Elle James - Four Relentless Days

Thankfully, Marly and Dr. Vega laughed.

“It’s finding the right woman who can handle the long separations,” Buck said. He took Dr. Vega’s hand and smiled down into her eyes. “It takes a very independent woman who is capable of standing on her two feet. I think Talia meets that criteria.”

“She’s a business owner in a challenging industry and country,” Marly pointed out.

“She obviously doesn’t need a man to function,” Dr. Vega said.

“And neither do either of you two women,” T-Mac said.

The ladies nodded.

“But we choose to be with our guys.” Marly laid a hand on Pitbull’s arm.

“Not because we are dependent on them, but because we want to be with them,” Angela Vega said with a smile.

Harm shrugged. “Again, I believe you ladies are the exception.”

“Be careful, Harm,” Marly warned. “You can’t paint all women with the same brush. Many of us are of stronger stock.”

Angela studied him with narrowed eyes. “What happened in the past that turned you against relationships? Did you get a Dear John letter that broke your heart? Or am I getting too personal?”

Harm stiffened. The doctor’s words hit far too close to home.

“Yeah, Harm, who rocked your love boat?” T-Mac asked.

“That’s it.” Harm glared at his teammates. “My love life—”

“Or lack thereof,” T-Mac inserted.

“—is not up for discussion,” Harm continued. “If and when I have a love life, which is highly unlikely, you all will be the last to know.”

“I have a feeling we’ll know before you,” Diesel said. “You’ll be in a huge state of denial.”

“Like you are now,” Buck added.

“Whatever.” Harm spun toward the door. “I’m calling it a night.” He marched toward the door, ready to get the hell out of the conversation.

“You can run from the truth,” T-Mac called out, “but you can’t hide.”

He was so intent on leaving the kitchen, Harm didn’t notice Talia coming from the opposite direction until he plowed right into her.

She bounced off his chest and might have fallen if he hadn’t gripped her arms to steady her.

Laughter erupted behind him.

“See? You can run...” T-Mac said.

“I’m sorry. I should have been more careful,” Talia said, looking up at him with her clear blue eyes, a smile curving her soft lips.

“No,” Harm said, his voice gruff. “My fault. I should have been looking where I was going.” His first inclination was to pull her into his arms and crush her to his chest. But the lingering chuckles behind him reminded him of the conversation his teammates had subjected him to.

He wasn’t in the market to find love. But if he were, Talia was an amazing woman. Strong, sensitive, loyal and beautiful. Damn. “I can’t go there,” he muttered and set her to the side.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her eyebrows forming a V over her nose. “Go where?” She looked past him to the crowd in the kitchen. “Did I miss something?”

T-Mac slapped a hand to his knee and gave a bark of laughter. “Boy, did you.”

Harm had no desire to be humiliated in front of their hostess. “Good night.” He continued toward the staircase and took the steps two at a time, laughter following him all the way up.

He hoped his teammates wouldn’t share their discussion with Talia. He didn’t want her to get the wrong impression. He wasn’t interested in her. Even if her touch sent fire ripping through his veins and her smile made his knees wobble.

* * *

TALIA STOOD IN the doorway of the kitchen, her arms still tingling where Harm had gripped them.

His friends were laughing and grinning like fools. Even Marly and Dr. Vega were smiling.

“I feel like I’m missing out on a joke. Someone want to fill me in?”

T-Mac turned to the others. “Should I?”

“No,” Buck said.

Diesel shook his head. “Just leave it.”

T-Mac frowned. “You take all the fun out of poking the bear.”

Talia stared from T-Mac to Diesel and back. “Bear?”

“Harm.” T-Mac raised his hands. “That’s all I’m going to say.”

“Good,” Marly said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I could use some sleep.”

“Me, too.” T-Mac pushed back from the table and stood. “After I check for snakes.” He carried his plate to the sink.

“You’re welcome to stay in the lodge, if it will make you feel better.” Talia gathered more plates from the table. “I’ll happily make up a room for you and anyone else who wants to move in from the cabins.”

“I’ll risk the cabin.” Buck slipped his arm around Dr. Vega. “If you’re willing.”

Angela smiled up at him. “As long as you go in first and make sure we don’t have a cobra waiting in our bed.”

Buck shuddered. “I can’t imagine what Big Jake must have felt seeing that snake.”

“I would have blown the bed and half the room away trying to kill that cobra,” T-Mac said.

“Because you’re a lousy shot.” Diesel draped an arm over T-Mac’s shoulder. “Come on, I’ll help you clear your cabin so you can sleep without fear of being snake bit. And so you don’t feel the need to put holes in the furniture or walls.”

“Thanks, dude,” T-Mac said with a twisted grin. “You’re a real friend.”

“I’ve got your six, man,” Diesel said.

The two men left the kitchen, followed by Buck and Angela and Marly and Pitbull.

Though they poked and prodded each other, they seemed to be a tight-knit team, willing to do anything for each other.

Eventually, Talia was alone. She cleaned the dishes, dried them and put them away. She knew she was procrastinating, avoiding going to bed. Many nights she’d stayed up into the wee hours of the morning, finally falling asleep in one of the lounge chairs in the common area rather than going up to the room she’d shared with Michael.

A few months after Michael’s death, she’d moved her things out of their room and into a smaller room to open up the master suite to guests. She’d told herself it was because she could charge a premium for the larger room. The reality was she didn’t want to sleep in the room she had shared with Michael. Too many memories kept her awake at night.

But tonight, she wasn’t awake because of her memories of Michael. She didn’t want to walk past the room Harm was sleeping in to get to hers. The thought of only a wall standing between them as they lay in their beds seemed too personal. None of her other guests had that effect on her. Why would Harm?

She wrapped her arms around her middle and walked into the common area. Maybe she’d sleep in one of the lounge chairs. She always woke before her guests. In that case, she could be up and dressed for the day well before they came down for breakfast.

Talia sat on one of the long sofas and tucked her legs beneath her.

Wide-awake and wired, sleep wasn’t going to come to her at once. The cobra, the poachers and other happenings were getting too close for comfort. Something had to give. Her chef had suggested she hire the local witch doctor to lift the evil spell from the walls, floors and grounds. She hadn’t been keen on doing that.

First of all, Talia didn’t believe in magic, but the people who worked for her did. Second, the witch doctor could be the one behind all of the shenanigans. He could be setting her up for extortion.

However, if things didn’t improve soon, her staff would stop coming to work. She’d have to run the place by herself. She could do it during the slow season, but not when the lodge and all the cabins were full. Someone had to lead the safaris while another person cooked enough to feed the guests, tended to the cabins and maintained the grounds.

No, she couldn’t do all those tasks alone. If her staff quit coming to work, she’d have to take fewer and fewer guests. If she couldn’t bring in guests, she couldn’t pay the bills. She’d be forced to close.