Fever (35 page)

The only indications that Kibaki trusted any of their information were a short press release two days ago announcing that he had fired his minister of education and the arrival of a plain envelope containing Sara’s missing land and building permits. No word of Zak. How would she be able to look at Estelle and not see Zak staring back at her? As she stepped from the plane, she took a deep breath and steadied herself for the jolt she felt every time she glimpsed Estelle since Zak had disappeared.

At the bottom of the stairs Sara stopped, the breath hung in her chest. The vision was too similar, the shards of pain too gut-wrenching. Her eyes clouded with tears and she couldn’t stop them. But the figure running toward her was too tall and slender to be Estelle, her clothes too loose. Realization struck like a shot of adrenaline. Zak. She dropped her bag and ran too, initial laughter turning into sobs of joy. She stopped inches away, staring, appreciating, wanting.

Zak raised her hands and cupped Sara’s face. “I love you, Sara Ambrosini.”

Sara didn’t move as the deep timbre of Zak’s voice and her words washed over her, leaving her warm and content. If this was the last time she saw Zak, she’d survive now because she knew that Zak was alive and that she loved her.

“Is this what confinement did to you?” She couldn’t take her gaze from Zak’s face, the sunken cheeks, pale skin, and steel blue eyes rimmed with fatigue.

“It made me realize how I feel and what is important.”

“How are you, really? Are your wounds healed? Did they hurt you, mistreat you? Where were you? When were you released? How long have you been here? Why didn’t you call?”

Zak smiled, probably amused by Sara’s rapid-fire questions, but her tone was touchingly serious. “Did you hear me? I said I love you.”

Sara stood on tiptoes and brought their lips together. “Yes, darling, I heard. And I love you. Now kiss me before we both explode.”

Their kiss was tentative at first, cautious and tender, but became more urgent as their tongues touched and teased. Sara pressed her body against Zak’s and fire sparked between them.

“Ahem, excuse me, but we probably need to take this elsewhere,” Estelle said. “This is Paris, but even the French have their limits.”

Sara pulled reluctantly from Zak’s embrace, unsure of how she felt about Estelle’s deceit. She’d spent weeks worrying about Zak’s welfare. How long had Estelle known Zak was okay? How long had she been here?

“I can see the questions in your eyes, cheri. Let’s go.” Estelle motioned to a small office inside the private hangar.

Zak took Sara’s hand, and they followed her mother into the office. Estelle turned to face Sara. “I know you’re wondering why we didn’t call and let you know Zakaria was safe, but we couldn’t. It was too dangerous until you were out of the country.”

Sara searched both of their faces, waiting for Estelle to clarify.

Zak took over. “I’ve just been able to piece all the bits together. After you delivered the tapes and photos to Kibaki, he confronted the minister, who admitted to the conspiracy with Wachira. He also confessed that he had his man kill the commander after I left that night. Apparently they’d been waiting for me to confront him alone. His plan to frame me worked perfectly because of my history with Wachira. Once the minister confessed, the president had me released and flown to Paris. They phoned Mother, told her to expect a package, and gave her the date and time of my arrival.”

“And why was I left in the dark?”

“Kibaki instructed his men not to allow me phone calls or contact with anyone, especially you. I was taken directly from the holding facility in Liboi to the airport. He needed time to locate the minister’s accomplice or accomplices inside the government. We agreed on one week, not a second more. But more importantly, he needed to find the assassin before he found you.”

“Me?”

Estelle hugged Sara to her. “Yes, cheri, your publicity campaign to locate Zakaria was getting too much attention. Kibaki joined in the effort but the minister of education instructed his man to silence you. The invitation for a visit was to get you out of Africa. I realize it was bad timing for the school, but we wanted you safe and my daughter needs you.”

Sara gazed at Zak. Her muscles were strong and more pronounced against her visibly thinner frame. She had obviously not been fed properly and her face was etched with the shadows of too little sleep. And something else was different as well. It was evident in the depths of her concentrated stare, in her attentiveness to Sara’s every move, and even in her touch. This change was more fundamental, more essential. “How are you feeling, darling?”

