Lina sensed the vigorous health in the tree she leaned against. However, this time, the creature provided her with comfort instead of the other way around. Her entire body still trembled from the brief yet intense encounter with one of the rally drivers, the very one who’d drawn her focus minutes earlier.
That was the first time anyone besides her family had treated her as other than an oddity. Sure, her customers appreciated her because of her extensive botanical knowledge and ability to revive their dying plants, but never had she been admired purely as a woman.
Not that she hadn’t had her share of relationships. She had. But they’d been shallow and meaningless encounters, based on sex. After all, what self-respecting man understood someone like her?
But the way Brad had looked at her…. A rally driver, of all people. Someone the trees would consider an enemy. In his ignorance, he jeopardized their well-being by pumping out exhaust fumes for pleasure. She couldn’t fault him, but how could she see him again without saying it straight—he shouldn’t race anymore?
Nope, he would consider her off her rocker. She needed to keep the memory of her brief encounter with him as that—a pleasant memory—a hopeful sign she could one day find someone to share her life with.
But what of her promise to wait for him? How could she deny him that small thing? Being a tree sage had engrained such high morals into her that she couldn’t go back on her word. She’d spent her life tending and healing plants, but part of her had deep compassion for the human race, too. So much that it hurt.
The cars roared. She and Henk walked to various vantage points to see different portions of the race. She could understand the attraction—the raw power of the activity. Recalling the taste of power that often resonated through her, she could appreciate what the drivers must feel. There was nothing like being able to do something almost supernatural, something out of this world. She tried to imagine Brad behind the wheel, the intense focus of his face, the pull of his muscles, the sweat beading his brow, and a strange curling sensation began in her gut and radiated to her extremities. Arousal? She recognized it. Sure, she’d had it before, but never so strong.
The more she watched, the more entranced she became. How she longed to get into the car and feel the sensation of risk, the power, the raw energy.
Her face flushed with guilt. How could she even consider such a thing? She glanced at a grove of trees across the road, gathering dust from the spray of dirt, and heard their angry mutterings about the fumes from the cars, her ears attuned to each word they spoke. Yes, they sounded angry, but they kept on discussing the race, talking about the drivers, and one of them even rooted for the red car. She couldn’t help smiling. The trees didn’t know how the fumes affected their health. Kind of like kids didn’t know how eating too many sweets and drinking too much soda harmed their bodies.
“I can see you’re enjoying this,” Henk said beside her. “Knew you would.”
She frowned. “How?”
“Hunch, I guess. Thought your tame existence needed some shaking up.” He stuck his tongue out in a tease.
If only he knew how much she craved something wild, some newness or adventure. But, no, she was destined for another path.
“Life is too short to be so serious,” he said.
She nodded at a typical Henk statement. Could it be the younger sibling mindset? Or perhaps his happy-go-lucky personality? Her brother lived for fun. He never took anything too seriously. “I think those drivers feel like you do. They’d rather risk having a short life than no life at all.” She clamped her hand over her mouth, tears springing to her eyes with the reminder of how much she longed for adventure.
Turning away from Henk’s gaze, she focused on the road while another car bumped past, its chassis swinging from side to side at each dip or rise. The drivers seemed to slide more than anything else, yet somehow they progressed at a ridiculous speed considering how rough the road appeared.
The blue, white, and black car screamed around the corner with Brad in the driver’s seat. Her heart raced, and an odd mixture of longing, guilt, and despair filled her. I could never go for someone like him. Never, ever. It would nullify all the work I’ve done. Besides, why would he want me?
Over the years, she’d often thought she didn’t want to settle down and have kids. If she had a daughter, the child would suffer as she had her entire life—the isolation, the confusion, the left-out feeling. No, she couldn’t do that to anyone. Sure, her race should continue for the sake of the earth, but she refused to be the one to propagate it. Casual sex would have to work—even if she did hate it.
Nah, stick to trees. My best companions. The one good thing about being a sage. Trees were forgiving, gentle, and pure. The older ones held the wisdom of the ages in their stems. What could she do with all this wisdom? Her calling had prevented her from sharing with anyone.
“Come, Lina.” Henk walked to the clubhouse and bought them each a soda. Lina gulped hers down in minutes, glad for something to wet her parched throat. He tossed his empty can into the recycling bin. “Shall we go?”
“What? Before the awards ceremony?”
“Just testing you.”
