The Ranger's Rules

by Lily Harlem

She squeezed his hand as they stepped into the cubicle. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” He turned to her, a gentle expression on his face, as if he too was thoroughly satisfied.

  “For that… for not being so…” She struggled to find the words. “Ordinary.”

  He smiled. “There’s nothing ordinary about either of us.” Reaching up, he pulled the lever that released the spray of water.

  Casey gasped, it was only just warm, the sun hadn’t been on it that long and it was a full barrel.

  “Turn around,” he said, reaching for shampoo. “I’ll wash your hair.”

  She did as he’d asked and stared out at the plains as the water sluiced down her body. Quickly, she accustomed to the temperature and found it refreshing. A giraffe came into view. Behind it a youngster followed.

  Rhett lathered her hair and massaged the lavender-scented shampoo into her scalp.

  She sighed and let her neck and shoulders relax. Right now she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.

  “Step back,” he said, tugging her shoulders gently.

  She reentered the stream of water and with slow, deliberate movements he rinsed off the bubbles.

  “Need your body soaped up?” he asked against her ear when he’d finished.

  “I guess.” She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her, his palms full of suds and cupped her breasts.

  As he worked the soap over her nipples she stared out into the distance again.

  A long thin trail of dust climbed into the sky. She studied the source and quickly realized it was a vehicle, heading their way. “Rhett, someone is coming.”

  “Are they?” He ceased his movements. “So they are. Likely it’s Dan, he’s the only one who bothers to come out this far. The other two rangers don’t, not very often anyway.”

  “We should get dressed.” She slipped from his embrace.

  He looked at her lathered breasts. “Worse time ever for a damn visitor.”

  She grinned and pressed her chest to his, then kissed him. “Hopefully he won’t stay long.”

  “I’ll make sure of it.”

  Casey quickly washed away the bubbles, shook out the towel that was hanging on the partition to get rid of any unwanted bugs, then wrapped it around herself.

  She darted back to the lodge, leaving Rhett to finish up. The last thing she wanted was Dan to find them naked together. She didn’t dare think about the mortification she’d have had to endure had he arrived a few minutes earlier and caught them going at it on the veranda table.

  * * *

  Ten minutes later, she’d pulled on her short skirt and a t-shirt. She didn’t bother with a bra, but instead draped a scarf around her neck that covered her hard nipples. She figured Rhett would enjoy seeing her that way once Dan had gone.

  She scraped her hair back into a ponytail and applied a lick of moisturizer with sunscreen to her face. After a spritz of perfume and swipe of lip balm, she headed into the kitchen.

  Rhett was making coffee wearing only his trousers, which sat low on his hips. She eyed the belt, neatly done up, and suppressed a blush.

  Dan was sat on the sofa. He stood when he saw her. “Casey, my dearest friend. I trust you are well.”

  “Very, thank you.” She smiled at him.

  “And getting all of the shots you require?” He made a clicking motion with his fingers by his face.

  “Not doing too badly.”

  “And my ranger is treating you well?”

  She looked at Rhett.

  He paused what he was doing and studied her.

  “He’s a stickler for the rules,” she said.

  Rhett raised his eyebrows.

  “And he gets very cross if they’re broken,” she added.

  Rhett rubbed his palms together. She was sure he was trying to hold in a smirk.

  “Ah, well, he’s got to keep you safe,” Dan said. “I’d have him hung, drawn, and quartered if anything or anyone hurt a hair on your head.” He laughed. “You know that.”

  Casey laughed too. “Well, yes, I do feel quite safe with him.”

  “She is.” Rhett set coffee on the table in front of Dan. “Safe that is.”

  Casey resisted the urge to add satisfied onto his statement. Instead she grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and joined the men who were now both sitting.

  “I have been trying to get you on the radio,” Dan nodded at it. “But you never seem to have it on.”

  “I’m sorry. Been out and about.” Rhett didn’t look sorry.

  “iPhone?” Dan asked.

  “Still broken and the signal is so sketchy.”

  Dan tutted. “Try and check in more on the airwaves, will you? And take the thing out with you, it’s only small.”

  “Yeah, I’ll give it a go.” Rhett shrugged and Casey knew there wasn’t a chance he’d change his habits. He was the kind of guy who only did what he wanted, regardless of what anyone told him.

  “The thing is,” Dan was saying, “the reserve next door has reported a poaching.”

  “What?” Rhett frowned. He leaned forward, his elbows on his bent knees. A frown line plowed across his brow.

  “A cheetah. Skinned and all organs saleable on the black market taken.”

  “Shit.” Rhett stood and pushed his hand through his damp hair. “When?”

  “Yesterday. Report suggests they were after rhino—”

  “Of course they were.” Rhett blew out a breath. “Ours are still in Malo’s area, right.”

  “Yes, they’re twenty kilometers east of here. I’ve got Malo watching them like a hawk. Day and night he’s at their side.”

  “Who’s Malo?” Casey asked. She hadn’t heard the name before.

  “He’s one of our rangers, he’s new, but learning the ropes fast.” Dan nodded seriously.

