Do Opposites Attract? (8 page)

Brianna’s eyes were still on his, her body close enough he could inhale her wild flower scent. Her lips so damn close, Mitch could almost taste her. Call him selfish, but right now he wasn’t thinking about the patients lying in the ward. He wasn’t thinking about the bleep in his pocket either, destined to go off at any time. All he could think about was the woman who stood in front of him. He only had to stretch out his hand and he could touch her. She was his for the taking.

‘Mitch?’ His name was a whisper from trembling lips. He heard her inhale an unsteady breath and then she bit into her lower lip. This time the gesture wasn’t coy, or deliberate. It was uncertain, scared almost. It was a heady moment, knowing he could unnerve her. She’d done it to him often enough.

His hands twitched in his pockets, but just as he started to pull them out, to drag her to him and take what he wanted, she spun abruptly away from him. ‘I’m sorry, you obviously don’t want this.’ Her voice caught as she stood with her back to him. ‘I think you should go.’

Mitch stared at her in stunned disbelief. Had she really taken his hesitation as a sign of indifference? Was this gorgeous creature really that unsure of herself? Heck, if she’d been any other woman, he would have thought a lot less and moved a lot quicker. The fact that he hadn’t, told him he knew this had the potential to be far more than a quick romp between the sheets. It bothered him enough to hesitate. But not enough to stop.

He reached out and snatched at her arm, pulling her back towards him. ‘Not so fast.’

At the sound of Mitch’s rough, husky voice, Brianna’s legs, already shaking, nearly gave way. Had it not been for his arm supporting her, she’d be a crumpled heap by his feet. Jeez, she was crap at seduction.

But then she turned to look at him, and her stomach almost fell to the floor.

Dark eyes, almost black, gazed heatedly back at her, filled with desire and a hint of the danger she found so exciting about him. Her pulse scrambled and someone – was that really her? – let out a breath that was half moan, half gasp.

He tugged on her hand. ‘My tent,’ he snapped, his voice hoarse. ‘It’s got a larger bed.’

With her heart hammering against her ribcage, she followed him. When they were both inside he zipped the door firmly shut. Then his mouth came crashing down on hers.

There was nothing tender about the way Mitch set about making love. He was fever and fire. His kisses left a burning path in their wake. His hands … Oh God, his hands were everywhere. There wasn’t a part of her left untouched by his heat.

‘There’s something you need to know about me,’ he muttered between hot kisses. ‘I don’t think much of long foreplay.’ With that he unceremoniously yanked off her clothes and threw them across the tent.

It was fierce, wild and utterly thrilling. Caught up in the fervour, she tried to get to his flesh. She wanted to touch his naked body, to see how the muscles she’d glimpsed beneath his T-shirt played out across his chest. To feel their strength. Pushing up his shirt she snaked her hand up his back.

He batted it away ‘We’ll get to that.’

He was like a tornado, whipping over her body, intent on getting his fill of what he wanted. And that seemed to be to devour every part of her. From her breasts, to the liquid centre between her legs, he explored, leaving a scorching trail in his wake.

‘Please, Mitch …’ she implored him, suddenly not confident enough to ask for what she wanted. What she needed.

He seemed to understand, for he lifted her into his arms and lowered her onto the bed before finally tearing off his own clothes. Brianna watched, fascinated, as he stretched to pull off his T-shirt, giving her a blissful glimpse of hard, well defined muscles, a dramatic black tattoo and a sprinkling of dark blond hair.

After pulling a condom from his holdall he quickly sheathed himself and launched on top of her. With a single fluid movement he pushed her legs apart and drove himself inside. He didn’t ask, he just took. As he thrust his powerful body into hers, she thought she’d die with the pleasure. He felt … incredible. She cried out, only to have his hand brought down firmly onto her mouth.

‘Canvas walls,’ he muttered.

She was too far gone to care. All she wanted was for his body to keep pounding into hers, again and again, harder and faster. Finally she bit down on his hand as an intense orgasm ripped through her system. It seemed to go on and on, leaving her totally shattered. As she lay in a post-climactic haze, she was dimly aware of him stiffening inside her, taking his own release.

For several pulsating minutes he lay, fully stretched out, on top of her. When he finally eased onto his elbows and looked down at her, his hair was mussed and his eyes like deep pools of liquid chocolate. ‘I think we’ve successfully established this is what I wanted,’ he announced roughly.

He was still inside her. Even as she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, she was aware of him hardening again. ‘Umm, I can see that.’ She arched her hips to encourage him. His brown eyes darkened further and his mouth descended onto hers once more.

