CHAPTER THREE

Lamisi found the descent a hundred and fifty percent less tiring than the climb, yet more treacherous. She slid a few times as the stones and dirt shifted under her feet, before wizening up and slowing her pace rather than rampage down the mountain to get away from a certain womanizing hiplife artist.

A patch of dirt loosened as she stepped down, causing her foot to resist gravity and kick into the air with the other soon to follow. A strong grip stabilized her and kept her from hitting the ground. Heart beating with a bounding so intense that it hurt her ears, she looked up to thank her rescuer. The words got stuck in her throat as she met the handsome face of the man she’d stormed away from.

Forgiveness for the way he’d disrespected his girlfriend with his blatant flirtation had yet to enter her consciousness. She pulled her arm out of his grip and mumbled, “Thank you.”

Then, she turned … only to slip again. Dammit. This time, she regained her balance without help.

“Take your time. There’s no rush.”

Ignoring how his presence, to her annoyance, made her stomach flutter, she took more careful steps.

He hitched a thumb behind them. “We were getting along well. What happened up there?”

A direct man. Of course he was, because how often did talented, outrageously gorgeous, communicative men drop into her life?

“Why did you ask for my number when you have a girlfriend?”

“I’m a single man.”

He was a performer—the sound of surprise and conviction in his voice could be an act. Yet, he hadn’t hesitated for even a second before answering. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d come to the wrong conclusion about a person, but her source had been reliable. Kind of.

“That’s not what the entertainment news report.” She placed a hand on her hip as he stepped closer to her so that Musah could get past. “Deola, the Nigerian oil heiress? Remember her?”

Abdul laughed as he slapped Blaise on the back. “I told you that escorting Deola to those functions would come back to haunt you.”

And then, he continued on his way, leaving them planted on the side of the mountain.

Lamisi watched the others meander towards their destination as she waited for Blaise’s answer. Precious was in the midst of pointing at a tree as she chatted with the tour guide. The woman loved all things science.

He shook his head. “I’m not dating Deola. Or anyone else right now.”

“So she’s not your girlfriend like the tabloids say?”

Why should she even care? They’d just met, and unless she attended another one of his concerts, they wouldn’t see each other again.

“It was a misunderstanding.”

By this point, she had heard enough. She turned to make her way down the mountain so she could get as far away as possible.

“We aren’t dating, but we sort of use each other.”

She nodded as she tried to convince herself that she didn’t want to hear the whole story. “Thank you for clearing that up. I wish you two a happy life together.”

He skittered past her and blocked her path. “Please, let me explain.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot out of annoyance, but disappointment held a bigger portion of her current emotional state. She’d rather have never discovered that her hiplife hero was a plain human male who made bad decisions without caring who he hurt.

“What for? I’m someone you just met. It’s not necessary. Besides, I’m hungry.”

His full lips spread into a smile as he took off his backpack. Curiosity got the best of her as she watched him open it and pull out a chocolate bar.

Blaise waved it in front of her face. “I’ll give it to you if you listen to my explanation.”

Her stomach grumbled loud enough to scare the hidden wildlife as she eyed the candy with longing. What would it hurt to hear him out? She’d get some gossip directly from the source and a snack to tide her over. No negative in that equation.

He reached for her hand and placed the chocolate in it. The tingles skittering up her arm from the contact overtook the sensation of hunger.

He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head with a deep frown. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me. I should’ve just offered it to you without the bribe. It was nice meeting you, Lamisi.”

Then, he swept his hand to indicate that she should walk ahead of him.

She hesitated for a moment before opening the candy bar. “You’re invited.”

He chuckled and shook his head to decline. “Thank you.”

The tradition of offering to share food tended to be a source of entertainment. What was the saying about sharing being caring?

She took a bite and moaned as the flavour of the peanuts, caramel, nougat, and chocolate merged onto her tongue as the most decadent treat she’d ever eaten. Hunger made everything taste incredible.

“Thanks,” she said around the confection still in her mouth.

His Adam’s apple bobbed several times. “My pleasure.”

Never had words felt as if they’d stroked her most intimate places as delicious warmth settled low in her abdomen. She glanced at her chest to ensure that those well-placed tissues were still doing their job. Barely.

The quicker she got away from him, the better.

“Look, your life is none of my business.” She pointed in the direction they were supposed to be headed. “How about if we complete the descent so we can go home?”

He didn’t speak as he stared into her eyes, seeming to consider her for a moment.

