Page 29 of Dancing With Temptation

“Are you happy I came with you?” She asked but cringed at how needy she sounded.

“I am, I think this will be a great experience for us both. You don’t actually have to get involved, but we have a lot going on here. We’ve built a school already, and we have the team here teaching the villagers about cultivating the resources around them, though some of the older people are very wise in that regard and have taught us quite a lot too.”

Roxie noted that hint of an English accent was becoming more pronounced as the minutes passed. He must be just as tired as she was, but it was nice talking with him like this. “Is there clean water, bathrooms? Things like that?”

“Yes, we’ve managed to get a clean water supply for them, they just have to maintain it. There’s a lot of challenges to face here and between us all working together, we’re trying to address those challenges.”

“What kind of challenges? I thought Cambodia was a huge tourist spot?” Her left hand curled around his lower ribs and held him tight as she spoke.

“Not all of it.” He answered softly, his voice getting quieter by the second. “There are a lot of rural villages here without much work for people. A lot of the men with families go off and work on farms in Thailand or anywhere they can find work. Unfortunately, some of those men come home with STDs from the women they sleep with while they’re gone. Then their wives catch it and it can be a mess for them. There’s also a lot of people that don’t own land and well, let’s talk more about it tomorrow. My brain is starting to shut down too.”

He ended his summation with a self-conscious laugh that made her nudge at him with her knee. “Thank you, I’ll do some reading about the place when I can get a Wi-Fi signal.”

“I know you will. The team here tells me there’s a 4G carrier here, we’ll get the SIM cards and all of that sorted tomorrow. What do you want to watch?” Lincoln listed off his movie collection and they settled on a classic mystery film.

It was one of the most romantic nights of her life, resting in that tent, sweating like mad, but feeling safe now that Lincoln was with her to scare away the boogie monsters. She smiled to herself as the film played on, Lincoln already snoring softly beside her in the cramped bed. No, there wasn’t any sexy kind of stuff, but it was more like what she’d had with Nathan when they first started dating, something she hadn’t realized she’d missed when he turned on her.

Just being with someone, sleeping like this, close to each other but nothing more, was what she’d thought marriage should be. Something like her parents’ marriage, where you were comfortable being quiet and doing nothing with your partner. Which was a problem, as far as doing it with Lincoln was concerned, but it was only for a week or so. Surely, she’d get her fill of him in that time and she could put this all behind her when she got home?

For now, she just wanted to be beside him and enjoy the moment. She fell asleep before the film ended, but that was okay. They could always watch it another time.

* * *

The next day Roxie met up with Lincoln and the team for breakfast. She shared a secret smile with Lincoln. He’d slipped out of her tent at some point in the night because she woke up alone. That was fine, she didn’t want to offend anyone any more than he did and now they had their own little secret between them. It was kind of…fun.

“Hey.” She said as she came up beside him to get in line. “How did you sleep?”

“Like a baby until a mosquito got through the net and into my ankle. How are you?” He gave her a stroke across her cheek, a quick gesture to show her affection.

She’d have liked a kiss, but that would be far too overt, she figured.

“I’m good, feeling a little more rested. What are you going to be doing today?” She put fresh fruit and what turned out to be banana bread on her plate then they sat down on one of the benches set around long tables.

“I’ll be viewing the damaged buildings up close and inspecting the new water treatment facility we set up. We want to build a better filter system for the village and find a way to use local products to do that. Industry is growing here but it’s not keeping up and some of the team are working on using bamboo products as filters. It’ll be a whole new industry that can provide income to the villagers.”

“That sounds great,” Roxie said once she’d swallowed some of the banana bread. “Want me to come with you?”

“You’re still looking a little tired, Rox, why don’t you stay here and get to know the locals?”

“I should be upset with you about that, but you’re probably right. I am still a little tired and it would be nice to get to know some of the people here.” She brushed her hair back from her face and tied it up, as it was looking a little cloudy outside and the wind had picked up. “Is it the rainy season here? I know some places over here have rain for months at a time, is this one of those places?”

“It can be yes. That’s another problem with trying to build anything here, working around the rain.” He sounded frustrated so she put a hand over his.

“You’ll figure it out, Lincoln. I have faith in you. You’ve taken on something most rich men wouldn’t think twice about. Not only that, but you are also hands-on about it, and that’s impressive. I know you can overcome any challenges and you’ll do it with the help of the people that live here.” She really was impressed with what he was doing and wanted to praise him for it, even if he hadn’t asked for it.

“Thanks, I have a good team and the locals are smart. They want to help and prosper here without having to migrate for work and struggle in the months when there is no work. A lot of them are migrant farmworkers, but I think I told you that last night.” His cheeks turned pink again and Roxie felt herself smiling again.

“I remember you saying that. How about I sort out our phone stuff while you’re gone?” She volunteered. She needed to text some of the people back home and she couldn’t do that without any service here.

“Sure, I’ll give you some money. They accept US dollars but don’t be surprised if you get change back in riels.”

“Riels?” Roxie asked blankly, but then she understood. “Oh, is that the local currency?”

“Yep, that’s it. Okay, I’m going to meet up with Chris and get started. You be careful and have fun, okay?” He leaned over to peck her cheek, making her smile all over again.

“You too. I’ll be around here somewhere when you finish.” Roxie called out to him as he left.

The long trip had turned her into a gushy mess, she thought with a slight frown that didn’t last long. It faded completely when she thought about that chaste kiss he’d given her. She was seeing a completely different side to Lincoln here than the one she saw back home. Here he was relaxed but vigilant, kind, generous, and charitable. He’d given her $500 to play with and she wasn’t even sure where to spend it yet.