Up to now, she had come to terms with the fact that she’d be working with Micah again, especially after what he’d said in his office earlier that morning. He didn’t want to become involved with her, just as she didn’t want to become involved with him. So why was she tempted to reach out and trace the line of his chin with her fingers or use the tip of her tongue to glisten his lips?
Oh, by the way, you still have the cutest dimples. If those words had been meant to get next to her, they had. And she wished they hadn’t. She didn’t want to remember anything about the last time they were together or what sharing those two months with him had meant to her.
And she especially did not want to remember what the man had meant to her.
Having no interest in the movie currently being shown and wanting to get her mind off the man next to her, she decided to follow Micah’s lead. She tilted her seat back, closed her eyes and went to sleep.
Four
Micah awakened the next morning and stretched as he glanced around his bedroom. He’d been too tired when he’d arrived at the private villa last night to take note of his surroundings, but now he couldn’t help smiling. He would definitely like it here. Kalina’s room was right next door to his.
He slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom, thinking the sooner he got downstairs the better. The government had set up a lab for them in the basement of the villa and, according to the report he’d read, it would be fully equipped for their needs.
Twelve hours on a plane hadn’t been an ideal way to spend time with Kalina, but he had managed to retain his cool. He’d even gone so far as to engage in friendly conversation about work. Otherwise, like him, she’d slept most of the time. Once he’d found her watching some romantic movie. Another time she’d been reading a book on one of those eReaders.
A short while after waking, Micah had dressed and was headed downstairs for breakfast. The other doctor on the team had arrived last week and Micah was looking forward to seeing him again. Theodus Mitchell was a doctor he’d teamed with before, who did excellent work in the field of contagious diseases.
Micah opened his bedroom door and walked out into the hallway the same time Kalina did. He smiled when he saw her, although he could tell by her expression that she wasn’t happy to see him. “Kalina. Good morning.”
“Good morning, Micah. You’re going down for breakfast?”
“Yes, what about you?” he asked, falling into step beside her.
“Yes, although I’m not all that hungry,” she said.
He definitely was, and it wasn’t all food that had him feeling hungry. She looked good. Well rested. Sexy as hell in a pair of brown slacks and a green blouse. And she’d gotten rid of the ponytail. She was wearing her hair down to her shoulders. The style made her features appear even more beautiful.
“Well, I’m starving,” he said as they stepped onto the elevator. “And I’m also anxious to get to the lab to see what we’re up against. Did you get a chance to read the report?”
She nodded as the elevator door shut behind them. “Yes, I read it before going to bed. I wasn’t all that sleepy.”
They were the only ones in the elevator and suddenly memories flooded his brain. The last time they had been in an elevator alone she had tempted him so much that he had ended up taking her against a wall in one hell of a quickie. Thoughts of that time fired his blood.
Now, she had moved to stand at the far side of the elevator. She was staring into space, looking as if she didn’t have a care in the world. He wanted to fire her blood the way she was firing his.
The elevator stopped on the first floor and as soon as the doors swooshed open, she was out. He couldn’t help chuckling to himself as he followed her, thinking she was trying to put distance between them. Evidently, although she’d pretended otherwise, she had remembered their last time in an elevator together, as well.
A buffet breakfast was set up on the patio, and the moment he walked out onto the terrace, his glance was caught by the panoramic view of the Himalayas, looming high toward a beautiful April sky.
“Theo!”
“Kalina, good seeing you again.”
He turned and watched Theo and Kalina embrace, not feeling the least threatened since everyone knew just how devoted Theo was to his beautiful wife, Renee, who was an international model. Inhaling the richness of the mountain air, Micah strolled toward the pair. The last time the three of them had teamed up together on an assignment had been in Sydney. Beau had also been part of their team.
Theo released Kalina and turned to Micah and smiled. “Micah, it’s good seeing you, as well. It’s like old times,” Theo said with a hearty handshake.
Micah wondered if Theo assumed the affair with Kalina was still ongoing since he’d been there with them in Australia when it had started. “Yes, and from what I understand we’re going to be busy for the next two weeks.”
Theo nodded and a serious expression appeared on his face. “So far there haven’t been any more deaths and that’s a good thing.”
Micah agreed. “The three of us can discuss it over breakfast.”
* * *
Kalina sat beside Micah and tried to unravel her tangled thoughts. But there was nothing she could do with the heat that was rushing through her at that moment. There was no way she could put a lid on it. The desire flowing within her was too thick to confine. For some reason, even amidst the conversations going on—mostly between Micah and Theo—she couldn’t stop her mind from drifting and grabbing hold of memories of what she and Micah had once shared.
“So what do you think, Kalina?”
She glanced over at Micah. Had he suspected her of daydreaming when she should have been paying attention? Both men had worked as epidemiologists for a lot longer than she had and had seen and done a lot more. She had enjoyed just sitting and listening to how they analyzed things, figuring she could learn a lot from them.