After long seconds of his direct attention, her mouth went dry as she longed to close the gap between them and feel his body against her again. Tilt her head up and stand on her toes so she could kiss him. Just once because her tingling lips needed to know.

A photo of Deola, resplendent and regal in a splendid silver gown while she hooked her hand into the crook of Blaise’s arm at a gala, burst into her mind.

She averted her gaze and set her feet to walking.

“How do you understand Hausa?” he asked after a few minutes of their feet crunching against the earth.

Heat infused her face despite there being no exertion as they strolled. The question never failed to embarrass her when it should be a source of pride. People tended to question her honesty when she discussed her language skills so much so that she never wanted to. Explaining that she was a genius when it came to linguistics was too much of a hassle.

“It’s one of the languages I speak. I picked it up when I spent a few months in Nigeria. Bauchi State in the north.” A short and simple answer that should lead to no more questions.

His jaw dropped, exposing all of his teeth. “You learned Hausa in a few months?”

She nodded, ignoring his astonished tone. “I’ve always been good with languages.”

“How many do you speak?”

She sighed in resignation at having to carry on with the conversation. “I speak eight languages fluently. I’m not counting pidgin.”

She kept the fact that she understood a total of twelve to herself. That part tended to freak people out.

She snuck a glance at him as she waited for his reaction. Would he call her a liar? Or try to test her with any of the other languages he might speak?

The corners of his lips were downcast as he nodded and kicked at a stone on the path with his shoulders hunched forward. “More than the five I know.”

It sounded like he might be jealous. The man had talents that transcended hers in so many ways, and he was envious of her ability with languages. She transitioned her snicker of delight into a cough.

She expected at least one question from him about her language skills. But nothing broke the silence apart from the crunch of the ground caused by their steps.

Her curiosity made her ask, “What’s your fifth language?”

He rubbed his chin. The combination of the trimmed beard with the faded haircut suited him.

“French.”

Her love of his music and languages got the better of her. “Ah. As-tu déjà pensé à l'intégrer à ta musique?”

A slight horizontal crease appeared on his forehead when his brows rose. “I understood the word music.”

She spoke in English. “I asked if you had ever thought of adding French into your music. You don’t speak any French at all?”

He shrugged. “I started taking lessons with a private tutor a couple of weeks ago. I’m moving into the next phase of my career by having French be the base of some of the songs I’m writing. It’ll make me more accessible to the Francophone countries.”

Did she dare ask? “So, you write your own lyrics?”

His shoulders appeared broader as his chest expanded. “I do.”

She pursed her lips to the side, not quite believing him. “You wrote the songs on all three of your albums?”

“You really are a fan. People remember two. That first one went nowhere.”

“I know, but in my opinion, it was the best. The nuances you put into the lyrics were insightful. More than just a beat. Even though those were catchy.” She ignored the slight slip of her sneaker. “You didn’t answer the question. Did you write all of the songs yourself?”

“Every single one. No artist is an island. My producers had input when it came to laying the tracks.”

She looked into his eyes. Did she believe him? Why shouldn’t she? Not as if she found him to be unintelligent, but to be so graceful with words, not just in one language, but three or four in the same song, was beyond belief. It must be similar to the astonishment people experienced when they learned about the number of languages she spoke.

A few paces passed before a melodious tune swirled into her ear and captured her attention.

“When I looked into your eyes for the very first time, I was swept away by their intensity. They were so open one moment and then shuttered closed the next. I wanted to get to know you, but you were gone. Until we met again on the mountain climb.”

Her body became weightless she got a sense of floating. Bizzy had just serenaded her with a song she’d never heard before. He’d created it on the spot about their encounter. Three languages interwoven into one beautiful set.

“How did …” Incredulous at his amazing ability to weave words on the go in a way that sent chills down her spine, her extensive vocabulary vanished.

He shrugged. “Creating songs is my gift.”

Gazing into his eyes with admiration, she didn’t see the tree root jutting out in the middle of the path until it was too late.

Considering he was staring at her instead of where they were going, for once, he was the one to trip over the obstruction.

She reached out to grab him liked he’d done so many times for her. But the contact she made with his muscled arm wasn’t enough.

Relativity kicked in as time moved in super slow-motion.

Rather than reversing his downward momentum as she’d hoped, she descended with him.

With a turn of his head, he must’ve realized she was chasing him down on the ride. Then, he did the most incredible thing.

In one fluid movement, Blaise grabbed her with both arms and pulled her close. His solid bulk took the brunt of the interminable fall when they landed.

Still, gravity wasn’t through with them as they rolled a few times together … until they finally stopped.