
“We were on a dig in a temple not far from here, that was carved into one of the old-old trees. We happened across it by accident and decided to do some research on it.”  Josh spoke up:
“After coming to find out the legitimacy of the map we contacted our employer to see what he wanted us to do.”  It was my turn to speak up:
“And your employer being no idiot sends you off to do his dirty work.”  Jeff responded:
“We look at is as more of an adventure and a learning opportunity.”
“You are suppose to be Archeologists not treasure hunters.”  Josh grinned at me and nodded his head:
“Very true, but the greatest treasure of all is knowledge, and if we can learn a thing or two that will help us down the road why not give it a shot.”  I smiled:
“You will most likely be learning how to dodge bullets if anyone has caught onto your plans.”  Jeff shook his head:
“We have been very diligent about making sure this venture is kept quiet.”  I nodded:
“So how long do you think it will take to follow the map and get your treasure.”
“At least a week, the hidden temple where the treasure is, is deep in the jungle.”  I looked back at Jeff and he smiled at me:
“Get ready to spend some time in the Amazon Jungle sister.”  I nodded my head:
“I'm already in the jungle, lions and tigers and bears oh my.”  Josh laughed as we made a turn and the jungle parted to present us with a hotel resort, tucked away in the jungle.  It looked like a private resort, individual houses spotted around the area.
Josh pulled up past the main office and went down one of the stone laid roads to the end bungalow and turned the car off, we got out and Jeff grabbed my bag, we were greeted by several people as they stepped out of the lavish quarters, Jeff spoke up:
“Sam I would like you to meet Veronica, Marry and Nick.”  They all spoke up as he said their names:
“Hi there.”
“Hello.”
“Welcome to Rio.”  Jeff continued:
“Everyone, this is my amazing sister Sam, make her feel at home sense we dragged her down here to help us out.”  Veronica and Marry smiled at me, Veronica spoke up:
“Glad you could make it, Jeff wasn't sure if you were going to be able to come or not.”  I nodded my head, Jeff smiled at me and responded:
“Yeah we are pretty lucky she said yes.”  I nodded:
“Very lucky.”  We smiled at each other, he continued:
“Come with me dear sister, I will show you to your room.”  I followed Jeff into the bungalow and he took me down a short hallway and opened a door:
“Hope you don't mind bunking with Josh.  Veronica and Marry are already in one room, I have the couch and Nick has the other, I can switch with Josh if you would like.”  I shook my head:
“I grew up with you and dealing with your friends when they stayed the night, I think I'm ok.”  Jeff smiled:
“Well you won't have to worry about Josh, he is a cool guy.”  I nodded my head:
“Thanks Jeff, kinda figured sense you are allowing us to bunk together.”
“Well he is one of my best friends.”  He smiled and walked out of my room.  The room was small, with two twin beds that formed a “L” shape in the corner, the head boards meeting at the corner with a unique corner shelf forming the headboards.  There was a simple dresser, I opened the top drawer and there were the cloths that Jeff had said he had got for me, most of them were tank tops and thicker cargo pants, perfect cloths for trudging through the jungle.  This was going to be an adjustment, I could feel myself sticky from the humidity already.  Marry spoke up from the doorway:
“Hey there.”  I turned and smiled:
“Hi.”
“I was wondering if you would like me to show you around the area, or if you want to get some rest I can show you later.”
“I'm up for it now.”  She grinned:
“Great.”  I followed her out of my room and she showed me the kitchen and the living area where Jeff and Nick slept. She showed me her and Veronica's room and the single bathroom they all managed to share.  She took me out back to where Nick was working on something next to one of the old large trees.  Marry spoke up:
“Those are going to be so awesome.”  Nick turned and smiled:
“They are, and we can sleep in them on the ground or suspended.”  He finished clipping a rope and pulled it and secured it to one of the limbs as a curved rectangle popped up, it was only about two feet high but it had a good length.  He smiled at me:
“What do you think Sam?”  I smiled:
“Looks like fun.”  He nodded his head:
“I have tested it out both ways and they should be extremely useful on our trip, plus they are light.”  It was like a covered hammock, you would have to roll to get into it and roll to get out so hopefully you were not too far off the ground in the event you bollocks it up.  This was just getting better and better, like a cross of Swiss Family Robinson and Indiana Jones with a twist of The Librarian thrown in.  I was going to be sleeping in trees, lovely, at least this was going to be a combination of two of my favorite movies.  I just never thought I would be living them in real life.  
At least I wasn't alone on an island with a tiger to deal with.  No here there were Jaguars, Anacondas and crocodiles oh boy.  None the less Piranhas, Poison Dart Frogs, and a lovely Brazilian Wandering Spider that if bitten by and the poison was deposited you better pray you had anti-venom close by otherwise bye bye birdie.  Veronica called for Marry and Marry turned to me with a smile:
“I will be back in just a minute.”  I nodded my head:
“No worries.”  Nick smiled again:
“So what do you think of Rio so far?”