Micah, Theo and another epidemiologist by the name of Beau Smallwood had begun work for the federal government right out of medical school and were good friends; especially Beau and Micah who were the best of friends.
“I think, although we can’t make assumptions until we have the data to support it, I agree that the deaths are suspicious.”
Micah smiled, and she tried downplaying the effect that smile had on her. She had to remind herself that smile or no smile, he was someone who couldn’t be trusted. Someone who had betrayed her.
“Well, then, I think we’d better head over to the lab to find out what we’re up against,’ Micah said, standing.
He reached for her tray and she pulled it back. “Thanks, but I can dispense with my own trash.”
He nodded. “Suit yourself.”
She stood and turned to walk off, but not before hearing Theo whisper to Micah, “Um, my friend, it sounds like there’s trouble in paradise.”
She was tempted to turn and alert Theo to the fact that “paradise” for them ended two years ago. Shaking off the anger she felt when she thought about that time in her life and the hurt she’d felt, she continued walking toward the trash can. She’d known at the start of her affair with Micah that it would be a short-term affair. He’d made certain she understood there were no strings, and she had.
But what she couldn’t accept was knowing the entire thing had been orchestrated by her controlling father. The only reason she was here in India now was because the general was probably too busy with the war in Afghanistan to check up on her whereabouts. He probably felt pretty confident she was on vacation or assigned to some cushy job in the States. Although he claimed otherwise, she knew he was the reason she hadn’t been given any hard-hitting assignments. If it hadn’t been for Dr. Moore’s baby, chances are she wouldn’t be here now.
She was about to turn, when Micah came up beside her to toss out his own trash. “Stop being so uptight with me, Kalina.”
She glanced over at him and drew in a deep breath to keep from saying something that was totally rude. Instead, she m
et his gaze and said, “My being uptight, Micah, should be the least of your worries.” She then walked off.
Micah watched her go, admiring the sway of her hips with every step she took. His feelings for Kalina were a lot more than sexual, but he was a man, and the woman had a body that any man would appreciate.
“I see she still doesn’t know how you feel about her, Micah.”
Micah glanced over and saw the humor in Theo’s blue gaze. There was no reason to pretend he didn’t know what the man was talking about. “No, she doesn’t know.”
“Then don’t you think you ought to tell her?”
Micah chuckled. “With Kalina it won’t be that easy. I need to show her rather than tell her because she doesn’t believe anything I say.”
“Ouch. Sounds like you have your work cut out for you then.”
Micah nodded. “I do, but in the end it will be worth it.”
* * *
Kalina was fully aware of the moment Micah entered the lab. With her eyes glued to the microscope, she hadn’t looked up, but she knew without a doubt he was there and that he had looked her way. It was their first full day in Bajadad, and it had taken all her control to fight the attraction, the pull, the heat between them. She had played the part of the professional and had, hopefully, pulled it off. At least she believed Theo hadn’t picked up on anything. He was too absorbed in the findings of today’s lab reports to notice the air around them was charged.
But she had noticed. Not only had she picked up on the strong chemistry flowing between her and Micah, she had also picked up on his tough resistance. He would try to resist her as much as she would try to resist him, and she saw that as a good thing.
Even if they hadn’t been involved two years ago, there was no way they would not be attracted to each other. He was a man and she was a woman, so quite naturally there would be a moment of awareness between them. Some things just couldn’t be helped. But hopefully, by tomorrow, that awareness would have passed and they would be able to get down to the business they were sent here to carry out.
What if it didn’t pass?
A funny feeling settled in her stomach at the thought of that happening. But all it took was the reminder of how he had betrayed her in the worst possible way to keep any attraction between them from igniting into full-blown passion.
However, she felt the need to remind herself that her best efforts hadn’t drummed up any opposition to him when they’d been alone in the lab earlier that day. He had stood close while she’d gone over the reports, and she’d inhaled his scent while all kinds of conflicting emotions rammed through her. And every time she glanced up into his too-handsome face and stared into his turn-you-on brown eyes she could barely think straight.
Okay, she was faced with a challenge, but it wouldn’t be the first time nor did she figure it would be the last. She’d never been a person who was quick to jump into bed with a man just for the sake of doing so, and she had surprised herself with how quickly she had agreed to an affair with Micah two years ago. She had dated in college and had slept with a couple of the guys. The sex between them hadn’t been anything to write home about. She had eventually reached the conclusion that she and sex didn’t work well together, which had always been just fine and dandy to her. So when she’d felt the sparks fly between her and Micah in a way she’d never felt before, she’d believed the attraction was something worth exploring.
Kalina nibbled on her bottom lip, thinking that was then, this was now. She had learned her lesson regarding Micah. They shared a chemistry that hadn’t faded with time. If he thought she had the cutest dimples then she could say the same about his lips. She could imagine her tongue gliding over them for a taste, and it wouldn’t be a quick one.
