Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
“How’d he do that?”
“Johannes told the rhino that he was a gentle creature and meant it no harm. We can’t let him get by without teasing.” He moved the gearshift. “Hang on, we’re going in.”
I wasn’t quite sure what he meant until the tires turned off the path and into the bush. Then Phillip drove right over a large sapling. I latched on to the bar over the seatback in front of me.
“Everyone down,” the South African warned over the sound of tree limbs snapping beneath the undercarriage.
It was because now he was going under a low-hanging tree with two-inch thorns on it. I flattened myself against the center seat as the thorns dragged and scraped over the hood and continued relatively harmlessly over the shirt on my back. The problem with this was it brought me face to face with Giovanni.
I sat up quickly, but he asked me something. Nathan’s deep voice came from behind.
“He wants to know if you’re all right.”
“Buono, grazie,” I said, nodding. I’d secretly been trying to learn Italian since taking the job but had been flying so much I’d only learned a handful of phrases. Giovanni seemed pleased to hear me speak his language, and now I wished I hadn’t done it.
Then the Cruiser pitched violently to the right on the uneven land and Giovanni was on top of me.
He scrambled to sit up when the vehicle righted, but his hands fumbled over my body, one brushing my breast. It happened so quickly, I didn’t comprehend it until it was over. Nathan had grabbed the back of Giovanni’s shirt and yanked him off me, hurling the Italian back into his own seat.
Giovanni sent a slew of angry words at his employee, who replied indifferently.
I glanced over my shoulder, stunned at this risk he’d just taken. Our boss didn’t like being pushed around.
“He’s sorry,” Nathan said. “He didn’t mean to put his hands on you.”
I blinked. What a total line of bullshit. “He said that, huh?”
His eyes were two black holes, pulling me in, making it difficult to breathe. “No, but he’s less likely to do that again.”
Less likely, but it was still a possibility. Perhaps next time I’d sit in his row. Desire flooded through me when I considered the uneven ground propelling Nathan on top of me. The image of my body beneath his hands made my pulse jump.
“Maybe you should sit beside him next time.” I’d meant for it to sound strong and biting, but my voice wavered with my sudden craving, and I hoped he hadn’t noticed.
“Maybe you don’t come along next time.”
The desire in me evaporated. Phillip said nothing, pretending he was too busy driving to pay attention. The Land Cruiser tackled a few more bushes before he cut the engine.
In the center of the thicket, three lionesses lifted their heads from their meal to focus on us, bloody entrails dangling from their deadly jaws. The largest cat went back to eating, and the others followed. They did not view us or our vehicle as a threat.
I couldn’t fight the instinct to press myself into the leather seat. There were no fences, no bars or glass separating me from these gorgeous beasts. I was only twenty feet from them. There was nothing to stop them if they wanted to pounce and rip out my throat.
“It’s all right,” Phillip said, sensing my apprehension. “They’re comfortable with us. We’ve been coming around for long enough that we’re just another part of the environment to them.”
The girl buried deep inside me would have preferred not to watch them eat some sort of dead antelope. But I knew what my father and brothers would say—circle of life. Growing up, I’d gone hunting, mostly to please my father and prove to my brothers I was tough, so I knew I could stomach whatever happened.
These cats looked so different from the ones in captivity. Muscles stretched beneath their hides that were hardened through need. It could be days before their next meal. Scratches and scars dotted their faces. It was a tough life, even at the top of the food chain.
I could have stayed for hours, silently watching them. Lions had always been my favorite growing up. At one point, I turned to Nathan, although I was unsure why. Maybe since he was also American, he would feel the same way I did.
“Isn’t this amazing?” I said.
His eyes slowly drifted away from the cats to settle on me. “Yes.”
It sent a delicious shiver up my spine. When I turned to Giovanni, I was surprised to find he looked bored. How could he not care? Wasn’t he the one who’d planned a stay at the game lodge? He could have chosen a trip to the south of France instead.
“Rinoceronte,” he said.
“Mr. Abramo would like to see a rhino,” Nathan said.