To Love Honour and Disobey(8)

Neither were achievable options right now. OK, so she could go have a  shower, but that would mean walking out in public-past the  footballers-and she was too wobbly. But she did have one luxury. Wet  wipes. The best thing she'd brought with her to Africa. She'd use a  few-give herself a sponge bath with the delicately scented, blessedly  cool wipes.

She undid her bikini top and peeled it from her sticky body. Popped the  plastic lid and pulled some of the small white squares from the  container. She sat cross-legged on the groundsheet and closed her eyes,  simple relief sweeping her as she slid the damp tissues over her too  hot, too sensitive skin.

The buzzing sound was loud and fast. She froze mid-swipe. Suddenly moved  to pick up her top but he moved faster-his hand grasping hers, holding  it out away from her bared body. With his other hand he quickly slid the  zip down behind him, sealing them in the tent.

'I thought you were going to play football,' she said quickly.

'I … needed … to get … ' He took his time answering.

Eventually she prompted, 'Get what?'

'I don't know.'His eyes were wide and filled with fire.

'Sebastian.' She tried to shake her head but the heat washed over her, melting her ability to move.                       
       
           



       

He didn't look as if he'd heard anyway. The hunger in his gaze fired an  equal hunger deep within her. Her nipples budded-practically screamed  for his touch-tight and hard. Her breasts were heavy and full. Despite  everything she wanted him to reach out to her, to cup them, to kiss  them. To relieve the agonising torment that was this desire.

The muscles in his jaw worked as he clenched his teeth. Slowly his eyes  lifted to meet hers. The fever burned between them. She heard the low  growl as he turned and got out of the tent faster than a striking snake.

Ana tipped right over where she was, planting her face in the soft,  suffocating sleeping bag. What the hell was she doing? She pulled on a  new sloppy tee and went out. He was far away from the others viciously  kicking a ball at a tree, hitting it with unerring precision. Time and  time again. She walked over to him.

He glanced at her and immediately away. 'Don't come near me now.'

She halted. 'Why not?'

'Because I want to kiss you. I want to do more than kiss you.'

Thwack. The ball hit the tree again. And her legs could hardly hold her up.

'You have no idea what I want to do to you,' he muttered. Fists  clenched, muscles bulging, his bare torso shone with sweat. He was  primed.

Heat flooded in her most secret places. And she was the one panting like  the one doing the crazy workout in the heat of the afternoon.

He stopped, stood with his hands on his hips and glared at her. 'We  started something back then, Ana. And for me it isn't over. I thought it  was. But it isn't.' He gave the ball a mighty kick. 'But I don't want  to mess either of us around again. So don't come near me.'

Chapter Four

EVERY time Ana looked up Seb was looking at her. The odd moments he was  talking to someone else she watched him. Invariably he caught her at it,  as she did him. Their eyes simply wouldn't stray from each other for  too long. It wasn't a thread between them, it was a big, thick rope  winding tighter and tighter.

Sexual attraction was blind to the faults of each individual, didn't  care how mismatched the two were. It was pure chemistry that couldn't be  denied. But hopefully it could be ignored.

She tried to put distance between them-sat up on the exposed frame of  the truck, ostensibly to get a better view of the landscape. But the  metal crossbars got too hard for her butt and she had no choice but to  sit on the seat in the truck again.

And in the end she obeyed her body's demand and took the seat next to his.

He might have told her to stay away but she found it impossible. They  were in such close confines and she found herself in orbit circling  closer and closer to his heat.

And all the while her mind searched to rationalise it. They were on the  long drive through to Dar Es Saleem, on a truck with twelve other  people. Nothing could happen, and so the closeness was safe.

He spoke almost as soon as she sat. 'Tell me about this business of yours.'

She nodded. Good idea. They could talk personal, but not intimate. 'It's a rental business.'

'Renting what-washing machines? Driers? DVDs?'

'Accessories.'

'Computer accessories? What?'

'Fashion accessories.' She wasn't surprised at his look and tried to  explain it further. 'What does the fairy godmother say in Cinderella?'

'Be back by midnight?'

