“You’re a voyeur.” A snap of embarrassment followed her words. Weird since she was usually the one who teased.
“I want to share everything with you,” he whispered. “Anything that gives us both pleasure can’t be wrong. Watching you touch yourself will give me pleasure.”
This man constantly changed the rules. She’d thought she was in control as she always managed a relationship, but Richard didn’t play by the rules. The Kiwi cop made them up as he went along.
“I dare you.”
The male was baiting her now. She sucked in a much-needed breath to attempt to focus on wresting back the situation. Her hands cupped her breasts and she pinched one nipple between her thumb and forefinger. It didn’t feel quite as good as when Richard touched her but then she glanced down and caught his gaze. By the goddess! The next time she repeated the move, something volcanic erupted in her pussy. Arousal frisked every one of her nerve endings.
Richard settled his butt on the floor and leaned back against the bed, a small smile playing on his lips as he watched. His gaze strummed across her face, her breasts and lower.
This man… He… Hinekiri swallowed and let her hand drift downward, across her ribs and belly until it rested on her pubic bone.
“Go on,” he encouraged.
Hinekiri noticed the bulge at his groin and the frozen appearance of that smile. Although he appeared calm, he was feeling the heat of their love play. Her fingers slipped a fraction lower until she hit the delicate turquoise blue of her pussy lips. They parted easily to reveal the swollen hood of her clitoris. Hinekiri skimmed a forefinger across the tiny nub and felt the corresponding buzz. A soft sigh slid through her parted lips. “Just like that,” she whispered.
“You’re so wet and turned on.” Richard bounded to his feet without warning. “Hold that feeling,” he gritted out before scooping Hinekiri off her feet and dropping her in the center of the king-size bed. He unbuckled his belt and ripped down the zipper on his trousers. His cock burst free as he peeled both trousers and underwear down in one swift move. “Damn. Forgot the boots.” He sat on the edge of the bed and unlaced the boots before toeing them off. His black socks followed seconds later. He stood and kicked away the last of his clothing before approaching the bed, serious intent showing in his expression.
Hinekiri waggled her fingers and grinned to hide sudden nervousness. “Bring it on, sailor.”
“Oh I intend to. This one is going to happen my way. We can do kinky, alien stuff later.”
His husky words brought an image of them making love on the spaceship and using the hologram machine. She stored that one away for later. Kinky, alien stuff she could do with her hands tied behind her back. A giggle erupted. Literally speaking regarding the tying up. “Sounds good to me.”
Richard moved across the bed, the expression in his eyes sending a tremble through her, one of expectation. He parted her legs and guided his penis to her pussy without further preliminaries. With one seamless thrust he impaled her then stilled, a weird look on his face. “Tell me again we don’t need to worry about contraception or anything.”
“I visit the medical experts on a regular basis.” Hinekiri reveled in the sense of fullness as he stretched her pussy. She lifted her pelvis and smiled at the way his cock flexed inside her womb. “I have to since I travel to unexplored worlds. As to the other, my shots are up to date but I am at the upper age limit for bearing undergrowns. There is little danger involved.”
“Good to hear.” Richard withdrew before plunging deep again. Hinekiri’s muscles clamped down on his cock as he set up a rapid drive and withdraw that made her head reel. The pleasure, the sensations layered one on top of the other. And then he kissed her. Slowly and tenderly before making it as fast and furious as their loving. The sleek thrust of his tongue mirrored the pounding of his cock. Each push hit her needy clit, dragged at internal muscles, pushing her higher and higher.
Hinekiri gulped between kisses, the need to remember every touch and sensation burning within her. The weight of his muscled body moving within hers was so much better than sex alone with a hologram. So much better. The pleasurable sensations and the way he filled her so completely. The friction between their sweat-sheened bodies. The salty tang of his skin. The hint of wine from his magical mouth. Even the smells of heated bodies and arousal were memorable.
Her channel tightened at the next surge of his cock and his mouth moved down to her breast. The bed creaked in protest but he never hesitated. He took a turquoise nipple inside his warm mouth and drew hard at the same time he powered into her body. A prickling sensation radiated outward from her clitoris. It bloomed, growing bigger. Better.
