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lost track of time.
    She didn’t sleep much through the night—conscious of him lying only yards away outside. She woke early, hot and bothered, and sat inside the tent to control her hormones and fast-beating heart. It wasn’t just his physical proximity, it was the talking-with-him thing too. It made him all the more attractive. What she needed was some confidence. Some ‘don’t think you can mess with me’ attitude. She delved deep into the bottom of her pack and resolutely strapped on the ridiculous shoes she’d lugged round for weeks. She couldn’t believe she’d brought them with her, nor that she was actually going to wear them now. But it was a desperate situation. Something about Seb made her want to have the guts to wear them and get away with it. He thought she wasn’t too tall? She’d show him.
    He noticed them right away. ‘Oh, they’re so appropriate, aren’t they? High heels on safari.’
    ‘Yes, they are.’ She took up the challenge. ‘You don’t like how tall they make me?’
    He shrugged, arrogantly uncaring. ‘I’m still taller than you.’
    Her eyes narrowed. ‘One day I’ll find a pair that’ll make me taller than you.’
    ‘Try the circus—they have stilts there.’
    ‘You’re not afraid of looking up to me?’
    ‘Your height doesn’t intimidate me.’ He grinned. ‘It’s actually quite interesting.’ He leaned and dropped his voice to seduction volume. ‘A good fit where it counts. No need for me to be a contortionist.’
    Oh, now there was a thought. It was too easy to go over the line with him. And she went one further, provocatively leaning closer, a mere millimetre from contact, registering with pleasure the widening of his eyes. ‘Want to know the best thing about these shoes?’
    His mouth opened but no sound emerged.
    She smiled. ‘The heels are really good for treading on toes when someone gets too close.’ She pulled back and flicked a cool look at him.
    His eyes narrowed. ‘I consider myself warned.’
    ‘Great.’ She turned and positively strutted away, hiding the grin of victory.
    They climbed back into the Jeeps and drove down the rocky road into the crater—one of the world’s natural heritage sites. It was a trip she’d been looking forward to for ages and despite only a few hours’ broken sleep she was determined to make the most of it—damned if she was going to let her chaotic hormones ruin it.
    They drove onto the floor of the crater, stood up in the roofless Jeep to get a better view of the abundance of animals. In the magnificence she forgot her fight with him—and herself.
    ‘What’s your inner beast, Seb? Lion? Oh, no, I know.’ She smiled sweetly. ‘Cheetah.’
    He shot her a look. ‘No. Elephant.’
    ‘What,’ she asked innocently, ‘because of your big trunk?’
    ‘Thanks for the compliment, sweetheart, but no. My memory. I might not have known much about you, Ana, but what I did learn I’ve never forgotten.’ He leaned and whispered into her ear. ‘I remember what you like. I remember how you like it—how fast, how deep, how often.’
    Desire gushed into her belly at his boldness. Knew it was payback for her heeled-shoes moment.
    ‘You know what kind of animal you are?’ He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
    ‘Don’t you dare say giraffe.’ She reminded herself to breathe.
    ‘Wouldn’t dream of it.’ His eyes gleamed. ‘I was thinking more along the lines of a gazelle.’
    And she was in trouble again when he looked at her like that. ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’ She was a giraffe—all tall angles and gangly. Not remotely like one of those nimble, petite, pretty things.
    ‘No, I mean it. Jumpy.’ He seemed to be closer still. ‘Skittish. Takes fright.’
    ‘I don’t take fright.’ She inched back further against the hard railing of the Jeep.
    ‘Yes, you do,’ he said softly. ‘That’s OK. I’m patient enough to stalk my prey.’
    She refused to be his prey. ‘Elephants are