“I love it!” she exclaimed.
“But you’re crying…”
“They do that when they’re happy,” Don said from across the table. “You still have a lot to learn. Can we now please open the bubbly?”
Corks popped, people laughed, glasses tinkled, but Zoe didn’t really take any notice.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
Dale took both her hands in his. “I’ve never been as sure about anything before. But if you’re still uncertain, I can promise you by the time the sun rises tomorrow there won’t be a single doubt in your mind as to how I feel about you.”
*
“I’m taking you to my house,” Dale said when they finally drove away from his mother’s restaurant.
Zoe nodded and put her hand on his leg. He brought her fingers to his lips.
“I’m very glad our mothers arranged tonight, glad everyone was there, glad you said yes, but now I’m especially glad I can have you all to myself,” he said and put her hand back on his leg.
“So am I.” Zoe moved her hand up and down his leg.
He stepped on the petrol and she giggled, moving her hand higher and higher up his leg.
Turning onto the street where his house was situated, he grabbed her hand. They were only seconds away but even that felt too long.
“Damn it, woman,” he growled and pressed the remote control that opened his garage. “You’re going to pay for teasing me.”
“Oh, yeah?” Zoe giggled and returned her hand to his leg.
Fortunately, they’d reached his house. He drove straight into the garage, jumped out, and went around to open the door for Zoe.
“I’ve never been here,” Zoe said but didn’t look around her. Her eyes were focused on his.
“I’m hoping you’ll never leave again,” he said and kissed her hard. “I can’t wait another second for you, but not here…” He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him until they were in the kitchen.
“Now.” He growled and, pushing her up against the wall, slid his hands under her top so that he could finally touch her skin.
“Dale,” she whispered and he kissed her. Her mouth was soft, moist and opened for him.
“I can’t wait,” he hissed and his hands slid up her thigh, lifting her skirt higher. His hand froze and he lifted his head.
“You’re wearing a garter belt?” he whispered, and with a shy smile, she nodded. “Damn woman, you’re killing me.” He groaned and pushed the skirt up over her hips. “The red panties.” He breathed, his legs threatening to buckle under him.
Without taking his eyes from hers, he slipped a finger under the lace of the panties to find her wet for him. She gasped, her eyes dilating with desire.
With one tug, he ripped the panties away and his fingers found her core.
*
Zoe grabbed hold of Dale’s shoulders. “Dale.” She breathed his name while his fingers brought her closer and closer to losing control. His lips closed over her breast of the soft material on her top and, whimpering his name, she was spun away.
When she opened her eyes, she was sagging against the wall, her skirt still bunched around her hips. Dale’s eyes were on hers while he kicked his pants away.
“Bedroom?” she whispered.
“Later, I can’t wait that long.” Dale grunted and lifting her up again, he drove himself into her.
Gasping for breath, she folded her arms around him. That she could love with so much abandon, staggered her. Each beat of her heart sang his name. She wanted this man with every breath she took.
Time stood still, his hands moved over skin, and she spiralled away. She tried to concentrate, tried to make the moment last, but sensation after sensation bombarded her being until she was spun out of control and was transported to a place way beyond the stars.
Her legs refused to support her any longer and together they fell onto the soft carpet in front of the door, both breathing hard.
“I promise you, we’ll get to the bed,” he growled. “But let me kiss you again.”
*
They did eventually make it to the bed. Sometime during the night, he turned to her.
“Do you need something?” he asked.
“Just you,” she whispered and slid over him.
Dale pulled her up and hugged her tightly to him. She really didn’t want anything else from him. She only wanted him.
Epilogue
Fairy lights lined the cement staircase that led all the way down to the tiny beach at the bottom. After days of late winter rain, it was a beautiful evening with clear skies and a calm sea.
Zoe smiled in spite of the tears threatening to spill over. She hugged her dad’s arm as the music swelled and they began descending the stairs.
Her sisters and Dana took their places, and Dale moved forward while his brothers waited behind him. Everyone was barefoot.
She looked and found her mother who was openly crying, but appeared extremely happy. This was exactly the scene she’d described to Dale all those months ago.
Dale stared as Zoe came slowly down the stairs, smiling and talking to everyone on either side of the stairs. She looked beautiful in a satin gown with a lace-covered top. Her bouquet was made up of exquisite pink roses.
Finally, she looked down at him; he caught his breath and smiled. Her mother had been so right—he was falling in love with her all over again because, damn it, yes, all his smiles began with her.
The End
The Cavallo Brothers series
Book 1: An Impossible Attraction
View the series here
Book 2: An Irresistible Temptation
Coming soon
Book 3: Coming soon
If you enjoyed An Impossible Attraction, you’ll love more by Elsa Winckler…
An exclusive excerpt from
Where the River Bends
Else Winckler
Keep reading below or buy now!
It was dusk. The black tarred road stretched endlessly out in front of Kalinda. She focussed on the white stripes on the road as they disappeared underneath the car. About fifty kilometers back, she’d left the national road from Bloemfontein and since then, there hadn’t been another car in sight.
