Four Relentless Days

“But you’re my guests.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re not your normal uppity clientele. We’ve slept in deserts, jungles and swamps. We’ve been shot at, had explosives go off nearby and nearly been killed so many times, you start to think you’re invincible, or just that your number is not quite up yet.”

“Yet,” she whispered. “You never know when that might happen.”

“Exactly. We could step on an improvised explosive device or be hit by a bus. We don’t borrow trouble. We wait for it to come to us. But that doesn’t mean we don’t take precautions.”

“Like?”

“We brought our own weapons. We’re prepared to take on anything and anyone.”

Talia smiled. “I’m kind of glad my guests left room for you and your team to stay.” She nodded. “Thank you for offering to help. While you’re here, I accept.” She held out her hand. He engulfed it in his own, sending sparks of electricity throughout her body.

As quickly as she took his hand, she pulled hers free, heat suffusing her cheeks. “I’ll just be a minute checking on this room and the one down the hall. Do you think T-Mac would like to stay in the lodge as well? Seeing as he’s so afraid of snakes? I don’t want him to be uncomfortable in one of the cabins. I can’t imagine how that cobra got into Big Jake’s room. These things never happened while Michael was alive.”

Harm touched a finger to her lips. “I’ll ask. In the meantime, let me check the rooms first.”

Talia’s lips tingled where his finger touched them. She fought to keep from puckering and leaving a kiss on that finger.

What was she thinking? It wasn’t as if he’d want her to kiss him. He wasn’t there to get involved, especially with a grieving widow. Harm was there to relax and enjoy his vacation.

Yet Talia couldn’t deny those female parts that had been dormant since her husband’s death had come alive when Harm had touched her. How, after only a year, could she be interested in another man? Knowing what it was like to lose the love of her life, she wasn’t ready, nor was she certain she could handle the potential heartache again.

She’d been blessed with true love with a kind, gentle man who saw the beauty of the earth and shared it through his photography. Talia wasn’t at all sure she could love anyone else. And Harm was completely different. He had harder edges and deeper scars. He wasn’t anything like Michael.

But those hard edges called to her, making her want to smooth them. When he touched her with his callused hands, she could imagine those hands skimming over her naked skin, bringing her body back to life when she thought it wasn’t possible.

Talia stepped back. “Thank you,” she said. Not sure whether she was thanking him for checking the room or for reminding her that she was still alive, a woman who had a body that required more than just food and sleep.

Harm faced her. “You’ll wait here?”

She nodded.

As soon as he turned his back and entered the room, she pressed her palms to her heated cheeks.

Get a grip, woman, she chastised herself. He’s off-limits. You’re not ready.

You loved Michael.

Her last thought brought her back to earth with a thud. She’d loved her husband. Past tense. Michael was gone. But he wasn’t forgotten.

Harm was back far too soon. “All clear.”

“Good.” Talia forced a smile and stepped through the doorway, past Harm and into the bedroom. After a cursory glance to make certain everything was clean and in order, she joined Harm in the hallway and led him to the room he’d sleep in. If it was the one closest to hers, she couldn’t let that bother her. It wasn’t as though she’d picked it intentionally. The room just happened to be available, with clean sheets and a fully equipped bathroom.

So why didn’t you put Big Jake in it?

Talia shrugged off the nagging thought and waited until Harm emerged with the all-clear announcement.

“This will be your room, if you don’t want to stay in the cabin.”

“I’ll grab my gear and move in tonight.” He looked around the hallway. “Where do you stay?”

Talia hesitated.

“It’s okay,” he said with a slight smile. “I’m not going to put the moves on you. I just want to know which way to run if I hear a scream in the night.”

“I’m not worried about that,” she said. “I sleep with a pistol under my pillow.”

Harm’s eyebrows rose. “And I bet you know how to use it.”

She nodded. “With deadly accuracy. My husband taught me how. I practice enough to be good at it. A lone female in the African bush is a natural target. Even when my husband was alive, I was alone quite often when he took groups on camera safaris.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I really am surprised that you haven’t moved back to the States by now.”

She glanced away. “I don’t have anyone back in the States. My parents died in a car crash shortly after I married Michael. It was part of the reason I didn’t mind moving to far-flung places. I didn’t have a home to fall back on. The world was our playground. I followed him around for the first few years of our marriage. Then we bought this place and built it up to what it is today. I couldn’t just walk away when he died.”

“I get it. I don’t have family back in the States. Just my brothers.”

“You don’t have family, but you have brothers?” Talia frowned. “I don’t understand.”

Harm’s chest swelled with the pride of belonging. “My teammates are my brothers. I’d do anything for them.”

“And they’d do anything for you,” Talia added.

“I know families with real brothers who aren’t as close,” Harm said. “I didn’t understand the brotherhood until I became a SEAL. When the going gets tough, I know they have my back, and I have theirs.”

In that moment, Talia envied Harm. When Michael was alive, she could rely on him to be there for her. But he’d died, leaving her without a support system. Yes, she had the staff of the resort, but they had their families, and lately, they were skittish and scared of coming to work.

“I’ll tell you what,” Harm said. “While I’m here, I’ll have your back. You need something, I’m your man.”

“Thanks,” Talia said. “Again, I don’t want to rely on anyone. You and your team are only here for a week. Then you’ll be gone. Besides, I’ve dealt with rumblings before.”

“What do you mean?”

“A while back, the local witch doctor stirred up my staff and the community. Ever since Michael died, Raila Gakuru has been campaigning against the All Things Wild resort, spreading rumors and innuendos. He started out whispering that the area would have very bad luck—bad juju—as long as the resort was run by a woman.”

Harm’s jaw tightened. “Nice guy.”

“For the past year, when bad things happened, Gakuru attributed it to me. I ignored the claims, hoping the rumors would die down. And, for the most part, they had. Until a few weeks ago, when the poachers showed up stealing baby animals for sale to foreign markets.” She smiled. “Thankfully, you and your team were here to thwart their efforts.”

“Seems we didn’t stop all of it.”

Talia crossed the hallway to a linen closet, extracted two bath towels and turned. “My gut tells me this is totally different from the poachers who were stealing animals. I think someone is trying to scare me off.”

“The witch doctor?”

“Maybe.”