“From what I have scene it is beautiful.”
“It is, so Jeff mentioned you have helped him out on several occasions.”  I nodded:
“Yeah, you could say I have helped bail him out a few times.”  Nick grinned at me:
“I would like to hear about some of your adventures, sense we will be spending a lot of time together the next week I'm sure we will have plenty of opportunities to talk.”  I smiled and nodded my head:
“Jeff hasn't told you any?”  Nick shrugged:
“He has talked about the different places he has been to, but he hasn't gone into detail about where and how and stuff like that.”  I nodded my head as Marry came back:
“Ok, shall we continue?”  I nodded my head:
“Sure.”  She took me over to the private hot tub and questioned me:
“Do you have a bathing suite?”  I nodded my head:
“Yes I do.”  I had actually remembered to grab it just in case.  She smiled:
“Good, then we can all enjoy a nice soak in the hot tub tonight.”  I nodded my head:
“Sounds good.”  I started contemplating if I wanted to deal with a jaguar versus a tiger as we made our way back to the bungalow, we stepped inside and everyone was around a table discussing the best time to start going after their treasure.  I stood in the corner watching, sense I had just arrived on the scene I wanted to take it all in and see how everyone interacted with each other.  From what I could tell everyone seemed to be pretty tight nit one way or another.
This allowed me to decide that I would rather die by a tiger then a jaguar because at least I would be helping preserve a highly endangered species but I was less likely to die from a tiger attack because most of the time they just didn't want you in their territory.  Jaguars, would be a different story.
They decided on the best time to start their little escapade and I snapped back to attention, Jeff looked at me and smiled, he nudged me a little:
“Tired from the flight Sam?”  I shook my head:
“Nah, I got some sleep on the plane, but I am sure I am still a little jet lagged.”  He nodded his head:
“Probably.  So we will head out first thing in the morning.  We will pack up our bags tonight, everyone's gear is on their bed.  We should all be able to pile into the land rover till we get to the end of the trail.  Does anyone have any questions?”  Everyone shook their heads.  Veronica spoke up:
“So we all need a good nights sleep.”  Josh nodded:
“Sounds like a good idea to me.”  Veronica and Marry grabbed me and Marry spoke up:
“We are going to go sit in the hot tub, you should join us.”
Let's just say their girls night was no where near what I was expecting it to be.  Sitting in the hot tub eating local fruits and berries as we talked was pretty relaxing, but they didn't drink.  The guys had been invited but turned us down politely saying they were going to build a fire and have a few beers.  I was jealous of this and Jeff knew it.  No I am not a alcoholic, I enjoy drinking socially.  I don't drink to get drunk, ever, and I never drink alone unless it's a shot of something to help fight off a cold.  So don't be rolling your eyes at me for wanting an alcoholic beverage after flying across the globe to help relax.  Veronica spoke up:
“Nick likes you Sam.”  I smiled and nodded my head:
“Good for him.”  Marry chimed in:
“You must have a man back home then if you are not interested in Nick.”  I shook my head:
“I have a obnoxious room mate who has a different flavor every week, I also have a job and other deals to keep me busy, I don't have a need for a man in my life right now.”  Marry looked surprised:
“I figure you had someone, Jeff talks about you a lot but never anything personal.”  I nodded my head:
“Yeah we are private like that.”  Marry continued:
“Nick is a really nice guy.”  I nodded my head:
“I will keep that in mind.”  Veronica smiled:
“So, how much did your brother tell you about the last few months here?”  I shook my head:
“He hasn't, besides the weekly update that he is still alive and kicking, that is about it.”  She looked slightly depressed, damn, she had a crush on him and was hoping he had mentioned her.  Too bad so sad, I could already tell Jeff wasn't interested in her at all.  Marry spoke up:
“You may as well tell her you have a thing for her brother, she may be able to help you out.”  I laughed before I could stop myself, is came out more as a giggle then rudeness:
“Don't count on it.”  Veronica looked confused:
“You two seem very close, I mean you came all the way down here to help him, you don't know what he likes and doesn't like?”  I smiled:
“That is classified information, I won't divulge any secrets.”  Marry laughed:
“Do you think he would do the same for you?”  I nodded my head and responded:
“We play hardball for a reason, if someone wants to be with us they will know how to hit a home run or strike out, I'm not about to let them cheat to win the game, no, it takes work and the perfect pitch.”  Veronica nodded her head:
“Nick isn't my type and it's not like Josh is available.”  Marry nodded her head looking remorseful, I responded:
“Why, is he married?”  They shook their heads in unison and Marry spoke up:
“No he is gay.  I think it's a waist of a man personally but it is what it is.”  I smiled:
“Good to know, It explains why his finger nails are so well cared for.  And why Jeff has no problem sticking us in the same room.”  Veronica nodded her head:
“Yeah it's sad.”  I stretched my neck and back:
