Chapter 7......
The air of the Island may have been one of tranquility, but in the mind of Ardeth Bay, things were far from tranquil. His emotions were all over the place, fighting for dominance. First the shock of achieving his goal, finding his son, then the feelings he was having for Samia had caught him off guard. A guard that must be kept to the forefront of his mind, he chastised himself. That being the case he'd decided to open up the lines of communication with the Medjai once again. After sending a wire to Cairo a week after his arrival in Fuerteventura, he was further comforted to recieve a message back. A message that told him ten of his most trusted warriors were on their way. If things were to take a turn for the worst concerning Lock Nah's men, he hoped they would be ready.
Samia hadn't been pleased to learn of his latest communications, in fact she'd been more than put out, irrationally thinking that Ardeth was going to use this opportunity to take Hamid back to Egypt sooner rather than later, but once he'd explained his motives she'd had to agree that Medjai protection on a greater level could be warranted. She was still, in her heart more than a little spooked by the prospect of coming up against Lock Nah's henchmen again. So she'd quietly agreed with Ardeth, but still wondered where all this left her.
"So, how are you planning to get all your men here, throw them in the back of the truck when they arrive?" she skittishly asked. "If so, I think we'd better start teaching you how to drive it, don't you?"
"I'm sure it wont be a great problem, I mean, how hard can it be, it's not like a machine has the spirit of an animal, a will of it's own is it? I've broken in a great deal of horses and the prospect of mastering a machine holds no fear for me," he laughed.
"Oh dear, your pride is going to be your downfall Ardeth Bay, has anyone ever told you that?" giggled Samia.
"Not if they valued their life they didn't, no," he replied.
Over the past days that they'd spent at close quarters, Samia was seeing an altogether different side of Ardeth, his warrior instincts were once again breaching the surface. The contrast between the man who made jets of lava streak through her entire body with a mere touch was, how could she put it? complimented, yes, complimented with the man who now stood before her with a fear of nothing and a pride in his own abilities. The complete package was a revelation, two sides of the ever complicated coin.
Two hours later though, she was seeing yet another side of Ardeth Bay. The string of curses he'd just let out had her blushing, and she'd heard many a curse before. She was silently thankful that Hamid was with Pedro and Maria. He hadn't wanted to be parted from his new found pet, the little lizard that he'd found was now a permanent resident in Pedro's back yard and Hamid had joined ranks with Pedro's six year old grandson, revelling in the fact that he had somone his own age to cause mischief with.
"Oh dear, at this rate they'll be marching over the dunes on foot," she laughed as Ardeth let another curse fly.
"Don't be sarcastic, it doesn't suit you," he warned.
"For goodness sake, look, it's really not that difficult," cried Samia as Ardeth crunched gears and cursed simultaneously. "If you paid attention as much as you curse you'd be a racing driver by now."
"Don't make fun of me," Ardeth again warned. He was having a difficult enough time with the infernal machine as it was, without the added embarassment of Samia's giggles everytime he missed a gear or stalled the truck.
Samia leant over to the driver's side and took hold of Ardeth's hand. "Here," she said, as she placed his hand on the gearstick covering it with hers. "Foot down on the clutch, other foot on the accelerator," she said gently as she pushed his hand over to first gear. "Go easy, don't put your foot down too hard, let go of the clutch gently, you gotta baby these things along a little you know."
This attempt was much better, it was as though through her patience he felt as though he didn't have to try so hard to prove to her that he could do this. He was finally relaxing, and as the truck slowly rolled down the road, gears changing smoothly for once he was gaining confidence as he went along.
"Where are we going anyway?" he asked.
"I thought we may as well let our hair down a little, I know you've been worried since you arrived, but hopefully now you know your men are on their way, you might let yourself ease up a bit," she stated.
"Maybe, I will," he said, knowing that the immediate danger was not coming today. Today he would relax. Tomorrow was another matter.
"So, how do you fancy a picnic among those sand dunes you were so overwhelmed with?" she cautiously asked, not wanting to sound too forward, but wanting to, needing, to spend some time alone with him to see if she could get any sort of handle on her growing feelings for the man.
"That sounds just wonderful," Ardeth replied, thinking that mind reading was one of her many virtues. He really did need to be alone with her.
"Come on then, show me what you've learned so far," she giggled, trying to remove her hand from the gearstick, but having it firmly put back in place. He'd made progress with her and he wasn't about to let it go, the look in his eyes told her that.