She gasped and gripped his powerful shoulders as he continued to draw on her breast. Then, when she thought she couldn’t bear the pleasure-pain a second longer, her body exploded with a series of rapid spasms. She groaned, which seemed to act as a signal to Richard. He released her nipple with an audible pop then pounded into her before freezing, fully impaled with a massive groan and shudder of his body.
Hinekiri savored the weight of him, pressing her into the mattress, the trickle of perspiration that seeped between her breasts. Magic. Pure magic. Her body tingled from head to foot, although on second thought maybe that was because her blood circulation needed help. She wriggled and the tingling eased.
Richard groaned again before taking the hint, rolling over and pulling Hinekiri with him. She ended up sprawled across him while their lower limbs remained entwined, their bodies still joined. Her hair spread across his chest in a wild tangle. His arms came around her and he squeezed her tightly before smoothing his hand over her head and gently untangling her curls with his fingers. Hinekiri felt the rapid beat of his heart beneath her shoulder and knew—just knew—the experience had been magical for him too.
She lifted her head and smoothed his damp hair off his forehead. Richard grinned up at her.
“When I was younger I’d be ready to go again. The mind is willing but the flesh is a step or two behind.”
“A cuddle is fine with me, sailor.” More than fine. Hinekiri could count the number of times a male had cuddled her after bed sport on one hand.
Richard reached up to draw her head down. Their lips collided and he smiled against them before taking possession and kissing her tenderly. His cock jumped inside her pussy and Hinekiri sighed. By the goddess, this male was a keeper.
* * * * *
“Do ya have any food?”
The click of claws drew closer to the bed. Richard was sure he’d shut the door then remembered he’d gone out to grab a snack in the middle of the night. He cracked open his eyes and saw he was face-to-face with two furry muzzles and a gazillion sharp white teeth. He backed up to the middle of the bed in a hurry.
“Food. Do ya have any?” Killer demanded.
Hinekiri stirred on the other side of the bed. She sat up, the bedcovers falling to her waist. “I’ll order some from the restaurant.”
“No clothes,” Killer yipped, holding one paw over Harry’s eyes. “Harry and I young. Impressionable. You need set good example.”
Richard chuckled. “Go out and let us get dressed. Then we’ll think about food.”
“Okay.” Killer barked at Harry and they trotted from the room.
“Luke is never going to believe this.” Richard’s brows drew together when he replayed the events of the last few days through his mind in a slow-moving movie. Of course, some of it was private, but other parts he couldn’t wait to discuss. Talking dogs. Spaceships with zero-gravity rooms. Nah, maybe he’d censor that last bit. His mind took a slight detour to factor in Janaya, Hinekiri’s niece, and a slow grin bloomed. “Maybe he will since he already knows about Killer.” He reached across the bed and lunged at Hinekiri, caging her within his arms, trapping her flat on the mattress before she could move. Lowering his head, he stopped with their lips a whisper apart. An almost kiss and all the promise it entailed.
She grinned, a toothy grin that b
rought an answering smile. “Hold that thought, sailor. We need to get moving. I organized a game drive this morning.” She glanced at the bedside clock. “We have half an hour to make it to reception.”
“A kiss first.”
Hinekiri closed the gap and took possession of his lips, nibbling and licking until his cock went through a series of enthusiastic morning push-ups.
“Well hello, sailor!”
Of course, she’d notice. Richard coughed to clear his throat but that made his cock jump and push slyly against Hinekiri’s silky skin. “I thought we were going on a game drive.”
“We are. Like I said—hold the enthusiasm for later.” Hinekiri lightly bit his neck before bounding from the bed to smirk in his direction. “I’m going to have a five-second shower. She scampered into the en suite while Richard gathered up clothes and followed more leisurely. A sense of acute anticipation fizzled through him—excitement at the thought of seeing Africa at closer quarters and exhilaration at spending more time with Hinekiri.
Adventure.
Yep, summed it up in one word.