  “You sure he’s up for the job?” Rhett asked.

  “I’m supporting him, of course, we all need to. But keep a listen out for the rhino moving this way, they likely will soon.” Dan nodded at the radio. “Because you’ll have to stay on them when they do.”

  “Yeah, sure.” Rhett’s frown deepened. “I will.”

  Casey didn’t enjoy seeing him so worried.

  “Any idea where the poachers went?” he asked.

  Dan took a sip of coffee. “You tell me? Have you seen any damage to fencing?”

  “Yeah.” Rhett nodded. “I fixed some up yesterday.” He glanced at Casey as if remembering the incident with the leopard. “It was probably them.”

  “Do you think they got through?” Dan asked.

  “No, I’m guessing they didn’t have the right tools to break through our heavy-duty fence. Gave up.”

  “Mmm…chances are they’ll be back. There’s big bucks to be made and if they’ve had a whiff of rhino, then we need to be on high alert.”

  “These people are hateful.” Casey could contain herself no more. “Why can’t they make their money some other way?”

  “If only.” Dan took several more sips of his coffee then stood. “I need to get to Malo’s lodge and give him a break.” He walked over to Rhett’s radio and flicked it on. A crackle filled the air. “See, it does work.”

  “I take your point.” Rhett stood. “I’ll check in later, okay, see how things are with Malo.”

  “Suits me.” Dan nodded at Casey. “You are looking well; the African savannah clearly suits your constitution.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled. “I’ll see you in a week and a half.”

  He tipped his head then headed onto the veranda.

  Rhett followed him.

  Casey finished her water then went into the kitchen area. She retrieved pasta and a jar of sauce from the pantry. She’d seen cooked chicken in the refrigerator and planned on whipping them up something to eat. Sex had given her an appetite.

  Rhett stayed outside, talking to Dan for twenty minutes or so. She hoped he wasn’t divulging information about their relationship. It was still so new and intense an
d somehow all the sexier for being their secret—at least for now.

  Eventually he came back into the lodge. He dropped his hat on the sofa and eyed the meal she was spooning into bowls. “Smells good.”

  “I thought you’d be hungry.” She pulled her scarf off and set it on the worktop, by the bread.

  “I am.” He glanced at her chest.

  She handed him a bowl of steaming chicken pasta with a fork sticking from the top. Her nipples were still hard and she was pleased he’d noticed.

  “Thanks.” He leant against the counter and began eating.

  “Everything okay with Dan?” she asked, as she popped pasta into her own mouth. It was clear food had to be their priority before any more sexy fun could happen.

  He swallowed. “Yeah, he’s worried, naturally, about these poachers. It’s too close for comfort. And they’re clearly opportunistic if they’ll take a cheetah. Not what they would have gone looking for, but seen one and killed it anyway.”

  She shuddered. “You don’t think they’ll come to Amakala, do you?”

  “They’ve already tried,” he said. “I reckon that was one of the reasons I was distracted fixing that fence yesterday. I knew who it was trying to get in… gave me a bad feeling in my guts.”

  “Mmm, probably.” She shook the image of the stalking leopard from her head, but in its place crazy-eyed poachers with mean faces and guns filled her mind. “You don’t think they’d come here, do you? To this lodge?”

  “Not unless they were crazy.” He set a serious look on his face. “But we must stay vigilant, make sure we’re secure.” Buddy wandered past him and stopped to wind around Rhett’s legs. “They’d have this one for his beautiful fur.”

  “Oh, don’t even say that. Poor Buddy. We’ll never let that happen.”

  “It’s how it is, Casey.”

  “I just hope we win the war on poaching before anything goes extinct.” She ate more pasta. When she’d swallowed she spoke again. “How many rhino are there here?”

  “That’s classified information.” He set his empty bowl aside.

  “Oh… sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “But I’ll tell you, you’re hardly a tourist.” He walked toward her. “There’s six, our most precious charges.”

  “Wow, that’s a lot.”

  “Yeah, we had one born last year.” He took her bowl from her hand—it was practically finished—and put it on the counter. “You cold? Want me to turn off the overhead fan?”

  “No, I’m not cold.” She smiled.

  “Ah, I see.” He gripped her around the waist and lifted her up, so she sat on the counter. “I like your hair like that.”

  “What, pulled back?” It had to be the least complicated style ever.

  “Yeah, I can see your neck, it’s elegant and delicate.” He stroked the back of his index finger over her throat.

  She watched his expression, mesmerized by the dark depths in his eyes.

  “Can I ask something of you?” he said quietly.

  “Of course.” She rested her hand on his bare shoulder. “Anything.”

  “Anything?”

  “Well… you know… within reason.”

  He nodded, once, then stepped away. He went to the cabinet and pulled open a drawer. She didn’t see what he retrieved, but he slipped something into his pocket.

  When he turned around, he was holding what appeared to be a slim leather collar.

  Casey stared at it as he came over to her and held it out. She’d seen it before, she was sure of it.

  She cast her mind back, trying to recall, then it came to her. The woman in the photograph had been wearing it, or certainly something similar.

