When the village comes into sight, I slow down. Kids cross the path to the river and play in the tall grass. I park on the outcrop where the road gives way to fields and hop from the vehicle, shading my face with a palm from the glare of the early morning sun as I search the riverbank.
It doesn’t take me long to spot her. With her platinum locks and pale skin she stands out. Cas is crouching in a row of cabbage, digging with a hand shovel. Her head is bent over the green head of the cabbage, her brow furrowed in concentration and her lip caught between her teeth. She’s wearing the denim shorts we bought in town that are two sizes too big for her and one of the tank tops. Her hair is tied into a high ponytail, the curls spilling down her back. Her knees are stained with dirt and her hiking shoes caked with mud. She’s a knockout in skinny jeans and lacy camisoles, but crouching there in baggy shorts, digging in the soil with dirty knees, she’s the most beautiful sight I’ve seen.
What the hell is she doing?
Reassured at her presence, I scout the area. The Jeep is parked under the tree by the river. The usual rotating team of three men from the village armed with rifles guards the women, watching out for hippos and crocodiles. The women work the fields like they always do. The only activity that’s new is a grinding stone used for maize that’s set up under the tree. Two women with knob-ended canes are crushing something on the stone. After every few beats, they stop to brush the white meal with a grass broom into a bucket.
I make my way over with long strides. Cas is so engrossed in digging out the cabbage, she doesn’t notice me until I stop with my boots in her line of vision. Tilting her head, she squints up at me. The moment suspends as our eyes lock. The earth stops turning. Time stretches fragile between us. Unresolved issues dangle like glass bubbles in the air. I don’t breathe. A mere exhale can make the delicate strings holding those bubbles snap and pave our way with dangerous shards of broken glass.
Then she smiles.
A smile. For me. So much more. It’s not a coy or a simple smile. It’s a complicated gesture layered with pleasant surprise, genuine joy, and uncertain shyness. It’s a beautiful gesture, and with that single, complicated smile, she snatches my heart.
It’s hers.
I lay it down in the dirt by her feet. It’s hers to take or trample. I wanted her from the moment I saw her, and I knew from the minute I took her I was going to keep her. I knew she was going to wrap me around her finger, and I accepted the fact gladly. I even looked forward to it. I just couldn’t foresee how completely she’d own me.
The realization simmers in my chest. It brews and threatens to explode like steam from a pressure cooker. Of the million things I want to say to her, the words I push through my lips are, “What are you doing?”
Apprehension steals over her features. Dusting her hands, she straightens. “I’m working.”
I lower the rifle, letting it rest against the water drum standing next to her. “I can see that. Why?”
Her tone is defensive. “You can’t carry on living your life, leave me here, and expect me to sit and do nothing in your room all day.”
I tilt my head in the direction of the Jeep. My voice lowers in warning. “You drove here?”
She lifts her chin. “Yes, and you can’t blame Banga or Shona. They accompanied me the first day, but since I proved to them I’m not going to run, they let me drive on my own.”
On her fucking own. I’m going to have their hides for letting her risk it out with no protection. “The first day, huh? How many days have you been doing this?”
“Since you left. I asked them to bring me here.”
“Why?”
“To ask at the clinic for the morning-after pill.”
“I see.” They wouldn’t have given it to her. I left them with strict instructions. “What else did you get up to while I was gone?”
“We had lunch in the village, and I decided to get involved.”
I drag my gaze over her, barely resisting grabbing her and making her lock those dirty knees around my waist. My level voice doesn’t betray the heat in my veins. “Involved?”
“The cabbage was splitting.” She waves at the rows of heads surrounding us. “I thought I could help.” She adds with sass, “It beats sitting around.”
“Help how?”
She parts her lips to no doubt give me some more attitude, but one of the women who was working on the grinding stone comes over with the bucket.
“Where do you want this, Cas?” she asks in Tswana.
Cas points at the women working the rows, who’ve all stopped to watch us. “Take it over to Keeya. Thank you.”
My jaw drops. Cas addressed her in perfect Tswana. Well, hell. My little farm girl is full of surprises. “You didn’t tell me you speak their language.”
“You didn’t ask.”
“You could’ve told me.”
“You could’ve asked.”
I want to drag her over my knee and tan her ass before kissing those mouthy lips of hers, but the sight of her naked ass will only make me harder.
“What are they doing?” I ask.
“Making compost.”
“Compost?”
“We’re crushing eggshells and mixing them with bonemeal to raise the alkaline levels of the soil. I don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing the manure compost they used combined with all the tree roots on the shore made the soil too acidic. Cabbage needs neutral conditions. I think the cabbage heads are splitting because they fertilized the soil too late in the season, which is why we’re preparing the new patch of soil and transplanting them. Hopefully we’ll save the rest of the crop.”
“You really didn’t learn sewing, did you?”
“Sowing, yes.” She gives me another blinding smile. “It can’t hurt to try, right?”
“Right.” I pick up the rifle and take her arm. “There are a few rules we’re going to lay down.”
She kicks in her heels as I drag her toward the Hummer. “I’m not done here.”
“I say you are.”
