I curled up on my side, facing away from Alex’s side of the bed. I was…horny. My muscles involuntarily contracted and clenched my thighs together. Those words kept playing in my head over and over again.
I hated to admit it, but Alex was right. Seventeen-year-old Alex and seventeen-year-old Nikki would have bungled things. It was all too easy to think about the sexual experiences I had in secondary school and uni; I didn’t know what I was doing, and most of the boys I’d been with hadn’t known either.
Not that I’d particularly had any amazing experiences since then. I had often wondered if I should date outside of my social circle, try to find someone who was older and knew what they were doing. Ion had been my longest relationship, and it had fizzled out of the hot-and-heavy stages very quickly.
And aside from a flurry of one-night stands after our breakup, I hadn’t been seeing anyone, too focused on this new career path to have time to date.
The light switch clicked off in the bathroom, and I clenched my eyes shut. Maybe I could feign sleep. I needed time to mull over those words.
Alex darted around the bed, flopping in quickly and tugging the covers toward himself to escape the cold. Another click, and the light was out.
The bed quivered as Alex adjusted himself—nothimselfas in his dick, I hoped—and we settled into silence.
I stared off into space.
Alex wasrightthere. Grown-up, twenty-five-year-old Alex was sharing a bed with me, possibly in just a T-shirt and boxers, all warm and smooth skin and…
My thighs clenched again.
It was going to be a long night.
6
Our Jeep slowed,and Thomas picked up the radio and chattered at someone in Afrikaans while the vehicle rolled to a stop. Next to me, Alex leaned in towards the center and glanced around. We were on a dusty path following along a dry riverbed in the mid-morning. I tried to imagine what this place would look like in the wet season with leaves budding on the trees and the sounds of rushing water filling the air. Today, where we were, seemed unusually still.
Our morning had been weird. It had begun with him startling me awakeagainas the drums went off. We dressed and ate quietly, shivering with more than just the cold hanging over us. I’d caught glimpses of him in my leggings before he slipped his shorts on over them, but this time it hadn’t been quite as funny.
…every noise I could pull out of you.
I could easily imagine myself hearing those words every morning for the rest of my life. Those were the kind of words that hung around.
An awkwardness hung over us. Those words echoed, and the intimacy of the tent changed our relationship.
We’d kept our distance in the back of the Jeep, Alex quiet and bundled up. Did he regret the honesty? I had abandoned my camera in my lap, the strap around my neck, so I could tuck my hands in and keep warm as we’d left the compound. Now, in the mid-morning air, it was warmer, and the sun was beating down.
“Okay, guys,” Thomas said, twisting in his seat to look at us. “There’s a report of a lion kill by one of the watering holes. We have just enough time to make it out there, and if we find them quickly, watch for a little while. The other Jeeps are too far away to make it back before breakfast, so we might have it all to ourselves. Just a reminder, it is very important to stay seated while we are near the big cats, yeah?”
A chorus of agreement sounded as Thomas fired up the engine again. Mark and Olivia chatted excitedly in the seats in front of us. Alex and I exchanged a glance, giving each other small, excited smiles as the excitement eased some of the tension.
We traveled for fifteen minutes, gripping the handles as the Jeep lurched over rocky terrain or made a sharp turn. Thomas must be really worried about making it back in time; he was hauling ass.
We paused at the crest of a hill, and Rex gave a hand signal as Thomas eased us down.
“Nikki,” Alex said, nudging me and pointing off in the distance. A splash of dark against the tan ground, and some movement.
We grew closer, and I could make out the shapes now. The largest lump was a giraffe, legs akimbo and stomach torn open. I grimaced as we drew closer.
The truck slowed to a stop. I glanced ahead, and the road curved off and to the right, meaning this was as close as we would get to the lions.
They were on Alex’s side, not mine, and my view was blocked by the seat in front of him.
I faffed about, looking for a better angle with my camera. I just couldn’t see it from my seat. I must have let out a noise, and Alex dropped his binos. “Come on.” He gestured me closer.
I scooted along the seat until our thighs pressed together. Yes, okay, now I could see. I leaned slightly over Alex, ducking underneath his arms, which were back to holding up the binos.
Steading my camera with both hands, I zoomed in. Overwhelmed, I fidgeted around for a moment, looking at each of the big cats. Vaguely I heard Thomas tell us there were four females here, and two nearly grown males that would be forced out of the pack soon.
There was always at least one with an eye on us, observant and protective. I snapped shot after shot, even having to zoom out a bit to capture more of the surroundings. But with this lens, my 500 mm, I could zoom in completely and my vision would be filled with teeth and blood and offal. It was gruesome and spectacular.
