Page 28 of The Rival in South Africa
“Thank you. We were just…cleaning up,” I said. Alex squeezed my thigh under the table. I had changed into a pair of leggings, but the feel of Alex’s bare hand on my thigh flashed through my mind.
The meal came out—kudu steaks and peri-peri chicken—and we all tucked in.
“Did you enjoy a quiet day back here at the lodge?” Meino asked me.
“Yes,” I said between bites of the perfectly cooked steaks.
“What did you do all day?”
Next to me, Alex grunted in response to something Mark said. He was methodically cutting into his chicken, chewing, swallowing, and on to the next bite.
I put another forkful of steak into my mouth, and though it was delicious, I couldn’t help lamenting that it was something I really had to chew. Give me a meal replacement smoothie that I could chug down while on my way back to the tent. Then I could get back to kissing Alex.
Kissing Alex.
I replayed that line over and over again in my head.Kissing Alex. Kissing Alex. I wanted to kiss Alex.
The clatter of dishes and conversations around me quieted, and I realized I’d said that last bit out loud.
Alex laughed, as did the rest of the people at our table, and I hid my face behind my hands. Everyone very politely returned to their conversation, although I think I heard someone slap Alex’s back.
Meino cleared his throat and repeated his question, his own cheeks pink, too, and there was still a half-chewed piece of steak in my mouth.
I chewed my too-big bit and fanned my face while I swallowed. “Took photos, enjoyed the pool, tried not to be a bother to the staff.” I cast about for a topic that would keep Meino chatty so I could finish my meal and get the hell out of there, now running in mortification and haste to get Alex back to bed. “What did you see on the safari today?”
That worked a treat. Meino was off on a tangent, telling me about everything they’d spotted. Zebras, hyenas, even the kudu—not the one on my plate, thankfully.
I used my fork to scrape up the last bite of meat and set my napkin on the table next to my plate while I chewed. Alex still had a few bites left, and I reached over to grip his thigh.
Chew faster,don’t choke.
Alex set his fork down, leaving the last few bites. I kicked my foot up, starting to swing over the bench seat to make our escape, only to run directly into Rowena’s stomach. It was a good thing I hit her soft center and not the camera mere millimeters from my head.
“Oh, Nikki, I just have to show you the photos from today. I couldn’t quite get the depth of field you were telling me about yesterday. Could you remind me of the settings?”
Behind her, Alex grimaced.
“Umm…” She looked up at me, blinking, her eyes so kind. I remembered the way she’d talked about wanting to preserve her memories.
I stifled a sigh. “Let me see.”
Rowena clicked through her photos, and I checked the data and walked her through the aperture mode again.
Conrad cleared his throat. “Rowena, I think these kids want to get moving.” He nodded his head to where Alex hovered.
I glanced back, and Alex’s cheeks were flushed in the firelight.
“Oh, dear. Right, we can chat tomorrow, maybe during brunch? You’ll be with us tomorrow, won’t you, Nikki?”
“Yes, most definitely.”
She nodded resolutely. “Good. We’ll have a lesson then.”
I turned, and Alex grabbed my hand, hurrying me along.
“Have fun, kids!” Conrad bellowed behind us. Alex’s hand squeezed mine, and we raced out into the night.
For safety, we still had to have a guide walk us out to our tent, which felt like an awkward reverse walk of shame. Alex bumped shoulders with me as we tried not to mow down Misola.
