Fire and Desire (Arabesque) (14 page)

The ringing of the telephone made them both jump. Maurice picked it up before Stella could even think about reaching for it.

“Yes, Maurice Grant here.”

Maurice’s face was emotionless as he listened to whatever the caller was saying to him. Occasionally, he would answer with an, “I understand,” or a “yes.” When he finally hung up the phone, Stella nervously got to her feet.

“Who was that? Was that news about Trevor?” she asked in a trembling voice.

Maurice reached out and again took her hands in his. “That was the State Department. They have valid reason to believe Trevor is not one of the hostages.” He felt the tension flow from Stella’s hand with his statement.

“Does that mean he’s on his way home?” she asked cautiously.

His hand tightened on hers. “Not exactly.”

She frowned. “Not exactly? I don’t understand. Then what is it exactly?”

“Trevor and another American, a woman, are believed to have escaped into the jungles.”

He felt the tension in Stella’s hand return. “The jungles? Out there with snakes, wild animals, poisonous plants and—”

“Think about it, Stella. Think about it for a second. Trevor was in the Marines for more than fifteen years. During much of that time, he was part of that special unit. Remember he once told us that living out in the jungle was something they had taught him to do. I feel better with him out there in the jungle than with him being a hostage.”

For the first time since hearing about the terrorist attack, Maurice Grant felt he had a reason to smile. “Yeah, Stella. I got a feeling our boy is going to be all right. I just know it.”

He took a quick glance at his watch. “I better call Dex. I told him I would let him know if we heard anything.”

When he released Stella’s hands to pick up the phone to call Dex, a sudden feeling of loss came over him. For some reason, he still needed her touch. Over the years, he had gone to a lot of trouble to keep her at arm’s length. But tonight, it was important to keep that physical link to her, even if only for a little while.

C
orinthians woke the next morning to the smell of fresh coffee and grilled fish. At first she thought her nose was playing tricks on her, but after sniffing the air, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Sitting up, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glanced around. Trevor was sitting about six feet away around a campfire. Coffee was brewing in a worn-out pot, and he had concocted a man-made grill to cook two large pieces of fish.

Food! And she was starving!

She scrambled to her feet, still clutching the blanket around her, and moved quickly toward him.

“I wondered how long it would take for you to wake up and notice food,” he said, casually sipping his coffee. He leaned over and handed her a cup of the hot, steaming brew when she took a seat across from him.

Corinthians eagerly accepted his offer, inhaling the aroma before taking a sip. She released a satisfied sigh. There was nothing like caffeine in the morning to get one’s senses stirred. The coffee was a wee bit stronger than she would have liked and it was minus any cream or sugar, but when you were out in the jungle, you couldn’t be too picky about such things. As far as she was concerned, it tasted heavenly and served a real purpose.

She lifted one eyebrow ever so slightly. “Thanks. How did you manage this?”

Trevor’s mouth twitched. “In case you’ve forgotten, this is South America, the coffee capital of the world. It’s not hard to find a wild coffee plant growing someplace, even out here in the jungle.”

“What about the fish?”

“I got up early and went fishing. There’s a stream not far away that’s loaded. I didn’t have the convenience of a pole so I used that bamboo rod to spear them.”

“And the cooking supplies?”

He grinned. “I borrowed them.”

Corinthians couldn’t help but return his grin as she stared across the open fire at him. He had that unshaven look and it made him appear dark, dangerous and desirable. She thought it should be against the law for any man to look that good so early in the morning. The man was also very resourceful, to say the least, which prompted her next question. “How do you know so much about surviving out here in the jungle?”

Trevor took another sip of coffee before answering. She was full of questions this morning, he thought. “I’ve already told you I was in the Marines.”

She nodded. “Are all Marines taught jungle survival as part of their basic training?”

He shrugged. “Pretty much, but my training was more intensive that usual.”

She lifted a dark brow. “Really? Why?”

“I was part of the Marines Special Forces.”

The dark lashes shadowing Corinthians’s cheeks flew up. She knew that the Army had the Green Berets, the Navy had their SEALs; and the Marines had…

Her mouth dropped open. “You were a member of the Force Recon unit?”

When he didn’t answer immediately, she repeated her question. “Well?” she demanded. “Were you?”

“Yes,” he finally answered, enjoying the shock on her face.

A smile softened Corinthians’s eyes. “No wonder you know so much. That really explains a lot.”

He frowned. “A lot like what?”

“It explains why you’re so competent out here, and how you’ve managed to keep us safe.”

