Man of Passion Read Online Free PDF Page A

fling her arms around him again. He seemed so embarrassed and uncomfortable when she did it. Crossing her arms against her chest instead, she kept her distance.
    Ben pulled out a package from the inner pocket of his coat. "Here, a going away gift, Ari. Use it frequently."
    Surprised, she took the gold-foil-wrapped gift, which sported a red ribbon. "Oh!" she gasped, and quickly sat down, tearing at the wrapping. When she opened up the long, rectangular box, she saw it held a phone. Looking up, a question on her face, she saw her father smile benignly.
    "That's an Iridium phone—the latest technology available. It cost three thousand dollars. Use that to call me anytime. It hooks up to satellites directly. Cell phones don't work down in the jungle where you're going."
    Touched, Ari gently put the gift on the couch. Against her better judgment, she threw her arms around her father. He was so tall! So strong and stalwart, when she felt none of those things about herself. Pressing her cheek against his chest, she sobbed, "Thank you, Father. Thank you…for everything…."
    "Here, here," Ben growled as he gripped her upper arms and eased away. "Now don't go getting mushy on me, Ari. Buck up. And don't cry. I can't stand women crying."
    Sniffing, Ari swallowed her tears of joy. "Okay, Father." She gave him a quick smile. "I'll call you when I land at Manaus ."
    "Yes," Ben said sternly, "you'd better." He jabbed a finger toward the fax photo of the mercenary. "And I want to know that you've hooked up with Antonio. Do not leave the airport unless he's there. Do you understand?"
    Ari tried to look appropriately contrite as her father went through a three-minute list of what he did and did not want her to do when she reached Manaus . Hands folded in front of her, unable to meet his eyes, she simply bowed her head and listened, as she always had. But her brain and heart were elsewhere while her father harangued her. Every time she stole a look toward the coffee table and saw Rafe's picture, her heart leaped like a wild gazelle. Why? Ari was stymied. He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. She was sure he was married. Well, it wouldn't hurt to enjoy how handsome he was. She'd look, but not touch. Ari would never think of liking a man who was married. She held marriage sacred. Besides, she had been a wallflower, with few dates coming her way in university. Most men saw her as a weak-willed little thing incapable of holding their interest.
    Still, when her father finished his list and headed toward the door, Ari brightened considerably.
    As she quietly closed the door behind him, she sighed with relief. She'd won. She'd taken her first stand with her father and won. Her heart wouldn't settle down, she was so excited. Walking back to the couch, she eagerly sat down and looked through the rest of the information on her guide. Ari was stunned by his impeccable academic credentials. He'd gone to Stanford Medical University and gotten a Ph.D. in biology! He was more than just a "forest ranger" as her father had said. Much more. Stanford's medical school was one of the top in the world for medical doctors and scientists. Obviously, Rafe was a scientist.
    That thrilled her. He'd have a wonderful knowledge of her beloved orchids. Because he lived in the Amazon, he would know the species and varieties. As she quickly perused his résumé, she noticed he was single and twenty-nine years old. Single? She picked up the photo of him, stunned by this revelation. How could someone as drop-dead handsome as this man be single? That didn't make sense. Ari told herself he was probably divorced. Surely a man of his caliber, his looks and courage would have found his soul mate by now.
    Rafe Antonio looked like a Spanish explorer from the sixteenth century, a world-conquering hero. The fax didn't give details of his facial features or the all-important eyes. Eyes, to Ari, were indeed the window to a person's soul which was probably why she was