“I’m leaving in the morning for my farm in Komatipoort. Come with me. It’ll give us a chance to get to know each other better.”
She stared into her coffee and twirled the contents. Go to an isolated place with a man she’d met a couple of days ago?
No way.
She sensed no danger from him except for the danger to her peace of mind, but to consider going was way out of her comfort zone. Besides, neither she nor he could afford the publicity if someone found out she had stayed with him on his farm.
“I can’t.”
“You mean you won’t.”
She turned and shook her head. “No, I can’t. Have you thought this through? If the press were to learn I’m staying with you, everybody would think I misrepresented my client because we had an affair. It would be a publicity nightmare for both of us.”
“Who will know? I live alone there with one bodyguard and a cleaning lady who comes in once a week.”
She sipped her coffee. Tempting as it was, they still had to get there and someone was bound to see them. She said as much.
He pushed himself out of the chair, put his empty cup in the sink and took her by the shoulders. “I always fly there by helicopter. Nobody will see us.” His thumb stroked the pulse racing at the bottom of her neck. “Any other excuses?”
“I won’t sleep with you.”
He chuckled. “You’ll sleep with me, but I won’t make love to you unless you ask me to.”
Her throat dried out and she swallowed painfully. She’d never had a problem controlling her body, until now. As for a holiday, relaxing days without people, work or stress held the same appeal to her as water did to a dolphin. Why shouldn’t she take the opportunity he offered? If he minimized the risk and left the choice of having sex to her, she could enjoy a couple of days’ holiday. Couldn’t she?
“I’ll think about it.”
He pressed a tender kiss on her lips. “I leave at seven tomorrow morning from Lanseria Airport. I’ll send a driver for you at six.”
“I haven’t agreed to go with you. I said I will think about it.”
He smiled. “I’ll send the driver anyway. Now, you’ll have to excuse me. These painkillers have a limited lifespan.”
Mortified, she hustled him to the door.
“I promise I will call you.”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “The driver will be here regardless if you call or not.”
They exchanged numbers and Samantha closed the door behind his large frame. The man confused her. He made it clear he planned to have sex with her, but then he left the decision as to when and where it was going to happen, to her.
Without conscious thought, she pulled her suitcase from the top shelf of the closet in the passage and soon a heap of clothes littered her bed. Later, after she’d confirmed she would accompany him, she turned out the light and tried, but failed, to stifle the excited nervousness pricking in her stomach.
Chapter Six
Brent pointed to the sugarcane fields below the helicopter. “Those fields form part of my farm.”
They’d been airborne for more than two hours and Samantha’s neck cramped from turning her head in all directions to absorb the sights below her. Farmland had turned to mines at regular intervals until they passed Carolina where the mines became more infrequent. The pilot increased altitude to scale the mountainous terrain close to Barberton and she grabbed onto Brent’s hand.
“He knows what he’s doing. I’ll never put you in danger.”
Right. Just being with him caused mortal danger to her heart. She brought herself up short. Since when did her heart feature in the equation between her and Brent? The electricity sparking between them had nothing to do with emotions and everything to do with lust. She couldn’t afford for it to be anything else.
Then the scenery changed so drastically she had no time to ponder the pilot’s skills or lack thereof. Before she could ask about the sugarcane, the pilot reduced altitude and her eyes widened.
Below her, a thatched mansion nestled close to the Crocodile River. A small pool sparkled in the morning sun and several antelope grazed on the grass. A tennis court and mini put-put track was a small distance from the house while five garage doors lined the one wall.
They landed on the helipad next to the garages and, after taking off the headphones, Brent shouted at her to wait so he could assist her. When the blades came to a complete stop, he alighted and helped her out of the helicopter.
He briefly hugged her to him before holding her at arm’s length. “Welcome to my humble abode.”
She smiled and wiggled out of his embrace. Despite being mid-morning, the temperature was mild and the air humid. While she turned to look around her, the pilot retrieved their luggage and started toward the house. They followed at a more leisurely pace, with Brent stopping to explain about the trees and flowers indigenous to the area, often pulling her to him for a quick kiss.
