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A Delicious Mistake Page 10


  Stupid little girl, she thought with a smile. You should have known that escaping him wouldn’t be an option.

  It had not been an option before, and it was not one now. Had she learned nothing from last night?

  In fact, as it turned out, she had learned plenty. Some well-placed touches of her hand to his taut nipples, some tantalizing strokes of her palm along his thigh and to the silken hard length that jutted up from between his legs—she had learned both those things last night. She traced a path of burning kisses along his chest and then leaned down to place a kiss on his powerful manhood, which stood erect and ready and already leaking a bead of moisture that tasted salty on her tongue.

  Benjamin also seemed intent on giving her a few reminders of what they had both learned of each other the previous night. Just like last night, he pushed her back and rolled over so that he lay on top of her. He covered her mouth with his, taking her into a long, sensual, passionate kiss. He pushed his tongue into her mouth, demanding a return of his passion. She opened her lips to him and spread her legs, helpless to do anything else under the onslaught of his burning demands. Sarah curled her fists around the sheets on each side of her, moaning into Benjamin’s mouth. Her own arousal climbed and mounted within her. Her hips bucked up underneath him—and the only thought she had was that she ached to have his hard length within her again. Whatever she might have wanted to say to him was lost as her body dissolved into his. She was entirely pliable to whatever he chose to do with and to her. He didn’t need to tie her with ropes. She stretched her hands overhead and knew herself to be tied with her dark desire.

  If what he had chosen to do was make love to her over and over and over again until they both reached a point of exhaustion, Sarah was only too happy to comply. She didn’t even dream about resisting.

  It did indeed go on for hours, long, wonderful, maddening hours. Sarah lost count of how many times Benjamin took her to the height of near insanity only to bring her back again, much to her delighted frustration. It became a dance, a rhythm, a passionate, wild, maddening cadence. Just before the point of no return, Benjamin would slow his touch and his kisses. He would tease her opening with his hard erection, plunge into her once and pull out. At first, Sarah would only utter a few moans of protest, but eventually she threw all her remaining inhibitions to the wind and began to cry out for more. She was begging, and she didn’t care. This was the sweetest prayer she had ever uttered. From the deep growls of pleasure escaping Benjamin, she could tell that he had her exactly where he had wanted her—begging for him to take her and claim her.

  She found that she truly couldn’t wait for the moment when she could feel his hot seed inside her. She spread her legs wider to grant him even more access, the gesture letting him know the exact extent of her burning desire for him. The intensity of her craving for him had become almost unbearable, but it was a sweet kind of agony.

  Sarah saw the change in his eyes, the glint that told her that the games were over and he would finally satisfy her insistent, overwhelming needs to the fullest. He teased her once more and then plunged into her with one deep, shattering thrust. He pounded into her, his hips bucking, taking her utterly and completely until she came screaming his name.

  Her world turned a blissful, stark white—and a loud shout sounded outside the hut. It echoed across the boma, the enclosure that held the main building, then tents, and the other structures.

  She clung to Benjamin’s sweating shoulders, thinking it a miracle that she had even become aware of anything else other than his solid weight and how he was deep inside of her. But she heard the noise and froze. So did he.

  * * *

  Sarah looked up at Benjamin’s sweating face. Somehow the commotion outside penetrated the hot haze of his inflamed senses enough that he must have realized that whatever was going on was in fact of the utmost importance. He grimaced in what looked like displeasure. He reluctantly and slowly slid out of her.

  She felt the loss at once. As if she had lost a part of herself. As they both climbed from the bed and gathered their clothes, she asked, “What on Earth do you think is going on?”

  Benjamin shrugged. “I have no idea.” He hesitated, his face darkening. “I just hope it’s not more bad news.”

  Sarah cringed. A wave of shame hit her square in the chest. It was an entirely different form of embarrassment than the one that had hit her earlier when she had woken up and realized she had slept with him. She felt ashamed of the accusations she had made. She had been wrong to blame him without proof. She had been wrong to judge him as she had. “Benjamin, I—”

  “Not now, Sarah.” He didn’t sound angry, just preoccupied with whatever might be going on outside.