“Better now that you’re here.”

“So you’ve been here a week?” Sara continued her inspection, noting and memorizing even the slightest nuance of change to the woman she loved. The bright blue shirt that exquisitely highlighted Zak’s eyes hung loosely from her shoulders, making her appear almost delicate. A pair of baggy blue jeans rested atop the flare of her hips and dipped too severely over her lower abdomen.

“That’s what Mother says. The plane trip and the first few days are a blur. I think I slept straight through.”

Estelle looked at Zak with the loving eyes of a mother. “She was exhausted but worried constantly that you were in danger and she wasn’t there to protect you. It was all we could do not to tell you she was safe.”

“I hated keeping it from you. It was like using you for bait while we waited for Kibaki’s men to finish their roundup.”

“And did they arrest the killer?”

“Yes.” Zak hung her head, and her shoulders slouched in a defeated posture. “He followed you to the airport and was arrested there. We got the call just before you arrived.”

Sara stroked the side of Zak’s face, trying to soothe the worry lines etched across her handsome features. “Don’t blame yourself. My God, you were being held captive.”

“But if I can’t protect you, what good is all this damn training I’ve had?”

Sara knew that no answer would appease Zak. “And what about your boss? Did he come through at all?”

Estelle raised her hand before Zak could answer. “That’s my cue to leave. I’m catching a plane myself. I have an art show in London this weekend, and the two of you need some time alone. My flat is at your disposal. I think you’ll find everything you desire there.” She kissed them both on the cheek and started toward a small jet that had just arrived. “Love you both. See you soon.”

*

Estelle’s flat on the Left Bank epitomized the woman and the artist—light, airy, and alive with color and ambience. The view from the third-floor balcony overlooked a stretch of half-timber homes and shops along the Seine River. Zak barely gave Sara a chance to take it in before she swept her up and carried her to the king-sized bed by the windows. She placed her gently in the center of the yellow satin duvet and started to join her.

“Should you be doing this?” Sara asked.

“Oh, am I being too presumptuous?” Zak slowly backed away.

“Not at all, but you’ve suffered some pretty serious injuries recently, been held prisoner for weeks, and I just got off an eight-hour flight.”

Zak tried to hide her disappointment. All she wanted was to be close to Sara, to hold her and show her how much she cared. “Are you hungry, then?”

“Famished.”

“Okay, I’ll order something, unless you’d prefer to go out.”

“The only thing I’m hungry for is you. I just want to be sure you’re okay, physically, because I can’t promise to be gentle this time.”

Zak settled beside her on the bed. “I’m healed enough and don’t want to waste another minute with you.” She reached for Sara, remembered the fear in her eyes the last time they made love, and hesitated. “Is it okay if I touch you?”

“Please.” Sara opened her arms invitingly and urged Zak into them. “I’ve missed you so much. I was afraid I’d never see you again.”

“Estelle told me how hard you worked to find me. I’m sorry you had to go through that, but thank you for not giving up on me.” Zak lightly kissed Sara’s eyelids, her cheeks, and her lips. She ran her fingers gently over Sara’s bare shoulder and felt their connection.

“I will never give up on you. Don’t you know how desperately I love you? Part of me was missing when you were gone. How can that be after so short a time together?”

Zak didn’t know how to answer Sara’s question, but she understood perfectly. A piece of her heart had been returned today. She stroked a strand of hair from Sara’s face and tugged at the French braid that hung down her back. Zak worked the plait apart and fingered her copper tresses loose so they fell over her shoulders. She wanted to experience the feel of Sara’s hair brushing across her body like thousands of tiny fingers when they made love.

“Will you make love to me, Zak?”

Zak’s eyes filled with tears. “Yes, my love. I want to look at you and feel you close to me.” She felt no shame or embarrassment as the tears streaked down her cheeks and landed on Sara’s light green dress. She didn’t try to control them or explain them away. Part of the joy of this moment was that she truly wanted to experience every feeling possible with Sara. “I want you to know how very much I love you and how precious you are to me. You are my life.”