“I almost blew it yesterday,” he said as he looked at her steadily. “At the time, I was involved in something I shouldn’t have been and let my guard down. It won’t happen again.”

Corinthians knew there was an underlying message in his statement that had been meant for her.

“Here,” he said, handing her a tin plate with a large piece of grilled fish. “Eat enough. It has to last a while. Until we make camp again later today, we’ll be munching on berries.”

“Did you enjoy being a part of the Force Recon unit?”

“It had its moments.” The memory of his last assignment that claimed the lives of two of his close friends suddenly appeared to him. As always, whenever the old pain tried to raise its ugly head, he shoved the memory to the back of his mind.

“But did you enjoy it?” Corinthians asked.

“Yeah, overall, I guess you can say I enjoyed it.”

The path they were now taking was rough and mountainous. It required that they watch their footing carefully. Corinthians wished Trevor had chosen another way for them to go, but he’d said it would be advantageous for them to go this way. The men looking for them would not expect them to take such a risky route. After nearly an hour or so of such strenuous exertion, she hoped he was right.

“How long were you a part of it?” she asked him. She wished he would turn around. She hated talking to his back.

“A part of what?”

Corinthians raised her eyes heavenward. “The Force Recon.”

“I was a part of it long enough,” he said as he continued his climb up a steep ledge with her following behind.

“How long?”

Trevor stopped walking and turned around. “You sure are full of questions this morning,” he said, studying her intently with a glare in his eyes.

Corinthians shrugged, wondering about his mood. He’d acted decent enough over the campfire at breakfast, but then later after she’d returned from getting all cleaned up and changing clothes, his mood had darkened. “I was just trying to keep conversation going to pass the time.”

“Oh, is that what you’re doing?” he asked sarcastically before turning back around to resume their climb.

Corinthians narrowed her gaze at him. Trying to keep the conversation going was only part of it, but she would never admit it to him. What she was really trying to do was to get to know him better. She’d already spent two days alone with him and there was a lot about him she didn’t know. Her only problem was that he was being difficult and not cooperating. But she was determined not to give up.

“Have you ever been married and do you have any children?” she came right out and asked him. She decided it would be a waste of time beating around the bush with Trevor.

He was surprised at her question and found himself answering before he reconsidered. “No.”

“So tell me about your family.”

“Who said I had one?”

“Oh.” She stopped walking and swallowed past the lump in her throat. She hadn’t thought of the possibility that he didn’t have any family. “I’m sorry, I just assumed that—”

“No need to apologize. I do have a family. Both of my parents are alive and well.”

Corinthians heaved an exasperated groan. “Why did you just let me think you didn’t have a family?”

“You’re the one who jumped to conclusions.”

She glared at him and wished he would take the time to turn around and see the look she was giving him. “So tell me about your family,” she asked through clenched teeth.

He took his time answering. “What do you want to know?”

“Where do they live?”

Trevor walked over to a huge boulder, turned around and leaned against it. “They’re living in Houston where they’ve lived all their lives. My dad lives on Chelsea Court and my mom lives on Washington Street.”

Corinthians nodded in understanding. “They’re divorced?”

“No, they’re separated.”

“Oh. How long have they been separated?”

Trevor shook his head, wondering if at any point during their conversation did she consider her questions too personal. Evidently not, he thought when she repeated herself.

“How long have they been separated?”

“They have been separated for more than twenty years,” he finally answered her.

“That long? Why don’t they get a divorce?”

He stared at her. She had asked the same question he and his sister had asked each other a number of times over the years. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

The squinting of Corinthians’s forehead showed she was in a state of deep concentration. “My guess may be better than yours. I may have an idea as to why they haven’t gotten a divorce.”

Trevor looked at this watch. They were wasting precious time just standing around chit-chatting. “Really? Then how about sharing it with me.”

She shrugged. “They probably don’t believe in divorce. The Bible teaches against it.”

Trevor crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t say? I guess you of all people would know, being a preacher’s daughter and all.”

Corinthians became irritated by the critical tone she heard in his voice. “How did you know my father is a minister?”

“There is a lot I know about you, Corinthians Avery.”

Her eyebrows slanted in a frown. There was a lot he thought he knew about her, but as far as she was concerned, he did not know her at all, and probably never would. He would continue to base his opinions on her actions that one night two years ago.

“And there’s a lot about you that I
don’t
know, Trevor Grant,” she said.

Trevor met her gaze directly. “You know as much as you need to. The main thing you need to know is that I plan to keep us both alive to make it back to Texas.”