"When did you get the time to put all this together?" Ardeth asked incredulously a little while later. "I had no idea you'd planned all this," he said, looking sideways at her as he picked up the huge basket from the back of the truck.
"Well, not planned exactly," she said, blushing, feeling a little silly for being so transparent. Once again wondering if this was all such a good idea. Could she really open her heart to this man and then just watch him walk away? The feelings she was having now told her she'd have no choice with the former.
"Samia, I find it heartwarming to know that someone, especially you, would have gone to so much trouble for me," he said, looking deeply into her eyes, trying to put her at ease.
"I, erm," Oh Lord, change the subject, she thought. "Do you want to go down by the waterside?"
"Come on, take my hand, we'll find just the right spot," he smiled.
The beach was a haven. Sweeping dunes rolled down until they dissolved into the beach, the golden sands of the beach were lapped at by the warm Atlantic ocean. Miles and miles of deserted golden beach untouched by man. It was if the desert was meeting the sea and they complimented each other to just the right degree.
"Ow, ow, ow," complained Samia a little while later as she peeled a huge orange, the juice having all but blinded her when it spat out into her eye.
Ardeth jumped to attention from his place reclining in the sand beside her, thinking that maybe she'd been stung or something. He laughed soundly when he saw Samia, orange juice dripping down her face, rubbing her eyes in disgust.
"Here, let me help you," he giggled, grabbing a cloth from the picnic basket to clean the juice from her face.
Slowly, very slowly the mood was changing. Ardeth poured some water on the cloth and pushed Samia's hair out of the way, exposing her beautiful face to him. He gently ran the cloth along her forehead, never taking his eyes from hers as he pulled her onto his lap. He took the cloth and pressed it over her closed eyes, marvelling at the length of her black lashes, watching the cloth turn orange as it soaked up the offending juice.
Neither one of them wanted to move, wanted to break the moment, and so time stood still for a while. The heat of the day was nothing compared to the heat of Ardeth's skin against hers, even through their respective shirts. Ardeth's hands played in her hair, she could feel his warm breath tickling her ear, sending her senses into overdrive. She boldy placed her hands on his broad chest, marvelling at the feel of his muscles underneath the thin cotton of his shirt. That wasn't all she could feel sat as she was on his lap facing him, she could feel his desire and it was stoking her own, terrifying her, as she'd never in her life been in this position before. His closeness, his obvious want for her, her own need for him. Confusion, desperation, panic, sheer panic overtook her and she stiffened in his arms.
"Samia, " he whispered. "What are you afraid of, is it me?"
"Yes, no, I don't know," she stuttered. "I don't know what to do with the feelings inside me, you have me at a loss," she sighed.
"Then you're not alone, Samia listen to me. When I first came here and found you and Hamid, I was, I admit singleminded in that quest. I wanted my son and nothing else mattered," he explained gently. "But when I saw you in the Inn in Cabras sat in a puddle of coffee," he chuckled. "I just wanted to take you in my arms, and when I did, it felt right, like somehow you belonged there."
Samia let out the breath she'd been holding, so he did have some feelings for her.
"Ardeth, I don't know what to do, what to say, I'm not skilled in such things, I have no knowlege of them," she cried.
"I want to help you to start to live again Samia, I mean really live and enjoy life, but I will tell you that I want to be a major part of that new life, if you'll let me? But please, please don't ever be afraid of me, you have to promise me that," he said, feeling heartened as Samia nodded in acceptance of his words.
The air having been cleared a little Samia got up and rolled up the legs of her trousers as she walked to the waterside. Ardeth followed suit and soon they were both happily splashing around in the cooling ocean like a couple of children seeing who could drench the other the most. The surf was wonderful if not a little feisty and before long Ardeth had been tipped on his back after wandering out further. The ducking was a blessed relief from the heat, so he shucked off his shirt and threw it onto the beach, letting himself revel in the refreshing water. He'd not felt as relaxed as this in a long long time. Samia's smiling face as she danced up and down in the surf shrieking as shoals of little fish grazed her legs hardened his resolve to take her back with him to Egypt. He knew he would have to tread carefully, not push her or back her into a corner, but he was sure that once they got to know each other better that the future that he saw for them would become clearer to her.
