not to climb it, so I did.’
‘How old were you?’
‘Five? Six? Somewhere around there.’
‘You must have been a handful.’
‘You have no idea. I thought I was indestructible. I had zero sense of self-preservation and was willing to try anything once—or four times. And if my brother was giving something a whirl—well, I would too. Surfing, diving, climbing, skateboarding, cycling …’
‘And I thought I was a hellraiser. Your mum must have pulled her hair out,’ Finn said, walking towards her.
Callie swallowed and looked away. Her mum had let her run wild—not particularly worried that Callie might crack her head open or break a limb. She would just shake her head before disappearing into her bedroom and locking the door behind her.
Then one day, a couple of weeks after her seventh birthday, she’d disappeared for ever.
Finn stepped out onto the veranda, gratefully taking the beer she held out to him. She dropped into the corner of her fat couch and tucked her bare feet up and under her bottom, gesturing to Finn to take a seat. When he’d sat down in the chair next to her he looked out at the sea view and the dropping sun and sighed.
‘Nice place. How long have you lived here?’
‘I bought it about five years ago. I love it, but I’m seldom home,’ Callie explained, picking up her wine glass and taking a sip. She turned and looked at his profile, strong in the fading light of the day.
‘So what’s happened that you’re suddenly available to come travelling?’ Finn asked. ‘And why are your eyes red-rimmed and puffy?’
Damn, that cosmetics rep had so lied. The eye cream that had cost the equivalent of a small house did not suck away the bags of fluid left there by a massive crying jag.
Callie couldn’t meet his eyes. Mostly because she felt her own prickling with tears again and she never cried in company—especially not around sexy, fit men. ‘It’s not important.’
Finn shook his head. ‘I suspect it’s very damn important to you.’ Then he lifted one broad shoulder. ‘But, since I hate people prying, I’ll leave you with your secrets.’
Thank you, she thought sarcastically, a little put out that he hadn’t pushed. Did that mean that she actually wanted to tell him her sad tale of maternal neglect? Blergh—she didn’t do sob stories. Especially her own.
Callie pulled herself out of her funk and tilted her head. ‘So, it turns out that I can be free for the next four weeks or so. Do you want to explain your crazy proposal to me again?’
Finn stretched out his long legs, which ended in a pair of battered trainers. ‘As I explained, I landed an assignment to write an article on upmarket lodges, focusing on the honeymoon aspect of said lodges. The magazine is Europe-based, a leader in its field, it has a huge readership and it’s a plum assignment.’
‘Of course it is.’
Finn was hot property—he wouldn’t be writing for just any old magazine.
‘With the wedding imploding I either have to give up the assignment or find someone to go with me.’
‘As your wife?’
‘As my editor said, nobody is going to ask for proof of my marriage. If I take someone who looks reasonably happy to be there with me I think I can get by without having to explain that the wedding was called off two weeks before the big day,’ Finn said, his voice even but his expression pensive. ‘I really don’t want to give up the opportunity to get my foot in the door with Go Travel; they have a bunch of staff writers and rarely issue assignments to freelancers.’
But they did to you.
As she’d thought: hot property, indeed. And not just as a writer. The man had a body that you could strike tinder off.
Callie resisted the urge to fan her face with her hand as a bead of sweat trickled down her spine. Yes, it was summer in Cape Town, but her hot flush had nothing to do with the evening heat and everything to do with imagining him naked above her, his fabulous eyes locked on hers as he pushed himself home. She’d be tight and he’d be big, and he’d reach that special spot deep inside and rock her to screaming …
‘Callie?’
Finn’s voice pulled her out of her side trip into fantasy land and she waved a hand in front of her face, knowing that her cheeks were fire-red. ‘Wow, it’s so hot out here.’
‘Actually, a cool breeze has picked up and the temperature has dropped a couple of degrees,’ Finn countered, sending her a knowing smile. At least she thought it was knowing—for all she knew he could be thinking that she was loopy.
She fumbled for her wine and downed half a glass before resting it on her cheek.
‘You okay?’
Just peachy, trying to deal with the fact that you are the first man I can imagine sleeping with for far too long.
‘Fine.’
Liar, liar, womb on fire….
‘Anyway, back to your trip. When are you supposed to arrive at your first destination? Where is the first destination?’
‘The Baobab and Buffalo Lodge, which is on a private concession next to the Kruger National Park. We’re booked in for a few nights.’
Holy fishcakes—when they said ‘upmarket’ they meant upmarket. Callie knew that the Baobab and Buffalo Lodge was booked solidly for years at a time. It was a six-star safari experience all the way.
Callie leaned forward, her eyes uncharacteristically serious. ‘Cards on the table, Finn. What exactly does it entail? What do you expect from me?’
A ghost of a smile flitted over Finn’s face. ‘All it entails is you hanging out at expensive lodges and hotels, taking part in some of the activities, eating yourself into a coma and drinking yourself under the table. All on my expense account.’
‘And the cons?’
‘You have to do all of that with me.’ Finn placed his ankle on his knee and picked at the label of his beer bottle. ‘I’d like someone I can talk to—someone I could have fun with … someone who I know is not going to go all hearts and flowers on me, thinking that this will be the start of something special. I am in no way, shape or form looking to extend this beyond the holiday, nor looking for anything more than a friendship.’
Okay, she could understand that. Everybody needed time to regroup after a break-up, and of course he didn’t want to get involved. And she was perfect for that as she didn’t go hearts and flowers on any man, ever. And she was fun.
Well, she hadn’t been fun for a while, but that was going to change. She’d pull herself out of her funk and go back to being the old, crazy, happy, party-like Callie.
She needed to be that Callie again.
Callie
