LITMIR.BIZ

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      He had to ask? Lounging comfortably against the side, he personified gorgeous male. His body was trim and muscular, his skin tanned from so much time in the sun. His hair was thick and dark. Her fingers actually itched to brush through it, feel the texture, savor the right to do just that.

      “From what I saw of Teresa Valesquez, about the opposite of me.”

      “Ah, a new dress, some strappy high heels and a diamond or two and you’d rival Teresa. Actually, your conversation far surpasses hers. She’s more concerned with being seen in all the right places.”

      “You don’t believe she cares for you?” she asked, startled at his comment. She knew she didn’t measure up, but she didn’t need him suggesting she get new clothes and jewelry. Which she wouldn’t do, even if she had the money.

      “She cares for me because of my money. If I were a cabana boy, she wouldn’t even give me the time of day.”

      She blinked, wondering if Rafael had ever worked on the beaches around Barcelona. She’d love to see him in a swim-suit, all glorious tanned skin and sleek muscles.

      “There is an even larger gap between me and you. What makes you think I wouldn’t date you for your money?”

      “So far you seem singularly unimpressed by it. When faced with fifty thousand Euros, you wanted it to go to charity and you asked for nothing for yourself. Think how that money could help Jose in university.”

      “We can manage on our own,” she said. She was not some gold digger. If that was the type of woman he was used to, she felt even more sorry for him. But she was not joining the ranks of women he dated and discarded.

      “So I buy you a pretty dress or two, a few baubles, and we go out,” he said.

      “No. Thank you for the invitation, but I buy my own clothes and I don’t go out with you.”

      He tilted his head slightly. “Why not?” he asked softly.

      She shook her head, not wanting to have to say anything more.

      “Just no? There has to be a reason,” he pressed.

      “Just no.”

      He crossed the short distance and stood beside her, lifting her face to his with a finger beneath her chin. “Why?”

      His gaze seemed to bore right into her mind. Fortunately, he couldn’t see the jumble of emotions swirling around in there—exacerbated by his touch. She licked her lips and his eyes caught the movement.

      “You’re too dangerous,” she said at last.

      “Because?”

      “Come off it, Rafael, you’re just bored. You don’t really want to date me—you’ve already made me over into a Teresa clone in your mind. If you wanted to take me someplace, you’d take me as I am, not try to make me into someone else.”

      He studied her for a few moments, then nodded and released her.

      Amalia took in a deep breath. She clenched her fists and tried to casually turn away, lest she forget all reason and jump into his arms.

      The balloon spun around, fast enough to catch their attention. The gondola swayed a bit with the sudden motion.

      “What’s wrong?” she asked, grabbing on to the side.

      He leaned back to look at the envelope. Then, looking around, Rafael went to the burners and turned them on full blast.

      Amalia turned and saw the clouds were closer—a lot closer. She cautiously made her way to where he was standing.

      “I think we’ve hit the leading edge of the storm front.”

      The sky was growing gray behind them. Obviously the wind, which one couldn’t see, had outpaced the clouds. It was more turbulent than any they’d experienced before.

      It wouldn’t take long for the sun to get behind the clouds. She looked for the other balloon, but couldn’t find it.

      “Do you think Stefano already put down?”

      “Highly likely. Whatever else he is, he isn’t a fool. Take the controls and keep the jets going until you reach the temperature.” He picked up the radio to contact the ground crew. Manuel responded, but once again there was static on the connection. Rafael asked for an update to the weather, in which direction the wind would be blowing and how long before the storm mass would become critical.

      The response wasn’t reassuring. The front was moving faster than originally anticipated. But the leading winds should keep the balloon away from the rain and lightning for a while. His advice was for them to put down as soon as Rafael found a safe haven.

      “How far away are you?” Rafael asked.

      “We are tracking you by GPS now, but we haven’t seen you in a while. I’d say you’ve picked up some speed with the storm front.”

      Rafe looked over the side, studying the ground. Hilly, no open meadows, and rocky in some places. He could set down if he needed, but the lack of roads made it highly unlikely his chase team would find them anytime soon. It had taken them hours last night. He’d rather set down near civilization.

      “We’re heading north-northwest. Anything on the map in that direction where we can put down near a town?”

      “Checking.”

      Amalia watched with wide eyes. Rafael winked at her to keep her off balance. The last thing he needed was for a scared young woman to hamper the flight. She’d done well so far, despite her phobia about heights. He hoped she could hang on a bit longer.

      If he were flying with Manuel or Maria, he’d be exhilarating in the speed, in racing the wind. The sky was clear ahead, there were no towns or airline flight paths or obstacles to hamper them. But if the storm came faster than the wind pushed them, he’d have to put down, rugged terrain or not. Trees or not. Amalia’s safety would come first. And second, the safety of his balloon.

      But he wasn’t conceding yet.

      “If you keep on your course, there are some plateau lands in a few miles. But no paved roads lead to them and from your GPS position, you’re about twenty miles west of us. There might be some sheep herders in the area. I don’t know. We will keep on this direction. If you change directions, send the signal as arranged.”

      “Roger that. I’ll let you know.”

      “What is an arranged signal?” Amalia asked when Rafael put the radio down.

      “Every half hour. Saves batteries, and they’ll be monitoring at the exact times.”

      “And that works? Did we do that last night?”

      “No, I’ve never have had to use it. Don’t plan to today, either.”

      Rafael could tell from the shadow racing across the landscape they were moving faster than before. Once or twice the balloon faltered, indicating traverse winds. He wasn’t sure whether to rise or go lower to find steady winds. One last look around convinced him he was ahead on this leg of the trip.

      Carefully watching the balloon, Rafael kept busy trying to gauge the speed and pressure on the envelope. Amalia was proving to be more help than he’d expected. She kept the balloon elevated. The wind spun them around again and she gave a short gasp, but didn’t desert her duty station.

      She did look at him with those wide eyes, questioning silently.

      “We’ll look for a place to set down,” he said at last. Watching in the direction they appeared to be going he searched for any open area. Snagging the balloon on tall trees on the way down could render it inoperable. Something he refused to do. There were several more days left on this flight and he planned to make the farthest distance when the week ended. He radioed his plans to the ground crew.

      Amalia jumped. “Oh, lightning,” she said.

      He

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