Dan climbed the wooden staircase to the upper level of the run-down hotel and used his key to open the door to the room he’d been allocated.
As he shut the door, he checked the internal one that linked his room to Anna’s. She’d declined a second drink and had retired to her room an hour after dinner while Dan continued to talk with the Canadian journalist.
Satisfied the door that separated them was shut, and making a mental note to check on Anna every couple of hours in case she developed signs of delayed shock, he kicked his boots off next to the bed, stripped off his t-shirt, and headed for the bathroom.
He peeled off his jeans and ran the shower water until a hint of warmth filled the small cubicle. He stepped in, closed his eyes, and let out a groan of pleasure as the water ran over his head.
After four days walking and driving through the desert, the dust and dirt turned the water sandstone coloured. He didn’t care if he had to put dirty clothes on again in the morning. He just wanted to be clean before he slept.
He reached out for the soap, scrubbed at his skin until it hurt, and then did the same for his hair. The only thing he couldn’t do was have a shave – there was no complimentary razor.
Conscious of the need to conserve water, he turned off the faucet and grabbed a towel.
His thoughts turned to what would need to be done the next day. The UN commander had probably commandeered the four-wheel drive vehicle after seeing them to the hotel across the street from his office, so new transport would have to be sought if they couldn’t get a flight in one of the small aircraft used to ferry supplies to the remote outpost. After that, there was another two hour drive to the border and the contact David was sending to meet them.
Dan ran a hand over his face and realised he was almost asleep on his feet. The bed had looked inviting, despite his suspicions the mattress had probably worn thin from decades of use.
He wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the door.
He yelped in shock and took a step back.
Anna stood in the middle of his room, her hair wet and her t-shirt knotted around a slim waist. Her jeans clung to her hips, the top button of her fly undone. Her eyes found his, and she trailed her hand from her throat towards her breasts.
‘Can I stay here tonight?’ she said.
Dan swallowed and then held up a finger. ‘Give me a minute. Stay there. Don’t move.’
He closed the bathroom door, ran a hand through his damp hair, and swore under his breath.
‘Get a grip,’ he muttered.
He reached out and turned the cold tap in the sink on full, then ran his hands under the water and splashed his face, his mind racing.
He was in a foreign land, had recently survived kidnapping and likely death, and now a beautiful twenty-something half-naked blonde woman was standing in the middle of his hotel room, offering herself for sex.
The same woman whose father happened to be a good friend, and who had a private army he’d have no hesitation sending after Dan if he found out he’d bedded his daughter.
Dan turned the water off and cast his eyes around the small room until he located the pair of jeans he’d discarded on the floor before stepping into the shower.
He unwrapped the towel from his waist, threw it over the rail next to the sink, and tugged the jeans on. He caught sight of himself in the mirror, bare chest exposing a criss-cross pattern of scars. His face, neck, and arms had borne the brunt of the prolonged exposure to the sun over the past four days and were already turning browner than he’d seen since his time in the Middle East.
He half-shrugged and supposed some women would find him attractive.
If they had recently survived kidnapping and likely death.
Despite a lack of a regimented workout for the past year, he’d kept fit by running circuits of the marina in Essaouria every morning since his arrival. It served both as an exercise regime and as a way to monitor any suspicious activity.
He snorted under his breath as he recalled the yacht explosion, then sighed as he straightened, turned away from the mirror, and twisted the door handle.
Anna stood in the middle of his room, arms hugging her body, her face a picture of misery. When she saw him, she dropped her hands to her side.
‘I’m sorry. I should never have done that.’ She looked up at the stained ceiling, blinked hard, and then exhaled. ‘I should go.’
‘Hey,’ he said, crossing the space between them in two strides, ‘you’ve been through a traumatic experience. It’s only natural to seek comfort in another human being.’ He squeezed her arm, moved past her, and grabbed the t-shirt he’d tossed onto the bed. He pulled it over his head and faced her once more. ‘But we’re not having sex. Your father would kill me for a start.’
He moved back to her as she sniffed loudly and reached out to push a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘And I care about you too much.’
Anna nodded, unable to meet his eyes.
‘You can stay here tonight, though, if you’d like?’ He raised an eyebrow and tilted her chin until their eyes met. ‘Nothing’s going to happen, but if it’ll make you feel safer, then stay.’
A tear rolled down Anna’s cheek, and Dan brushed it away with his thumb.
She exhaled once more, steadied herself, and wiped at her eyes. ‘Thank you.’
Dan smiled. ‘I don’t know about you, but I need to sleep. I’m shattered.’
He moved to the bed, pulled the sheets aside, and propped a pillow against the headboard before beckoning to Anna. ‘Come on.’
Anna choked out a laugh but kicked off her shoes and padded across the floor, sliding across the mattress to where Dan lay.
He waited until she’d settled into the crook of his arm.
‘We’ll leave at first light,’ he said. ‘That’ll give us time to rest for a few hours. We’ll take all the water we can from the vending machine downstairs, too.’
‘Do you think we’ll be able to get our vehicle back before the major finds us?’
‘I can’t imagine he’ll be in his office until six o’clock at least,’ said Dan. ‘And he’s not expecting us until nine.’
Anna managed a low chuckle. ‘You think we’d be spoiling his lie-in otherwise?’
‘Something like that. No, we’ll just have to see if we can charm our way past the guards at the gatehouse. I’m sure they won’t be keen to wake their boss up just so we can take our vehicle to refuel it before setting off, do you?’
‘Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.’
Dan wrapped an arm around Anna’s shoulder and pulled her to him, stroking her hair.
‘Sleep,’ he murmured. ‘I won’t let anyone hurt you.’