well, we aim to please, don’t we, mate?” Manu’s gaze flicked to the rearview mirror, his eyes crinkled with the smile that wreathed his face.
“We do at that,” Luc answered enigmatically, and gave Belinda’s hand a gentle squeeze.
After just over an hour they reached a clearing and Manu pulled the four-wheel-drive vehicle in and parked, leaping down to open Belinda’s door for her before she could alight.
“Here you are. I’ll head on as we discussed this morning, okay?”
“Thanks, Manu,” Luc answered.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” There was a note of concern in the other man’s voice that alerted Belinda he was not entirely happy to be leaving them here.
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. Besides, I’ve got this and I’ve got the two-way.” Luc lifted his cane slightly with one hand and patted the small radio clipped to his belt with the other. “I’ll call you if I need you.”
“Make sure he does.” Manu turned to Belinda, the serious light in his eyes telling her unreservedly that he wasn’t kidding. “I mean it, if he looks like he’s in any pain at all, call me.”
“Stop fussing, Manu.” Irritation laced Luc’s words with acerbity.
“You call being sensible, fussing? Her with her blackout yesterday, you with your hip, both of you just out of hospital and now me leaving you both in the wilderness. I need my head read is what.”
Though he tried to inject some humour into his voice Belinda could see he was genuinely worried. She put her hand out to him, gripping his forearm and meeting his worried gaze full-on.
“I will look after him, don’t worry. And if I feel like I can’t manage, either him or myself, Luc will call you. Okay?”
“S’pose it’ll have to be. Right, then, catch you later.”
Still muttering, Manu climbed back into the four-by-four and wheeled back out onto the private road, heading off in the same direction they’d been travelling.
“He has a point.” Belinda turned to Luc. “We pretty much are the walking wounded.”
“Are you worried?” He gave her a searching look.
“No, not at all. In fact it’s great to be out in the fresh air. Away from walls.”
“I know what you mean. If you want to head back at any stage just tell me.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said with emphasis on the “I,” and left unsaid the query as to whether he could manage. It was clear his strength was an issue of pride; she didn’t want to aggravate him with her concern any more than Manu already had.
“We’ll both be fine. The walk is level and there are plenty of rest stops on the way. C’mon.”
Luc took her by the hand and led her along a welltrodden trail that wound alongside a bubbling river. All around them the sounds of bird life and the ever-present hum of cicadas filled the air. The air was warm and a soft breeze played in the trees. She was glad they’d left their jackets in the car. Despite her earlier fears, Belinda felt herself begin to relax. They took their time, and Luc paused every fifteen minutes or so to point out items of interest—a particular indigenous plant he knew she’d delight in, or the movement of fish in the water.
At one point Luc pulled her down to sit with him on a large fallen tree.
“Let’s rest awhile,” Luc said, rubbing absently at his hip as he propped his cane beside him.
“Is your leg bothering you?” Belinda wondered just how much pain he was in.
“A little,” he admitted. “I’ll be fine after a bit of a rest.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. Besides, it never hurts to stop and just enjoy the scenery from time to time.”
Belinda’s cheeks flushed under the heat in his gaze. Judging by his intensely focused look, he wasn’t talking about the riverbank or its surroundings. Luc lifted a hand to smooth her hair away from her face, and his fingers slid along her scalp to cup the back of her head.
“Tell me you don’t want me to do this.”
His face drew closer, his lips parted ever so slightly. The air around them thickened. Sound retreated. The distance between them closed. Even if she’d been capable of denying him she very much doubted she would.
Without conscious thought she closed the distance between them. His lips were firm and dry as they captured hers, and her senses leaped to sudden and demanding life. When Luc’s fingers tightened on the back of her head, she sank into him, her arms snaking around his waist, her breasts pressing against the hard wall of his chest.
Whatever uncertainties plagued her she couldn’t deny the absolute synchronicity of their physical sense of belonging. Belinda gave herself over to sensation as Luc deepened their kiss. A flame of want kindled deep inside her, pressing her closer against him, welcoming his touch and taste with a sense of homecoming that was as fundamental in its origin as the rising sun each morning.
When Luc pulled away, his breathing was rapid and his eyes shone with the burning clarity of desire. She should feel intimidated by that look, Belinda told herself. She should be telling him “no more.” Instead, her body clamored for his touch, her lips ached for more of the fierce pressure of his lips. She was surprised when he pushed up to his feet and stood, with his hands planted on his hips, and looked out over the river, away from her.
When he turned he was back under control. The light in his eyes had dulled, his breathing returned to normal.
“Shall we go on?”
Confused, Belinda stood and brushed the remnants of bark from the seat of her jeans before answering. “Sure. Let’s go.” What had made him pull back like that? She could have sworn he was as lost in their kiss as she’d been.
Again Luc took her hand, and as they continued on the path, she noticed he leaned more heavily on the cane than he had before.
“Is it much further?” she asked.
“Just around the next bend in the river,” Luc replied, his words clipped.
Belinda stopped in her tracks. “What is it? Why are you angry?” She was talking to his back as he doggedly kept walking.
“It’s nothing. Let’s carry on.”
“Is it your leg? Because I don’t mind resting a bit longer before we carry on. It’s been a long time since I’ve exerted myself this much, and I could do with the rest.”
He stopped and turned to face her, his expression raw with something she couldn’t quite define.
“No, it’s not my leg.”
“Then what is it? Was it the kiss? Did you want me to say no?”
“It wasn’t that. It’s nothing you can do anything
