Isandro crouched down in front of her again and said sternly, ‘Stop that. It could have happened just as easily with me.’
Rowan blanched. The thought of Isandro and Zac being kidnapped was more horrific to her than the thought of what those men might have done to her.
She shook her head to clear the fear, the awful image. ‘Still, they went for me because they knew—’
He put a finger to her lips. ‘Hush. They went for you because one of them was Hernán’s cousin. He took advantage of knowing Hernán’s movements and thought he’d try and be smart, make a quick buck. They were nothing but stupid thugs. You were so brave, mi querida.’
She shook her head, confused by the warmth in his eyes, the endearment. ‘No, I was scared.’
‘But you protected Zac; you were strong. I never knew you were that strong …’
He came up between her legs and placed his mouth gently over hers, his lips feathering across hers in a benediction, a healing kiss. Rowan wanted to sink into him, into the kiss, wanted to take what he was offering, to take the very essence of him, make it her own. She knew that they had just been through something extraordinary and had survived. He was just grateful, that was all. She knew all about moments like this, surviving. The euphoria would soon fade. His resentment would still be there somewhere, under the surface.
She pulled away gently, even though it felt like the hardest thing she’d ever done. She smiled awkwardly and her lip throbbed. She felt dirty. ‘I think I’d like to have a shower …’
After a moment he stepped up and back, a blank expression replacing the warmth.
‘Of course. Do you need a hand?’
‘No, thanks,’ Rowan said hurriedly, too hurriedly. The thought of him being around her when she felt so vulnerable was emotional suicide.
She made her way back to her own room and into the bathroom. She stood under the hot spray and scrubbed at her skin, scrubbing at any part those animals had touched. When she finally felt clean she got out. Throwing on a robe and rubbing her hair dry, she stepped back into her room.
Almost immediately, as if he’d been listening for movement, their adjoining door opened and Isandro walked in. ‘Dinner. You must eat.’
Rowan knew better than to argue, and she followed him out of the room and down to the kitchen, where a steaming plate of stew waited for her with some crusty bread. Her stomach rumbled, and Isandro rested back against the sink as she sat and ate under his supervision.
‘Do you want some wine?’
Rowan shook her head. The effects of the brandy were already going to her head. ‘Just some water, please.’
A full glass materialised in seconds. Rowan glanced at Isandro, seriously nonplussed to see this side of him. He turned from the sink and caught her looking. She blushed and covered it up.
‘How long were we.? I mean, when did you know …?’
‘You don’t know?’
She shook her head. ‘I was blindfolded, and we drove for a long time. I don’t wear a watch and one of the men threw down Zac’s bag and the phone smashed.’ She had to repress a shudder.
Isandro came and sat down, as if sensing her need to be near someone. ‘My phone rang this morning, when you dialled it, and we found you at six p.m. They’d taken you out to a remote part of the national park. It lies to the east of here. They had you for about eight hours. If you hadn’t called and raised the alarm it would have been much later, possibly even tomorrow. We lost your navigation signal when you entered the park …’
Rowan shivered again as it all came back to her. She stood abruptly, her chair sounding harsh on the tiled floor. The panic was returning. ‘I need to see Zac. I have to know that he’s—’
Isandro came around the table. ‘He’s fine, Rowan.’
‘I don’t care—I need to see him.’
She started out of the room and Isandro was right behind her. She had the most irrational fear that was galvanising her movements, making them jerky. She walked to Zac’s room and pushed open the door, her heart thumping. Ana-Lucía turned around from where she was tucking him in. He was fast asleep. Rowan sagged against the door. Tears of proper relief stung her eyes.
She saw Ana-Lucía send a concerned look over her head to Isandro, and felt him turn her around and propel her to her room.
‘See? He’s fine. Now you need to sleep too.’
Isandro knew his voice sounded husky with suppressed emotion. Rowan looked up at him and her eyes were bright. Seeing her here, with Zac, when he’d thought … he’d feared the worst. He couldn’t think of that fear, couldn’t let it rise again. It had almost undone him earlier. He could still feel his fist smashing into that man’s face, the police pulling him back, and knew he might have gone a lot further. He would have put Zac in danger because he wouldn’t have been able to control himself, but Rowan had exhibited calm and control and had put Zac first every step of the way.