“Well I'm going to head back, have fun you two.”  I got out of the hot water, at this point I wanted a beer, I had expected the girls to open a bottle of wine but they didn't.  I dried off and got dressed and headed towards where the guys were.  The guys were sitting around a nice camp fire, each of them enjoying a beer.  Jeff tossed one to me and I opened it:
“Thank you.”  Josh spoke up:
“I bet you could use a couple after hanging out with the girls.”  I nodded my head and responded:
“If they had brought wine it would be a different story.”  Nick nodded his head:
“They have tried to convince us on several occasions to join them but we refuse, we would rather keep things professional.”  I questioned:
“Why not join them, you can keep it professional but enjoy the hot tub together?”  Jeff rolled his eyes:
“We have no interest in them so why lead them on, Veronica would be more then happy to buddy up and I am sure Marry would do the same.”  I grinned:
“And who says chivalry is dead.”  Josh laughed:
“We originally didn't want them to join us but our Employer insisted they come down here with us.”  I nodded my head.  I found it interesting that their employer insisted on having females on a trek into the jungle.  Don't get me wrong, I am all about equality, but opposites attract and sex can be a major distraction when you are trying to accomplish something.  If Veronica and Marry were seasoned jungle explorers then I was a complete idiot.  I was pretty sure the first sign of trouble and those two would be losing their minds, they were too soft.  I took several long sips of the beer, it was cheap beer but after the hot tub it felt good.  I sat down between Jeff and Josh.  Nick looked a little put out.  Jeff questioned:
“So what did they want to know?”  I smiled:
“I love how you know they were only after me for information, to answer you they wanted your secrets dear brother.”  He pulled the beer can away from his lips and looked at me:
“You didn't say anything did you?”  I shook my head:
“Of course not.”  He smiled:
“Thank god.”  I grinned at him:
“Just don't give me a reason to because I am sure Veronica would love to jump you in your sleep.”  Jeff shook his head:
“Yeah I'm sure she would, and I would get pissed.”  I laughed and responded:
“You could always just piss on her, that would disturb her enough she would leave you alone.”  Nick sprayed his beer and Josh fell over with laughter.  Nick shook his head:
“Jesus Sam were you trying to choke me?”  I shook my head as Jeff had joined Josh in fits of laughter:
“Sorry Nick, at least you didn't choke, I'm sure Marry or Veronica would be more then willing to give you mouth to mouth.”  Nick rolled his eyes:
“That is the last thing I need, one of them giving me the kiss of life.”  I smiled:
“Better then me giving you the kiss of death.”  Jeff nodded his head and responded:
“Trust me, you don't want to piss off Sam.”  Nick nodded his head and I finished the beer.  Josh sat back up still laughing and handed me another beer.  I opened it and patted him on the back, he grinned at me:
“He warned us you would be like one of the guys.”  I nodded my head:
“Yeah I didn't want to be rude to them after they invited me to join them in the hot tub.  Figured you guys would join us.”  Josh shook his head:
“Nah, we would rather drink beer and get the bull shit out of our system before spending the next week or so in the Jungle with them.”  I nodded my head:
“Glad I can be one of the boys.”  Jeff laughed:
“We are too.”  Josh put his arm over my shoulder:
“We will just use you as a human shield.”  I smiled and nodded my head:
“Jeff has already done that.”  Jeff nodded his head:
“Yeah, I haven't told them about our adventures.”  I nodded my head and looked at him as Josh kept his arm on my shoulder while he took a long drink of his beer:
“Nick mentioned that, I figured you would have told them at least a few of our adventures.”  Jeff nodded:
“I wasn't sure if you wanted to share them or not.”  I shrugged and Josh removed his arm to add another couple logs to the fire.  We heard the girls approaching, Nick rolled his eyes, I whispered:
“Quick, hide me.”  Josh almost sprayed his beer as Jeff bit his tongue, Veronica and Marry stepped into view and Veronica spoke up:
“We wondered if you came over here.”  They had their towels wrapped around their waists, showing off their bikini tops.  I nodded my head:
“Yeah, figured I would harass my brother for a bit.”  Veronica sat down next to Jeff and Marry sat between Nick and Josh.  Josh stood up:
“I think I will head to bed.”  I stood up:
“Then I will as well so I don't accidentally wake you.”  He smiled and nodded his head and offered me his arm, I took it and stood up:
“Good night everyone.”  Jeff smiled:
“Night Sam, night Josh.  Early start tomorrow, don't stay up too late talking.”  I nodded my head.  The others watched as we headed back towards the bungalow.  We stepped inside and he released my arm.  I smiled at him and he smiled back.  It was a very handsome smile, I spoke up:
“I call bull shit on you.”  He looked confused:
“Bull shit on what?”  I stepped farther into the room:
“Bull shit on you, being gay.”  He smiled and nodded his head and responded:
“What makes you think I'm not gay.”  I crossed my arms and responded:
“Your nails are clean, you dress to a tee, but if you were truly gay you would have no qualms about going to the hot tub with the girls.  You would also have no problem with them tramping around in their bikini tops, instead you became nervous.”  He stuck his tongue in his cheek:
“What if I just don't like them walking around in their bikinis?”