Samia became aware of him watching her and for once smiled back at him instead of the usual blushing. She saw the tattoos adorning his body and was taken back in time to when she was a child, seeing the warriors all sparring, practising their swordsmanship, muscles gleaming in the heat of the sun. She remembered one time her mother had caught her and a couple of her friends spying on the young men as they bathed after practise. Allah, had she been scolded, but the girls had all agreed it was worth it.
"What are you thinking about?," asked Ardeth wading up to her, his wet hair clinging to his bronzed shoulders. "You look a million miles away."
"Maybe not a million, but a few thousand at least," she said, watching Ardeths puzzled expression as tiny droplets of saltwater ran down his tattoed cheeks.
"I was thinking back to when I lived with the Medjai," she said wistfully. "My mother caught me and a couple of my friends spying on the warriors. It was just that when I saw you in the water and your tattoos again it kind of took me back," she said with a huge smile.
"I hope they were happy times for you," Ardeth questioned, holding his breath, silently praying to Allah that indeed she'd been happy within the Medjai.
"Oh yes, they were, they really were. I miss it so much sometimes, even though I've not been back for nigh on ten years. Has it changed much? the villages I mean," she asked.
"In some ways things have changed a great deal, although we still live the same way, a lot of the old boundaries are being broken down. We don't go for arranged marriages as much now, neither do the women have to veil as a matter of course," he explained.
"Oh, I see," said Samia, liking the part about arranged marriages the most, she'd never minded the veiling, there never was a better way to cover up the teenage spots that plagued most adolescent girls from time to time, as for bad hair days, cover it all up and hide until tomorrow.
"What about Hamunaptra, do you still patrol that area?," she asked, immediately kicking herself as she saw his face change from happy to miserable.
"Just before I came here to find you both, there was a great battle. I take it you heard about the first rising of the nameless one?" he said with sadness.
"Yes I did, Hassan brought the news when he visited us, "It was an English woman who raised him, yes?"
"Yes, it was, but she was also the one who put him back where he belonged, unfortunately, other people did not leave the matter alone and he was raised once again a few months ago," Ardeth explained.
"Oh no," said Samia, moving closer to Ardeth, sensing his pain. "What happened?"
"The Scorpion King was also unleashed," he sighed. "Our army was the only thing that stood between the Anubis warriors and......well, you can imagine."
"This is the battle you spoke of then?"
"Yes, Samia, we lost so many men, so many good men died through the greed of a few. I can still see the faces of the women and children as I told them of their father's deaths," he said, his voice breaking as he spoke.
He was now bringing his mind around to matters more pressing, matters concerning Lock Nah's men. He knew they'd be back, but Samia had already gone through so much he wasn't about to voice his fears to her yet. He was the warrior, the one who would protect the three of them and he would do so until his last breath. This woman now in his arms, the child, his child she had nutured in his absence, yes, he would protect them and Allah help anything or anyone who would try to take them away from him.
"It's nothing for you to worry about Samia," he said, tightening his embrace.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered as she held him, shivering slightly at the thought of so much loss and grief.
Ardeth took her shivering to mean that she was getting chilled, the water had suddenly turned colder so with a flourish he picked her up and waded back to shore with her in his arms.
"Come on, let's dry out on the sands before we head back," he said, wanting to recapture the easy mood that had just been lost.
"Whatever you say," she giggled, thankful that she hadn't put a dampener on their day with her questioning.
A little later when they'd both dried off by the heat of the sun Samia began to pick up the picnic things and put them back in the basket. Ardeth still laid in the sand with his eyes closed so she got hold of the rug she'd been lain on and shook the sand from it, unfortunately the direction of the wind changed and all she suceeded in doing was covering Ardeth with a pile of sand.
He sat up immediately, a playful look on his face. "You'll pay for that," he laughed.
Samia saw the challenge in his eyes and bolted back up the beach towards the truck, the softness of the sand making it difficult for her to run very quickly and all too soon Ardeth had caught up with her, pulling her to the ground and rolling over on top of her.
"I said you'd pay for that," he smirked as he brushed her sandy hair out of her face.
"And just what punishment did you have in mind?" she giggled, feeling the air around them charge up once again and the sweet tension return.
He looked in to her eyes for what seemed like an age, trying to judge her mood. All he could see was anticipation of his next move. But what was his next move? Did he dare? Would she run?
"A kiss," he whispered, leaving her no time to resist before bringing his lips down on to hers.