She rolled her eyes. “You never stop, do you?”
“It’s my calling.” He winked.
She averted her gaze. If Henk had any idea what his stepmother and half-sister carried every day of their lives…. But he’d just assumed they had very “green” fingers.
“That Sprite tasted like heaven.” She smacked her lips.
Henk wandered over to look at photos on the walls of previous races.
“I’m going to wait outside,” she told him.
“I’ll join you in a minute.”
Glad to leave the stuffy room, she made her way to a shrubby tree by the ablutions area. The pretty plant had flowered just a few weeks ago, its white, delicate blossoms reminding her of the lacy bodice of a wedding dress. Of course, the common name for it was a bride’s bush. She picked a flower and pressed it to her nose to drink in the warm, sweet scent.
“You’ve grown so well. You bloomed early this year. Don’t you love it when the winter harshness gets wiped away by the African sun’s warmth?” She spoke in whispers, aware that no one was close enough to hear her.
“Alina.”
She spun around to face Brad, who stood inches from her. Her body chilled then heated in one tumultuous second. “You’re back already?”
“I finished the race.”
Relieved he hadn’t noticed her conversation with the tree or the shakiness of her voice, she drew on every ounce of self-control to appear unaffected by his nearness. He smelled of motor oil, gasoline, sweat, dust, and raw power. She imagined him hovering over her, his stubble grazing her face, his lips locking with hers, his rock-solid arms pinning her down. She swallowed. “Did you win?”
“I did.” He gave an easy smile as if winning were a given.
“That’s amazing. You must be over the moon.”
“It hasn’t hit me yet. I thought you’d left. I—”
“Don’t you have to go somewhere? I won’t leave. I promised.”
“I’ll wait for the awards ceremony. Nowhere to go yet. My agent’s lapping up all the attention.”
He’d rather be with me? Confusion sent her head into a spin. Her day had been strange, her responses to this man foreign to her. Longings that she’d pushed down for years surfaced. Speak before you do something stupid! “You look tired. Can I get you a drink?”
“I’d like that.”
He fell in beside her while she walked, and another odd sensation assaulted her. He belonged near her, just like she belonged in nature, amongst the trees where sap pulsed more than blood. This man’s veins seemed to pump hot and sexy and oh-so-desirable. Every fiber of her being strove to sense and memorize his movements.
She couldn’t help granting him a huge smile.
“Where do you live?” he asked as they reached the counter of the mini-bar in the clubhouse.
“Not far from here. Moreleta Park.”
“Oh, I’m staying in Centurion.”
A suburb near her. Her heart rippled as if in a breeze, and she became aware of the throbbing pulse in her neck. “Small world.”
“I want to see you again.”
He moved too fast. At the moment, she just wanted to drink a soda with him. “I don’t know.”
The bar lady handed them their drinks, her face rough and uninterested. He gulped his down.
“Another one?” Lina held back a laugh.
“I should be buying you a drink.”
“Nope.” She grinned. “You’re the winner.”
“I can’t believe it. It’s my first official win, and it’s nationals.” He glowed with a sense of achievement—that tired yet pleased feeling of having accomplished something great.
How could she feel this growing respect for him when he’d harmed the trees? “You must have trained hard.”
“I did. My family’s hardly seen me.”
She almost lost her grip on the soda. “I…. Are you married?”
He touched her elbow, guiding her outside. At once, her heart rate eased. She always felt safer outside near trees. She used the opportunity to make her way to the bride’s bush and stood under a branch.
“Nah, not a chance of that happening soon. I’m way too busy for a wife.” Brad leaned on the trunk and gave a relaxed smile.
She almost said good but kept her mouth shut. She didn’t want to appear like the anti-marriage type.
His gaze swept over her. “You like plants?”
Heat flushed her cheeks. “Why?”
“That tree’s practically kissing you.”
“What?” She spun around. The tree’s branch eased away from her head. The synergy and bond she shared with the trees had become so automatic she often forgot how it looked to other people.
“Are you real?” His pupils grew large, with…. What, tenderness, awe, curiosity?
“I am. You can see my ID book.”
“I’ll take your hand instead.” He reached out, grasping hers.
His palm was still moist from the soda can or maybe from driving like a madman, and his fingers were large, encompassing, and muscular. Her pussy tightened in immediate response, and she wished for more than casual sex with him. Wouldn’t a long-term relationship be perfect?
