by Linda Wisdom
Ginna should have been in heaven. So why did she feel as if she was teetering on the brink of hell? She knew a good part of it was due to the sexual tension between her and Zach, which had gotten so taut she was surprised glass didn’t shatter when they walked past windows and mirrors.
She knew he wanted her. So why didn’t he do something about it? Each night when they parted with kisses, their parting took longer. It had been touch and go on her part, pardon the pun. It was taking more and more restraint to not grab hold of his shirt and drag him into her room.
She told herself that they were making a point. That what was happening between them was about more than sex. So far, they hadn’t run out of things to say. They constantly touched each other as if needing that reassurance.
By all rights, she should be scared to death. She’d joked to her friends that she’d have a vacation romance, but she wasn’t looking for anything more.
Except when she’d said that, she hadn’t met Zach.
They’d decided to get away from the hotel today. Zach left after breakfast to rent a car. Ginna was able to get a cooler from the hotel, and she filled it with bottled water and snacks. Their plan was to drive up to the rim of an ancient volcano and a series of springs that flowed into a waterfall leading to the ocean.
Dressed in a tropical-print miniskirt and blue sleeveless cowl-neck knit top, she chose sneakers for ease in walking over the uneven terrain they would be encountering during their trek. Armed with sunglasses, a camera and a couple of beach towels, she stood outside the hotel waiting for Zach to show up.
When he pulled up in front of her, she stared at his mode of transportation.
“This is a Jeep.” She didn’t move.
“Yep.” He hopped out. “The agent said it was better for what we have in mind.”
“Better for what? Crossing the Sahara? Climbing the Rockies? I thought we were just driving up to see a volcano and some special pools of water.” She gave the vehicle a dubious look.
“We are. The road we’ll be traveling on winds all the way up. You don’t get carsick, do you?” Zach picked up the cooler and tossed it into the rear.
“No.” Ginna still hung back. “Look,” she appealed to him with hands outstretched. “Not that I’m a killjoy or anything and I’m definitely not a snob. But Jeeps, especially older ones, seem…well…”
“Rustic?” he supplied.
“Bone-jarring.”
Zach practically pushed her up into the vehicle. “You’ll be fine.” He ran around and hopped in behind the wheel.
She grabbed hold of the dashboard as he drove off. “Is there something we don’t know about this road?” she shouted.
“It’s paved!” he shouted back. “What more do you need to know?”
Ginna thought of many things she wanted to know. The first came to mind the moment they turned off the highway onto the marked road going up the side of the volcano.
She leaned over and yelled in his ear, “You could have asked just what century this road was paved!”
“Where’s your sense of adventure?” His face was aglow with excitement.
Ginna whimpered. “Back at the hotel,” she muttered, hanging on to the seat as she bounced up and down, courtesy of the uneven road. “They said this set of pools is a popular tourist spot, right? Are you sure we took the right road?”
He pointed to a sign by a small tower of rocks. “It’s clearly marked.”
“It should say, ‘Enter at your own risk,”’ she shrieked when one pothole sent her bouncing upward so hard the top of her head hit the tarp overhead. She sent a prayer of thanks that she wasn’t riding in a hardtop car. And a curse that she’d chosen this skirt, instead of shorts today. With the bumpy road, the hem was moving up rapidly to become a waistband. She was fighting a losing battle to keep herself proper.
“Look over there.” Zach pointed a second before he pulled off the road and stopped the Jeep. Although the engine had stopped rumbling, her body hadn’t.
“It’s a waterfall,” Ginna said. “Possibly the fifth or sixth we’ve seen since we turned onto this road.”
Zach climbed out and walked around the hood. “Look at the arrangement of lava rocks around it,” he said in a voice that bordered on awe.
“They all have lava rocks around them.” She hopped out, then grabbed hold of the door when her knees started to buckle.
He grabbed her arm and held her upright until her equilibrium returned.
“No, this is different.” He walked back to the rear of the Jeep and rummaged for the camera. “Come on. Stand in front of it.”
“Didn’t we do this at the last waterfall?” she mumbled, moving over to stand in front of the flowing water.
Ginna never considered herself a grumpy person. Sure, she had her moments. Who didn’t?
“Zach, I feel as if I’ve spent the last hour inside a blender.”
She shouldn’t complain. She’d wanted to make this trip as much as Zach did. She just hadn’t expected it to be bordering on primitive. She allowed herself to be guided to just the right spot, widened her lips in a smile while Zach snapped away.
“We’re almost there,” he assured her, dropping his arm around her shoulder as they walked back to the Jeep.
Before she climbed in, she opened the cooler and pulled out two bottles of water. She offered one to Zach. He emptied half the bottle in what looked like one swallow as he studied the map the rental agent had provided.
“Should only be a few miles more,” he promised.
“The brochure said a scenic drive up a volcano to sacred pools of water.” She bit off each word. “I didn’t realize the road would be so rough.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “You’ll love it.”
