Midnight rainbow

Suddenly his body throbbed, and he couldn’t bear to be separated from her by even the width of the small room. He went back to the bed and pulled her under him, then watched the way her face changed as he slowly eased into her, watched the radiance that lit her. Something swelled in his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe, and as he lost himself in the soft depths of her body he had one last, glaringly clear thought: she’d gotten too close to him, and letting her go was going to be the hardest thing he’d ever done.

He dressed, pulling on the freshly washed clothes that one of Senora Trejos’s daughters had brought, along with a tray of fruit, bread and cheese. Jane flushed wildly when she realized that Senora Trejos must have brought a tray to them the night before, then discreetly left when she heard the sounds they had been making. A quick glance at Grant told her that he’d had the same thought, because the corner of his mouth was twitching in amusement.

TheSenora had also sent along a soft white off-the-shoulder blouse, and Jane donned it with pleasure, more than glad to discard her tattered black shirt. After selecting a piece of orange from the tray, she bit into the juicy fruit as she watched him pull his dark green undershirt over his head.

"You’re going to be pretty noticeable in those camouflage fatigues," she said, poking a bit of the orange into his mouth.

"I know." He quickly kissed her orange-sticky lips. "Put the shirt in your pack and be ready to go when I get back."

"Get back? Where are you going?"

"I’m going to try to get some sort of transport. It won’t be as easy this time."

"We could take the train," she pointed out.

"The rifle would be a mite conspicuous, honey."

"Why can’t I go with you?"

"Because you’re safer here."

"The last time you left me, I got into trouble," she felt obliged to remind him.

He didn’t appreciate the reminder. He scowled down at her as he reached for a spear of melon. "If you’ll just keep your little butt where I tell you to, you’ll be fine."

"I’m fine when I’m with you."

"Damn it, stop arguing with me!"

"I’m not arguing.I’m pointing out some obvious facts!You’re the one who’s arguing!"

His eyes were yellow fire. He bent down until they were almost nose to nose, his control under severe stress. His teeth were clenched together as he said, evenly spacing the words out, "If you make it home without having the worst spanking of your life, it’ll be a miracle."

"I’ve never had a spanking in my life," she protested.

"It shows!"

She flounced into the chair and pouted. Grant’s hands clenched; then he reached for her and pulled her out of the chair, hauling her up to him for a deep, hard kiss. "Be good, for a change," he said, aware that he was almost pleading with her. "I’ll be back in an hour–"

"Or so!" she finished in unison with him. "All right, I’ll wait! But I don’t like it!"

He left before he completely lost his temper with her, and Jane munched on more of the fruit, terribly grateful for something fresh to eat. Deciding that he’d meant only for her to stay in the house, not in the room, she first got everything ready for them to leave, as he’d instructed, then sought out theSenora and had a pleasant chat with her. The woman was bustling around the kitchen preparing food for her boarders, while two of her daughters diligently cleaned the house and did a mountain of laundry. Jane had her arms deep in a bowl of dough when Grant returned.

He’d gone first to their room, and when he found her in the kitchen there was a flicker of intense relief in his eyes before he masked it. Jane sensed his presence and looked up, smiling. "Is everything arranged?"

"Yes. Are you ready?"

"Just as soon as I wash my hands."

She hugged theSenora and thanked her, while Grant leaned in the doorway and watched her. Did she charm everyone so effortlessly? TheSenora was beaming at her, wishing her a safe journey and inviting her back. There would always be a room for the lovely youngSenora and her husband in the Trejos house!

They collected their packs, and Grant slung the rifle over his shoulder. They risked attracting attention because of it, but he didn’t dare leave it behind. With any luck they would be on a plane out of Costa Rica by nightfall, but until they were actually on their way he couldn’t let his guard down. The close call the day before had been proof of that. Turego wasn’t giving up; he stood to lose too much.

Out in the alley, Jane glanced up at him. "What exactly did you arrange?"

"A farmer is going into Limon, and he’s giving us a ride."

After the adventure of the last several days that seemed almost boringly tame, but Jane was happy to be bored. A nice, quiet ride, that was the ticket. How good it would be not to feel hunted!

As they neared the end of the alley, a man stepped suddenly in front of them. Grant reacted immediately, shoving Jane aside, but before he could swing the rifle around there was a pistol in his face, and several more men stepped into the alley, all of them armed, all of them with their weapons pointed at Grant. Jane stopped breathing, her eyes wide with horror. Then she recognized the man in the middle, and her heart stopped. Was Grant going to die now, because of her?

She couldn’t bear it. She had to do something, anything.

"Manuel!" she cried, filling her voice with joy. She ran to him and flung her arms around him. "I’m so glad you found me!"

Chapter Ten

It was a nightmare. Grant hadn’t taken his narrowed gaze off her, and the hatred that glittered in his eyes made her stomach knot, but there was no way she could reassure him. She was acting for all she was worth, clinging to Turego and babbling her head off, telling him how frightened she’d been and how this madman had knocked her out and stolen her away from the plantation, all the while clinging to Turego’s shirt as if she couldn’t bear to release him. She had no clear idea of what she was going to do, only that somehow she had to stay unfettered so she could help Grant, and to do that she had to win Turego’s trust and soothe his wounded vanity.