  There was no point in delaying the inevitable. Dressed, she followed Benjamin out of his hut and headed toward the common area. She kept hoping for news that, if it could not be good, was at least not tragic. Not again. She was not prepared for the crowd that had gathered.

  It looked as if the entire ranger squad and the staff of the Hutton Game Lodge had gathered in the large square of dirt that sat amid the huts that formed the boma. It didn’t seem an angry crowd to her—she wouldn’t call it a lynch mob. She glanced around at the smiles, at the rangers who were slapping each other’s backs. She frowned at the joyous shouting, and cheers, and laughter. She glanced at Benjamin and he stared back, looking just as stunned as she felt. She noticed Benjamin was being included in the grins and back slaps—he looked flabbergasted. She wondered then how many others had looked at him with suspicion over the past few weeks—just as she had done. “What is going on?” Sarah demanded, raising her voice to be heard.

  No one seemed to hear her. Their joy was too great; their enthusiasm too loud for whatever news had come.

  It took a long while for things to calm down enough that Sarah could finally make out the reason for the crowd’s elation. She couldn’t remember ever seeing such overwhelming exuberance, not even when England had won the World Cup. Finally, one of the younger rangers seemed to notice her and Benjamin. The ranger made his way over to them. He slapped Benjamin’s shoulder and then he turned to Sarah.

  With a jolt along her spine, Sarah suddenly knew her life was about to change. She didn’t know what this news would mean for her future, or for Benjamin’s—either together or separate. But she sensed that whatever impact the news would have on their life, it was going to be enormous.

  Then the young ranger said, “The police. We just heard. They have evidence at last.”

  “What?” Sarah asked. She resisted looking at Benjamin.

  The young ranger kept smiling. “The poachers who killed Luke—they’re going to catch them!”

  Chapter Nine: Innocence versus Doubt

  Benjamin had not realized he had been figuratively holding his breath all through the soul-shattering, energy-draining events that had occurred. He knew it now when, for the first time in what felt like forever, he could finally, truly exhale. The jubilation that spread around the Hutton Game Lodge that morning was too intense and powerful to leave room for detailed explanations. But Benjamin finally managed to piece together that a syndicate of animal poachers had been apprehended while attempting to smuggle their haul across the border into Mozambique. Amidst the horrifyingly vast array of animal elephant tusks, rhino horns, and cheetah skins, the border patrol had seized an arsenal of weapons. The poachers had possession of a mind-numbingly large amount of axes, knives, pangas, rifles, and what seemed to be endless rounds of ammunition.

  Due to the recent and still-unresolved case of homicide in Tanzania, protocol had dictated that blood samples of any and all apprehended criminals had to be taken and sent to Nkorula Lapa for mandatory testing. All traces of blood found on the weapons were also sent for potential matching. The results had just come back that the traces of blood matched that of Luke Hutton.

  Benjamin stood speechless as everyone around him spoke of this great news. Amidst all of the excitement, the reality dawned on him t
hat he had been exonerated. It also dawned on him that one or more of those captured had to be the killer of his best friend and brother. A pang of rage and sorrow hit him, creeping through the overwhelming relief that also washed over him. From within the crowd, Chief of Police Tobias Bankole walked up to him. He shook Benjamin's hand firmly, glanced at Sarah, and then led Benjamin and Sarah to a quiet corner of the area near Benjamin’s hut.

  “The case is far from closed,” Tobias admitted. He sounded disgruntled. “But we're glad to have something to work on. We're cracking down fast on the perpetuators. We’ll get a confession from one of them—they won’t all want to be tried for murder. And then God help the bastard. Luke Hutton was well loved—even some of our current inmates knew of him and admired him for what he was doing for the Serengeti.” He winked at Sarah’s incredulous expression. “Those men aren’t poachers and even criminals love their homeland.”

  Benjamin straightened. “You don't know how happy it makes me to hear that you’re close to catching the one responsible. I know the Huttons will feel the same. Won’t they, Sarah?”