Lying on her side, totally spent, Brianna cuddled up close to Mitch and rested her head on his chest. His bed might be larger than hers, but it was still narrow, forcing them together. She took the opportunity to study the body pressed up against her. It wasn’t the prettiest male body she’d ever lain next to, but it was the toughest. The panther tattoo crept intimidatingly across the top half of his arm, adding to his wild boy aura. His tanned chest wasn’t the sort artfully created by hours in a gym. It was one that matched his face, rugged and strong. Several scars ran haphazardly across it. Gently she ran a finger across the ridge of the most ragged scar. ‘A war wound?’

Mitch looked down at the dainty fingers brushing across his skin, sliding over the scar he’d received from a knife fight when he was thirteen. He swore softly to himself. Those soft, well-manicured hands didn’t belong on him. What the hell was he doing with her? But even as he wondered, his body responded to her touch. How could he want her again? He’d harboured a faint hope that taking her to bed would get her out of his system, but his body was emphatically telling him something entirely different. ‘Unless you’re up for another round, I suggest you put that finger away.’

She looked up at him through a tangle of glossy chestnut hair. ‘I wouldn’t say no, but I’m going to need a rest first. You’ve worn me out.’ She bent to kiss the scar.

Uncomfortable with her scrutiny, Mitch pulled up the sheet. ‘You can’t play with the goods if you’re not prepared to handle the consequences.’

A giggle burst from her but she obediently lay her hands over the sheet, snuggling in further to his side. ‘Tell me a bit about Mitch McBride.’

He stilled. ‘What do you want to know?’

She cocked her head up from its resting place on his chest. ‘Well, start from the beginning. Your parents.’

‘What about them?’ He clasped his hands behind his head and tried to relax.

‘Are you close to them?’

‘No.’

Brianna sighed. ‘This is worse than getting blood out of a stone. Are they still alive?’

Mitch glanced down at her. Hadn’t she got the message yet? She was clearly one of those women who wanted cosy conversation after making love. Well she’d chosen the wrong guy for that. And most definitely the wrong topic of conversation. ‘No,’ he replied shortly.

‘Any brothers or sisters?’

‘No.’

‘Come on, Mitch, can’t you say anything but no?’

‘I don’t recall saying no tonight.’

Brianna sat up in frustration, the sheet dropping off and leaving her breasts exposed. ‘Come on, these are simple questions. Why all the secrecy?’

He let out a long, exasperated breath. Women. She sat there, taunting him with her bare breasts, and expected him to have a conversation about his family? Something he didn’t talk about. Ever. Even if bare breasts were nowhere in sight. ‘Why all the questions?’ he countered.

Brianna glared at him. ‘I want to know a little bit about the man I’m sleeping with, that’s all. You know all about me.’

He dragged his eyes from her delicious breasts and focused on her face for a moment. ‘Brianna, this is just sex. We’re not about to start a relationship. We don’t need to waste time on conversation when we could be putting that time to much better use.’

Before she had a chance to protest, he captured one of her breasts in his mouth and pushed her back down onto the bed.

‘Where are you going?’ Through the haze of sexual satisfaction, Brianna became aware of Mitch pushing her aside so he could get out of the bed.

‘I’ve been bleeped.’ He was shoving his long legs into his trousers and grabbing at the nearest T-shirt. ‘I don’t know how long I’ll be.’

There was a pointed silence. Though she waited for the words telling her to go back to sleep, he’d join her when he was finished, they weren’t forthcoming. ‘Right. I’ll go back to my tent then.’

Mitch simply nodded at her and vanished. Slowly Brianna eased back against the pillow. She felt hurt, slighted, though why she’d expected anything different, she didn’t know. He hadn’t exactly been tripping over himself to charm her into bed. No, it was she who’d done the chasing. He might be up for sex, but clearly that was all. Spending the night cuddling up in his bed had never been on the cards, whether he’d been bleeped or not. She should have known that, readied herself for it.

Annoyed with herself, she moved out of the bed and hunted around for her clothes – clothes that had been discarded earlier with ruthless abandon. Well, it might not have had the ending she’d hoped for, she acknowledged as she zipped up her trousers, but it had certainly been a night she would never forget.

When Mitch made it back to his thankfully empty tent an hour later, he had the first opportunity to mull over what the hell had happened. God, he’d never been more pleased to be bleeped in the middle of the night in the whole of his life. When he’d first opened his eyes, he’d been horrified to find he’d fallen asleep with his arms around Brianna, her body nuzzled against his. They’d looked like a real couple, rather than two people who were together just for sex. He’d been so damn shocked he’d pushed her away with more roughness than he’d intended, subconsciously knowing he’d wanted to wake her up. Had wanted to make sure she wasn’t in his bed when he’d got back.