“And you are mine.” As Sara cradled Zak’s head against her chest and rocked back and forth, Zak felt their connection grow and strengthen.

“May I undress you?” she asked. As she waited for permission, her hand quivered as it hovered over Sara’s body.

“You may do whatever you like with me. I’m yours.”

Zak straddled Sara’s knees and slid her hands under her dress and up the side of her thighs, stretching the fabric out as she ascended. Bunching the material in her fists, Zak pulled it over her breasts and unwrapped her like a greatly anticipated gift. When she lay naked except for her thong, Zak gazed at her with a combination of gratitude and appreciation.

“You are truly gorgeous,” Zak whispered as she brushed her lips lightly across Sara’s. She hooked her thumbs in the sides of her thong, peeled it down her legs, and threw it on the floor. The short penny-colored curls between Sara’s thighs glistened with moisture, inviting her to enter and testing her control. Desire clawed inside like a caged animal, urging her to claim this offering. Zak’s body was covered in a light sheen of sexual heat, so pervasive that while it burned deep inside, goose flesh stippled her skin. She’d never wanted anyone so badly that her muscles ached from restraining the passion. But her heart and mind held her in a slow, methodical exploration sweet with sensation and anticipation. This time she had to take it slowly, to show Sara how much she loved her and how deeply her emotions ran.

Sara lay still, her heart pounding wildly against her chest. Zak’s reverent gaze touched her like a caress. “Are you okay, Zak?” Several excruciating minutes had passed since Zak undressed her. Neither of them spoke. Zak stared at her like a cartographer plotting newly discovered terrain. No lover had ever spent so much time just looking at her. The vulnerability so nakedly displayed on Zak’s face was breathtaking. She never knew that physical desire could be so visually apparent. The attention was flattering yet unnerving.

“I’m just enjoying the real you. My dreams didn’t come close.”

Sara grabbed Zak’s shoulders and pulled her down on top of her. “Kiss me.” Zak’s mouth was soft and gentle as she complied. Sara pressed harder against the full lips, wanting more contact, more fire, but Zak controlled the pace, easing back and licking her lips with a teasing stroke. “Zak, come on,” she urged.

“I need to savor you.”

“Savor me later. I need you now. I’ve waited my whole life for you.”

Zak raised up on her elbows and looked into Sara’s eyes. “Please. I know I’m asking a lot, but I need to show you something first. Will you let me?” The pleading look in Zak’s eyes expanded Sara’s sexual appetite into a loving hunger. The pulsation between her legs spread to her heart and the two-pronged aches pounded in unison. Zak stared at her like she was the most desirable woman in the world. Her eyes were dark with desire and an intensity Sara had never seen. She had no idea what Zak needed from her, but whatever it was, she wanted to give it. Denying her anything, ever, was not an option.

“Do whatever you want, darling.” Zak unbuttoned her shirt and slid it off her shoulders. When the raised red scars on her sides became visible, Sara stifled her anger. The two sights should not occur side by side in nature: Zak’s beautifully sculpted alabaster skin marred by the devastating gouges of a wild animal. But that was her lover, a façade of diffidence and control coupled with an underlying layer of feral instincts and exotic desires.

Zak tossed her jeans onto the floor with her shirt and sat astride Sara, naked and needy. She had never tried to control her baser instincts. “My wounds don’t hurt anymore, so don’t worry.” She let the cool evening air wash across her skin and moderate the desire to ravage Sara immediately. The woman she loved lay beneath her, offering herself totally and completely. This was the time for Zak to prove she deserved her.

She stretched alongside Sara and scissored her leg between Sara’s thighs. The slick wetness that covered her quadriceps signaled her lover’s readiness. Zak contracted the muscles of her lower abdomen to stave off her own flood of desire. Lowering herself, she moistened Sara’s lips with the tip of her tongue and teased her way inside her mouth. Sara sucked her in eagerly and the sensation tugged at the base of Zak’s clit. She lifted her lower body slightly to relieve the direct contact between Sara’s thigh and her pubic mound.