Fifteen frantic minutes later, they wandered down the footpath to reception. Small lamps lit the way, piercing the pitch-black of early morning. The distant roar of a big cat sent excitement skittering down Richard’s spine.
Outside reception, a man dressed in a khaki shirt and trousers leaned against the fender of a Land Rover. When he saw them, he straightened. “Morning, madam. Sir. My name is Samuel. I am your driver this morning. Are you ready to go?”
“I’ll just grab some snack packs from the restaurant.” Hinekiri trotted inside while Richard wondered how to approach the subject of taking a purple dog and her hyena friend along on the drive.
“One of you can sit in the front with me or you can both sit in the back,” Samuel said.
“I’ll take the front.” Richard pulled his jacket across his chest to cut the morning chill. Since it was still dark, maybe Hinekiri could let the two canines into the vehicle without the driver seeing. Of course, that wouldn’t work so well when daylight gave the driver a good view of his passengers. Hell, this plan didn’t look good. He opened his door and slid into the passenger seat while Samuel opened the rear door for Hinekiri.
Hinekiri sauntered back outside loaded with five white boxes. “One each,” she said to the driver as he packed the boxes inside the Land Rover.
“You are only two people,” the driver said.
“I brought my pets with me. They are extremely well-behaved.” She fluttered her eyelashes at the driver and produced a fold of banknotes. “And one for you, of course.”
“That will be fine, madam.” The money disappeared into his pocket.
“Wonderful.” Hinekiri put her fingers to her lips and let out a piercing whistle. Killer and Harry bounded out of the darkness.
Samuel froze. “That is a hyena, madam.”
“Yes. And a dog,” Hinekiri said.
Richard strained to hear the driver’s reaction to a purple dog but was disappointed when the driver barely hesitated. He shut the door after Hinekiri, Killer and Harry before circling the vehicle to take his place behind the wheel.
“Purple dog.” The driver peered into the rear-vision mirror and blinked. “Too much drink.” He shook his head, seeming to pretend he was seeing things rather than accept visual evidence. The engine purred to life, he changed gears and they departed. “We’re going to follow the circular road around the interior of the park. We’ll stop at the river outlook. The rains started over a month ago but the wildebeest are still arriving. If we’re lucky, we will see them crossing the river.”
“I thought I’d timed it right.” Hinekiri leaned between the seats to speak to them.
“The rains came early this year,” the driver called above the clatter of the vehicle when they drove through a series of potholes. “Watch carefully. Even though it is still dark, the animals are starting to move about.”
Richard peered out the open window, scrutinizing every bush and behind each dark tree they passed. A piercing cry echoed in the trees.
Hinekiri’s head popped forward between the seats again. “What was that?”
“Vervet monkeys. There’s a colony in the trees near here. Normally they don’t make much noise but something has frightened them. Perhaps it is a leopard.” The driver slowed the Land Rover.
Richard scanned the area. “There’s something over there.”
“It looked like a person,” Hinekiri said.
“Not person. Rangers don’t come out in dark unless there are sightings of poachers. No poachers operating in this area.”
“I see person,” Killer growled in a low bark.
Richard heard the soft yips of the hyena.
“Harry say poachers hunt for animal skins most nights. His family think might move. They shoot all animal even hyena.”
Richard hurriedly asked the driver a question to distract him from the chattering animals. “How long before it gets light?” Even though he wouldn’t understand the animals, he’d think it weird when Hinekiri answered Killer. Hell, he’d thought it was peculiar before he’d understood.
“Killer, we’ll talk about it later,” Hinekiri said in a low growl.
“About half an hour or so,” Samuel said. “Something is in the bush. See the eyes glowing.”
“Down,” Killer barked.
Richard was aware of the muted communication going on in the backseat even as he heard the driver and scanned the bushes. The sky behind the trees was noticeably lighter. Richard picked out a pair of glowing eyes but couldn’t guess at the identity of the animal. “I see it. What do you think it is?”