The air of the Island may have been one of tranquility, but in the mind of Ardeth Bay, things were far from tranquil. His emotions were all over the place, fighting for dominance. First the shock of achieving his goal, finding his son, then the feelings he was having for Samia had caught him off guard. A guard that must be kept to the forefront of his mind, he chastised himself. That being the case he'd decided to open up the lines of communication with the Medjai once again. After sending a wire to Cairo a week after his arrival in Fuerteventura, he was further comforted to recieve a message back. A message that told him ten of his most trusted warriors were on their way. If things were to take a turn for the worst concerning Lock Nah's men, he hoped they would be ready.
Samia hadn't been pleased to learn of his latest communications, in fact she'd been more than put out, irrationally thinking that Ardeth was going to use this opportunity to take Hamid back to Egypt sooner rather than later, but once he'd explained his motives she'd had to agree that Medjai protection on a greater level could be warranted. She was still, in her heart more than a little spooked by the prospect of coming up against Lock Nah's henchmen again. So she'd quietly agreed with Ardeth, but still wondered where all this left her.
"So, how are you planning to get all your men here, throw them in the back of the truck when they arrive?" she skittishly asked. "If so, I think we'd better start teaching you how to drive it, don't you?"
"I'm sure it wont be a great problem, I mean, how hard can it be, it's not like a machine has the spirit of an animal, a will of it's own is it? I've broken in a great deal of horses and the prospect of mastering a machine holds no fear for me," he laughed.
"Oh dear, your pride is going to be your downfall Ardeth Bay, has anyone ever told you that?" giggled Samia.
"Not if they valued their life they didn't, no," he replied.
Over the past days that they'd spent at close quarters, Samia was seeing an altogether different side of Ardeth, his warrior instincts were once again breaching the surface. The contrast between the man who made jets of lava streak through her entire body with a mere touch was, how could she put it? complimented, yes, complimented with the man who now stood before her with a fear of nothing and a pride in his own abilities. The complete package was a revelation, two sides of the ever complicated coin.
Two hours later though, she was seeing yet another side of Ardeth Bay. The string of curses he'd just let out had her blushing, and she'd heard many a curse before. She was silently thankful that Hamid was with Pedro and Maria. He hadn't wanted to be parted from his new found pet, the little lizard that he'd found was now a permanent resident in Pedro's back yard and Hamid had joined ranks with Pedro's six year old grandson, revelling in the fact that he had somone his own age to cause mischief with.
"Oh dear, at this rate they'll be marching over the dunes on foot," she laughed as Ardeth let another curse fly.
"Don't be sarcastic, it doesn't suit you," he warned.
"For goodness sake, look, it's really not that difficult," cried Samia as Ardeth crunched gears and cursed simultaneously. "If you paid attention as much as you curse you'd be a racing driver by now."
"Don't make fun of me," Ardeth again warned. He was having a difficult enough time with the infernal machine as it was, without the added embarassment of Samia's giggles everytime he missed a gear or stalled the truck.
Samia leant over to the driver's side and took hold of Ardeth's hand. "Here," she said, as she placed his hand on the gearstick covering it with hers. "Foot down on the clutch, other foot on the accelerator," she said gently as she pushed his hand over to first gear. "Go easy, don't put your foot down too hard, let go of the clutch gently, you gotta baby these things along a little you know."
This attempt was much better, it was as though through her patience he felt as though he didn't have to try so hard to prove to her that he could do this. He was finally relaxing, and as the truck slowly rolled down the road, gears changing smoothly for once he was gaining confidence as he went along.
"Where are we going anyway?" he asked.
"I thought we may as well let our hair down a little, I know you've been worried since you arrived, but hopefully now you know your men are on their way, you might let yourself ease up a bit," she stated.
"Maybe, I will," he said, knowing that the immediate danger was not coming today. Today he would relax. Tomorrow was another matter.
"So, how do you fancy a picnic among those sand dunes you were so overwhelmed with?" she cautiously asked, not wanting to sound too forward, but wanting to, needing, to spend some time alone with him to see if she could get any sort of handle on her growing feelings for the man.
"That sounds just wonderful," Ardeth replied, thinking that mind reading was one of her many virtues. He really did need to be alone with her.
"Come on then, show me what you've learned so far," she giggled, trying to remove her hand from the gearstick, but having it firmly put back in place. He'd made progress with her and he wasn't about to let it go, the look in his eyes told her that.
