Destiny Mine

by Nana Prah

  Each time he touched her wrist, her stomach twisted and her awareness of him as a man, with the need to get to know him better, intensified.

  These sensations unnerved her but the gorgeous man she had the privilege of calling her doctor seemed unaffected.

  His confident stride had drawn her attention when he’d entered the consulting room. His spicy, with a citrusy undertone, cologne filled the sterile hospital air, making her nostrils flare to take in more of his unique scent. Deep brown eyes had perused her chart as she’d taken in his short-cropped hair, high cheekbones, and thick lips that brought kissing into her mind. Dark smooth skin rivalled the richness of high quality chocolate.

  Ora scanned the emergency room cubicle, which had become smaller with the doctor’s broad-shouldered, towering stature, for cameras. Could she be on a reality TV show? Starring in one had never been a life objective, but the crew might have caught her unaware. No visible cameras, but those producers were sneaky and could place one inside a stethoscope.

  “Are you on vacation alone?” he inquired while writing.

  “Yes. My fiancé was supposed to come with me, but his work detained him at the last minute.”

  His head snapped up and in a flash, a look of distress passed over his features. The expression flittered by so fast she may have imagined it. “You’re engaged?”

  Pain shot up her arm as she held out her left hand. She put it back down at the sight of her bare finger. “I didn’t want it to cut off my circulation when the swelling started, so I took off my ring.”

  “I see. Smart move,” he mumbled and returned to writing.

  “Thanks.” For some inexplicable reason, she had wanted him to break down at the news of her engagement but other than that fleeting look, the information didn’t disturb him at all.

  “Have you been to Cape Town before?”

  Reading the health posters on the wall had kept her from gawking at him. At his question, she shifted her head so fast he may have to treat her for whiplash, too. “This is my first time. The city is beautiful.”

  He nodded and smiled. “Yes, it is.”

  She refused to blink as she stared captivated into the glorious deep pools of his eyes.

  He cleared his throat and looked away. “What sights have you seen?”

  She couldn’t tell if the burning in her face occurred from embarrassment about her lack of tourist activities or her attraction to him. Ora turned, grateful for her dark skin hiding her flaming face. “I’ve been to Canal Walk Mall a couple of times.”

  He raised both eyebrows, as if waiting for her to add other places. Even though she avoided lying whenever possible, she almost told him she’d been to the waterfront and Table Mountain, but she’d viewed the sights through the window of a taxi.

  His voice held a hint of laughter when he asked, “Who’s showing you around Cape Town?”

  She reached into her purse, removed her tour guidebook, and waved it in the air. “I’m showing myself around.”

  His laughter burst forth. “You’re not doing a very good job of it if all you’ve seen is Canal Walk Mall. You can’t tour Cape Town alone. It’s not right.”

  “Well, I came by myself so I have no choice.”

  “Lucky for you, I’m off for the next two days. I could show you the sights.”

  She blinked three times in rapid succession, not sure if she’d heard him right. When his words registered, her stomach filled with butterflies. “Thanks, but I don’t think so. Don’t you have things to do with your free time? A family to tend to?” She held her breath waiting for the answer to her indirect question of his marital status, not that it would matter one way or another.

  “It’s just me right now. My parents are on vacation and I’m not married. I’ve got all the time in the world to show you around tomorrow.” He leaned in close to her ear. “Don’t tell anyone, but my life is a little dull at the moment.”

  Ora would’ve laughed, but her throat constricted as her body warmed from his nearness. His breath tickled her ear, making her aware of just how close he stood. If she turned her head, she could rub her lips against his. But she resisted the heavy temptation to do so.

  She exhaled when he stepped back. The appearance of a dimple in his right cheek when he smiled melted her heart. She’d always been a sucker for a man with a dimple. “Umm. I don’t think that would be a good idea. You probably work long hours so you should recuperate. I don’t want to take up all of your time like that.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t mind. I didn’t have anything planned for tomorrow, anyway.”

  She thought about his offer. She’d be crazy to say yes. She didn’t know him from any other South African walking the streets. He could be a psychopath for all she knew, maybe even a murderer.

  “I’m not crazy.” He chuckled.

  She cocked her head. “People who are crazy, try to convince others they aren’t.”

  “You have a point. But in my case, it’s true.”

  Her instincts had never let her down before and he emanated a positive, non-lunatic vibe. She didn’t believe he’d hurt her. Her attraction to him gave her the greatest pause at accepting his offer. The amount of energy she used to keep her hands, and other parts of her anatomy, to herself could provide electricity for the whole hospital for a day.

  His lips begged to be kissed, or were her lips doing the pleading? Either way, she shouldn’t have any form of physical contact on the brain. She was engaged.

  Although her fiancé evoked no passion within her and they shared no love, she’d promised to marry him and not lust after another man.

  Being around Dr. Lartey longer than necessary would be dangerous.

  On the other hand, it would be great to see Cape Town with someone who knew the best attractions and could take pictures of her, too. She called up the image of her fiancé. He wouldn’t mind; he trusted her and, because of his workaholic tendencies, she had to deal with temptation in the flesh. Her logic struck her as brilliant, but deep down, she knew that if she never saw this man again, she’d regret it for the rest of her life.

