wasn’t difficult to lose time watching her this way. Doug gave himself a moment of pleasure after a long, tense night. She was a stunner. And when she slept there was a softness about her that her tart wit concealed when she was in gear. Her eyes often dominated her face. Now, with them closed, it was possible to appreciate the sheer beauty of her bone structure, the flawless purity of her skin.
A man could fall very quick and very deep with a woman like this. Though he was sure-footed, Doug had already had a stumble or two himself.
He wanted to make love with her, slowly, luxuriously, on a soft, springy bed piled with pillows, lined with silk, lit by candles. His imagination had no trouble setting the scene for him. He wanted it, but he’d wanted many things in his life. Doug considered one of the highest marks for success the ability to separate what you wanted from what you could get, and what you could get from what would pay off. He wanted Whitney, and had a good chance of having her, but instinct warned him it wouldn’t pay off.
A woman like her had a way of tossing out strings on a man—then tugging on them when they were good and tight. He had no intention of being tied down, or tied to. Take the money and run, he reminded himself. That was the name of the game. In sleep, Whitney stirred and sighed. Awake, so did he.
It was time for a little distance, he decided. Reaching across her, he shook her by the shoulder. “Rise and shine, duchess.”
“Hmmm?” She simply curled into him, as warm and sinuous as a napping cat. He was forced to let out a very long, very slow breath.
“Whitney, get your ass in gear.”
The phrase penetrated the fogs of sleep. Frowning, she opened her eyes. “I’m not sure fifty percent of a pot of gold’s worth having to hear your charming voice every morning.”
“We ain’t growing old together. Anytime you want to back out, just say the word.”
It was then it occurred to her that their bodies were pressed close, like lovers after a night of passion—and compassion. One thin, arched, and elegant brow lifted. “And what do you think you’re doing, Douglas?”
“Waking you up,” he told her easily. “You’re the one who started crawling all over me. You know what a hard time you have resisting my body.”
“No, but I do know what a hard time I have resisting putting a few dents in it.” Pushing him away, she sat up and shook her hair back. “Oh, God!”
His reflexes were quick. He had her under him again in a move swift enough to knock her breathless. Though neither of them realized it, he’d made one of the few purely unselfish gestures in his life. He’d shielded her body with his without a second thought to his own safety, or to profit. “What?”
“Christ, must you habitually manhandle me?” Resigned, she sighed and pointed straight up. Cautiously, he followed the line of her finger.
Above their heads dozens of lemurs stood in the tops of the trees. Their slim arching bodies were upright, their long, thin arms reaching up and up toward the sky. With their bodies stretched, lining the branches, they resembled a row of ecstatic pagans at sacrifice.
Doug let out an oath and relaxed. “You’re going to be seeing a lot of those little fellas,” he told her as he rolled aside. “Do me a favor and don’t shout every time we run into one.”
“I didn’t shout.” She was much too charmed to be annoyed as she pulled up her knees and circled them with her arms. “It looks as though they’re praying, or worshiping the sunrise.”
“So the legend goes,” Doug agreed as he began to strike camp. Sooner or later, Dimitri’s men would double back. Doug wasn’t going to leave them a sign. “Actually, they’re just warming themselves.”
“I prefer the mystique.”
“Good. You’ll have plenty of mystique in your new dress.” He tossed it to her. “Put it on, there’s one more thing I want to get from below.”
“While you’re shopping, why don’t you look for something a bit more attractive. I’m fond of silk, raw or refined. Something in blue with a bit of drape at the hips.”
“Just put it on,” he ordered and disappeared.
Huffing, and far from pleased, Whitney stripped off the soft, expensive, and ruined clothes she’d bought in Washington and pulled the shapeless tunic over her head. It fell