It was a mystery to him why women thought having sex with a man automatically gave them the right to wake up next to him. He preferred to wake up alone, something that had led to him being called cold and heartless on many occasions. Probably he was, but he was a loner. He liked his space, his freedom, his independence. It was how it had always been. He’d stopped relying on other people a long time ago. Since he’d done that, accepted that he was on his own, that there was nobody to look out for him but himself, life had been a lot simpler. It was how he intended it to stay.

The time had finally come. Her last day at the camp. When she’d first set foot in this part of South America and seen for herself the grim reality of life here, the week had stretched ahead of her like an eternity. Now, incredibly, it was nearly over, leaving her with decidedly mixed feelings. She was desperate to get back to civilisation. A hot bath and television. A comfortable bed and wardrobe full of clean clothes. Those were the basics. Then there were the simple pleasures. A meal in a restaurant. A drink with her friends. Things she’d taken for granted, but now couldn’t wait to enjoy again. In fact, when she looked at it hard, there was actually only one reason why she didn’t want to go home. And that reason was currently sitting down in the camp dining room, eating breakfast.

‘Did you manage some sleep?’ she asked as she deliberately went to sit opposite him. He wore his intimidating look – unshaven and unsmiling – but it was water off a duck’s back to her now.

‘Some.’ He glanced up at her briefly, eyes hooded, then carried on eating his porridge.

‘Is there anything you need me to do today? Anything I can help with?’

He shrugged. ‘I’m not sure. You’ll need to check with Tessa and Stuart. I won’t be around much.’

Brianna felt a flare of intense disappointment. This man had feasted on her body last night. He had been more intimate with her than any man she’d ever known. And now he was spending her final day somewhere else. It hurt, as did the fact he couldn’t even be bothered to look her in the eye when he told her. ‘I see. You are aware this is my last day here. I go home tomorrow.’

Finally his eyes rested on hers, but they were anything but friendly. ‘We’re trying to save lives here. It doesn’t all stop just because you’re going home.’

Ouch. He knew how to hurt. ‘Yes, you’re right, I’m sorry.’ Ashamed she lowered her head and pretended an interest in her breakfast. She was being totally selfish, thinking only of what she wanted. His skill-set was rare and much in demand. If this week had taught her nothing else, it had taught her that.

Mitch cleared his throat. ‘Sorry, too. I do the jerk thing quite well.’

Her heart melted and she smiled. ‘Yes, you do.’

‘There’s been further chaos downstream and I’ve been asked to go and help, but before that I’m going to check on a suspected case of cholera in the camp. You can come with me, if you like. But I’m warning you now, it won’t be pretty. The main symptom is diarrhoea.’

‘With an invitation as appealing as that, how can a woman possibly refuse?’

His lips twitched, but he also shook his head, as if caught in two minds whether to laugh or cuss at her for being so flippant.

A short while later she was sitting in the truck next to him, bumping over the hard ground towards the back of the camp.

‘Do I have any instructions?’

‘Smile, stay out of the way and, for the love of God, don’t eat or drink anything offered.’

She huffed. ‘That’s it? You really do think I’m a waste of space, don’t you?’

He pulled the truck to a stop. ‘No. I think you’re bright, strong and determined, but your talents lie in a different direction than nursing.’

Slightly mollified, she climbed down from the truck. ‘You only said all that so I’d do as I was told.’

He tried to look offended, but the bugger was clearly having a hard time suppressing a smile. Funny, for most of her stay she’d wanted to make him smile. Now he was, she wanted him to take her seriously.

Mitch hauled his medical bag out of the back of the jeep and together they walked up to the large tatty tent. Even from a distance she heard the cries of a baby.

‘Here.’ He thrust some disposable gloves at her. ‘In case you ignore the
stay out of the way
instruction.’

Giving him a hard glare, she snapped on the gloves.

Mitch bit back a smile. Brianna looked so cute when she was in a huff. He’d fully intended not to see her at all today, figuring it would save them both the embarrassment. But she’d looked so hurt this morning when he’d ungraciously barked at her that somehow he’d ended up inviting her along.

And now here he was, feeling an almost overwhelming need to smile.

‘Médico.’

Abruptly he looked up to see the worried face of a woman beckoning to him from inside the tent. Time to get his head screwed back onto his job.

The smell was the first thing that hit him when he lifted up the tent flap. He was used to bad smells, but the stench of diarrhoea wasn’t one you wanted to hang around long in. He turned to the woman, clearly the mother, and started asking all his usual questions; who had diarrhoea, when had it come on, how many bowel movements, when he heard a muffled squawk from behind him.