  Sarah nodded, her head still spinning. She tried for words but found she didn’t know what to say. She was still reeling from these latest developments, she cleared her throat. “They will. My parents will be—well, happy is too much to ask for but it may help ease their grief. I, for one, am very happy to hear it. Right now justice is the most important thing to my parents and me. Convicting the man who is to blame will bring us back some peace and allow us to begin to heal.”

  Tobias Bonkole nodded, his face set in grim lines. “At the very least, you can all rest easy knowing that you never have to worry again where this one is concerned.” He nudged an elbow into Benjamin’s arm. “We’re all glad of that.”

  Sarah nodded. She didn’t hold the man at fault. The police chief had only been doing his job. The same, however, could not be said about her. Once again she flushed hot with deep shame and regret.

  “I for one am so relieved I could cry.” Tobias let out a deep breath. He sounded like he was only half joking. He met Benjamin’s stare. “From all indications, it seemed likely that I would have to arrest you sooner or later.”

  “Thank goodness that will not be necessary,” Benjamin said. Sarah thought he sounded almost like he could pass out from overwhelming relief. He put a hand to his temples as if his head had yet to stop spinning. And then he looked over to Sarah. “Do you think trust can be re-established between your parents and me?”

  She heard the question he did not ask—What about between you and me? Sarah gave him a smile she hoped would convey all her remorse and everything else she felt for him. She lifted her chin. “Undoubtedly,” she stated. But, she thought, I am so very sorry.

  Benjamin seemed to hear her loud and clear. He nodded and flashed a brilliant smile that shot a jolt down to her toes. She knew they would need to talk about this to get their own closure on the scars not just of Luke’s death but of the words she had thrown at him. This did not seem like the time or the place. She wanted him to enjoy his status now as a man cleared of all guilt.

  “I hope you can find the time in the coming week to stop by the station,” Tobias Bankole said. “We’ll need to sort out a last few details while we work to wrap up the case.”

  “As usual, I'll be happy to help any way I can,” Benjamin said.

  Tobias nodded briskly, and shook hands again with Benjamin. “It’s not every day we get such a fortuitous conclusion to a case. I’m just as relieved as you must be.”

  “Frankly, Tobias, I doubt it.” Benjamin’s lips curved up with the hint of a smirk.

  Tobias smiled and nodded. “Have a nice day, Benjamin. You too, Miss Hutton.”

  Sarah nodded and watched the man walk away. She heard yet another deep sigh release from Benjamin. All around chatter and a good, joyous kind of chaos lifted. The workers, rangers, and the people who had known Luke Hutton showed now just that they were eager to see justice being served, but she thought they were showing the relief showing being Benjamin Ndlovo that he was again one of them. This was his time, she knew. He needed to bond with these people.

  She slipped quietly away. She spotted him once looking for her, but she kept walking back to the main house. He didn’t come after her. She didn’t expect that. She knew now that he was like Luke in that he was a man who needed time alone to deal with the world in his own way.

  At least for a little while, she thought, smiling as visions of more mind-blowing sexual encounters with him filled her mind.

  * * *

  Alone in the privacy of her bedroom, Sarah found herself fighting an internal battle. The news about the poachers had been unexpected, to say the least. That the police had been able to expose their guilt was nothing short of a miracle. Benjamin would not face charges—and she did not have a crime to solve. She was relieved—but oddly left feeling empty. She had hung onto her need for justice so that now she looked at it and saw it also as a need for revenge. If they put her in a room with those poachers she wasn’t sure she could guarantee those men would come out intact. She had focused on Benjamin as her target because she needed to do something—she hadn’t been there to help Luke, either.

  But where did she go from here?

  Her life had changed drastically. Luke’s death, her return to Africa, and most of all her night with Benjamin had made her into someone different from the girl who had moved to England and settled into a dull life under gray English skies. And she thought how she really could go find Benjamin right now so she could have more spectacular sex with him. But she didn’t. A part of her couldn’t be truly, entirely happy with the recent developments. Something was still amiss. She was still dissatisfied.