Her eyes were tired; her head felt thick. Leaning forward, she adjusted the air conditioner. Cooler air wafted through the car. Maybe it would help her to stay awake.
The flight from Toronto had been long. Extremely long. She’d flown to London, caught another plane from there to Johannesburg, South Africa. At the moment, all she remembered were the long queues and the many, many people.
Her original plan was to stay in Kimberley overnight. She now realized she probably shouldn’t have changed her plans. But the urge to reach her final destination was stronger so she’d sent a message to the guest house close to Paardeberg where she would be staying for the next few days, informing them she’d be arriving earlier than planned.
She was so angry at herself. When she’d divorced Neil two years ago and fled to Canada, she’d left her past here in South Africa. And, with time, she’d convinced herself she had completely recovered from the trauma of that horrible time. But the minute she caught a glimpse of a blond guy at the airport, who reminded her of Neil, she wanted to flee as far away as quickly as possible.
When her employer, the Anglo Boer War Foundation, had asked her whether she would visit South Africa, she didn’t hesitate. Neil’s emotional and physical abuse during their very short marriage was something of the past. She never even thought of it any longer. She’d even managed to put the last menacing message he’d left on her phone out of her head. “I’ll get you. Somewhere, when you least expect it, I’ll get you!”
But now his words were back, haunting her every moment.
Kalinda rubbed her temple where the beginning of a headache pulsed. Surely the man in the airport couldn’t have been Neil—he only reminded her of him. But, damn it, she reacted like a terrified puppy.
Tomorrow was Monday and the sooner sh
e did what she came here to do, the sooner she could have a whole ocean between herself and South Africa again. She was leaving again next Friday, which meant she should have enough time to finalise the task that had been assigned to her.
She yawned and shook her head in an effort to stay awake. At least her hands had stopped trembling. Maybe she should listen to the radio. She fiddled on the panel, but a scratching noise was the only sound she could find. Radio nowhere. Of course. In some remote areas in South Africa, finding a station was impossible.
Gripping the steering wheel tighter, she leaned a bit forward. The farm where she would be staying couldn’t be too far away. According to the web page there should have been numerous road signs along the way that were supposed to help visitors, but so far she hadn’t seen anything. The GPS showed she was close, but she had yet to see a specific indicator.
The tyres of the car sang on the tarred road, her shoulders relaxed for the first time since she’d left the airport. Gradually, she became aware something was amiss, though. She rubbed her one arm. Was it her imagination or had it turned cold all of a sudden?
She lifted her foot from the pedal and glanced at the temperature meter. It was fifteen degrees Celsius. That was weird. It was February, after all, one of the warmest months in these parts of South Africa. Something had to be wrong with the car. Maybe she should pull over and check.
Anxiously, she focused on the road again while trying to look for a spot where she could stop the car. She turned into a long curve, still looking for a spot when she quickly had to step on the brakes.
Right in front of her, in the middle of the road, stood a woman. Kalinda’s heart nearly stopped. She clutched the steering wheel tighter, the brakes screeched and the car shuddered to a halt centimetres in front of the woman.
Before Kalinda could take another breath, the passenger door opened and the woman got into the car. With her, a nearly overwhelming scent of citrus filled the small space around them.
Too stunned to say anything, Kalinda stared at the woman. Her passenger turned towards her. It looked as if she’d been crying. Her eyes were red and her hand opened and clutched around a white, lace handkerchief.
“Are you perhaps going to Paardeberg?” As she spoke, it became even colder in the car.
Kalinda tried to talk, but her mouth was so dry, it was difficult to form any words. Something very odd was going on, but she was so stunned, it was impossible to decide what exactly was bothering her.
She swallowed and tried again. “Yes, I am. But who are you?”
“We should go; I have to find him,” the woman said and looked in front of her.
Kalinda’s brain was struggling to make sense of what was happening but she started the car. Her heart was racing. Who was this woman?
She turned to look at her passenger again. Shock made her gasp out loud. Her hands slipped from the steering wheel. Cold fingers touched her spine. She blinked, looked again. There was nobody else in the car. Only… She lost her breath. On the car seat next to her lay a white, lace handkerchief.
The car was veering perilously close to the side of the tar. Afterwards, she would never be quite sure how she managed to turn the steering wheel so the vehicle stayed on the road. Paralysed with fear, she stared in front of her.
It didn’t make sense; what had happened?
She stepped on the brake; the car came to a standstill. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably. Quickly, she opened the door and nearly fell out.
Outside it was warm. Like it was supposed to be in February. Agitated, she turned around, trying to find the woman in the dusk. It was quiet. And apart from the thorn trees, the grass, and the bushes, there was nothing else.
Something cold moved down the back of her neck and she turned around quickly. Was that something moving farther down the road or was it her imagination? Her heart pounded jerkily and her palms were clammy. Kalinda moved forward and froze. There was the woman again, farther down the road.
Kalinda opened her mouth to call out, but she couldn’t make a sound. The figure moved in her direction. She was coming closer. Kalinda stepped back, fear tying her insides in a knot. The woman came closer and closer. Kalinda moved farther back, her breath was ragged, her eyes focused on the woman before her in the road.