She shook her head. Her thoughts were really getting out of hand, and it was time to rein them back in. Today had been a busy day, filled with numerous activities and a conference call with Washington that had lasted a couple of hours. More than once, she had glanced up from her notes to find Micah staring at her. And each time their gazes connected, a wild swirl of desire would try overtaking her senses.
“Have you found anything unusual, Kalina?”
Micah’s deep, husky voice broke into her thoughts, reminding her he had entered the room. Not that she’d totally forgotten. She lifted her gaze from the microscope and wished she hadn’t. He looked yummy enough to eat. Literally.
He had come to stand beside her. Glancing up at him, she saw the intense concentration in his eyes seemed hot, near blazing. It only made her more aware of the deep physical chemistry radiating between them, which she was trying to ignore but finding almost impossible to do.
“I think you need to take a look at this,” she said, moving aside so he could look through her microscope.
He moved in place and she studied him for a minute while he sat on the stool, absorbed in analyzing what she’d wanted him to see. Moments later, he glanced back up at her. “Granulated particles?”
“Yes, that’s what they appear to be, and barely noticeable. I plan on separating them to see if I can pinpoint what they are. There’s a possibility the substance entering the bloodstream wasn’t a liquid like we first assumed.”
He nodded, agreeing with her assumption. “Let me know what you find out.”
“I will.” God, she needed her head examined, but she couldn’t shift her gaze away from his lips. Those oh-so-cute lips were making deep-seated feelings stir inside her and take center stage. His lips moved, and it was then she realized he had said something.
“Sorry, did you say something?” she asked, trying to regain her common sense, which seemed to have taken a tumble by the wayside.
“Yes, I said I dreamed about you last night.”
She stared at him. Where had that come from? How on earth had they shifted from talking about the findings under her microscope to him having a dream about her?
“And in my dream, I touched you all over. I tasted you all over.”
Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. His words left her momentarily speechless and breathless. And it didn’t help matters that the tone he’d used was deep, husky and as masculine as any male voice could be. Instead of grating on her nerves, it was grating on other parts of her body. Stroking them into a sensual fever.
She drew in a deep breath and said, “I thought you were going to stay in your place, Micah.”
He smiled that sexy, rich smile of his, and she felt something hot and achy take her over. Little pangs of sexual desire, and the need she’d tried ignoring for two years, expanded in full force.
“I am staying in my place, Kalina. But do you know what place I love most of all?”
Something told her not to ask but she did anyway. “What?”
“Deep inside you.”
She wasn’t sure how she remained standing. She was on wobbly legs with a heart rate that was higher than normal. She compressed her lips, shoving to the back of her mind all the things she’d like to do to his mouth. “You have no right to say something like that,” she said, shaking off his words as if they were some unpleasant memory.
A crooked smile appeared on his face. “I have every right, especially since you’ve practically spoiled me for any other woman.”
Yeah, right. Did he think she didn’t remember the woman who’d picked him up yesterday at the CDC? “And what happened to your decision not to become involved with a woman who didn’t trust you?”
He chuckled. “Nothing happened. I merely mentioned to you that I dreamed about you last night. No harm’s done. No real involvement there.”
She frowned. He was teasing her, and she didn’t like it. A man didn’t tell a woman he’d dreamed about her without there being a hint of his desire for an involvement. What kind of game was Micah playing?
“Theo has already made plans for dinner. What about you?”
She answered without thinking. “No, I haven’t made any plans.”
“Good, then have dinner with me.”
He chuckled. “Eating is not an involvement, Kalina. It’s a way to feed the urges of one’s body.”
She didn’t say anything, but she knew too well about bodily urges. Food wasn’t what her body was craving.
“Having dinner with me is not a prerequisite for an affair. It’s where two friends, past lovers, colleagues…however you want to describe our relationship…sit down and eat. I know this nice café not far from here. It’s one I used to frequent when I was here the last time. I’d like to take you there.”
Don’t go, an inner voice warned. All it will take is for you to sit across from him at a table and watch him eat. The man had a way of moving his mouth that was so downright sensual it was a crying shame. It had taken all she had just to get through breakfast this morning.
“I don’t think going out to dinner with you is a good idea,” she finally said.
“And why not?”
“Mainly because you forgot to add the word enemy to the list to describe our relationship. I don’t like you.”
He simply grinned. “Well, I happen to like you a lot. And I don’t consider us enemies. Besides, you’re not the injured party here, I am. I’m an innocent man, falsely accused of something he didn’t do.”
She turned back to the microscope as she spoke. “I see things differently.”
“I know you do, so why can’t you go out to eat with me since nothing I say or do will change your mind? I merely invited you to dinner because I noticed you worked through lunch. But if you’re afraid to be with me then I—”
“I’m not afraid to be with you.”
“So you say,” he said, turning to leave. Before reaching the door, he shot her a smile over his shoulder. “If you change your mind about dinner, I’ll be leaving here around seven and you can meet me downstairs in the lobby.”
Feeling the Heat Page 5