"When did you get the time to put all this together?" Ardeth asked incredulously a little while later. "I had no idea you'd planned all this," he said, looking sideways at her as he picked up the huge basket from the back of the truck.
"Well, not planned exactly," she said, blushing, feeling a little silly for being so transparent. Once again wondering if this was all such a good idea. Could she really open her heart to this man and then just watch him walk away? The feelings she was having now told her she'd have no choice with the former.
"Samia, I find it heartwarming to know that someone, especially you, would have gone to so much trouble for me," he said, looking deeply into her eyes, trying to put her at ease.
"I, erm," Oh Lord, change the subject, she thought. "Do you want to go down by the waterside?"
"Come on, take my hand, we'll find just the right spot," he smiled.
The beach was a haven. Sweeping dunes rolled down until they dissolved into the beach, the golden sands of the beach were lapped at by the warm Atlantic ocean. Miles and miles of deserted golden beach untouched by man. It was if the desert was meeting the sea and they complimented each other to just the right degree.
"Ow, ow, ow," complained Samia a little while later as she peeled a huge orange, the juice having all but blinded her when it spat out into her eye.
Ardeth jumped to attention from his place reclining in the sand beside her, thinking that maybe she'd been stung or something. He laughed soundly when he saw Samia, orange juice dripping down her face, rubbing her eyes in disgust.
"Here, let me help you," he giggled, grabbing a cloth from the picnic basket to clean the juice from her face.
Slowly, very slowly the mood was changing. Ardeth poured some water on the cloth and pushed Samia's hair out of the way, exposing her beautiful face to him. He gently ran the cloth along her forehead, never taking his eyes from hers as he pulled her onto his lap. He took the cloth and pressed it over her closed eyes, marvelling at the length of her black lashes, watching the cloth turn orange as it soaked up the offending juice.
Neither one of them wanted to move, wanted to break the moment, and so time stood still for a while. The heat of the day was nothing compared to the heat of Ardeth's skin against hers, even through their respective shirts. Ardeth's hands played in her hair, she could feel his warm breath tickling her ear, sending her senses into overdrive. She boldy placed her hands on his broad chest, marvelling at the feel of his muscles underneath the thin cotton of his shirt. That wasn't all she could feel sat as she was on his lap facing him, she could feel his desire and it was stoking her own, terrifying her, as she'd never in her life been in this position before. His closeness, his obvious want for her, her own need for him. Confusion, desperation, panic, sheer panic overtook her and she stiffened in his arms.
"Samia, " he whispered. "What are you afraid of, is it me?"
"Yes, no, I don't know," she stuttered. "I don't know what to do with the feelings inside me, you have me at a loss," she sighed.
"Then you're not alone, Samia listen to me. When I first came here and found you and Hamid, I was, I admit singleminded in that quest. I wanted my son and nothing else mattered," he explained gently. "But when I saw you in the Inn in Cabras sat in a puddle of coffee," he chuckled. "I just wanted to take you in my arms, and when I did, it felt right, like somehow you belonged there."
Samia let out the breath she'd been holding, so he did have some feelings for her.
"Ardeth, I don't know what to do, what to say, I'm not skilled in such things, I have no knowlege of them," she cried.
"I want to help you to start to live again Samia, I mean really live and enjoy life, but I will tell you that I want to be a major part of that new life, if you'll let me? But please, please don't ever be afraid of me, you have to promise me that," he said, feeling heartened as Samia nodded in acceptance of his words.
The air having been cleared a little Samia got up and rolled up the legs of her trousers as she walked to the waterside. Ardeth followed suit and soon they were both happily splashing around in the cooling ocean like a couple of children seeing who could drench the other the most. The surf was wonderful if not a little feisty and before long Ardeth had been tipped on his back after wandering out further. The ducking was a blessed relief from the heat, so he shucked off his shirt and threw it onto the beach, letting himself revel in the refreshing water. He'd not felt as relaxed as this in a long long time. Samia's smiling face as she danced up and down in the surf shrieking as shoals of little fish grazed her legs hardened his resolve to take her back with him to Egypt. He knew he would have to tread carefully, not push her or back her into a corner, but he was sure that once they got to know each other better that the future that he saw for them would become clearer to her.