She jerks her arm free. “Don’t manhandle me in front of your people. I’m not your subordinate or pet.”
“If you don’t want me to carry you, you better walk,” I say, pointing in the direction of the outcrop.
She stomps up the hill ahead of me.
When we get to the Jeep, I hold out my hand. “Give me the key.”
She fishes it from her pocket and slams it down in my palm.
“Thank you,” I say just to rile her because I love getting a reaction out of her.
I love that I have an effect on her. It’s not the effect I want, but any effect is better than none.
After grabbing her bag and jacket from the backseat, I lead her to the Hummer. We drive back to the lodge in silence. I don’t go to my bungalow. If I take her there now I’m going to strip her naked and fuck her against the door, on the floor, and in a few more places before we’ve made it to the bed. I drive to the small jetty under the Blackwood tree where we keep the fishing boat. I haven’t showed her this yet, because I didn’t want her to get it into her head that she could make a water escape in a rowing boat.
She’s out of the vehicle before I’ve cut the engine. I catch up with her on the wooden deck. It’s quiet here. We’re far enough from the main building and bungalows that our conversation can’t be overheard.
Walking onto the jetty, she faces the water and crosses her arms. I mirror her stance, brushing up against her shoulder. She takes a step to the side.
“Cas.”
“What?” she snaps.
“You can’t drive around on the property alone.”
She gives me a wounded look. “I wasn’t trying to run. I was trying to…” She bites her lip.
I cup her face. “Trying what, baby doll?”
It looks as if it physically hurts her to admit, “Trying to be happy.”
I drag her against my chest and cradle her head. “Being happy is good.”
She pulls away. “The
n let me do it.”
“You can’t drive around without a gun. There are too many wild animals and reptiles around. Not even the locals will risk it out without a rifle.”
“Give me one.”
I lift a brow.
“I want to give this a shot,” she says, “but you have to help me. You’ve got to give me trust in return.”
“You’ll have my trust when you earn it.”
“What else am I supposed to do?” she exclaims, throwing her hands in the air.
“You can drive wherever you like on the property, but you take Garai or Wataida with you. They both know how to handle a rifle.”
Her stance relaxes a little. “Until?”
Until I’m certain she’s here to stay. “Until I say so.”
“So, everything happens on your terms.”
“For obvious reasons.”
She glares at me. “That’s not fair.”
“None of this is, but you’ll get what you want if you continue to be a good girl.”
“Go to hell.” She turns her back on me.
I grip her arm and make her face me. “I’m not trying to be hard on you. I’m protecting you. Your safety comes first. Another thing—from now on you carry your phone on your person at all times. If I call, no matter the hour, day or night, I want you to answer. Understand?”
She relaxes a little again and says with a huff, “Fine.”
Hooking a hand behind her nape, I drag her closer. “Was that so hard?”
She draws back when I lower my head, escaping my lips. “When did you get back?”
“Just now.”
Her delicate throat bobs as she swallows. “How did it go?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
“I was worried.”
The knowledge both warms my heart and pains me. I love her concern, but I don’t like making her worry. I give her the truth. “Me too, but I was happy finding you like a scarecrow in the middle of the cabbage field.”
She swats my arm. “That’s not nice.”
“Prettiest scarecrow I’ve ever seen,” I say, cupping her ass.
She gasps as I jerk her against me, bending my knees to show her what her absence and presence do to me. I’m always hard for her.
“I want you,” I say against her lips, the hoarseness of my voice betraying the urgency of my need.
She fists the lapels of my jacket. “Me too.”
When I finally catch her lips in a searing hot kiss, my world turns right for once. It doesn’t mean I trust her yet, but I hope to God she’ll give me the reason I crave.
With enormous effort, I tear my mouth from hers, because I’m not done with my lecture yet. Taking her hand, I lead her back to the Hummer. She doesn’t argue or ask where we’re going as I drive down the dirt track that runs parallel to the river in the opposite direction of the lodge. We pass the fenced area with its vegetable crops and carry on for another few kilometers to the far eastern border of the property. The river flows faster here. The tumbling of the water is more turbulent around the rocks and over the rapids. The noise is much louder.
I park, take the rifle, and come around to help her out. I walk ahead, scanning the footpath for reptiles. After a short hike, we stop on a rock ledge. The drop is spectacular. The cliff forms a semi-circle, and the broad river crashes over the edge in a curtain of water. It’s not as high as the Vic Falls, only about fifty meters, but it’s no less violent. White foam thrashes at the bottom. The mass of churning water swallows the rocks before gushing ahead, carving a canyon through the bedrock in its path to the sea.
Next to me, Cas sucks in a breath. The breeze carries the spray up, misting our faces. The tendrils of hair around her face curls prettily.
“This is the eastern border of the property,” I say above the noise of the water.
She looks at me, her gaze wary. “Why are you showing me this?”
I curl my fingers around her neck and drag her to me. “To show you escaping either by road or water isn’t an option.”
The news doesn’t sit well with her. Under the cloudless sky, a shadow creeps over her face. We’re a long way from trust, but one step closer to her happiness. As I grip the hem of the tank top and lift it over her head, my happiness is complete.
