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‘Greg Collins, don’t youeverask Owen to do anything like that again!’ demanded Harriet. ‘This is supposed to be a fun-filled week for everyone. You are one of the hardest taskmasters I’ve ever come across and that includes those physio guys Owen had to deal with at the rehab centre! I shouldn’t have to remind you that none of you are in the forces anymore.’
Greg had the decency to fix an expression of contrition on his handsome face. Clearly, he accepted the accusation that his carefully crafted schedule of activities had pushed Owen beyond his comfort zone.
‘Sorry, Harriet. Apologies Owen. And to you, Immie and Alex. I promise I’ll tone down the heroics from now on.’
‘Good, because before Harriet even has the chance to draw her sword, Mum will kill you with her bare hands if any of the wedding photographs are marred by one of the gang sporting a plaster cast!’ warned Imogen.
Greg visibly shuddered. ‘Gosh, please don’t threaten me with Julia’s wrath!’
The group laughed and the tension that had been building since the men’s arrival on the scene evaporated. Millie surreptitiously brushed the vegetation from her shins and made a bee-line for the kitchen where Ella, who had thankfully been oblivious to the drama unfolding in the courtyard, handed round cool beers and iced tea.
‘Another eventful day in the life of marvellous Millie Harper!’ teased Zach, snaking his arm around Millie’s shoulders as he supped his beer. ‘What am I going to do for excitement around here when you leave us next week?’
Chapter Four
An hour later, Ella and Millie waved goodbye to the wedding party, all of whom were in high spirits. Everyone had enjoyed their chosen activities that day and the conversation had been animated, with Alex and Greg vying for bragging rights for the best quad bike rider, causing Imogen and Carla to roll their eyes in amusement.
Zach offered to give Ella a lift down the hill to Soufrière where she intended to meet up with Henri for dinner, and at last Millie was alone. She slipped off her shoes, grabbed a beer, and went to sit on the edge of the pool, her toes floating in the cool water. Darkness had fallen but the atmosphere was still humid. All around her, the eternal soundtrack of the tropical rainforest chirped and squawked and scuttled as the nocturnal animals went about their business. She tipped her head back and inhaled the exotic perfume of the fallen lemons, crushed underfoot, mingled with jasmine and something altogether earthier.
A wave of contentment rippled through her body as she appreciated her good fortune at being in such an idyllic place, doing what she loved most with people who were happy to be there. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she would ever find herself relaxing by a Caribbean pool, thanking the director of her fate for her blessings, and yet, here she was.
Suddenly, she wanted to share her good fortune with someone, so instead of retiring early for the night like she did yesterday, she decided to take a walk to the wooden lodge at the other side of the cocoa plantation that Zach called home. She checked her watch. He should be back from dropping Ella off by now. She collected her shoes, grabbed a bottle of red wine and a torch, and made her way along the path that wound through the cocoa palms from the villa to the cabin.
As Millie drew closer to the lodge, the ambient calm of the night was rudely interrupted by the buzz of a chain saw. She slowed her pace, not wanting to alarm Zach by her approach and cause an accident, until she came to a stop just beyond the clearing where his temporary home was located.
Amber light flooded the area where Zach was busy working, the chain saw sending chips of wood and sawdust into the air like confetti at a wedding. She saw that he was working on sculpting a thick tree trunk into a sort of rustic bench. He worked in a controlled and precise manner, pausing to flick up the visor of his safety helmet to check his progress before resuming his careful carving.
The whine of the saw stopped again. She watched Zach reach for a bottle of water and empty the contents into his mouth, his Adam’s apple bobbing rhythmically at his throat as he gulped down the drink. For the first time, Millie noticed he had removed his shirt and a spasm of desire shot into her chest and travelled southwards. Zach wiped his lips with the back of his hand, sending droplets of water onto his naked chest where they glistened in the golden light. The well-defined muscles on his abdomen contracted as he continued with his woodcutting and Millie suddenly felt as though she had downed the bottle of red wine she was still clutching in one go!
She recognised physical attraction when she experienced it. A hot ember of lust had ignited in what she had thought was a dormant part of her body and she wanted to stay in that precise spot for the rest of the evening, relishing the intoxicating sight before her eyes. She didn’t want to invade Zach’s privacy, but she was unsure how to make herself known without making it look like she was some kind of voyeur. Warmth flooded her cheeks, but it was the heat of attraction that was travelling around her veins that worried her. In the end, the decision was taken out of her hands.
‘Woof!’
Her cover was blown. She glanced at Zach and his gaze connected with hers, a slow smile turning his lips upwards into the familiar smirk.
‘Looks like we have a visitor, Binks.’
Millie bent down to fondle the black-and-white spaniel’s silky ears to give herself time to calm her rampaging emotions and hope that the colour in her cheeks faded before she had to face Zach. Perspiration collected on her temples and beneath her breasts, and she craved a mouthful of the water Zach had been drinking earlier. A pair of steel-capped work boots appeared and she slowly raised herself from her haunches to meet his eyes.
‘Sorry, I didn’t want to disturb you whilst you were… were working.’
She realised that Zach was standing only inches away from her and she could feel his breath, coming in spurts from his recent exertion, on her cheek. Clearly he had seen how flustered she was to find him outside the log cabin in little more than a pair of figure-hugging shorts and was enjoying her discomfort, so to make matters worse he took a step closer.
‘How long have you been standing here?’ murmured Zach, his voice as low and smooth as a caress, his eyes flicking down to her lips then back to her eyes.
‘Erm, not long. I just… I just thought we could share a bottle of…’
Zach was now millimetres away from her. The electricity in the space between them was almost too much to bear and Millie was finding it hard to breathe. She raised the bottle of wine to show Zach what she meant but the sudden movement caused her to lose her footing and she tumbled backwards into one of the magnolia bushes that framed the wooden cabin, ending up spread-eagled amongst the leaves and unable to extricate herself without his assistance.
‘Oh my God!’ Zach howled, his eyes widened with mirth. ‘Mishap Millie strikes again! Well, I suppose you’re nothing if not consistent.’
‘Are you just going to stand there laughing, or are you going to help me out of here?’
‘What do you think, Binks? Should we be chivalrous and help the young lady out of her embarrassing predicament or, and this is my preferred option, should I rush to the cabin for my mobile phone and upload this photographic gem to my Instagram account?’
‘Very funny!’
The cute dimples that bracketed Zach’s mouth reappeared as he offered Millie his hand to drag her free of the tree’s embrace. To her horror, he then began to brush away the leaves that clung to her tee-shirt and capri pants, spending an inordinate amount of time on the arboreal debris that had attached itself to her bottom.