Yanking her hand away, she stumbled back into the tree, knocking a branch onto the ground. For the first time ever, she’d forgotten about one of the creatures and only thought of a human. Ashamed of herself, she edged away, her face flaming. “I-I’d better go.”
“Not before you give me your number.”
“My number?” What does he mean? Oh right, phone number. She rattled off the number, which he keyed into his cell phone.
“Thanks.” He grinned. “I better go. My agent’s shaking his head at me. Probably has the press waiting.”
“Right, yes, of course.”
“Nice to talk to you.” Stepping closer to her, he gave a sideways hug. How sweet was that?
“You, too.” Her voice came out like a schoolgirl mumble.
He strode down to his agent, and people descended on the new celebrity. Glad to be away from the crowd, yet yearning to be a part of it, she picked up the fallen tree branch. “I’m sorry.”
Accidents happened. She couldn’t allow the guilt to consume her. She’d broken off a twig, and it wouldn’t affect the tree’s growth at all. Of course, she could use her healing powers to reattach it, but what if someone…?
Her upbringing hounded her, never allowing her mind to ease from her troubled conscience. Of course, she had to do it surreptitiously, but come rain or shine, her duty bound her to the creatures of the soil.
She held it flush with the jagged edge from which it had been torn. Closing her eyes, she pictured the cells inside the wood multiplying to create a bond between them. Her mind became the rope to attach the branch to its tree. She accelerated the growth with a few thought processes. The ground tilted beneath her, and she gripped the trunk to stabilize herself. Oh, how would she ever get used to the strange yet exhilarating feeling when power surged from her into the earth creature?
Opening her eyes, she studied the branch and smiled. Except for a small bump here and there and some scar tissue, the tree had returned to normal. She took a quick glance around, but everyone seemed intent on the rally drivers.
Henk approached her. “Come down with me for the awards ceremony. We can’t miss the best part.”
She nodded but bit her lip to hide the sudden nervousness of watching Brad receive his prize. How did he feel? How would she feel seeing him again, knowing nothing could work between them?
***
It felt like a crazy dream. Everything had happened so fast, and within minutes, he stood on a makeshift wooden platform, surrounded by flashing bulbs, cheering fans, and bustling organizers.
Could this be for real? He’d actually won.
Somehow, the elation he’d expected to feel had deflated into quite ordinary emotions. He had loved crossing the finish line, the adrenaline pumping through his veins feeding on the raw power his car had given him. But, standing there, the center of all the attention, he just wanted to go home to watch reruns of the race, plotting his whole course over again.
He supposed that was normal for him. He’d always been the bookish type, even as a kid growing up in a sporty family. He’d longed to be active and popular like his brother and dad, so when he discovered he had a knack for rally driving, he’d thought his dreams had come true. He could be like them and everyone else.
Sure enough, his aspirations had come true, but the limelight wasn’t what he craved.
How disappointing.
He beamed at his onlookers. His agent had just given him the go-ahead to do an international tour. With the prize money and the automatic entry into the World Rally Championship, nothing would hold him back—not even the necessity of taking a long sabbatical from his day job.
This tour was more than a dream come true. He would see the world and ride some of the most famous and even infamous tracks in Europe, Australia, and America.
Someone jerked his hands up in a big cheer. He pasted on an over-exuberant smile and scanned the crowd for the face he longed to see. His heart stuttered. Lina stood next to a tall, blond man with a thick-set jaw and model-boy looks that contrasted with her darker, earthier tones. So, she wasn’t single. After all that.
His happy face became painful to maintain, but he was soon whisked away to sign papers and take part in a media interview.
He had stolen a peek at her earlier while everyone congratulated him and asked for autographs. She stood by the tree where he’d left her, holding the jagged ends of the twig she’d broken to the rest of the branch. She shut her eyes then let the limb go. It held up. Maybe she’d strapped it back in place. How odd.
Although he’d always been bookish, he’d had plenty of friends at school and university. At home—well, that was a different story. Outcast would be the right word for him. That’s what drew him to Lina—she seemed otherworldly, almost outcast. He longed to ease that pain from her, to tell her he understood.
Could she be magic? Have powers? He’d never considered it a possibility before, but suddenly, he wanted to believe in magic and something better than the day-to-day grind of life.
What was his problem? His life offered him new magic—a world rally tour.
She has a boyfriend. So focus, Shelton. He needed to look forward, forget her, and step onto the greatest ride of his life.