  “I’ll take you up on the offer, Dr. Lartey. But I’ll ask my fiancé his opinion. If he says it’s okay with him, then we can go.”

  One side of his mouth tilted up in a grin. “I don’t see why he’d object. Please call me Jason.”

  “Okay, Jason. You can call me Ora. Short for Aurora.” Once again, his gaze held her hostage.

  She tore her gaze away from his. “If you’re done, I think I’d better get to the hotel.”

  She should cancel the whole arrangement, but her mouth refused to do so. Her heart, body, and instincts told her to get to know him.

  He reached inside his shirt pocket. “Here’s my card. Where are you staying? I can come pick you up.”

  “I’m wary of strangers knowing where I reside, so let’s meet at the McDonald’s on Long Street instead.”

  His head jerked back as if taken by surprise. “I’m not a stranger.”

  “How do you figure that, since I just met you three hours ago?”

  His brows drew together. “I feel like I’ve known you for a lot longer than that.”

  The certainty that she’d known him since the dawn of time broke into her consciousness, but she shook off the ridiculous musing.

  “Okay. We’ll meet at McDonald’s at seven in the morning.”

  “I’m on vacation, remember? That’s not vacation wake up time.”

  “Ah, but South Africa awaits us.”

  “Okay, seven it is,” she grumbled.

  He chuckled and all of a sudden, she wanted to be a comedian to keep the laughter flowing.

  “I’m sending the nurse in to bandage your wrist up. Keep it elevated, apply ice, and try not to move it too much. I’m prescribing pain medications. The nurse will tell you where to pick them up.”

  He’d returned to professional mode. Ora forced herself to pay attention instead of gazing into his eyes like a teenager staring at a poster of her
favourite actor.

  He faced her as he moved to the entrance. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

  Ora waved goodbye, not sure if they’d ever meet again. The thought of her husband-to-be brought her crashing back to reality with a pang of guilt. She headed back to the hotel to call him, determined to forget the cute doctor with the magic hands.

  ***

  At ten past seven, Jason strode through the door of McDonald’s. What the hell had brought him here? Ora had made her engagement crystal clear, and in the past, he’d respected when women were in a relationship. Still, staying away from her proved impossible. He’d been sure when he woke up in the morning that this fascination with her would have dissipated. It hadn’t.

  He spotted her sitting in a booth and his step faltered. Her beauty overwhelmed him. Today, her shoulder-length, straight hair framed her heart-shaped face. Her almond-shaped, hazel eyes drew him to her like a black hole vortex. His life would never be the same again after knowing her.

  “Hi. Sorry I’m late,” he said.

  Ora smiled and his heart flipped over. He tapped his chest with a fist and dismissed it as indigestion.

  “I can forgive you for being ten minutes late.”

  “How’s your wrist this morning?”

  “A little sore, but the swelling has decreased. I didn’t need to wear the bandage today.”

  The need to touch her again burned through him. “Let me take a look.”

  She extended her arm. Just as it had been in the hospital, the contact of her warm, smooth skin sent little shock waves into his fingers to course up his arm. His reaction to her, both in the physical and, as much as he hated to admit it, emotional sense, had confused him when they met. Early in his career, he’d learned to detach himself from patients and deal with them on a professional level, but not with Ora. With nothing more than her presence, she’d broken through his clinical coolness.

  He’d fallen into unknown territory and had been in danger of crossing an ethical line, but for this woman, he didn’t care.

  Passing through medical school had been easier than making himself let go of her hand after his brief assessment. He cleared his throat. “It looks better. You did as instructed. You’re a good patient.”

  She emitted a sweet tinkle of laughter.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nurses are never called good patients.”

  He chuckled. “You’re right. Second to doctors, they’re the worse patients in the world. Ready to get going?”

  “Yes. What’s on the agenda?”

  “A bus tour. It’s a good day for it, too; the weather is perfect. We’ll be able to see a lot of sights, and get off the bus to explore more if a place interests you. The tours have a schedule so we can hop onto the next scheduled bus when we’re ready.”

  “Is Table Mountain on the tour?”

  “I believe so. I have the brochure here. Let’s take a look.”

  Her broad grin delighted him. If Table Mountain hadn’t been listed, he would have found her another tour company.

  “It is. The mountain is so beautiful from afar. I didn’t know if I’d be able to get to it during my visit.”

  “Aren’t you glad you sprained your wrist? You would have been stuck going from shopping mall to shopping mall if you hadn’t met me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m overjoyed about the intense pain I went through in order to meet you. You’re my vacation saviour.”

  They’d met less than twenty-four hours ago, but they conversed like old friends. Anticipation buzzed through him at the thought of getting to know her better. “Come and let’s take a thorough tour of Cape Town.”

  He’d been to Table Mountain at least a half a dozen times in his life, but everything had changed during this trip. The place became majestic as he viewed it through her bright and brilliant hazel eyes. The conversation flowed between them all day. He’d never met another woman who made him laugh at the smallest things. She possessed everything he’d been looking for in a woman, except being single.

