Page 13 of The Rival in South Africa
“Are you shivering?”
“I’ll be fine.”
I rolled my eyes and stared up at the ceiling. A ceiling I could see perfectly well, lit by all the lanterns. “Oh, for Pete’s sake.” I flipped the duvet open and darted around the room in my socks, turning each lantern off as quickly as possible and slipping back into bed.
We lay in the dark, the sounds of the bush surrounding us. It was odd to be this close to Alex—and a nearly naked Alex at that. I thought back to pool parties and teenaged Alex, shirtless and uncomfortable with his hormonal body, just like the rest of us.
But the concave chest was gone, replaced by a smooth and trim torso, 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 between 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 goose pimples 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…”
