She moaned softly, and with one hand guided him down.
When he sucked her nipple into his mouth she gasped and hooked the nails
of her other hand into his back, like a cat responding to a caress. Her
whole body undulated in his embrace, and after a while she pulled his
mouth away. He thought for a moment that she was rejecting him, but then
she moved his head across and placed her other nipple in his mouth. Once
again she gasped as he sucked it in.
Her movements became mote abandoned, keeping pace with his own arousal.
He could restrain himself no longer and he reached up under her khaki
culottes and laid his hand on the plump mound of her sex. Then with one
swift lithe movement she broke away and sprang to her feet. She stood
back from him, smoothing down her culottes and buttoning her shirt with
fingers that trembled
'I am so sorry, Nicky. I want to, oh God, you will never know how much I
want to. But-' she shook her head and she was panting wildly, 'not yet.
Please, Nicky, forgive me. I am caught between two worlds. One half of
me wants this so very much but the other half will not allow me He stood
up and kissed her chastely. 'There is no hurry. Good things are worth
waiting for,' he told her with his mouth just touching hers. 'Come! I
will take you home now.'
while it was still dark the next morning, the first levy of priests that
Mai Metemma had promised came filing up the valley. Their chanting awoke
the camp, and everyone came sleepily out of their thatched lean-to
shelters to welcome the Ion column of holy men.
'Sweet heavens,' Nicholas yawned, 'it looks as though we have started
another crusade. They must have left the monastery in the middle of the
night to get here at this hour.' He went to find Tessay, and when he did
he told her, 'You are hereby appointed official translator. Sapper
speaks not a word of either Arabic or Amharic. Stick close to him.'
As soon as it was fully light, Mek and Nicholas left camp to reconnoitr
the drop site. By noon they had agreed that there was only one
possibility: they would have to use the valley itself Compared to the
rocky ridges that surrounded them, the floor of the valley was level and
fairly free of obstructions. It was imperative that the drop should take
place as close to the dam site as possible, for every mile that the
stores must be manhandled would add immeasurably to the time and effort
needed for the work.
'Time is the major factor,' Nicholas told Mek as they stood in the
chosen drop zone the following morning.
'Every day counts from now until the rains break.'
Mek looked up at the sky. 'Pray God for late rains.' They marked out
their drop site a mile down from the river, along the stretch where the
valley was widest and there was a clear approach through a gap in the
hills.
Jannie would need to fly straight and level for five miles under full
flap and with the loading ramp down.
'Cutting it fine,' Mek remarked, as they surveyed the rugged slopes and
frowning peaks that surrounded them.
'Can your fat friend fly?'
