About That Night.... Scarlet Wilson
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about this situation was just too uncomfortable.
He’d caught a waft of her floral perfume the other day and it had invaded his senses, instantly taking him back to that night in the bar.
The night when Violet had drunk too many glasses of wine and had virtually propositioned him in the corridor leading to the back exit. The night when he’d had too many whiskies and had no resistance to her in her red dress and spiked heels, her hair all mussed up on her head.
The feel of her hungry lips on his had made him forget where they were and the consequences of his actions.
By the time someone had interrupted them, he’d practically had her dress up around her waist.
Hardly the ideal position for a DPA team leader and a member of his staff.
And the next day it had been as if nothing had ever happened. He sometimes wondered if Violet even remembered the incident.
Surely she hadn’t been that drunk? Because that thought made him sick to his stomach. That would mean he’d taken advantage of her. Something he would never do.
But in the meantime her floral scent lingered around him.
How could he sleep in a room tonight with that aroma and all it conjured up in his mind?
There was no question about it.
Violet Connelly was going to drive him crazy.
CHAPTER THREE
THE LIGHT AIRCRAFT touched down in a cloud of dust.
“We’re here.” Violet pressed her nose up against the glass window, trying to take in the wide landscape ahead of her.
Natumba state covered more than eighteen thousand square kilometers, and they’d landed in the northernmost tip, at the three local government areas most affected by polio. Only a few days ago there had been another two diagnoses of wild poliovirus.
Part of her was relieved they weren’t going to be based in the capital, Natumba. There was another team already based there.
But the wide open landscape and vast terrain made her realize the huge task they were undertaking and the number of miles they’d need to cover. All in the blistering heat.
There were a few figures dressed in white next to the landing strip, along with a whole host of multi-terrain vehicles—some looking a little worse for wear.
“That must be Dr. Yusif. He said he would meet us here and take us to the campsite.”
“I didn’t expect it to be so green. I expected it to look more barren.”
Evan turned as he unloaded their bags and all the supplies from the plane. “Natumba is quite an agricultural state—they produce a lot of groundnuts. The land is supposed to be well cultivated and irrigated.”
“And the villages?” She left the question hanging in the air between them.
Both of them had read as much as they could about the surrounding area. Only half of the population in the area had access to portable water and appropriate sanitation. Health care was limited and the education system in a state of neglect.
Although the government had launched national campaigns to raise awareness about polio, the reality was the message wasn’t reaching the villagers.
“Nigeria isn’t all savannah. The far south has a tropical rainforest climate and good rainfall. There are also areas of saltwater swamp and mangroves. The border with Cameroon has highlands and a rich rainforest. It’s not the dry desert wasteland that some people expect.”
Dr. Yusif was striding across the ground to meet them. He was dressed in a white shirt and trousers with a white kufi cap on his head. “Welcome, welcome.” His smile reached from ear to ear. “I’m so glad to see you.” He shook hands with them both and guided them over to the vehicles. “Grab your bags and let’s get on the move. It will be too hot to travel if we don’t start now.”
“How far away is the campsite?” Violet asked as she slid into the backseat of the four wheel drive. The upholstery of the seats were ripped and scorched by the sun. She pulled her skirt down to stop her skin from sticking to the surface. It must be around one hundred degrees in here, nothing like the comfortable, air-conditioned vehicles they’d had in the city, or that she took for granted back home.
“It’s only around an hour, but the roads can be rough. Hold on to your hat!”
Evan slid in next to her and they listened as Dr. Yusif filled them in on some of the background to where they’d be working. Violet clung onto the grab handle on the roof as the car pitched over the uneven terrain—anything to stop her sliding across the seat and landing in Evan’s lap.
He was managing to look as cool and calm as ever. How did he do it? The sweat was already starting to trickle down her spine and she was wishing she had pulled her hair off her collar with an elastic band.
Dr. Yusif seemed to talk constantly. It seemed that he’d been here, without support, for some time and was relieved that they’d arrived. He was moving on to another area and would introduce them to the team covering the three local areas, which Evan would be leading.
Every now and then he turned and spoke to the driver of the car in another language. “What language is that you’re speaking?” Violet queried.
“It’s Hausa, the native language around these parts. Don’t worry. You’ll be assigned a local guide who’ll be able to interpret for you. And it might surprise you, but some of the villagers speak English. It’s one of the official languages of Nigeria. You’ll get along fine here.”
The countryside sped past. They passed some smaller villages, where people were working in the fields, and had to pull over as some livestock were driven along the road toward them.
Violet was feeling nervous.
This was what she’d wanted—a complete change of scenery. A chance to do the job she’d initially set out to do. A chance to test herself again—to get in among real live people and see if she could make a difference to their health and future prospects. A chance to get away from Evan Hunter.
The past few weeks had been a terrible strain. Working with Evan had been hard enough after their passionate interlude. But seeing his reactions to her brother’s involvement in the potential smallpox outbreak had made her throw all rational thought out the window.
She’d thought that by applying for a transfer she’d not only get a new start for herself but also a new start away from him.
But the director had obviously had other ideas.
Being trapped in a room with him last night had been more than a little strange. Of course she’d heard him come into the room.
Her heartbeat had quickened as she’d heard the rustle of his clothes. Willing herself not to imagine what lay beneath.
She’d been very conscious of her own breathing, trying not to let it change to keep up the pretense of being asleep when the mattress had sunk as he’d sat down on the edge of the bed. Then there had been the careful placement of pillows between them.
All the while her mind had been throwing them back off the wall on the other side of the room.
But why did she feel like this? She didn’t want to like him. She didn’t want to find him attractive. It was so much easier when they were arguing and scowling at each other. But this man had crept under her skin in so many different ways that she didn’t even want to think about.
All from that one kiss.
Why had neither of them ever acknowledged it? A relationship would have been frowned on by bosses at the DPA. Particularly if things had gone on a downward spiral and affected the work of the team.
But more importantly, for Violet, it was easier to pretend it had never happened. Because then she would have to deal with