He said the words with anger in his voice. He resented the fact that she looked so desirable bathed in the early-morning sunlight while standing beside a medley of overwrought and overgrown bushes and vines. She was providing immense beauty to an otherwise dreary piece of scenery.

He fixed his eyes on her seductive frame as she stood glaring at him with her hands on her hips. She had changed back into her jeans and top. He much preferred seeing her romping through the jungle with just his T-shirt covering her. He had appreciated looking at every bit of uncovered flesh his T-shirt hadn’t hidden. He shifted his position as desire, hot and rampant, began settling in his gut. He tried forcing those feelings away. He had to stay in control.

“Come on,” he growled. “We better keep moving. And lay off the questions. You’re giving me a headache.”
As well as another sort of ache,
he thought to himself.

Corinthians’s glare sharpened. If he could be in a bad mood, then so could she. The very least he could do was to try to be a little bit more civil. However, if that’s the way he wanted it, then that’s the way he would get it.

“Dex?”

“Umm?”

“You’re still worried about Trevor, aren’t you?”

Dex Madaris glanced down at the woman he held in his arms. He thought she had gone to sleep hours ago after they had made love. His eyes lit up with love when he gazed down at her. There wasn’t anything he didn’t love about her. He leaned down and brushed his mouth across hers.

“Yeah,” he said, bringing her closer to him. “I’m still worried, although I agree with Trevor’s father. It’s good that he’s out there in the jungle instead of being held as a hostage.”

Caitlin Madaris shifted in her husband’s arms and glanced over at the clock that sat on a small table near the bed. It was just past three in the morning. She reached up and wrapped both arms around his neck and snuggled even closer to him. “If you really believe that, then why are you still worried?”

“Because although it has not been officially confirmed, I think Corinthians Avery is the woman that’s out there in the jungle with Trevor. That’s good news for the Avery family if that’s true because I think Trevor is capable of keeping them safe until they’re rescued. But…”

“But what?”

“You may not have noticed, honey, but Trevor and Corinthians don’t get along.”

He paused and sighed. “To be more frank, I really don’t think they like each other.”

A knowing smile softened Caitlin’s lips. Oh, she had been noticing things all right. She could not help but notice on a number of occasions whenever Trevor and Corinthians were within ten feet of each other, how they could not keep their eyes off each other. Especially when they thought the other one wasn’t looking. Trevor and Corinthians may not like each other, but there was no doubt in her mind that the two of them were attracted to each other.

“Oh, I think in the end they’ll get along just fine. They only have each other to depend on until they’re rescued. In fact, I happen to find their situation out there in the jungle rather interesting,” she said as the smile on her face widened.

Dex raised a dark brow as he looked down at Caitlin. “Interesting in what way?”

“You know what happened to Clayton and Syneda when they went on vacation together to Florida. They couldn’t get along, either, but they discovered something special while alone during that time. They discovered they had deep feelings for each other.”

Dex shook his head. “If you’re getting any romantic notions about Trevor and Corinthians, forget it. Although Clayton and Syneda never agreed on anything, they did get along and considered themselves friends. The same isn’t true with Trevor and Corinthians. I truly and honestly don’t think they like each other. Period.”

Caitlin’s lips twitched. She wasn’t as convinced of that as Dex seemed to be. “Well, I think it’s time for Trevor to settle down. He’ll make some woman a good husband and some child a wonderful father. You see how great he is with Jordan and Ashley.”

Dex nodded when he thought about how good Trevor was with his two daughters. They simply adored him. But he doubted the woman Trevor would settle down with was Corinthians. He had to admit the possibility of Trevor and Corinthians being a twosome had crossed his mind on occasion. But the last time he had spoken to Trevor, he’d said that he and Corinthians were like oil and water—they didn’t mix.

“I think Corinthians would make some man a nice wife, too,” Dex said of the woman he used to work with and considered a friend. “She’s such a classy, well-bred lady. All polished and refined. I often wondered why she’s never gotten serious about anyone.”

Caitlin wondered what her husband would say if he knew that for years he had unknowingly been the object of Corinthians’s secret affections. She moved closer to Dex. “I think things will eventually work out fine. At least let’s hope and pray they do. Everyone deserves to be as happy as we are.”

Deep love burned in the depths of Dex’s charcoal-gray eyes when his strong arms pulled Caitlin closer to him. “Now,
that
I agree with,” he said before leaning down and kissing her with all the love he had in his heart.