“Could be a cat. A leopard.” The driver halted the vehicle in the middle of the road and switched off the engine. The sudden silence rippled with anticipation. “It’s a hyena,” the driver said finally. “They are usually found on the open plains. It’s possible a big cat has made a kill or their burrows may be in the area. I can’t see them anymore. We will drive on.”
The glow of the sun appeared on the horizon and slowly the fiery ball climbed upward. The darkness receded and Richard noticed storm clouds on the horizon, plump and full of rain. A flock of storks flew past and settled near a shallow pool. He wouldn’t mind more rain if it settled some of the dust.
“Giraffe,” the driver said, slowing the vehicle. He pointed over to his right and Richard finally picked out three giraffes amongst the acacia trees.
In the backseat, Hinekiri clicked away with her image machine while Richard concentrated on watching the gentle giants. They stretched their necks, stripping foliage from the trees. Richard caught a glimpse of their long, black tongues when they curled them around the branch tips.
A pride of lions caught their attention next. Most were sleeping but three of the younger lions played together in a mock battle with snarls, twitching tails and lots of teeth.
“Zebra.” Hinekiri flashed her image machine in the direction of the herd of black-and-white-striped animals. Something startled them and they galloped off with whistles of fright. The small fawn-and-white Thomson’s gazelles on the fringe of the herd of zebra jerked their heads up, snorting before running. Next, they stopped to watch a herd of wildebeest that stretched as far as the eye could see.
“Elephant,” Richard said. Three of the huge creatures were using their trunks to strip leaves off a tree.
“Eland,” the driver said, pointing at the large ox-sized antelope.
Richard sighted a soaring harrier gliding through the sky before three ugly warthogs fighting over positioning at a mud wallow snared his attention. Their squeals and posturing brought a grin. In the backseat, Hinekiri continued to capture images while he heard the low growls of conversation from Killer and Harry.
“A wild dog.” Samuel pointed and Richard saw the small dog-like creature slinking through the long grass.
“Hyenas,” Hinekiri chirped, pointed a forefinger in front of them. The beasts were crowded around a carcass, feast
ing on carrion, their blood-smeared faces contrasting starkly with the toothy grins.
Richard noticed whenever they saw a hyena Harry ducked out of sight. His female problem must be worse than they’d realized.
After studying the animals for half an hour, they drove down a side track to the river viewpoint. Despite the early hour, several white vans and around six Land Rovers had parked on the edge of the track. Samuel pulled up behind a van.
“You can get out here,” he said. “Continue walking to the top of the track past the rocks and you will come to the viewing point where you can look down on the river below in safety.”
Killer and Harry started a low, growling conversation. Killer nodded and nuzzled Harry’s shoulder. “We stay here. Tired. Have sleep.”
“Probably safer with the number of people about,” Richard said.
He and Hinekiri strolled hand in hand up the dusty track. The excited chatter of the other tourists filled the air while Richard heard the drivers hail each other in their local dialect as they settled to wait for their passengers. The track inclined sharply before flattening out to a plateau. The view across the river and savannah beyond was incredible. Richard saw the great herds of wildebeest that stretched for miles. Over to their right a herd of elephants played in the water and mud at the edge of the shallow riverbank.
A curious grunting call drew his attention to the middle of the river. Huge, rounded gray mounds bobbed up and down in the muddy-colored water. In some instances only the tips of their ears showed above water.
“Hippo,” Hinekiri said, instantly letting go of his hand and pointing her image machine in the direction of the river. Around them, the rest of the tourists were equally enthralled, faces glowing with excitement, cameras snapping.
Richard wrapped his arm around Hinekiri’s waist, content to watch both animals and humans while he waited for Hinekiri to complete her imaging. He didn’t notice the excitement exhibited by a group of Japanese tourists at first, but gradually, their chatter drew his attention.
A pack of hyena—a huge pack numbering about thirty—loped across the rocky terrain above the viewing spot. Richard’s eyes narrowed. They were organized. They were searching for something. Hunting? He cast his mind back through his memories before concluding he had no idea. His knowledge of hyena was scanty. Richard nudged Hinekiri with his elbow. “Hinekiri, hyena,” he said in a low voice. “What do you suppose they’re looking for?”
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