Samia became aware of him watching her and for once smiled back at him instead of the usual blushing. She saw the tattoos adorning his body and was taken back in time to when she was a child, seeing the warriors all sparring, practising their swordsmanship, muscles gleaming in the heat of the sun. She remembered one time her mother had caught her and a couple of her friends spying on the young men as they bathed after practise. Allah, had she been scolded, but the girls had all agreed it was worth it.
"What are you thinking about?," asked Ardeth wading up to her, his wet hair clinging to his bronzed shoulders. "You look a million miles away."
"Maybe not a million, but a few thousand at least," she said, watching Ardeths puzzled expression as tiny droplets of saltwater ran down his tattoed cheeks.
"I was thinking back to when I lived with the Medjai," she said wistfully. "My mother caught me and a couple of my friends spying on the warriors. It was just that when I saw you in the water and your tattoos again it kind of took me back," she said with a huge smile.
"I hope they were happy times for you," Ardeth questioned, holding his breath, silently praying to Allah that indeed she'd been happy within the Medjai.
"Oh yes, they were, they really were. I miss it so much sometimes, even though I've not been back for nigh on ten years. Has it changed much? the villages I mean," she asked.
"In some ways things have changed a great deal, although we still live the same way, a lot of the old boundaries are being broken down. We don't go for arranged marriages as much now, neither do the women have to veil as a matter of course," he explained.
"Oh, I see," said Samia, liking the part about arranged marriages the most, she'd never minded the veiling, there never was a better way to cover up the teenage spots that plagued most adolescent girls from time to time, as for bad hair days, cover it all up and hide until tomorrow.
"What about Hamunaptra, do you still patrol that area?," she asked, immediately kicking herself as she saw his face change from happy to miserable.
"Just before I came here to find you both, there was a great battle. I take it you heard about the first rising of the nameless one?" he said with sadness.
"Yes I did, Hassan brought the news when he visited us, "It was an English woman who raised him, yes?"
"Yes, it was, but she was also the one who put him back where he belonged, unfortunately, other people did not leave the matter alone and he was raised once again a few months ago," Ardeth explained.
"Oh no," said Samia, moving closer to Ardeth, sensing his pain. "What happened?"
"The Scorpion King was also unleashed," he sighed. "Our army was the only thing that stood between the Anubis warriors and......well, you can imagine."
"This is the battle you spoke of then?"
"Yes, Samia, we lost so many men, so many good men died through the greed of a few. I can still see the faces of the women and children as I told them of their father's deaths," he said, his voice breaking as he spoke.
He was now bringing his mind around to matters more pressing, matters concerning Lock Nah's men. He knew they'd be back, but Samia had already gone through so much he wasn't about to voice his fears to her yet. He was the warrior, the one who would protect the three of them and he would do so until his last breath. This woman now in his arms, the child, his child she had nutured in his absence, yes, he would protect them and Allah help anything or anyone who would try to take them away from him.
"It's nothing for you to worry about Samia," he said, tightening his embrace.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered as she held him, shivering slightly at the thought of so much loss and grief.
Ardeth took her shivering to mean that she was getting chilled, the water had suddenly turned colder so with a flourish he picked her up and waded back to shore with her in his arms.
"Come on, let's dry out on the sands before we head back," he said, wanting to recapture the easy mood that had just been lost.
"Whatever you say," she giggled, thankful that she hadn't put a dampener on their day with her questioning.
A little later when they'd both dried off by the heat of the sun Samia began to pick up the picnic things and put them back in the basket. Ardeth still laid in the sand with his eyes closed so she got hold of the rug she'd been lain on and shook the sand from it, unfortunately the direction of the wind changed and all she suceeded in doing was covering Ardeth with a pile of sand.
He sat up immediately, a playful look on his face. "You'll pay for that," he laughed.
Samia saw the challenge in his eyes and bolted back up the beach towards the truck, the softness of the sand making it difficult for her to run very quickly and all too soon Ardeth had caught up with her, pulling her to the ground and rolling over on top of her.
"I said you'd pay for that," he smirked as he brushed her sandy hair out of her face.
"And just what punishment did you have in mind?" she giggled, feeling the air around them charge up once again and the sweet tension return.
He looked in to her eyes for what seemed like an age, trying to judge her mood. All he could see was anticipation of his next move. But what was his next move? Did he dare? Would she run?
"A kiss," he whispered, leaving her no time to resist before bringing his lips down on to hers.