Chapter 11
Cas
With the scary backdrop of the waterfall, Ian strips us naked. He spreads his T-shirt over the rock and sits down, pulling me into his lap so that I’m straddling him. Right there on the edge of the cliff, in broad daylight, he pounds into me. His actions are raw and rough, but the look in his eyes is soft. His energy is spent on driving hard and fast into me, but his focus is on my face.
He studies what he does to me, how every thrust and roll of his hips make my back arch and my vision go out of focus. I come for him with the mist from the waterfall cooling my heated skin. He lets me ride out the aftershocks until I have nothing left to give before fitting a condom and giving up his own release. Our lovemaking is like the river—a frantic rush that tumbles over the edge in a chaotic explosion before easing into a gentle flow again.
He lies down on his back and drapes me over his chest. The sun bakes down on my back, but the fine mist continues to cool me. Before long, my eyes are drifting closed.
“Come on, baby doll.” He cups my ass and nips my ear. “Got to go.”
I groan. “Already?”
“You’ll burn.”
He pulls out of my body, leaving me empty too soon, and grabs my hips to lift me to my feet. Standing over him, I get a good view of his hard, naked flesh. He’s packed with muscle, lean and strong. The dusting of hair on his chest makes me long to drag my fingers over that manliness. I want to trace his tattoos with a fingertip and write the words over my heart again and again. I really want to be happy, not only for him, but also for myself. I want to make it out here and gain my freedom by winning his trust. I imagine us together with no secrets or locks, no permission needed for keys, and for the first time in my life I see forever as a possibility with a man.
When he gets to his feet, I hug him and burrow my face in his neck.
He frames my hips between his large hands and kisses me. “What’s that for?”
I smile. “Nothing.”
Picking up my panties, he holds them open for me. “I like your nothings.”
I use his shoulders for balance as I step into my underwear, no longer hurting when I put weight on my ankle. The injury has healed. I let him dress me, piece by piece, and brush back my hair with my hands as he pulls on his own clothes.
We’re back at the lodge before lunch. Tossing the Jeep’s key to Wataida, he tells him to use the motorbike and take Garai with him to fetch the Jeep. He sends me to the deck for a cool drink with a pat on the ass and summons Banga and Shona to the office.
I don’t want them to be in trouble because of me, but they know how to stand up for themselves. I use the opportunity to empty the washing machine I started before leaving this morning and hang the clothes on the line. Pegging my jeans next to Ian’s shirt feels strangely domestic, and, surprisingly, it’s not a bad feeling. He likes to set out my pills and feed me. I like to wash his clothes.
When I return with the washing basket, Ruben appears on the path. I try to make it to the kitchen without having to acknowledge him, but he intercepts me on the deck.
“Playing housewife?” he asks, shouldering me as he passes. “Don’t get too used to hanging around.”
I flip him the bird.
He stops and gives me an unfriendly grin, the kind that holds a warning. “You won’t last, little girl.”
My patience snaps. It’s not as if I begged to be here. “What’s your problem with me?”
He lowers his head, putting our faces too close for comfort. “I see through you. Unlike Ian, I’m not being led around by my dick.”
My cheeks flush hot from the insult. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I know you’re going to fuck him over. It’s not a
question of if. It’s only a question of when.”
“You seem to think you’ve got me all figured out.”
“Oh.” His grin stretches. “I do.” With a sneer, he walks into the dining room and heads toward the bar.
I’m not safe with Ruben. Leon hates my guts, but he doesn’t look at me like he wants to slit my throat. It only makes me more determined to get ammunition against Ruben, something I can use to protect myself. Ian isn’t always around. I can’t rely on him to look out for me. Besides, the last thing I want to do is turn into a tattletale and cause a rift between the guys. They’re close. They need each other. They need to trust each other for the dangerous work they do. If I’m to survive in Ian’s world, I’m going to have to learn to take care of myself.
Shona comes out of the office. She pauses when she sees me before continuing to the kitchen.
I follow with the basket. “I hope I didn’t get you into trouble.”
“The idea to have lunch at the village was mine.”
“You did it to be kind. I don’t want Ian to blame you for that.”
“He understands.” She gives me a conspiratorial smile. “Sometimes, it takes a woman to make a man see things from a woman’s point of view. I’m going to the market after lunch. Want to come?”
Butterflies of excitement flutter in my chest. “Really? Ian agreed?”
“It also takes a woman to understand one. What do men know? Ian will just have to trust me.”
I’m bouncing on the balls of my feet. “What time should I be ready?”
“We’ll leave at three.” She winks. “You can drive.”
I nearly burst out of my skin.
“I’m giving you my trust, Cas. Don’t prove to Ian I was wrong or else he won’t trust either of us again. Ian doesn’t give second chances, and neither do I.”
I bite my lip as I consider that. He let me run once. I have no doubt he won’t let me do it twice. Next time, I’d be locked into his room.
At three, I’m ready and waiting in the reception hall. Ian walks me out to make sure Banga, who’s escorting us, is armed with a pistol. Ian kisses me like it’s goodbye forever before letting me climb into the Jeep with Shona and Banga. As promised, I drive.
Stolen Life Page 10