“All right, I promise not to be so cranky.” She walked around and climbed back into the Jeep.
“Wait until you see the pools. The rental agent said they’re fantastic. And they’re deep enough to swim in.”
“Swimming I can do.”
The few miles turned into a forty-minute bone-jarring drive. Zach parked along the side of the road near a couple of cars.
“We walk from here,” Zach told her as he hopped out. He pulled a backpack out and filled it with necessities.
She picked up her straw hat and plopped it on top of her head. “Lead on, Bwana.”
They walked side by side along a dirt path smoothed by the tread of many feet.
She grinned as she listened to Zach’s enthusiastic ramblings about their surroundings.
How could she be cranky around him? They were spending time together. She enjoyed being with him. It wasn’t as if she was bored with him. The last word she’d use to describe Zach was boring.
She watched him walk in front of her. The khaki shorts he wore were faded and clung lovingly to a nicely defined set of buns. His blue polo shirt was so faded it was a bare whisper of color.
He’s probably had it since high school. He looks like one of those dads you see on weekends with their kids.
“I’m surprised since you were married for a while that you didn’t have children,” she said suddenly.
Zach stumbled. He swore under his breath and spun around.
“Why did you say that?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I looked at your shirt and for some reason thought of these dads I see on the weekends with their kids. You were married for a few years, and for some reason, I wondered why you didn’t have children.”
“I could ask you the same. Why you and what’s his name didn’t have kids.”
“Denny? Please. He was as bad as a two-year-old. My nieces and nephews are enough. My brothers are giving my parents plenty of grandchildren without me having to add to the zoo.”
Zach grew very still for a moment, then turned back around. “There’s the springs.”
Ginna walked faster until she stood beside him. She looked down the small hill to a series of four pools of water that ran from one to another, with the last endin
g in a waterfall that dropped into the ocean. No one else was nearby, which made Ginna feel as though she and Zach were the only ones on the island.
She sighed at how beautiful it was. All the bruises she knew she’d received from the bumpy ride were worth it after seeing this view.
“Ginna?”
She turned to Zach.
“What is wrong?” he asked.
She had two choices.
She could spin more than a few lies that would make him feel better and make her feel worse because she’d lied.
Or she could tell him the truth, which would either have him running away from her, or to her.
“Fine, you want to know what my problem is?” she asked. “You are my problem.” She held up her hand to indicate he not say one word. “Give me one good reason why you haven’t tried to make love with me.” Now that she’d started, she found it difficult to stop. “I know for a fact you’re interested. I can feel it. So what the hell is the problem?”
WHOA, WHEN THE LADY makes a stand, she does it with a capital S.
Zach stood there staring at her. She stood with her eyes flashing blue laser blasts at him and the fury emanating from her body until it fairly quivered with temper.
Damn, she was beautiful.
“Is this one of those times when I flunked the romantic part?” he asked.
She just glared at him.
He tried again. “I’m trying to act like a gentleman?”
She wasn’t buying that story, either. Should he tell her the truth? That he’d gone to bed every night hurting because he wanted her so badly.
“I wanted to know that what we have is more than sexual attraction.”
That didn’t fly, either.
He was starting to lose his temper, too.
“Dammit, Ginna! You think it’s been easy for me? I’ve been going to bed every night aroused because—”
“You respected me?” she sniped.
“Because I want more from you than a roll in the hay!” He shouted so loud even the seagulls gave him a wide berth.
“Fine, we’ve proved we can talk to each other but—” she paused to take a breath “—I don’t want to say good-night to you anymore and watch you leave.”
Zach spun around, running his hand through his hair.
“Damn, Ginna, you’ve got great timing, you know that? We’re miles from the hotel. And I don’t think you’d be happy with finding some privacy behind a bush.”
She asked you why you didn’t have children. A perfect chance for you to tell her. “Didn’t I tell you? I have two kids. A boy and a girl. Twins. Four years old.”
And then she’d wonder why he hadn’t told her before.
You really are out of practice with this stuff.
He shook his head to clear it. Then took a step toward her. And another. And another, until his nose was practically against hers.
“We are going down there and admiring the pools up close,” he murmured. “Then we’ll climb partway up the volcano. We’ll discuss this further after dinner, if that’s all right with you?”
She didn’t blink or look away. “Fine.”
If there had been a bush within dragging distance, they would have been behind it by now.
Zach never thought of himself as some kind of primitive man who took his woman whenever he felt like it.
His woman.
He didn’t look away as long as she kept her eyes on him.
She purposely moved forward so that her breasts brushed against his chest. He felt an instant arousal.
“After dinner,” he murmured.
“Of course,” she murmured back.
Ginna walked ahead of him, her hips swaying as she moved.
Zach was positive she did everything to drive him crazy. She slipped off her sneakers and walked carefully into the water. She exclaimed the water was warm and invited him to join her. She splashed water in his direction.
“Come on, Zach,” she shouted, splashing more water at him.
