“It’s very kind of him to let us impose on him like this. I’d like to thank him.”
“You’ll get plenty of opportunity to do that.” Daniel reached out and took her hand in his. “The doctor doesn’t want you traveling on to Zalandan for a week or so. He wants to be sure you don’t develop complications.”
Her eyes widened. “Why should he 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 into 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.”
Old friend. 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 work at being halfway civilized the next time I see you.”
“Don’t work too hard. I like you pretty well just the way you are.” Her eyes were wide and uncertain, looking up at him. “You will be here when I wake up, won’t you?” She smiled shakily. “I mean, you don’t have any other terrorists to catch or planes to blow up or anything?”
“I’ll be here.” He kept his tone deliberately offhand. “I thought I’d stick around until you were well and then escort you to Zalandan myself. After all, you’re still technically my responsibility. I always like to tie up all the loose ends on any mission I undertake.”
She felt a little ripple of pain mixing with the joy that news brought her. Responsibility. She was sure he hadn’t meant to hurt her. He couldn’t know just how bone-weary she was of being a responsibility to everyone. She smiled with an effort. “That sounds like fun. It will be interesting to see what kind of pyrotechnics you can instigate on a more conventional journey.”
He bent forward and brushed a fairy-light kiss on her forehead. “I’ll try to see what I can do to keep you amused.” He straightened and reached for the switch on the lamp. He suddenly hesitated. “Would you rather I left the light on?”
“Why should I?” she asked curiously. “I’m not a child afraid of the dark.”
“No, of course you’re not. I guess I wasn’t thinking straight.” The light flicked off, plunging the room into darkness. “Good night, Zilah.”
“Good night, Daniel.” She felt bereft as she watched his massive shadow stride toward the door on the far side of the room.
“Daniel?”
He paused as he opened the door. The dim light from the hall haloed his auburn head with flame, but left the rest of him in silhouette. “Yes?”
“I have one more question. Who undressed me?”
There was a short silence before he answered. “I did. I undressed you and bathed you myself. Philip has no women servants. I thought you’d rather have me do it than a stranger.”
She felt a sultry tingle of awareness sweep through her. Good heavens, she was supposed to be ill and yet even the thought of Daniel’s hands and eyes on her naked body sent a wrenching stab of desire for him through her. From frigidity to nymphomania in one experience, she thought ruefully. No, not nymphomania. It was only Daniel that she wanted. Only Daniel. “You were right,” she said huskily. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He hesitated, and when he spoke again the words came jerkily. “You’re a very beautiful woman, Zilah. A very special woman. I hope…” His words trailed off. “Good night.” The door closed softly behind him.
There was a tiny frown creasing Zilah’s forehead as she turned on her side and settled her cheek on the satin pillow. Her uneasiness was growing by the minute. Why had Daniel been so reserved, almost cool with her? It couldn’t have been entirely her imagination. In the brief time they had known each other she had learned to read him too well to mistake the signs of his withdrawal.
Perhaps he was having second thoughts about the so-called obsession he had formed for her. The thought sent a chill of depression through her and she drew the sheet up to her chin with a little shiver. Well, what if he had? He was probably right to be wary of a relationship that had started so precipitously and had exploded with such wild force. Perhaps he had satisfied his desire for her and no longer wanted her in that way anymore. What did she know about how long it took for men to tire of women? She should be equally sensible and offer Daniel the platonic friendship he appeared to want now. She knew that friendship lasted. If that was what he wanted. Oh, she just didn’t know. Last night everything had seemed so beautifully certain and now she was miserably unsure.