But the concave chest was gone, the chest smooth and trim, and my brain stuttered a little when I replayed the curl of his body as he climbed into bed next to me.
I was sleeping next to Alex Boyd.
Bizarre.
My wake-up call was…unpleasant.In a series of moments, I was hit with the sounds of drums banging, the sensation of cold at the tip of my nose, and a heavy weight kicking me in the thigh.
“Oof.”
“Shite. Sorry, Nikki.”
“What was that?”
“The drums to wake us up.”
“No, not that,” I said, exasperated in my morning fog. Er, it wasn’t even morning. The tent was black, and it was impossible to tell the difference from when I fell asleep and when I woke up. Presumably seven hours of sleep somehow had passed. “What was up with the David Beckham move?”
“I was just surprised…”
“Hello, morning, morning,” a voice called from outside our flap.
Right. Wake-up calls and room service.
“Here are your beverages. Are you awake, Mr. and Mrs. Kozlova?”
“We’re not the Kozlovas!” I shouted. “But yes! And thank you!”
With a click of a switch, the bedside light came on, and Alex’s shoulders and lean body stood out in stark silhouette. His skin erupted in goosepimples when he escaped the confines of the warm bed.
“What are you going to wear for the morning drive?” I wondered.
He ran a hand down his face and back up into his hair. “I have no idea.”
“I don’t think you’ll fit into my hiking pants. Do you want to try, anyway?”
I passed the clothing to him, and we turned away from each other, shivering as we quickly dressed.
“Well?”
Alex turned around, and my eyes were immediately drawn to the V of black briefs showing in the open zipper of my gray hiking pants.
“Good grief. That’s a no.” The pants wouldn’t close over his hips. “Who knew you had such an arse, Alex.”
“Look, I’ll just wear my shorts.”
I winced in sympathy. “The leggings I have are stretchy, but they will undoubtedly only go down to your knees. I’m afraid that’s not going to do much.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Still…”
Fifteen minutes later,we emerged from the tent after having gulped our hot teas down and polished off the morning biscuits even faster. Alex wore a pair of my leggings under his shorts, and, well…he looked ridiculous.
Who knew his thighs were so muscular?
A guide with a lamp was on the path and guided us in the dark to the Jeep.
“Right, climb on in. There’s blankets and hot water bottles in the seats ready for you.”
We launched ourselves in and piled the blankets over us, tucking in corners and wedging the hot water bottles places where I never would have thought I would desire a water bottle.