He sat down on the ground and slipped off his backpack and shoes.
“You better be prepared to get good and wet,” he threatened.
Ginna shrieked and tried to escape the waves he splashed her way. Except she turned too fast, slipped on a rock and fell on her butt before he could grab her.
Ginna sat there for a moment, stunned by what had just happened. Then she burst out laughing.
Her laughter seemed to make the tension between them disappear.
“So all it took was a good soaking?” Zach teased.
She looked up. “What?”
He held out his hand. “If I’d known all you needed was a good dunking—” was all he got out before she took his hand and pulled hard.
Zach didn’t have a chance. He started to pitch forward and immediately reared back in hopes of keeping his balance, but all it meant was that he also fell on his butt. Water splashed up around him.
Ginna howled with laughter.
“The dunking helping you any?” she asked between giggles.
“Oh, yeah, I feel great.” He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “Almost as good as a cold shower.” He kept her gaze prisoner. “Almost.”
The last thing he expected to see was a wave of color travel up her throat.
He got to his feet and held out his hand again. This time, she curled her fingers around his and allowed him to pull her upward.
“Good thing I’m wash-and-wear,” she joked, ineffectively smoothing her skirt down her thighs as they waded back to the water’s edge.
“Cute touch, Gin,” he murmured from behind.
“What?”
“Your underwear matching your top.”
Ginna started to pitch forward and would have landed in the water face first if Zach hadn’t grabbed her in time.
Chapter Five
She’d done it. She’d come right out and asked the question. Come to think of it, she’d almost screamed the question at him.
And after hearing it, Zach hadn’t run from her or thought she was crazy.
She’d gotten the question out without sounding too much like an idiot. It had come to the point where she was beginning to question her sexual appeal.
The climb up the volcano wasn’t easy. She only kept on going by reminding herself that what she was doing was good for her legs. Once they reached the top, she dropped onto a boulder to catch her breath.
“This is nothing like step aerobics,” she wheezed.
“You need to do more hiking,” he told her, pulling a water bottle out of his backpack and handing it to her. “Use the cross trainer during your workouts.”
She thanked him and gulped it down. “The thing that makes you feel like you’re walking on water?”
“If you used it thinking you’d be able to walk on water, you sure flunked down there.” Zach inclined his head toward the pools.
“Now you know why I don’t use it.” She handed him back the bottle.
“Don’t worry, going back will be easier.”
Ginna stood up and looked down into the crater. “Hard to believe there was a time when this exploded in ash and lava,” she murmured. “That everything around here died in seconds.”
“But beauty came from it, too.” He crouched down, studying a tiny white flower. “Look at this. So delicate and yet hardy at the same time.”
She hunched down beside him. She turned her head and smiled. “You really are a softie.”
He smiled back. “A romantic?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Zach straightened and helped her to her feet. He kept his hand clasped warmly with hers.
“Lord, you are beautiful,” he said with quiet awe.
“Even when I’m still damp and have straggly hair?” She pulled at her snarled curls.
He brushed his lips across hers. “You think you’re damp now?” he murmured against her lips. “Wait until later.”
Ginna was positive her heart didn’t start beating again until they were ba
ck in the Jeep.
WHAT DOES ONE WEAR to a seduction?
Do we use my room or his?
The few times Ginna had been with a man, it was easy. They’d go back to her house and he’d spend the night.
Except now her house was more than three thousand miles away.
What to wear was pretty easy.
The tangerine silk dress was so form fitting she wondered if she’d be able to breathe in it. A birthday gift last year from her sister-in-law Abby. Ginna loved the dress but wondered if she’d ever have the nerve to wear it.
She’d tossed it in her suitcase because she thought she just might get wild enough to wear it. It was time to get wild.
She hadn’t taken this much time with her appearance for quite a while. When she finished, she stepped back and studied her reflection in the mirror.
Her hair was swept up in a careful mass of curls that looked casual. The tangerine dress hugged every curve and looked positively illegal. Luckily she had perfume to go with the dress. Her makeup was shadings of bronze, shimmery taupe and cream, which made her eyes look even bluer. She carefully applied bronze lipstick.
“Oh, yes, the lady is ready to be seduced,” she murmured.
She picked up her small evening bag and headed for the door. Zach was already downstairs when she stepped off the elevator.
As though sensing her arrival, he turned around. She was still far enough away that she couldn’t hear the words he was speaking, but deep down inside she knew they were meant for her. He was looking away, and turned when he realized she was there.
The light in his eyes told her all she needed to know.
She took two steps in his direction.
He took three. He grasped her hands in his.
“If we didn’t have an audience right now…” he murmured.
She tipped her head to one side. “Yes?”
“Dammit, Ginna, you knew exactly what you were doing by wearing that dress,” he breathed. “Every man here is looking at you.”
She smiled at him. “I wouldn’t know. I’m only looking at you.”
Zach’s eyes blazed a white-hot fire. “I definitely need a cold drink.”