“Prove me wrong.”  I pulled my shirt off, my bikini top wasn't as revealing as theirs was.  He couldn't stop himself from looking me over.  I smiled at him:
“Nervous again.  I can tell by the way you shifted and I'm sure your heart rate just went up a few clicks.”  He took in a deep breath as I put my shirt back on:  
“You are the first one to figure it out.”  I smiled and grabbed a couple more beers from the fridge.  I handed him one and headed towards my room.  He followed me and we opened our beers at the same time.  I turned back towards him as I sat on the edge of my bed:
“You have done a good job of fooling them, Josh.”
“But I can't fool you.”  He closed the door and stepped over to sit on his bed, he plopped down so he was laying on his side, propped up by his elbow with his legs hanging off the bed.  I nodded my head and responded:
“I wouldn't worry if I were you.  Your secret is safe with me.”  He took a sip of his beer:
“I have no doubt you will keep my secret Sam.”  I took a long drink of my beer:
“If Jeff knew...he would beat the shit out of you.”  Josh nodded his head, squinting his face as he responded:
“Yeah I kinda figured, I was a little surprised when he said I would be bunking with you, even though I have portraidmyself as gay.”
“So why do you pretend to be gay, or are you bi?”  He shook his head and answered me:
“I am straight, I just know what it's like on these expeditions, I also know what Veronica and Marry are like, they will wrap their arms around anything that has testosterone.”  I laughed:
“So you pretend to be gay so that the people you are working with won't hit on you, what would you do if Nick was gay?”  Josh laughed:
“I would possibly change my game plan, but I did my research on the team before meeting them the first time.  I slowly let off hints here and there, the girls figured it out before Jeff and Nick did.  Me and Jeff have known each other for a year now and it never occurred to him.”
“Sounds about right, no offense but men don't usually pick up on those cues, they have to be told straight up what is going on.”  Josh nodded his head:
“Plus I grew up in a house with four girls, I was the only boy adopted, so I know a thing or two about being feminine.”  I looked over at him:
“I'm sorry to hear you lost your parents.”  He shook his head and responded after taking a drink:
“I was thirteen when my parents were killed in an accident, so knowing them and then having to get to know a whole new set of parents and siblings was tough, but I love my sisters.”
“The family that adopted you were very loving weren't they?”  He nodded:
“They were incredible, they gave me the world and showed me how to be my own person.  I'm pretty sure if it wasn't for them I would have ended up dead or in prison.”
“They sounds amazing.  Wish there were more people out there like them.  Children are no longer being raised, they are being born and left to their own devises.”  Josh's eyes got big as he made large nodding motions with his head:
“It's ridiculous, I didn't get away with half the shit kids do now, not even with my adopted parents.”  I laughed:
“Yeah I would have been slapped if I said half the shit kids say now, especially some of the stuff they say to their parents.”  He was nodding his head:
“I know I wasn't perfect but hell, I am no where near the spawn of Satan that is entering this world now.”  I started giggling:
“I call Jeff the Devil.”  Josh was laughing when he questioned me:
“Why do you call your brother the devil?”
“Because he is.”
“Because he convinced you to come down here to Rio to help him?”
“Well...that is only part of it.  I could write a book, several books on the adventures my brother has dragged me into.”  Josh grinned:
“Tell me.”
“Tell you one?”
“Please?”  I smiled:
“Fine, I will tell you one but you can't tell the others I told you, I don't want them to be jealous.”  
“I promise.  Anyways I think Veronica and Marry are already jealous.”  I nodded and he watched me with a smile on his face, a very sexy smile.  He had dangerous eyes, eyes that you could easily get lost in.  They were hazel and his hair was jet black, making him very striking:
“So, as most of my stories go, I got a phone call from my brother.  He needed my help.  I, being the wonderful sister I am always agrees to help him.  On this particular adventure he was taking me into Egypt.  Awesome place to visit if you haven't already been there.”
“You went to Egypt?”
“Yes.”
“Damn, I haven't made it out of the America's yet.”