  What did this mean for Luke? Would justice truly be carried forth? Would the punishment, provided there was one, be substantial and fitting to the crime? Sarah wasn't going to just settle for the arrest of the poachers involved in the killing. Her hands curled into fists. Yes, if they let her into a room with them she’d have no trouble seeing to it they were dealt an ending like the one they had given Luke. She wasn’t going to allow for this to end with simple good news and let everything else be swept aside.

  Yet, after the unexpected bliss she had found in Benjamin’s arms, how far was she really willing to go? Was she ready to risk it all? Would she really take revenge on others for Luke? When all was finally said and done, what would become of her and Benjamin?

  The latter question was the one that troubled her the most.

  Benjamin hadn’t come after her when he noticed she had left the boisterous gathering. And now her doubts rose up to eat at her. As much as she tried to berate herself, as much as she tried to tell herself that she was being ridiculously paranoid, she couldn’t help but entertain the nagging suspicion that Benjamin might have seduced her just to keep her on his side. After all, what was she—a virgin at twenty-four? Not a recommendation. A girl he’d once known and so he could use that? Perhaps he really only wanted a member of Luke's immediate family as an ally.

  Insecurity ate at her like a poison. She climbed into the shower and scrubbed, and told herself Benjamin could not have possibly faked his passion. But maybe she wasn’t the only woman he’d ever taken like that. A man like him must have lots of women hanging around—and what better way to get her and her accusations off his back than to make her fall for him.

  Just how could she have allowed herself to be seduced so easily? Whatever happened to her hard-won control?

  Benjamin Ndlovo happened, her inner voice spat, mocking her cruelly.

  Everything about him had fascinated her. She loved his voice—deep, compelling, hypnotic, and yet so soft and gentle when it was needed. His control amazed her—so seductive and tempting her to wanton acts of sensual abandon. His touch excited her—his long, fine fingers, dark and cool on her pale, burning skin. His hands combing through her hair could hold her captive. Benjamin was dreamy and yet dangerous as he stripped away her walls, leaving her ex
posed so he might discover every inch of her.

  The truth was, she realized, she felt vulnerable to him. And she wasn’t sure that was a good thing.

  Exhausted from the turmoil within, she still couldn't draw her mind away from the thrills that lingered from the night before. Naked from her shower, she lay on her bed. Her much too vivid imagination kept betraying her, putting her back in that fire-lit room. On the warm, simple sheets she remembered the tranquil silence of the night, crackling with sexual electricity. She remembered hushed moments disturbed only by the wild pounding of her heart, which so well matched the beat of Benjamin's.

  Closing her eyes, she let the memories take her back until she was right there underneath Benjamin, naked not just in body but also in the inescapable revealing of her soul. Benjamin's passion had made her feel decadent, sensual, and fearless. A goddess ensnared by her own desires—a sweetly given sacrifice. Bathed in the sensual glow of the fire, their bodies had moved in mutual pleasure. That hadn’t been a lie. Sarah could still remember the strains of almost-heard music on the soft African breeze blowing in from the small window as Benjamin’s deep, languid strokes in and out of her made time stand still.

  Yet, beneath the coupling of flesh and passion, there had still been that edge, that sense of peril. Was Benjamin a devil disguised as a hero? Was he just too good to be true? Now that he was cleared of murder and had no need of a Hutton for a friend, would he again treat her as just an old friend’s sister? Her heart ached to trust Benjamin—to go to him and keep giving him everything she was. But what if she lost herself in him—and in Africa?

  She knew her life was changing and it was all just too fast. She needed to step back and make sure she wasn’t making a terrible mistake here. She didn’t want to go home to England with a broken heart—she was on the verge of not wanting to go back at all. But some part of her clung to the idea that she had to be certain. She wasn’t like Luke. He had always known what he wanted and he went for it. She had to make certain she wasn’t going to end up living alone and abandoned while Benjamin went onto the next girl who caught his interest. She couldn’t bear to stay and watch that. But what place did she have here? What was she to him?