Fright held her still, disgust shivering over her skin. It was their size that made them doubly repugnant and her lips curled in revulsion as she gathered her skirt around her. She told herself frantically that they were harmless, merely huge because of the climate, that they would be slow to move, ponderous, but as she made a slight step to the door they did move—like greased lightning! and everything that was feminine rose up inside her in abhorrence. She backed to the bench, screaming for Kip at the top of her voice.
He seemed to be ages coming and by the time he burst into the room her small tormenters had fled into the depths of the cupboards. She flew across to him, flinging herself into his arms, chastising him frantically and clinging to him with shaking hands.
'Why were you so long? I weeded you!'
Belatedly she remembered and grabbed her skirt with one hand, lifting it well up as Kip held her close and looked around the room with alert but mystified eyes.
'I was outside, down by the gate. Lord, Natalie! I thought you'd been bitten by a snake!' His eyes still searched the room and then he held her away, looking into her eyes. 'What the hell is it, anyway?'
'Cockroaches!'
Her bloodcurdling whisper had his shoulders relaxing and his lips quirking in amusement. 'Oh! The heavy mob, eh?'
He was trying not to laugh but it seemed to Natalie that he wasn't trying hard enough and she pulled away stormily, clutching her skirt and glaring up at him, her, hands still trembling.
They're a sign of dirt! You should give Josh the sack!'
'They're a sign of Africa. Endemic! It's an indication of Josh's efficiency that I've seen hardly any in this house. It's just that this room is never used and the woodwork here is old. There were none here earlier.'
'It was while I had the main lights off.' She shuddered helplessly, her face filled with distaste. 'When I put the, lights on they were there, six of them, blocking the way to the door!'
He looked at her outraged face and then threw his fair head back, laughing outright at her now.
'Baby, you're priceless!'
Natalie forgot her precious shots and pushed him aside, storming out on to the veranda, trembling with revulsion and rage. How typically male! How predictable! What had he expected her to do, tiptoe through them? She stiffened with annoyance as he came up to stand behind her.
'I hate you, Kip Forsythe!' She was in a rage, her dark head flung back as she stared unseeingly at the glittering stars.
'But only for a minute. I think I can stand that much.? His arms came round her waist and he pulled her back against him, holding her to the power of his body, stilling her futile struggles with strong hands.
'Let me go! I'm going to get my photographs and go back to the hotel and I'm never coming back here to this bug-infested place again. And as for you...'
His hand came to circle her throat and he tilted her head back, his eyes looking deeply into hers for a minute before his lips closed firmly over her own.
For a second she resisted him, anger still inside her, but his lips held hers drowsily, coaxing and gentle, seducing her senses, ensnaring her until she sighed against his mouth and opened her lips, inviting him to take whatever he wanted, her head pressed back against his shoulder.
His lips did not leave hers and he had no need to hold her in any sort of captivity. Her trembling now was of a different kind and she could never have moved from him. His hands ran over her arms, her shoulders with slow, languid movements until she was drained of all ability to resist. She murmured almost sleepily against his lips and his hands lifted to cup her heavy breasts and then to move inside her blouse, searching slowly for the silken curves, moving with deep, exciting rhythm until she could not stifle the sob of submission that rose in her throat.
He lifted her, curling her against him and carried her into the lamplit lounge, laying her against him on the settee, gently unfastening buttons until the creamy contours of her breasts were exposed to his gaze.
'Josh...'
'Is long gone and never comes back,' he murmured against her throat as her blouse slid from her shoulders, leaving her naked to the waist.