“It's beautiful along the river.”  He nodded his head:
“I bet, I'm sorry, please continue.”  I smiled:
“So I land in Egypt, his girlfriend at the time was already there with him, we end up collecting the items we were going after and we decided to celebrate.  Well the guys go down to the bar and we are getting ready to join them.  We had found some beautiful cloths to wear, upper class style clothing, anyway.  Jeff and his buddies who were there with us get plastered.  And I mean falling over, slurring speech plastered.  No thanks to some shady French Foreign Legion Bastards.  So...Nelly and I walk into the bar and my brother greets us, kissing us on the cheek, well...during his drunken stupor he made a deal with a local, to this day my brother will swear he was trying to purchase camels.  Which we were actually in need of.”
“What did he purchase?”
“He didn't purchase.  He sold.”
“What the hell did he sell?”
“Nelly and myself, to a local.  So the local walks up and gives the money to my brother, upon approving of us for the transaction.  God knows what we were being sold into.  He grabs me and another man grabs Nelly...”  Josh was trying not to fall of the bed as he was trying to contain his laughter.  I smiled as he spoke up:
“You have got to be fucking kidding me.”
“Nope, he sold us, because over there women are property.  So my brother is waving goodbye to us as we are being taken off into some kind of human trafficking deal.  Well...thankfully Nelly and myself know how to take care of ourselves and we ended up beating the shit out of the men and making them pray to their gods for us to stop.”  Josh was laying on his back laughing:
“I kinda wish  I had been there, not just to see your brother being a complete idiot but to also watch you beat the shit out of them.”  I nodded:
“Yeah, lets just say Nelly made Jeff pay.”  Josh raised his eyebrows as he sat back up:
“What did she do to him?”
“He won't tell me.”
“It was that bad that he refuses to tell you what she did to him?”  I nodded my head:
“Yup.”
“Damn.  You two tell each other pretty much everything right?”
“For the most part, something like that yeah we usually share but it must have hit just the right spot that he refuses to re-live it by explaining it to me.”
“He never talks about his past girlfriends.”  I shook my head and responded:
“There is good reason for that.”
“Are you willing to explain?”  I took in a deep breath, for some strange cosmic reason I had no problem talking to Josh.  I responded:
“She died.”  He sat up, the look on his face going from amusement to worried shock:
“How?”  I responded:
“She was bit by an Egyptian Asp.”
“Did someone purposely release it on her?”  I shrugged my shoulders:
“They are not uncommon, even in the more populated areas, she passed away several months after I had gone over to help them.  He flew back to America with her body.  He stayed with me for a few weeks after, this happened a little over two years ago now.  Sense then his digs and searches for Antiquities have become a little more dangerous.”  Josh got up and came over to sit next to me:
“You worry about him a lot don't you.”  I nodded:
“I can't help it, he lost the love of his life and I lost one of my best friends, it was a difficult time for both of us, she was family to me already.”
“I can see why he doesn't talk about it, I figured he had loved and lost it but not to that degree.”  I nodded as I finished my beer:
“His work helps him, it is the best thing for him.  He doesn't consider what he does work because he enjoys it so much, but he refuses to go back to Egypt.  I don't blame him.”  Josh nodded:
“I don't blame him either.”  I looked over at the pile of rations and equipment on the end of the bed:
“We should probably get our bags packed before we relax too much.”  Josh nodded, he picked up the business card that I had laid on top of my traveling cloths:
“Who is Chris Marksman?”  I smiled:
“The guy sitting next to me on the plane.”
“Hit on you did he?”
“Something like that, he invited me out for coffee.”  Josh nodded his head:
“Yeah I'm sure he would brew up a nice strong cup of coffee for you.”  I smiled at him:
“Are you implying something.”  Josh smiled:
“I think he would be insanely jealous of me right now sense I'm sitting next to you in your bed.”  I nodded:
“I'm sure he would be jealous of me taking my shirt off for you as well.”  Josh blushed:
“Yeah, I'm still recovering from that.”  I snapped my fingers:
“Darn, too bad you can't fool me, I would have changed in front of you.  Bet that would have caused you several more problems.”  Josh's eyebrows raised and he looked over at me:
“Would you seriously change in front of a gay guy?”  I shrugged:
“Depends on if it would bother him or not.  I have changed in front of my best friend dozens of times.”
“Naked changes?”
“Yeah.”  He winked at me:
“Can I be your best friend?”
“Are you even going to try and be gay anymore Josh?”  He grinned and kissed my cheek, he paused and pulled away slowly:
“Sorry.  I um...”  He took a deep breath and released it, I smiled at him and responded:
“I won't stop you.”  He looked over at me:
“Jeff warned Nick that you don't open up normally, so to not feel bad if you didn't talk to him much.”
“Normally I don't open up to people like this...”
“So I should feel extremely privileged.”
