Page 31 of The Rival in South Africa
“What kind of other things do you like?” I whispered.
“I like kissing you.” His voice had dropped low, and his tongue dipped out to wet his lips. “I like the noises you make and how I can feel the heat of you through our clothes. I dream about the way you’re going to sound when I’m inside of you. With my fingers or my tongue or my cock.”
My thigh muscles tensed under his fingers, and a sigh passed my lips. “I can’t wait to make noises for you.”
He kneaded the muscles of my thigh. “Do you like dirty talk, Nikki?”
I nodded, entranced. The other passengers, the bumps of the dirt road underneath us, the soft murmuring of Thomas up front—they all faded away.
Alex’s other hand came up and tilted my chin toward his. His long fingers swept up my cheek, and he pressed his lips to mine, so lightly. I kissed him back, and we both kept our mouths open, soft and gentle. I ran my hand up his side, feeling the way his muscles shifted underneath my hand, his ribs expanding with every breath as his body stretched toward me. Still, our lips were light and gentle until I felt Alex’s tongue slip out and trace my bottom lip…
With a soft bump, the car came to a halt.
“Okay, everyone. Here’s our spot for sunset,” Thomas called out. “Stretch your legs, and we’ll have cocktails ready in no time.”
Alex and I pulled away, grinning at each other. He gave me one more squeeze before turning and opening the door. I followed him out, accepting his hand as I stepped down.
I took a look around. The other two Jeeps were parked nearby, all of the guests together for sunset this time. We were on a small hill overlooking a watering hole. A few barren trunks stretched out of the water, and one of them even had a nest on the highest V of the branches. The water was still, no animals in sight, and we had the perfect view for sunset.
Pulling out my gear from the Jeep, I set up my tripod. With the calm, still waters and the dying light, I might be able to get a really nice long exposure photo.
Alex sidled up to me a few minutes later with a gin and tonic as I tested out my exposures. He stood behind me, watching me work, his body lightly pressed against my back, especially against my hips.
When I straightened up, he rested his chin on my shoulder, his hands on either side of me, holding our drinks. I took the one in his right hand and used my remote clicker to snap some photos. The bar was on the left side of the frame with the chairs and people around it, and the lake, farther out in the distance, took up the other half of the shot.
The camera took a few seconds, and when it popped up on the back screen, the people were blurry with movement, but the pond eerily still.
“Whoa,” Alex whispered in my ear. “How do you do that?”
I explained the setting I used, keeping the shutter open as long as possible without letting the photo overexpose. I was a bit nervous telling him this, but my excitement took over for me.
“You are very good at that,” he said, kissing my hair.
“Thank you.” I blushed, taking a sip of my cocktail.
“I’m going to, uh, socialize. Have fun.”
I released the breath I was holding. Alex didn’t seem to be too interested in the details. Maybe I’d found a skill he had no interest in gaining for himself?
Or maybe his days of crashing my hobbies were over. Perhaps, with us forming a real relationship, we could move on from our rivalry.
I fiddled with my camera more, adjusting settings as the sky got darker. Thomas had lit a few lanterns around, and the contrasting light added more drama to the photos.
It was almost time to get going; daylight was fading, and we were due back to the lodge before true dark. Rex was packing up the seats, and I was about to put my camera away when I heard a gasp from the other guests.
I looked up and followed the direction of Ernst’s finger pointing out toward the lake. In the very last glow of daylight, an elephant walked out of the brush. We’d seen plenty of the gentle giants on our drives over the previous days, but we still all hummed and chattered appreciatively as we watched the animal come to the edge of the water and sway its trunk back and forth, investigating.
But then I noticed a bit of movement past the hindquarters, and out came a baby elephant, trotting to catch up and nearly stumbling into the water. We all gasped—the little one was truly the cutest animal I’d ever seen in real life. The mother flapped her ears as the baby splashed around.
I quickly changed a few settings and took a shot, but I knew the light was fading too much. Maybe I’d be able to work up something in processing, but this moment would have to be enjoyed out from behind the camera, being in the moment, something I couldn’t share with anyone else. A moment just for our group.
And that made it all the more special.
THIRTEEN
We all wantedto linger and watch the two elephants, but Thomas had to hustle us along so we’d be out of the park when it closed and back at the lodge for dinner. Climbing back into the Jeep, I tucked my gear away, and Alex accepted a blanket to throw over our laps. I shivered. The temperature had dropped quickly while we’d stood and watched the elephants.
Thomas started the car up, and Alex lifted an arm so I could snuggle in next to him.