“Let’s get inside. I’m dying for a cup of coffee.”
With his limp more pronounced, Samantha suspected he wanted to rest the leg more than he actually needed caffeine. She refrained from commenting and nodded. Inside the door, he leaned against the wall and pulled her to stand between his legs.
“Thank you for coming.” He wiped a strand of hair from her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. Then he slid his hand around her nape and brought her mouth to his.
Their lips touched in a gentle caress. A featherlight exploration of each other. When his tongue demanded entrance, she obliged without thinking. Tongues dueled and she inhaled deeply, making the unique scent of this complicated man, part of her. When he let her go, both struggled for breath. She rested her forehead on his chest.
“Let me show you the place.”
The inside of the house proved more than a match for the luxurious exterior. Face brick walls, African print loose carpets on the slate floor and lights discreetly against the walls added to the African atmosphere. With the wooden beams exposed, the lounge appeared huge.
Samantha followed Brent into the modern kitchen where an antique Yellowwood table and chairs adorned the middle of the floor. Unable to resist, she ran her hand over the scrubbed wood.
“My grandmother used to have one exactly like this. I can still remember the warm coco we drank around the table early in the mornings while she baked bread.”
“I love pieces with a rich history. This one belonged to my great grandmother and it was handed down through generations. My mother refused to put the monstrosity, as she called it, in her kitchen, so I inherited it a little sooner than I’d anticipated.”
He handed her a steaming mug of coffee. “Let me show you the rest of the house.”
“There’s plenty of time. I think you must get the weight off your leg if you want it to heal properly.”
“Oh, I don’t plan on putting a lot of weight on the leg during our stay.” A wolfish grin split his face in two. The air sizzled with awareness as his eyes traveled the length of her body.
Trying to hide the heat in her face, she turned and pretended to inspect the rest of the kitchen. She heard him moving and jumped when he slipped an arm around her midriff.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look this morning?”
She giggled and immediately felt silly. Damn, she wasn’t a teenager anymore. She shook her head.
He hugged her against him and held on for a few seconds. When he let go, the loss of contact was a physical pain. She finished her coffee, rinsed the mug and put it in the sink before turning toward him.
“How about you show me where I can freshen up.”
“Come.”
He took her hand and led her along the passage. On their way to the master bedroom, they passed five guest bedrooms, each with their own en-suite facilities and a small lounge area. The entertainment area, wherein she was sure her whole flat would fit, opened to a covered patio with a splash pool and hot tub. It overlooked the Crocodile River and on the opposite side of the river, the Kruger National Park. She gaped as she noticed a group of kudu grazing on the other side of the river.
“Wow, I would spend all my time here.”
“I do, mostly. It’s relaxing to watch the water and the animals.” He glanced at her. “Do you like bird watching?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never tried it.”
“I’ll teach you. As an attorney, your powers of observation should be well honed to spot the differences between the small birds.”
“Thanks, I’ll give it a try.”
He guided her toward the master bedroom where her luggage waited on a small bench inside the dressing room. She tried, but it was hard to ignore the four-poster king-sized bed dominating the bedroom. Although it was clearly a man’s room, the furniture bore witness to someone in tune with nature and his surroundings. She hurried to the bathroom while he opened a set of drawers in the dressing room where she could unpack.
The woman in the mirror was an alien. Her eyes were bright while her auburn hair appeared a little tousled from the downdraft of the helicopter blades. What made her think she could handle both the man and the circumstances? Her heart raced when he so much as looked at her and she ignited with want the moment he touched her. It might be harder than she thought not to ask him to make love to her.
No, not love. Lust. What she felt for this young man couldn’t be love. She lusted after his body. Any relationship besides the bodily cravings would result in disaster.
Chapter Seven
Samantha ran a comb through her hair and caught the wayward strands in a ponytail before she inhaled and opened the door. Brent waited in the bedroom.
“You look edible.” He showed her the closet for her clothes and turned to the bed. “Don’t feel you have to unpack now, but feel free to do whatever you like. I need to rest a while to get the weight off the leg.”