“Something like that.”  He smiled at me:
“Normally I don't date anyone I work with, but sense I don't officially work with you I don't see a problem, unless you see otherwise.”  I shook my head:
“But you have to continue to act gay in front of the others.”  He smiled and nodded my head:
“Oh I am sure you will have no problem helping me out with that.”  I smiled:
“Not at all, especially around Jeff, sense he thinks you are gay he is going to be pissed the fuck off when he finds out you have been lying to him.”  Josh winced:
“Think he will make an exception if I am a really good boyfriend to you?”
“Already want boyfriend status do you?”
“Well sense I can't take you out on proper dates, and I technically have you in bed already.  So yes?”  I laughed:
“You do have a good point.  And a good sense of humor, I will let you in on a secret about me and my brother.”
“I would be honored.”
“Humor is a week spot for us, we love the people who can make us laugh.  One reason why my best friend is who she is because we usually laugh until we cry when we hang out.”
“Thank you for telling me, is that why you and your brother have such a good sense of humor?”  I smiled:
“Well that and we are both very-very sarcastic.”
“I never would have noticed.”
“I know right?  It's insane to think we are sarcastic.  I mean come on, me?  Sarcastic?  Never!”  Josh started laughing:
“I love it.  I could listen to you and your brother joke with each other all the time.  Damn it's getting late, we should pack our bags for tomorrow.”  I nodded and got up, he followed and wrapped an arm around my stomach and I turned towards him, he took in a slow breath as he stared into my eyes, he leaned down and kissed me gently.  I smiled as he kissed me, a burst of energy ran through my body and he wrapped his other arm around me deepening the kiss.  He eventually pulled away and his eyes poured into my soul.  I gave him another kiss and stepped away, he grinned and whispered:
“Your eyes were beautiful before, but seeing them after I kiss you, make me never want to let you go.”  I smiled:
“I can say the same about yours.  I'm glad I caught you, otherwise you really would be a waist of a handsome man.”  He grinned and nodded his head:
“You think I'm handsome huh?”  I rolled my eyes and looked at him:
“Do you really think you are not?”
“I know I'm good looking to some women, but I never think of myself as handsome.”  I nodded:
“I can understand that, because I don't think of myself as beautiful.”
“Really?”
“Really, really.”
“But you are.  I mean, your brother says you are beautiful but most brothers think their sisters are beautiful.  I know I think my sisters are, but I didn't know what to expect till I saw you walking out of the airport with him.  My heart stopped, I can barely remember you getting into the car I was in shock.”
“You didn't act like you were in shock to me.”
“Oh trust me, I was.  You got in and your brother introduced me and I could barely talk.”  I nodded my head:
“And you kept glancing at me.”
“I had sunglasses on, how could you tell?”  I smiled:
“Because of your movements.”  He nodded his head:
“Were you trained by the C.I.A. Or something?”  I laughed and shook my head:
“Not the C.I.A.”
“Then who?”
“I have taken a lot of defense and survival courses over the years.  I took a weapons class and passed it with flying colors to the point the instructor wanted to hire me on.  I took a tracking course and I could work as a EMT if I wanted to with my certifications.  Let's just say doomsday doesn't scare me.”  He smiled and nodded his head:
“You are one incredible lady.”  I smiled and shrugged my shoulders:
“I just have a different range of interests then most women.  Sense we were young Jeff and myself have had pretty much the same interests, the only difference is that he ran off to be an archeologist and and I write.”
“You're a writer?”
“I do reviews and write articles for the newspaper.  Thus the reason I am able to travel to all these different countries with my brother whenever he needs me.”
“That does sound like fun, so what do you write about?”
“Well sense I travel so much and have traveled so much it's a weekly assignment about different places to travel and sights to see, so every week I do a article about a local destination for a weekend getaway or just of the day trip as well as a foreign one.”
“I could have fun doing that.”  I nodded:
“I'm glad he called me down here, I only have about twenty  articles left that I have already typed up about foreign travel, this will give me the opportunity to write a few more.”  Josh laughed as we had started packing up our travel bags, I wouldn't be able to bring my duffel bag.  He nodded his head:
“Over achiever are you?”
“I wouldn't say over achiever, more well prepared, plus it helps when I go on trips like this because I don't have to worry about work.  I just send off my email, the editors get it and plop it into the newspaper and I am well on my way.”  He nodded his head:
“Sounds good, and this pays nicely?”
“Well enough.  It pays the bills and gives me extra to spend and to put into savings, plus some of the adventures Jeff has taken me on have been very lucrative.”
“Yeah I'm sure finding antiquities and the occasional treasure have helped you out greatly.”  I nodded:
“Next year I will be able to purchase the house I want in full.  I know the owners and they are planning on moving to Hawaii next year once the house they are building over there is completed, so I offered to purchase their house, they gave me a listing price, we discussed it and I offered them the amount in cash.  They were more then happy to agree.”  Josh stopped packing and stared at me:
“Do I dare ask how much this house is worth?”  I smiled and responded:
“Around three hundred.”
