Chapter Twenty-five
The next morning, Melinda woke with a sense of confusion. She lifted her wrist, twisted it over to stare at the underside. It looked normal. Why was she concerned?
She looked at her watch on the bedside table. Hamel would be there soon. She showered and was ready just before a knock sounded on her door. She opened it to see a breathtaking stud who made her knees and tongue not work.
He wore jeans that fit snugly in all the right places and a white T-shirt that was snug everywhere. She wondered if he did that on purpose. He had to have known the effect he had on her. Hell, probably on every woman. In his fingers he twirled a single wildflower. He flipped it up and nestled it behind her ear. Bringing himself closer in the process.
“A beautiful flower for my beautiful flower.” He kissed her temple. “Did you get some sleep after getting home last night?”
She thought back to the dream with the old man and cookies. Those were the strangest theoretical, esoteric ideas she’d ever heard. It seemed like he was talking about out-of-body experiences. She had no idea what the hell her dreams meant. She was glad she normally didn’t remember them. What a strange week. And last night was the worst of it. Sometimes she could be so dumb.
“Uh, Hamel, I want to apologize for last night.” She held up a finger to stop him from interrupting. “I wasn’t thinking clearly and jumped to conclusions when I accused you of the break-ins and stuff.” He tried to say something again, but she stopped him with a second finger.
“There were just so many things that seem off with you. And they were off because you weren’t who you said you were, but you weren’t who I thought you were, either. So”—he opened his mouth and she raised another finger—“it wasn’t all my fault, but it’s all right now. And I expect some answers.” She finished and looked at him. When he didn’t move, she said, “You can talk now.”
He fumbled with words, looked down for a second, then up at her. “What questions do you have? Let’s talk and clean at the same time. You really are a messy person.”
Her eyes popped wide. “I— This— My—” She wasn’t a messy person. Really.
He laughed. “I’m playing with you, Melinda.” He brushed his lips lightly over her cheek as he passed. That was several times since last night that he’d touched her. She loved his attention, loved how he looked at her, loved to stare at his ass as it passed by right now. Her fingers itched to squish them beanbags.
Hamel breathed deeply then stumbled over a bag of rice. She dove forward to catch him. “You okay, Hamel?”
He slapped his chest, coughing a bit. “Yeah, sorry. Didn’t see the floor. I was distracted for a second.”
He didn’t see the floor? Distracted by what? She looked around at the disaster that used to be her kitchen. Maybe she could understand his distraction. He probably wondered what in the hell he’d volunteered for.
Melinda picked up the bag of rice he’d tripped over and asked him to put it on the second shelf of the cabinet. The next few hours flew by. She told him about her childhood and her parents. How she became interested in scientific research, but not about her past love and how he’d betrayed her. She didn’t want to admit to being so naïve and running when things got rough.
She was afraid he’d see her as a loser. Someone who wasn’t worth spending his time with, and she really wanted his time. And more, as the day wore on. Every move he made rippled his muscles under his shirt and jeans. The way his biceps popped when he lifted something heavy to the way his ass bubbled when he stretched up on his toes. She had to check her chin several times for drool. That would be embarrassing.
Then when it came time for him to spill about his life, she couldn’t tear her attention away for anything except to breathe. He made her laugh, made her smile. He was fascinating. She wanted to know everything. She wanted to be closer. She was on a slow burn.
After fixing her balcony doors a while later, he got to his feet and brushed his hands against his pants. “As good as new. Now you can sit in your hammock chair and drink all the wine you want.”
She cocked her head at him. “How do you know I sit out here and drink wine?”
He fumbled with words until “You told me” came out. Something was up. This was the same way he’d acted when she talked medical jargon around him at the—
She never finished the thought as he leaned down and took her lips with his. When he pulled away, she grabbed a handful of his shirt and brought him back to her. She wanted him. He’d been teasing her, flashing his gorgeous body when he knew she was looking. He was doing it all on purpose, and she loved it.
Now she wasn’t sure what to do to let him know she was interested in more. She was totally great with kissing, but much further than that and she was clueless. Not just clueless, but self-conscious.
He laid his forehead on hers and smiled. He was so gorgeous with the little crinkles radiating from his eyes and the dimple on his left cheek. “So, how about we call this place good enough and go into town for an early dinner?”
She couldn’t help her huge smile. He wanted to spend time with her and not run away. “That would be fun.”
He seemed to relax a bit. “Good. I want to change clothes first. How about I come back in thirty minutes and pick you up. Will that work?”
Since she was a little-makeup and no-fuss-hair person, thirty minutes worked perfectly. He kissed her again. Damn, he was really good with that tongue! He walked away, leaving her high on life. Then she remembered the danger she’d been in and realized she’d let her emotions overrule her brain and getting the answers she wanted about so many things. Maybe they could talk about those things tonight.
Later on, she picked a quiet eatery where she taught him about local cuisine and foods. He was surprised he liked so many dishes. Not sure of his palate, she was a bit hesitant to tell him what some of the meats he tried were, but he handled it well. No vomit on her shoes, anyway.
They walked the local market, talking and asking questions. He spoke the native language flawlessly. Since Uganda had adopted English as one of its national languages, she never really learned anything else. She was impressed with his brain as much as his body.
Past the market, close to the park, a soccer ball rolled toward them, escaped from the local kids’ game. Not only did he professionally dribble it back, he shared tricks with the young ones. Foot, head, and knee bounces that amazed her.
As the sun set over the water, he took her hand and walked them along the trail toward a manicured beachfront. This day had been far better than any romance paperback she’d ever read. And it was happening to her. She wanted to cry she was so happy. But she couldn’t let him know that. If he planned on being out of her life by the end of the weekend, she couldn’t expose herself to such vulnerability.
He pulled her into his arms. “What’s wrong, Melinda?”
How did he always know when she was feeling down? Was she that easy to read? “I was just thinking I didn’t want this day to end. I’ve had a great time with you.” That was safe to say.
“It’s over only when you say it’s over. You’re on vacation tomorrow, remember? You can stay up all night and run around with the other drunken party animals starting Halloween tonight.” He wrapped his hands around her waist and tossed her over his shoulder, then took off running toward the trees, imitating some of the younger couples. It was a strange custom, but she laughed the entire time.
When he set her down, he slid her down his front. She laughed at his boldness. Like she didn’t know what he was doing. She wasn’t that naïve. He backed her against a tree, then brushed a finger down her cheek.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. The first second I saw you, I knew—” He stopped. If the light wasn’t playing with the shadows, she thought he might be blushing.
“You knew what?” She held his face in her hands.
He was quiet for a moment before he said, “I knew I’d fall for you.”
That was it. Game over. Hook, line, and sinker, she was his. She wanted him like no one else. She’d been celibate for two years, and fuck anyone who thought she was crazy for sleeping with a guy she’d known less than a week. She would have him tonight. This sexy stud was hers.
But she wasn’t telling him yet.