The Pleasures of Winter by Evie Hunter Page A

of the movie star,but of the man behind the celebrity camouflage. And she wouldn’t let him scare her off.
    Back at the water’s edge, Kevin and Zeke had lit a small fire and the tempting smell of grilling fish filled the air. Ignoring Jack, she flashed Kevin a bright smile. ‘Fish. I think I love you. If I had to eat snake or larvae again, I’d probably turn into one.’
    The prospect of a snake-free meal put everyone in a good mood. Even Zeke didn’t complain about the lack of cutlery or the banana leaves they used for plates. When the meal was over, Abbie filled the water bottles and added water-purifying tablets. They were running low. If they didn’t get out of here in a couple of days, they were going to have serious problems.
    ‘Abbie.’ Jack’s voice caught her attention. ‘Kevin and I are going to see if we can find some shelter for tonight. Make sure that you bury the fish guts. We don’t want to attract any visitors.’
    Abbie sighed. Jack was still in command mode. ‘Fine, just as soon as I finish this.’
    ‘Abbie.’ This time it was Zeke. ‘I need you to fix my sling again, it’s slipping.’
    What was it with the jungle? Was there some caveman pheromone in the air? Jack had gone all He-Man, now Zeke thought he could boss her around.
    She packed the bottles into the rucksack and checked her phone. Still no signal and the battery was low. At least the Kindle was still working. She might get to sit down and read for a while.
    ‘Abbie, my arm,’ Zeke whinged again.
    ‘OK, OK, the nurse is coming.’
    She adjusted the makeshift sling. Kit would go crazy when she found out that the two-hundred-dollar bra she had forced her to buy had been turned into a bandage. So much for discovering her inner temptress. ‘I’m sure that Carine Gilson will be thrilled that she’s saving your arm.’
    ‘I’ll replace it,’ Zeke said. ‘Just as soon as we get back to civilization.’
    ‘Gee, thanks. Just what I need. Something to remind me of this place.’
    Abbie eyed the pile of fish heads and guts. A swarm of ants had decided to move in. She watched as they formed an orderly little army, pulling bits of fish away. With any luck she wouldn’t have to bury any of it. The ants would take care of it for her.
    A snuffling snore from Zeke revealed that he had dozed off. Perfect. Peace and quiet at last. She would read until the others returned.
    She was lost in her novel when a deep-throated roar dragged her attention away from it. She dropped the Kindle. Zeke was still asleep, oblivious to the jaguar pawing at the remains of the fish.
    Oh dear god. The scraps wouldn’t be enough to feed a hungry cat and she couldn’t remember if jaguars would attack humans or not. Why hadn’t she buried the fish?
    ‘Zeke,’ she hissed. ‘Please wake up.’
    A snore was his only response. Abbie reached for a piece of stick from beside the fire and poked Zeke.
    His eyes flew open. ‘What the hell are you –?’
    ‘Shhh, we have a visitor.’ Abbie nodded in the direction of the jaguar, who was busy devouring the fish. It was almost gone. The cat raised his head, eying them thoughtfully.Zeke dug his heels into the ground and began to inch away. ‘Do something, Abbie.’
    ‘Nice kitty, why don’t you go away?’ As the jaguar stepped forwards, Abbie grabbed her Kindle and rose to her feet. Maybe she could throw it at him.
    Jack and Kevin burst through into the clearing, waving lengths of vine and screaming like hyenas. She had never been so glad to see anyone in her life. The cat turned and disappeared into the jungle as silently as it had arrived.
    Kevin followed it to make sure that it was gone. Jack stepped over the pile of fish detritus and turned to look at her. Abbie winced. He had told her to bury it and she hadn’t. She couldn’t meet his eyes. He was mad at her this time. Really mad.
    ‘Don’t tell me, you love pussy but you hate cats?’ She had no idea what got into her to come out with a crack like