“Damn.  Helping your brother has been very lucrative for you.”  I nodded:
“Plus I play on the stock market, but I'm not including that money when I say I have enough saved up for the house.”  He nodded his head:
“I have enough to pay rent for the next year and to buy a car.  That is about it.”  I smiled:
“I have had the same car for the last ten years now.”
“What kind of car is it?”
“A Sixty Nine SS Camero, black with silver chrome.  It's an amazing car, had to teach my best friend how to drive stick shift so she could pick it up from the airport for me.”
“So when and where would you like to get married?”  I smiled as I finished rolling my cloths:
“Cool your jets Josh.”
“Seriously though, if you could get married anywhere, where would you go?”  I shrugged my shoulders:
“Not sure, if I want my best friend to be there it would have to be somewhere in America sense she doesn't have a pass port.  And when, depends on when the guy proposes and if I say yes.”  He smiled and nodded his head:
“Haven't had one propose to you?”  I smiled:
“I have had several proposals.  I have said no to all of them.”
“Why?”
“They loved me, but they were not the love I want for myself, if that makes sense.”  He nodded his head:
“They loved you but you didn't think their love was right for you?”
“Pretty much, they were great guys, but I knew they wouldn't be able to handle me or my lifestyle.”  He nodded:
“Like running off to foreign countries and getting into tense situations and potentially deadly circumstances.”  I nodded:
“Most of them hadn't even meet my brother yet, and well lets face it, if you haven't meet my brother and my brother hasn't approved of you then you are not going to get far in my book.”  Josh nodded his head: 
“Sounds about right.”  There was a knock on our door and Josh moved to open it.  Jeff stepped in and smiled:
“Glad to see you two are packing, now if I could just get the girls to do the same.”  I smiled:
“We are a little slow because of all the talking we have been doing.”  Jeff smiled:
“No worries.  I figured you two would have a lot to talk about sense you seem to be hitting it off so well.”  I smiled, the thoughts in the back of my mind going to 'if you only knew'.  Josh nodded his head:
“Yeah your sister is pretty kick ass.  I'm glad you brought her down here to help us.”  Jeff nodded:
“Me too.  Hopefully she still isn't mad at me for dragging her away from the states.”  I shook my head:
“Nah, as long as I don't get attacked by a Jaguar or a Anaconda I will be just fine.”  He nodded his head:
“I hope not to either, guess it's a good thing bugs don't bother you.”  I smiled:
“I've had my malaria and over vaccinations.”  Josh nodded his head:
“Yeah I would rather not dye from malaria.”  I nodded:
“I will take being killed by a jaguar over malaria.”  Jeff laughed:
“Hopefully I don't get anyone killed on this adventure.”  I smiled:
“Hopefully not.”  He smiled at me and spoke up:
“Well, you two have a good night.”
“Night Jeff.”
“Night Bro.”  He moved to leave the room but before he could Veronica stepped in:
“Oh, sorry Jeff.  Am I interrupting?”  Jeff shook his head:
“No, you're fine Veronica.”  She smiled at him:
“Are you all packed and ready for tomorrow?”  He nodded:
“Yes.”  He moved to step past her as me a Josh rolled our eyes.  She turned back to me:
“Do you want to shower in the morning?”  I shook my head:
“No, I should be ok.”  She nodded her head and turned to Josh:
“Do you?”  He shook his head:
“No, I'd rather sleep in.”  She gave him a funny look and she nodded her head:
“Ok then.”  I bit my lip as she turned back to me:
“Have a good night, the wake up call will sound at five.”  I nodded my head:
“Thank you, good night.”  She closed the door and I looked back at Josh, he shook his head:
“I probably should have said yes huh?”  I shrugged:
“Probably.”  He nodded his head and stepped over to me:
“What do you think she would do if she caught me kissing you?”  I shrugged my shoulders:
“Probably throw a fit.”  He grinned and kissed me, he had his hands on my waist and pulled me closer to him, he finally released me from his kiss and whispered:
“It would be worth it.”  I shook my head:
“Let's not for the time being, we have to get through the next week before we can even give a hint that we are together.”  He nodded his head:
“Going to be difficult going without your kiss.”  I smiled:
“I am sure we will be able to find some time.”  He nodded:
“Hopefully.”  I smiled and he stepped back, holding my hand, I spoke up:
“Just try not to make it obvious that you detest Veronica and Marry.”  He nodded his head:
“I will do my best.”  I laughed and turned to finish packing my bag, he grinned as I responded:
“Or we could walk out there right now and announce it.”  He started shaking his head:
“And watch your brother kill me.  Nah, I will pass for now.”  I nodded:
“If you say so.”  He finished up and I put the backpack on, I adjusted the straps with his help. His hand brushed against my breast as he adjusted one of the straps and he blushed:
“Sorry.”  I smiled:
“Are you a virgin?”  He shook his head:
“No.”  I nodded my head:
“Well at least I don't have to worry about that.”  Josh smiled and nodded his head:
“I just haven't been with a lot of women, and it's been over a year sense anything if you know what I mean.”