  ***

  Exhaustion claimed them by the time they climbed off of the tour bus at the last stop for the day. They plopped down on a nearby bench.

  “Where did the day go?” Jason asked. “Didn’t we just leave McDonald’s?”

  “I know what you mean. I had a great time. You’re a pretty good tour guide.”

  “Thank you, ma’am. I’m no longer a stranger so I’ll give you a ride to your hotel. We’ll take the long way so I can show you more of the city. I don’t want you roaming the streets by yourself at night.”

  “Thank you, but I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself. Besides, I saw a lot of it on the bus. Cape Town is so developed. The buildings in the downtown area were impressive.”

  “Your eyes were wide the whole time.”

  “Can you blame me? You have everything here. Ghana is becoming more modern by the day, but being here feels like I’m in a European country or something.”

  “You’ve been to Europe?”

  “Well, no, but I’ve seen it on television. Cape Town is diverse and modern. The ocean-side homes are gorgeous, so are the ones in the countryside. Don’t get me started on downtown. I could have done some shopping damage in that area if I’d cleared out everything in my bank account and taken out a few loans.”

  “We’ve had many years to build and develop. Not all places are good, though.”

  She frowned. “The tour guide mentioned the shanty town as we went by. The overcrowding is horrible.”

  “You didn’t want to get down and see them firsthand?”

  “What for? I came here to have a good time, not to gawk at the poor.”

  “But you don’t mind ogling the rich?”

  She winked. “I’m closer to one than I am to the other.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. He stood up. “Let’s get going.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and stared up at him. He braced himself, not sure if she’d present an argument, a lecture, or her acquiescence. She’d keep him on his toes when they started dating.

  When? Where had that come from? He hadn’t forgotten for a second throughout the day that she’s engaged.

  “I’m convinced you can take care of yourself, but please put me at ease and let me escort you.” He needed more time with her.

  Without a word, she stood and went with him to the car.

  When they reached her hotel lobby after a ride that took two hours instead of twenty minutes, Ora turned to him.

  “Thanks again for a wonderful time. I had a lot of fun. I don’t think I would have gotten to see the city at night from a height if you hadn’t taken me. The lights sprinkling the valley below were gorgeous.”

  They held no comparison to her beauty. “My pleasure. We’ll meet again tomorrow,” he said with a confidence he didn’t feel, but wanted to project. His heartbeat quickened in anticipation of her answer.

  Ora looked down at the hotel’s red carpet. “You don’t have to. I mean, if you’re busy, you can take care of what you need to do.”

  She hadn’t given him an outright no. “I’m free.” His tone might’ve held a little too much enthusiasm.

  She seemed to hesitate. “Okay then, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

  Jason couldn’t understand why her acceptance made him so happy, but refused to let her change her mind. “I’ll pick you up from here at seven.”

  She threw up her hands. “Again with the crack of dawn wake up!” She smiled. “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  She pouted. “I don’t like surprises.”

  Her bottom lip invited him to kiss it. “I think you’ll like this one.”

  “Can you at least give me a hint?”

  “No. You’ll find out tomorrow.”

  “If you insist. Okay, then. Good night.”

  “Good night.”

  Neither of them moved. Their gazes lin
gered. He gave in to the overwhelming temptation to lean in and kiss her when she stepped back.

  “Night,” she repeated, and left him gazing after her with longing.

  ***

  Ora had gone to bed having no intention of meeting with Jason ever again. In the morning, she found herself dressed and waiting for him in the hotel lobby. She chastised herself for a good ten minutes for her lack of resolve to stay away from him. The unrelenting need she’d awoken with to see him, disturbed her.

  The sight of his confident stride as he passed through the doors set her heart thundering. Her wide grin hurt her face but she couldn’t wipe it off. Jumping up from her chair, she met him halfway across the lobby and stopped just shy of jumping into his arms.

  “Good morning,” he greeted.

  “You’re one of those morning people, aren’t you?”

  “It takes me forever to clear the morning grog, but the thought of seeing you again got me excited.”

  Her stomach did a somersault any Olympic gymnastics coach would be proud of. “Where are we going today?”

  “I told you it’s a surprise. How’s your wrist?”

  Ora refrained from thrusting it out for him to touch and instead held it up in the air. She longed to feel his skin on hers, to see if those odd tingles would come back.

  Fiancé, girl. You have a fiancé. Shake it off. The chastisement had been her mantra yesterday. “It’s much better. I can rotate it without any pain.”

  “From what I can see, the swelling has gone down a lot. That’s good. Now let’s go.”

  They drove for a few hours through some of the most beautiful landscapes she’d ever seen. When they got to their destination, she gasped. “You’ve brought me to a safari. I love this surprise!” She flung herself at him and closed her eyes as his arms engulfed her.

  Time stood still as they held each other, and a feeling of oneness settled within her. Common sense knocked her on the head and she pulled back. He took his time letting go.

  She turned her back on him to look at where they were instead of into his eyes. “Thank you. How did you know I’d like to go on a safari? I never mentioned it.”