think I'd have complications?"
He looked down at her hand and idly began to stroke the pulse point at her wrist with his thumb. "Complications have a habit of popping up when you least expect them," he said evasively. "We're going to be very careful of you, Zilah." He glanced up, his eyes twinkling. "After all the trouble I took to get you away from Hassan, I refuse to lose you to a scorpion."
His gentle massaging thumb was sending sparks of heat up her arm, and Zilah felt a tiny sensuous stirring in the pit of her stomach. "I wouldn't think of having all your efforts in my behalf come to nothing," she said lightly. "It would be most ungrateful of me." She couldn't seem to pull her gaze away from its entanglement with Daniel's. "I'll be dutiful in making a complete recovery. Has anyone notified my mother and David that I'm safe?"
"We phoned Zalandan as soon as the doctor said
you were out of danger. Clancy Donahue flew back there tonight and will give them a more personal report. You'll be able to phone your mother tomorrow yourself if you like."
"Of course." Her forehead wrinkled in a frown. "Clancy Donahue was here too? The fever must have really caused me to draw a blank. What else did I miss?"
"Nothing of importance." He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze before releasing it. "Do you think you can go back to sleep now that you've had some of your questions answered?"
"But I don't have all my questions answered." She was scanning his face with a troubled expression. There were lines of strain around Daniel's eyes and the flesh was drawn taut over his cheekbones. "Haven't you slept at all?"
He chuckled. "I don't need much sleep. I was fine after I showered and had something to eat."
"I don't think you slept last night either. And I don't see how you possibly could have slept the night before, planting all those bombs and whatevers."
He grinned. "Yes, planting whatevers can be very exhausting."
"Don't joke. You know perfectly well what I mean. Go to bed, Daniel."
"Now, if you'd said come instead of go, I might be more amiable about the suggestion," Daniel drawled.
She felt the heat in her stomach flutter and then begin to spread. "Then, come," she said breathlessly.
The smile was abruptly gone from his face. He had a sudden heated memory of her nails digging mto his hips while she murmured the word that had broken his restraint into a million pieces. "You mean it?"
"We've slept together before." She moistened her lips nervously. "You need the rest."
The flame that had leaped fitfully in his eyes disappeared suddenly. "I appreciate your concern, but the situation is a little different now."
Zilah glanced around the luxurious room, with its gleaming mosaic-tiled floors covered with richly patterned area rugs. "Externally, perhaps." Her eyes met his uncertainly. "But we're the same people we were last night in that cave, aren't we?"
He stood up. "We're still the same people." He smiled gently. "Clancy said that danger had a way of bringing two people close in a hurry. I think he's right. I couldn't feel closer to you, old friend."
Oldjriend. Last night when he had murmured that phrase in her ear it had brought her only warm contentment. Now, for some reason, it made her feel a little uneasy. She was probably just being stupidly imaginative to think there was an odd tension in Daniel's attitude. "I feel very close to you too, Daniel," she said softly. "And very grateful."
His eyes, which had been carefully guarded, suddenly flared to life. "I thought we'd already discussed how I regard gratitude. You can save that for Bradford. I'll have none of it." Then, when he saw the startled confusion in her expression, he took a deep breath and tried to smile reassuringly. "Sorry. You should know by now what a rough bastard I am. Maybe you're right about my being tired. Forget it.
Okay?"
"Okay," she said, still puzzled.
"That's my girl." He tousled her hair affectionately. "You go back to sleep. I promise I'll
He looked down at her hand and idly began to stroke the pulse point at her wrist with his thumb. "Complications have a habit of popping up when you least expect them," he said evasively. "We're going to be very careful of you, Zilah." He glanced up, his eyes twinkling. "After all the trouble I took to get you away from Hassan, I refuse to lose you to a scorpion."
His gentle massaging thumb was sending sparks of heat up her arm, and Zilah felt a tiny sensuous stirring in the pit of her stomach. "I wouldn't think of having all your efforts in my behalf come to nothing," she said lightly. "It would be most ungrateful of me." She couldn't seem to pull her gaze away from its entanglement with Daniel's. "I'll be dutiful in making a complete recovery. Has anyone notified my mother and David that I'm safe?"
"We phoned Zalandan as soon as the doctor said
you were out of danger. Clancy Donahue flew back there tonight and will give them a more personal report. You'll be able to phone your mother tomorrow yourself if you like."
"Of course." Her forehead wrinkled in a frown. "Clancy Donahue was here too? The fever must have really caused me to draw a blank. What else did I miss?"
"Nothing of importance." He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze before releasing it. "Do you think you can go back to sleep now that you've had some of your questions answered?"
"But I don't have all my questions answered." She was scanning his face with a troubled expression. There were lines of strain around Daniel's eyes and the flesh was drawn taut over his cheekbones. "Haven't you slept at all?"
He chuckled. "I don't need much sleep. I was fine after I showered and had something to eat."
"I don't think you slept last night either. And I don't see how you possibly could have slept the night before, planting all those bombs and whatevers."
He grinned. "Yes, planting whatevers can be very exhausting."
"Don't joke. You know perfectly well what I mean. Go to bed, Daniel."
"Now, if you'd said come instead of go, I might be more amiable about the suggestion," Daniel drawled.
She felt the heat in her stomach flutter and then begin to spread. "Then, come," she said breathlessly.
The smile was abruptly gone from his face. He had a sudden heated memory of her nails digging mto his hips while she murmured the word that had broken his restraint into a million pieces. "You mean it?"
"We've slept together before." She moistened her lips nervously. "You need the rest."
The flame that had leaped fitfully in his eyes disappeared suddenly. "I appreciate your concern, but the situation is a little different now."
Zilah glanced around the luxurious room, with its gleaming mosaic-tiled floors covered with richly patterned area rugs. "Externally, perhaps." Her eyes met his uncertainly. "But we're the same people we were last night in that cave, aren't we?"
He stood up. "We're still the same people." He smiled gently. "Clancy said that danger had a way of bringing two people close in a hurry. I think he's right. I couldn't feel closer to you, old friend."
Oldjriend. Last night when he had murmured that phrase in her ear it had brought her only warm contentment. Now, for some reason, it made her feel a little uneasy. She was probably just being stupidly imaginative to think there was an odd tension in Daniel's attitude. "I feel very close to you too, Daniel," she said softly. "And very grateful."
His eyes, which had been carefully guarded, suddenly flared to life. "I thought we'd already discussed how I regard gratitude. You can save that for Bradford. I'll have none of it." Then, when he saw the startled confusion in her expression, he took a deep breath and tried to smile reassuringly. "Sorry. You should know by now what a rough bastard I am. Maybe you're right about my being tired. Forget it.
Okay?"
"Okay," she said, still puzzled.
"That's my girl." He tousled her hair affectionately. "You go back to sleep. I promise I'll
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