Brianna appeared momentarily in the doorway. Her face went sheet-white, she gasped, croaked out ‘Oh … sorry,’ then threw a hand to her mouth and disappeared.

He found himself having to stifle another smile. ‘She’s not quite used to life in a refugee camp yet,’ he explained to the mother.

Not that she’d ever be used to it, he reminded himself as he started to examine the children. She was going home tomorrow. Back to her highly privileged, highly sanitised life. A fact he’d do well to remember.

There were four kids affected in all, and he quizzed the older child.

‘Where were you drinking from?’

He looked sheepish. ‘The lake.’

Mitch shook his head. It didn’t seem to matter how many times these kids were told not to drink from lakes and rivers, they did it anyway. ‘You know you only drink treated water.’ He grabbed another few packs of purifying tablets out of his bag and tossed them over to him.

‘Yes, Médico.’

It was exactly the same voice Mitch had used when he’d been that age and teachers had told him not to get into any more fights, not to get into trouble.

He delved into his bag and gave the mother some rehydration sachets. ‘You need to mix these in the water I’m leaving you and get the kids to drink lots of it.’ Then he explained, yet again, the importance of good hygiene. Washing their hands with soap after going to the toilet and before cooking or eating. Treating the water before drinking it. Finally he nodded over to the youngest. ‘Someone will come and collect him and take him to the hospital tent. He needs to be put on a drip for a while.’

‘Thank you.’

After saying his goodbyes, he went in search of Brianna. He found her sitting near a small clump of bushes, hugging her legs.

He nodded over to the bush. ‘Is that where your breakfast ended up?’

She stared resolutely past his shoulder. ‘Yes.’

Hunching down next to her, he smoothed back her hair. ‘Sorry. Bringing you here wasn’t one of my best ideas. I didn’t think.’

‘It’s not your fault I seem to have this propensity for throwing up at the drop of a hat.’ She nodded to his shirt. ‘At least you weren’t in striking distance this time.’

‘I guess I should thank the bush for taking the hit.’

Suddenly she let out a sob and thrust her face into her hands. ‘God, why am I so flaming useless?’

He felt a strange fluttering sensation in his chest and had to fight not to fling his arms round her. She was leaving tomorrow. He might have let his guard slip last night, but he had to shove it firmly up again now. ‘I told you, you’re not useless. Just not cut out for life in a refugee camp.’

‘I guess not.’ She glanced sideways at him. ‘Did you fix them?’

‘I’m not sure that’s the right terminology, but yes. They’ll be okay. If you catch it early enough, cholera is easily treated by rehydration.’

‘That’s it? No hour long operation? No fancy drug cocktail? Just drink some fluids?’

He chuckled. ‘A lot of what we do here is very simple.’

For a few moments they sat side by side, gazing out over the camp. Mitch was very much aware of her next to him, but not only as a woman. In every way they were diametrically opposite and yet … and yet he could sit here, next to her, and feel not just comfortable, but strangely content.

But that was dangerous. Because he didn’t want to feel any closeness towards her, Mitch suddenly jumped to his feet. ‘Right. I need to head on downstream. I’ll give you a lift back.’

Once more Brianna sat next to Mitch in the truck. It had been a strange morning. She’d humiliated herself again. Okay, nothing odd in that. At least not on this trip. But what had been odd had been Mitch’s attitude towards her when he’d sat with her by the bush. For a few wonderful moments he’d been warm, relaxed. Of course he’d quickly smashed whatever had started to grow between them, almost as if he’d been afraid of letting her get close.

‘Got any plans for your last night?’ They were the first words he’d spoken to her since they’d set off back to base.

‘No, I hadn’t thought of it.’ Liar. Images of Mitch making love to her all evening danced through her mind. She bit the inside of her cheek and went for broke. ‘Will you be around?’

‘I’m not sure. Maybe if I get back in time, we can drag a few of the others out and go for a farewell drink?’

Not exactly the images in her mind, but she was pathetically grateful for the offer nonetheless. ‘Sounds good, but if you go out twice in a week they’ll think you’ve had a knock on the head.’

At last he smiled at her. ‘When in truth, I’ve been corrupted by the patron’s daughter.’

‘I think it was you who did the corrupting last night.’

Mitch eyed her speculatively. ‘You didn’t look like you were complaining.’

She returned his gaze steadily. ‘I wasn’t. I’m not.’

The electricity crackled between them once more. They were poles apart when it came to background and personality, but when it came to physical attraction they were dynamite together. As his eyes darkened with desire, she knew at least on that front, they were in agreement.