Chapter 7
The local market was teeming with people. Calista wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but she tugged her baseball cap down lower, covering more of her face. She’d pulled her hair into a band, keeping it in a ponytail because Goran warned her that her normal tight bun on the back of her neck would be too recognizable. Reluctantly, she’d left it down, even though the heat and humidity caused several strands to stick to her neck.
“What are you going to do with that?” Goran asked, peering over her shoulder when she examined different vegetables at the farmer’s stand.
She shrugged and gave the man some of the money that had been delivered to their door by a messenger. “I’m not planning to do anything with it,” she warned him, moving on to the next stand that was filled with various types of grains and breads.
“Do you have any idea how to cook with those ingredients?”
She shrugged and paid for a loaf of crusty bread. “I’m not cooking tonight,” she told him. “You are.” And with that, she moved on to the next area where she selected some pink fish. It wasn’t salmon, she thought, but it looked delicious. It was currently chilling on ice, but thankfully, it had already been deboned.
“You’re not seriously going to make me cook!” he warned, his voice telling her how outraged he was at the idea.
She looked at him over her shoulder. “Why wouldn’t you cook?’ she asked.
“Because…” he said, then stopped, his mind halting the potentially sexist flow of words, staring at her initially with stunned surprise, then with suspicion. Calista smiled smugly, recognizing exactly where he was going with his comments. “Fine,” he finished with a jerk of his head. “Choose away.” He waved his hand towards the various menu options. Only after a triumphant expression showed on her lovely features did he lean forward and whisper, “But tomorrow, I’m picking the ingredients and you’ll be the one trying to figure out what to cook for our meals.”
She laughed, delighted with the possibility. She had no idea how to cook, but the internet was a wonderful thing! “Sounds like an excellent plan!”
Goran stared at her as she walked over to the next stall, which was piled high with oranges and lemons, his eyes automatically taking in her adorable ass. The same ass that he’d cupped with his hands this morning as she’d moved over him, stroking his shaft with her body and making him groan with appreciation. She’d been so lovely this morning and…wait! What was she looking at now? She paid another market vendor and stuffed another strange ingredient into the fabric bag they’d bought when first entering the market.
Hurrying to catch up with her, he tried to peer into the bag. But Calista merely shifted, once again distracting him when her hand touched his chest. It took him several moments to get his sizzled brain back in gear after her casual touch.
By the time he did, she was standing in front of another market vendor, smiling and chatting in Spanish with the owner of a fruit stand.
“Calista, you’re…!” he hurried after her, trailing less than a foot behind her. “Calista, what are you saying?” he asked.
Calista was having a marvelous time! The marketplace was a whole new world, and she loved the scents and sounds and colors! Everything was new and delightful! Everything sounded so chaotic as the vendors called out to potential customers, haggled about prices or simply chatted with friends and neighbors. And the colors! Goodness, Calista loved the colors! Every vendor vied to capture the eye with bright, vibrant signs, their roofs and support beams painted with bright oranges, yellows, greens, and various shades of blue!
She breathed in again, trying to identify the scents. Coffee was being brewed as well as sold. There was a small café on the side of the market where patrons sat on chairs, sipping the fragrant brew. Sacks of the beans were stacked up at several stalls, either as whole beans or, if the customer asked, ground for brewing convenience.
There were also herbs and spices, scents she couldn’t identify, so she walked over to those vendors and bought several samples. She had no idea what she could do with the spices, but she was going to learn! Goodness, how had she not known about markets like this?
It was so far from the carefully organized and orchestrated world in which she lived, and Calista loved everything about it! Everything was so vital and alive!
And it was exciting to see the obvious discomfort in Goran’s eyes when she selected the raw materials for their meals! Calista smothered her smile, keeping her eyes pointed away from Goran. She could hear the small bite of nervousness in his voice. “You’re the one who said we needed to keep away from people as much as possible.”
“Yes, but…!”
“And you’re the one who said that we should get our foods from this marketplace.” She turned, her face a picture of innocence. She blinked up at him, feigning worry. “Are you…you can’t…!” she bit her lip, adding a bit of insecurity to her question. Lowering her voice, she placed a hand on his chest and sighed. “I thought you were such a superhero, Goran,” she said softly to him, then slowly lifted her eyes to stare into his, hoping for a doe-eyed look of hope, tinged with a touch of doubt and fear. “I thought you were the kind of man who could figure anything out.” Calista thought the small tremble in her voice was a nice touch. “When you knocked that guard down after the two of them drove up to that shack,” she paused to shudder, shaking her head and briefly closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she added a small shiver, really getting into her role now. “You were my hero.” She let her breath go slightly and started to turn away. “I thought you could do anything. I thought you could…”
For a moment, she had him fooled. He stared down at her, his mouth literally hanging open as he watched her performance. But Calista must have overplayed it, because his features changed, shifting from stunned horror to amused disdain.
“You’re messing with me,” he growled, snapping her body right back against his. “And you’re going to pay for it.”
It took all of her self-control to keep her features clear of the amusement brewing inside of her. “I don’t understand.”
He growled again under his breath as he grabbed her elbow, towing her out of the marketplace. Since he was no longer facing her, she smiled brightly, waving to the merchants as she passed back through the crowded stalls. He didn’t stop until they were back at the Jeep and he lifted her into the passenger seat, slamming the door when she was safely inside.
While he walked around the front of the Jeep, his eyes surveying the crowd for danger even now, she couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter. This really was a cruel trick, but…she was in the mood for some fun!
He slipped inside the Jeep and grunted when he started the engine. “Tell me what you want me to make.”
She threw back her head, laughing at his disgruntled expression as he swung the Jeep out of the packed dirt area that was used as a parking lot for the marketplace. “I would never smother your creativity by telling you what to cook, Goran! You’re a very intelligent man,” she continued, resting her elbow on the edge of the open window and lifting her face up for the breeze as they drove back to the resort. “I know that you can come up with something brilliant for dinner.”
“You’re messing with me, Calista,” he told her, his voice clear and firm. “And you know I will get payback in some way.”
She grinned, leaning back in her seat. “Well, I’m not afraid of you.”
“You should be,” he replied smoothly, shifting into a higher gear as he turned onto the highway.
Calista’s only response was a light laugh, feeling relaxed and free!