Behind her, lights appeared and tyres screeched. She jerked around; a car was fast coming towards her. She should move, but her feet were glued to the road. Something cold moved behind her, she was shoved to the side, and she fell to the ground.
For endless minutes it was deathly quiet. Frightened and distraught, Kalinda tried to stand up but winced with pain. She’d landed on her hands and knees and had probably scraped them on the tarred road.
But at the moment that was the least of her worries.
A car door opened and closed, footsteps came closer. Her throat was dry, her heart was racing, but she staggered upright and turned in the direction of the noises while she frantically tried to figure out what had just happened.
An older man was walking towards her.
“Miss? Are you okay?” he asked.
She wanted to answer him, but her voice had lodged in her throat and for the life of her she couldn’t produce a sound. She nodded and motioned down the road.
“Is it your car? Do you need help?” the man asked.
She shook her head and swallowed. Tried to talk again. This time she succeeded. “No, I don’t think so.” She crossed her arms around herself and leaned forward. If only her head would clear and she could think again, she might be able to process the whole bizarre episode of the last few minutes.
“Sweetheart, what happened?” a woman’s voice said next to her.
Frightened, Kalinda looked up, but the woman who was walking towards them was not the same one she’d seen earlier. This woman was older and was looking sympathetically at Kalinda.
Kalinda wiped her forehead. She’d probably dreamt the whole thing; that was the only explanation. The long flight from Toronto had finally caught up with her and she’d fallen asleep behind the wheel of the car. Jet lag had her seeing things.
She tried to smile. “I’m fine. I think I nearly fell asleep behind the wheel. I’m on my way to the guest house on the farm called Paardeberg.”
The man laughed and put out his hand. “You must be Miss Evans. I’m Zacharias Carter and this is my wife, Madeline. You’re on your way to our farm.”
Wincing, Kalinda shook his hand.
His wife came forward smiling, her hand stretched out. “We were in Kimberley today but I got your message that you’ll be arriving earlier. We’re always ready for guests, so it’s absolutely no problem.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Carter, I …”
Turning her head, Kalinda looked again in the direction where she’d thought she’d seen a woman. It was nearly dark by now.
“Are you hurt?” Mrs. Carter asked.
Kalinda looked down at her hands, willing herself to act normal. It was only a dream, wasn’t it?
“Miss Evans, your hands…”
“I’m fine, thank you Mrs. Carter. My hands are a bit sore, but that’s all.” Her hands were shaking and she crossed her arms.
“Well, let’s go get you settled in. Follow us; we’re nearly there,” Mr. Carter said as he and his wife turned away.
“Thanks, I will.” A huge feeling of relief washed over her. Thank goodness she was not going to be the only living, breathing being on this stretch of road any longer.
As she walked back, her knees and hands were burning. She climbed into the car and stared in front of her for a moment before she glanced at the seat next to her. Was it her imagination or was there still a whiff of citrus in the air? That would mean she hadn’t been dreaming.
But where was the handkerchief the woman had left on the seat? Kalinda switched on the overhead light and looked under and next to the seat, but there was no sign of the white, lace handkerchief. She could have sworn it really had been on the seat.
Behind her, Mr. Cart
er pressed the horn of his car and motioned for her to follow him. With one last look at the seat next to her, Kalinda started her vehicle. She slowly breathed in and out. She’d had a dream and she’d nearly fallen asleep.
That was the only explanation that made sense.
*
Mr. and Mrs. Carter stopped in front of a huge house. Kalinda got out slowly. It was a beautiful place. It seemed as if all the lights were on inside and, along a small footpath, a line of short lamps lit the way. The house looked inviting, friendly. She tried to relax, but she was still so rattled. The dream had been vivid and real.
Grimacing, she bent to take her handbag from the car. One thing was for sure, she wasn’t going to tell a soul about her dream. They’d think she was stark, raving mad. Nobody with a sound mind would believe such a ridiculous story.
She was desperate to be on her own so she could unwind and try and make sense of what had happened. And she wanted to put something on her hands and knees. In the dim light of the car, she couldn’t really see how bad they were, but they were burning.
Mrs. Carter walked towards her. “Come on in, my dear. We’re having dinner and you’re more than welcome to join us. It’s nothing fancy, but we have more than enough.”
She motioned towards a few cottages next to the house. “You’re staying in one of those cottages, but please do come in before I take you there.”
Kalinda opened her mouth to refuse, but Mrs. Carter took her arm and chatted away as she led Kalinda towards the front verandah.
Her tummy growled and, embarrassed, she smiled. “I would like to turn in as soon as possible; it was a long flight, but thanks, I’d love to join you for dinner.”
Before they reached the front door, a man’s loud voice could be heard shouting from inside. “No, no, no! You’re an idiot!”
Kalinda stopped in her tracks. After two years she wasn’t frightened of loud men’s voices any longer, but it had been a while since she’d heard someone shouting quite so loudly.
Mrs. Carter was smiling. “Sorry about that. That’s one of our boys—he’s probably watching rugby or cricket on the television. Please don’t mind him. He’s actually quite house-trained.”
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