“Really?”  He nodded his head:
“Yes, and before that with college and traveling and all that I do.  I haven't found one that can handle my traveling or any desire to travel, they all want to either settle down or want me to get a normal job according to them.”  I nodded my head:
“I wouldn't mind settling down in a few years but only long enough to have a kid or two and then start traveling again, I consider myself very blessed that my parents took us to different countries and a lot of places in the States.”  He smiled and nodded his head:
“You only want two kids?”  I smiled and shrugged my shoulders:
“Two or more possibly, depends on the man I marry.”  He nodded his head:
“I could see at least two.”  I smiled:
“I wouldn't mind adoption either after having at least one of my own.”  He smiled:
“You get better and better.”  I shook my head:
“You have to live with me for at least six months before deciding if you are going to be able to handle me as your wife.”
“I will take you up on that offer.”  I looked over at him:
“Like me that much do you?”  He nodded:
“You are not tackling me, so I am wondering if that is because of the thin wall or because we are going to be in the jungle.”  I smiled and responded:
“The thin walls don't help, but I figured we should wait till after this adventure.”  He nodded his head:
“Sounds like a good idea.”
“Besides, I'm not going to just jump you like Veronica or Marry.”  He laughed:
“I figured you would have done that by now.”  I shrugged:
“By the end of this week that may be a different story.”  He grinned:
“I am pretty sure I will be feeling the same.”  I sat my bag down at the foot of my bed and he put his on, I stepped over to him and started adjusting his straps for him, he watched me as I did.  I looked up at him and smiled:
“Enjoying yourself?”  He nodded:
“It's your eyes.  Can't help it.”  I smiled:
“My brother has the same.”
“But your brother does nothing for me.”  I laughed:
“But you have to pretend he still does.”  I winked at him, he grinned and leaned down to kiss me, there was a knock on the door and he stepped back as I was adjusting a strap, I spoke up:
“Come in.”  The door opened and Nick stepped in:
“Oh, sorry.”  I shrugged my shoulders:
“No worries.”  He nodded:
“I saw the light on and figured you were still up.  Was just wondering if you got everything packed up ok?”  I nodded my head:
“Yup just making last minute adjustments.”  He nodded:
“Anyway, see you in the morning.”  He closed the door and we heard him walk away.  Josh turned back to me:
“Guess I'm going to have to watch him closely.”  I smiled:
“He isn't my type.”
“And I am?”  I smiled up at him:
“Would you like to find out just how much my type you are?”  Josh grinned:
“Extremely tempting Samantha.”
“Don't want to call me Sam?”  He shrugged:
“I will probably go back and forth.”  I nodded my head:
“I will only call you Joshua if I am mad at you, maybe.”  He smiled:
“See when you say it it just sounds sexy as hell.”  I grinned and shook my head:
“I could call you Joshy would that be better?”  He started laughing, keeping it contained so it wasn't loud:
“That would get the girls, guess it would help my image huh?”  I nodded my head:
“Potentially.”  He pulled the backpack off and wrapped his arms around me:
“You are going to be bad for my fake image.”  I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to kiss him, he deepened the kiss and I pulled him over and down onto the bed.  He braced himself above me and pulled away from my kiss:
“Trying to ruin me?”  I shook my head:
“No, just trying to convince you to sleep next to me.”  He smiled and nodded his head:
“Would be happy to, but do you want to change?”  I nodded my head:
“Probably a good idea.”  He smiled:
“I promise not to look if you don't.”  He winked at me, I answered him:
“Uh huh...sure.”  He climbed off of me and helped me up.  I grabbed the cloths I wanted to sleep in and laid them out on the bed, he did the same and he turned off the light.  We changed, which meant I had to change out of my swimming suit.  I nearly fell over at one point and I had to muffle a giggle.  He whispered:
“Should I have left the light on?”  I responded lightly:
“Nah.”  He laughed:
“If you say so.”  I spoke up:
“Ok, I'm done.” He turned the light back on and smiled at me, he was shirtless with a pair of basketball shorts on.  I nodded my head, I was in shorts and a tank top.  He looked down:
“Would you prefer for me to have a shirt?”  I shook my head and smiled:
“Nah I will live.”  He nodded his head:
“Good.”  I climbed into my bed and he turned the light off and climbed in next to me. He wrapped his arms around me and started kissing me, short simple kisses all over my face and down to my neck.  I smiled and did the same to him as he whispered:
“How do you expect me to resist?”  I shrugged and responded:
“Just doing the same to you as you did to me.”  He laughed and nodded his head:
“I see.”  I settled into his arms and he held me close.