“Thanks.”
She watched him unbutton his shirt and her mouth dried. He wasn’t going to strip right here in front of her, was he? She should leave and afford him some privacy, but somehow her legs refused to obey her mind.
The long-sleeved shirt landed on the chair next to the bed and she bit her lip to keep her mouth from dropping open. Damn, he looked like his image was superimposed onto a Greek god. She tore her gaze from his broad shoulders and her breath hitched as the muscles rippled in his abdomen. A faint line of dark hair disappeared into the top of his jeans.
When his hands reached for the button on his jeans, Samantha’s knees gave way, but she locked them in place. She had to get out of there before she made a fool of herself. The button popped open and she held her breath. Then his hands stilled and her eyes flew to his.
“Come here.”
The soft command liquefied her insides and unlocked her knees. The room dimmed before she remembered to breathe. Seemingly without a will of her own, she took a step closer to the bed, closer to either heaven or hell.
“Closer.”
She took another step and he gathered her in his arms, trapping her hands between them. Despite the winter chill, his body scorched her palms. With one hand, he lifted her chin and she watched, mesmerized, as he lowered his head to hers.
“You have the most kissable lips. It’s impossible to get enough of tasting them.”
He captured her lips in a sweet kiss that left her clinging to his shoulders to stay upright. Of their own volition, her hands stroked his hard shoulders before she slid her hands over the muscles of his upper arms, reveling in the strength displayed.
His tongue swiped over her bottom lip and Samantha drowned in the sensation rocking through her body. Then he demanded entry and deepened the kiss while he tugged on the band holding her hair. As her hair tumbled loose, he tangled his fingers in it and held her mouth firmly in place while he ravaged every inch. Their tongues dueled, simulating the age-old rhythm of procreation.
Lifting her head, they stared wordlessly at each other for breathless seconds, before his eyes darkened even more and he walked her backwards to the edge of the mattress.
If she wanted out, now was the time to say so. Despite his evident arousal, he wouldn’t force her. How she knew, she wasn’t sure, but the knowledge settled some of the nervous butterflies in her stomach.
“You’ll be the death of me yet,” he whispered as he traced her jaw.
Then he buried his mouth in her neck, nibbling and licking and her body ignited in an inferno of want. Itching to explore every inch of his body, she ran her palms over the taut muscles in his chest, gently pinching his hard nipples before stroking over his rock-hard abs. His sharp intake of breath emboldened her and she teased the top of his jeans.
“Enough.”
He caught her hands in his and gently lowered her to the bed. With one heavy leg, he pinned her to the mattress as he untucked her blouse from her pants. Then his hand was on her stomach. His slightly coarse palm caressed her sides before moving upwards to stroke the underside of her breast. Her eyes drifted close and she willed her racing heart to slow.
Easier said than done when heat coursed through her veins and all she could think about was feeling his naked body against hers. When he fumbled with the buttons on her blouse, she tugged her hands from his and pulled the garment over her head. His eyes darkened as he explored the royal blue satin and lace bra. She arched her back as he cupped a mound in his hand and gently rubbed the hardened nipple.
Her mind screamed to apply the brakes before this went any further, but her body refused to obey. Would it be so bad to give in and enjoy the sex? Just sex. Nothing more. She wasn’t a young girl who would read more into the physical attraction than he intended there to be, so why couldn’t she enjoy the ride?
No reason at all.
Mind made up, Samantha relaxed and allowed the passion heating her blood to roam free. She pulled his head toward her and nibbled on his ear before kissing his neck and shoulder. His body was hard and in sharp contrast to her softness. She ran her palms over the muscled ridges next to his spine, feeling them contract as she alternated between a soft touch and a deeper message.
Then he lowered his head to capture a nipple in his mouth and sent all coherent thought flying out of the window. Sensation lifted her body from the bed, pushed her breast deeper into his mouth. His other hand pinched the neglected pebble, rolling it slightly between his thumb and forefinger.