'Bibbity Bobbity Bo. That's what she says and, voilà, Cinderella is  transformed. Well, my idea is Bibbity-Bobbity-Bling. I'm the godmother  you come to when you need glitz and glam, or stylish and label but you  can't afford to buy it yourself.' She started to laugh. 'Do you know, I  have so many trinkets, millions of high-heeled sparkly shoes and bags  like you wouldn't believe.'

Seb twisted in his seat and angled his head at her. 'Don't take this the  wrong way, Ana, but you don't strike me as a fashionista.'

'I know,' she sighed. 'I'm a total wannabe. Or I was. Do you know I  spent every cent of my student loan and ran up a hu-u-uge credit-card  debt buying shoes and bags and stuff? But do you want to know the really  stupid thing?' She laughed again at her ridiculousness. 'I never had  the guts to wear it. It's all pristine in bags and yet I still can't  bear to part with it.'

She shook her head. She'd wanted to be feminine and gorgeous but she'd  been so stuck in her 'black, melt into the shadows' phase she hadn't  been able to break free of it and she'd been mad. It had been like a  kind of addiction. She hadn't comfort eaten, she'd comfort shopped.                       
       
           



       

'It took so long to pay off the debt and I screwed my credit rating.'  She had cleared the debt-a couple of years of working two or three  jobs-and she had no intention of getting into debt ever again. 'And  instead of having all these quirky, stylish pieces sitting gathering  dust, I need to turn them around and make them work for me. So I'm going  to add a bit to my stock and make them for hire. I've got the website  planned and half built. I'm looking for premises but still deciding  quite where.' She stopped for breath, realised she'd been gabbling. 'Do  you think it's stupid?'

'No.' He looked a little dazed. 'I think it could work. It really could.'

She knew it could. Because she was sure there were women out there like  her who wanted but couldn't afford, and wasn't it better to hire than  buy something you weren't going to be using daily-these were not things  anyone really needed. But it was about being able to have some fun. She  wanted the fun.

'The shoes you were wearing in the crater-'

'Yeah. They're some.'

He laughed.

She laughed too. 'I know it's mad.'

'What made you wear them yesterday?'

She shrugged. Not wanting to admit it had been because of him.

'You should wear them more.'

She couldn't stop her smile then. 'I've got some with even higher heels.'

'No way.'

She nodded and told him of some of her other insane purchases. Loved his  grin, loved his questions and his belief in the idea. They talked for  hours, halfway through the night. Until everyone around them was asleep  except poor Bundy driving in the cab in the front.

And then they didn't talk any more. There was just that slow burning  awareness as the truck drove on, the noise of the engine rough and loud  in the wide, still night. Eventually she moved-forced herself to get  away. Lay on the bagged tents that had been stacked in the aisle and  stretched out-the most comfortable spot on the truck. The tarpaulin roof  was still pulled back and she had the most incredible view of the  stars, watching the lights that were moving-satellites or space junk or  something. It was so dark she could barely make out the shadow of the  other passengers. But of one thing she was certain. He was watching her.

Man, it was hot-since the second the sun had started to rise its power  had been extreme. It didn't help that Seb was now sitting in the seat  next to the aisle and Ana's long tanned legs were swinging down beside  him from where she was perched back up on the crossbars that supported  the tarpaulin covering. The drive through the night had nearly been the  death of him. While he'd enjoyed how they'd talked, he wished like hell  they'd been alone-or were alone now. Then he'd tug on that delectably  fine-boned ankle and pull her down, kiss her as he'd been dreaming of  kissing her for days. Watching her rest on the bagged tents in the wee  small hours, he'd fantasised about the kind of mattress they'd make if  only they were alone. If only she'd say yes. If only they weren't bloody  married and had enough mess between them already.

The frustration was driving him crazy. There had been no one since her.  And now he realised he wanted no one but her. But it would be beyond  stupid. They'd muddied their lives enough with what they'd done the last  time they'd given into temptation. They wanted different things-she  wanted the whole happy-ever-after commitment bit and he just wanted fun  and carefree. Problem was he only wanted to do fun with her.