Instead, Gerhard, Kai, and I sat in the sun hut at Ama’s house and talked for hours. I meant the two of us, not some other random man named Gerhard. Or Kai. It would take time to adjust to the new name. We chatted and held hands. His touch tethered me to the moment. I needed to prove he was real with constant contact.
“You’re tanner.”
“I flew to Kenya for a couple of days. I tan easily I guess.” He shrugged.
“That seems out of the way.”
“I needed to set-up the project and find someone to potentially take it over for me. You know, since I stalked you to Ghana instead.” His eyes met mine and twinkled.
“Did you really change everything to come hang out with me?”
“Crazy, right?” His hand went to his hair and rubbed the crown of his head, causing strands to stand up in every direction. I liked this new unbuttoned, disheveled man.
I’d like to unbutton and dishevel him.
I definitely felt better.
“A little. I mean, we only met and had dinner a few times. Who does that?”
He watched me carefully, playing with my fingers for a moment. “I do. I’m the kind of crazy man who meets a woman and trails after her to another continent.”
“Is this something you’ve done before?”
“I’ve never followed anyone to Africa. This is all new for me.”
Who was this man? My heart flip-flopped in my chest. His word flattered me, but they also made me want to bolt. Maybe he was right to think I posed a flight risk.
“In my defense, I’d been asked to speak at the conference prior to meeting you. Months ago.”
“So you’re here for the week?”
“The week. A month. Maybe more.”
A month? More?
“Yes, a month. At the least. If I can find the support, maybe three.”
I hadn’t realized I’d spoken out loud. Typically, I kept my mental babbling internal.
“What are you thinking? Other than I’m a crazy fool.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you’d be in Ghana when I was here?”
“Ah, right. That.” He picked at a string on the inseam of his pants. “I find it difficult to trust people when I first meet them. They hear my name or TNG and have preconceived notions about me.” He stared pointedly at me.
“Hey now. Your name meant nothing to me. I only recognized TNG from the exhibit. Should I search for you online?” The thought had frequently crossed my mind. Only before today, I’d have been searching for the wrong man.
“You might have hit me up for additional grant money. Or to fund your own perverse naked project.”
I arched an eyebrow at him. “Perverse?”
“You’re missing my point. I didn’t want us to be about business. My life is all about business now.”
“And escaping from women who stalk you, hoping to get into your bed,” I teased.
It was his turn to quirk an eyebrow at me.
“I didn’t stalk you. You stalked me.” I didn’t correct the second part of the statement.
“Yes, but you made all sorts of assumptions about me.”
This was true. “No, I didn’t.” I looked out into the sunlit garden.
“Then why aren’t you looking at me?”
“I thought I saw a lizard over there.”
He stared where I pointed. There wasn’t a lizard. Damn beasts. They always appeared out of nowhere, why couldn’t one have shown up on command?
“Okay, fine. I assumed things about you because you were Mr. Suit and named Gerhard. Most of them were good things, though.”
“What kind of things?”
“You were successful and smart, and from an exceptional gene pool that bred strong, tall, beautiful, athletic people who might one day lead a race of super humans,” I babbled.
“Beautiful? Shouldn’t that be handsome?” His smile revealed a dimple in his right cheek.
How had I missed his dimple? Had I forgotten the dimple? Dutch dimples. I was doomed.
“Fine. Handsome.”
“I think you’re beautiful.”
There it was. The word every woman wanted to hear.
“Go on.”
He wrapped a thin strand of my hair around his fingers and tugged me closer. “I
“You’re tanner.”
“I flew to Kenya for a couple of days. I tan easily I guess.” He shrugged.
“That seems out of the way.”
“I needed to set-up the project and find someone to potentially take it over for me. You know, since I stalked you to Ghana instead.” His eyes met mine and twinkled.
“Did you really change everything to come hang out with me?”
“Crazy, right?” His hand went to his hair and rubbed the crown of his head, causing strands to stand up in every direction. I liked this new unbuttoned, disheveled man.
I’d like to unbutton and dishevel him.
I definitely felt better.
“A little. I mean, we only met and had dinner a few times. Who does that?”
He watched me carefully, playing with my fingers for a moment. “I do. I’m the kind of crazy man who meets a woman and trails after her to another continent.”
“Is this something you’ve done before?”
“I’ve never followed anyone to Africa. This is all new for me.”
Who was this man? My heart flip-flopped in my chest. His word flattered me, but they also made me want to bolt. Maybe he was right to think I posed a flight risk.
“In my defense, I’d been asked to speak at the conference prior to meeting you. Months ago.”
“So you’re here for the week?”
“The week. A month. Maybe more.”
A month? More?
“Yes, a month. At the least. If I can find the support, maybe three.”
I hadn’t realized I’d spoken out loud. Typically, I kept my mental babbling internal.
“What are you thinking? Other than I’m a crazy fool.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you’d be in Ghana when I was here?”
“Ah, right. That.” He picked at a string on the inseam of his pants. “I find it difficult to trust people when I first meet them. They hear my name or TNG and have preconceived notions about me.” He stared pointedly at me.
“Hey now. Your name meant nothing to me. I only recognized TNG from the exhibit. Should I search for you online?” The thought had frequently crossed my mind. Only before today, I’d have been searching for the wrong man.
“You might have hit me up for additional grant money. Or to fund your own perverse naked project.”
I arched an eyebrow at him. “Perverse?”
“You’re missing my point. I didn’t want us to be about business. My life is all about business now.”
“And escaping from women who stalk you, hoping to get into your bed,” I teased.
It was his turn to quirk an eyebrow at me.
“I didn’t stalk you. You stalked me.” I didn’t correct the second part of the statement.
“Yes, but you made all sorts of assumptions about me.”
This was true. “No, I didn’t.” I looked out into the sunlit garden.
“Then why aren’t you looking at me?”
“I thought I saw a lizard over there.”
He stared where I pointed. There wasn’t a lizard. Damn beasts. They always appeared out of nowhere, why couldn’t one have shown up on command?
“Okay, fine. I assumed things about you because you were Mr. Suit and named Gerhard. Most of them were good things, though.”
“What kind of things?”
“You were successful and smart, and from an exceptional gene pool that bred strong, tall, beautiful, athletic people who might one day lead a race of super humans,” I babbled.
“Beautiful? Shouldn’t that be handsome?” His smile revealed a dimple in his right cheek.
How had I missed his dimple? Had I forgotten the dimple? Dutch dimples. I was doomed.
“Fine. Handsome.”
“I think you’re beautiful.”
There it was. The word every woman wanted to hear.
“Go on.”
He wrapped a thin strand of my hair around his fingers and tugged me closer. “I
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