  “Will you wear it?” he asked. “While you’re here with me.”

  She didn’t reply, just continued to scrutinize it.

  “It would mean a lot to me,” he said.

  “The same way as calling you Sir does?”

  “Yeah, I guess.” He pressed his lips together and lowered the collar. “It’s the way I’m wired, Casey. I’m a dominant. Having a woman submit gets me off.”

  “And you want me to submit to you?”

  “My beautiful lady.” He smiled and leaned close so his lips almost touched hers. “You already have… several times. Over my knee, in bed, and on the table out there.”

  Okay, she’d give him that. But wear the collar… the one his last lover had worn? She had to get the question out in the open. “Who has worn this before me?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “You said it had been a while since… I just wondered if…”

  “Spit it out, Casey.”

  “I saw a photograph. The woman in it, she had this on or one like it.”

  His eyes narrowed slightly. “Yes, she did, but it wasn’t this one. I wouldn’t ask you to wear something someone else has worn. This is new. It will only ever be worn by you.”

  “Ah, okay.” She paused. “So what happened? With the other lady? She’s very beautiful.”

  “Renee, yes, she was, is… is, I’m sure she still is, but I haven’t seen her for over eight years.”

  She was quiet, waiting for him to go on.

  “We met in Pretoria, she worked at the college I studied at.” He glanced away. “The attraction was mutual and she was happy to submit to me, more than happy, she told me she’d never been more content than when in my care. I thought I’d found the one.”

  “So what happened?”

  He huffed. “Her parents didn’t approve of me. A white man for their black daughter, they couldn’t and wouldn’t give consent, and when they saw marks on her wrists from…” He reached for Casey’s wrists and rubbed the faint red lines that had remained since their morning fun. “Well, you can imagine what the marks were caused by… they branded me a wife beater, a sinner, and she was forbidden to see me.”

  “And she did as they’d asked? Even though she loved you?”

  “She respected her parents’ opinions and rules. It’s the way she was brought up. Her culture.”

  “I see.”

  “It was then I moved out here. I persuaded her to visit, once, to see if she could live with me here and continue the relationship that had suited us both so well.” He paused. “She stayed for a few weeks, we cooked together, went on game drives, and…” He shook his head and frowned. “But it wasn’t for her. I wasn’t enough for her.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He shrugged. “She didn’t like the isolation. I understood that, it’s not for everyone. Plus she couldn’t live without her family and their approval of her. Had they found out she was with me… it would have been emotionally crippling. We weren’t meant to be.”

  “So she went back to Pretoria?”

  “Yes, never to return. But I stayed, this is my home, and it’s right for me to be here. Plus I needed to be alone, with animals that didn’t judge me for the person I am.”

  “Judge?”

  “Yeah, I got a lot of shit for the way Renee and I were together, from her side, you know.”

  “Were you that confused, about being… kinky?” She turned her wrists and caught his hands in hers, squeezed them a little, hoping he’d realize how much she cared.

  “A bit, I guess, but I know damn well I’m not the only one who has my urges. It was the fact they thought I didn’t love her, that I’d hurt her in a bad way, and that I couldn’t make her happy which really stung.” He glanced out of the window. “She’s married now, with three children. A nice black man who also works at the college apparently.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “I said it had been a while, Casey, but it hasn’t been eight and a half years. I’m a man with needs.” He paused. “I try to get into the city every now and then, hook up with friends.”

  “And have one-night stands?”

  “No, that’s not my thing. I go to a BDSM club; people there live the lifestyle that appeals to me. There I’m accepted, and I can have no-strings sex with willing subm
issives. Renee used to accompany me there, and a friend of mine is still in touch with her. She updates me if we bump into each other.”

  “When did you last go there?”

  “Two years ago.”

  “Two years.” She tried to keep the surprise from her voice. It was a long time for a sexually potent man like Rhett to go without fucking.

  “Yeah, so after just having my hand for company all that time, I reckon I did pretty well not to hit the finish line too early today, don’t you?”

  “Yes, definitely.” She giggled, then quieted. “Are you still in love with her?”

  “No,” he said quickly. “My heart is well and truly healed. This place is good for the soul.” He lifted the collar. “To tell you the truth I’d pretty much given up on finding a woman who might do me the great honor of being mine.”

  She studied the collar and chuckled to hide her uncertainty. This was all so new to her. “Is this like a proposal or something?”

  Instead of laughing with her, he shook his head. “Not of marriage, no, but by wearing this collar, while you are here with me, it would signify to both of us that I’m responsible for your safety and wellbeing as well as your happiness and pleasure.” He licked his lips. “And by pleasure I mean sexual pleasure.”

  A rush of heat spread from her core. “And spanking.”

  “Discipline, yes, for your own good.”

  “For my own good?”

  “When you do something that endangers yourself, or me, or you behave in a way you know is inappropriate but do it anyway, like taking photographs of me showering without permission.”

  “Oh, I see.” So she’d be setting herself up for more punishments like getting her ass reddened and being denied orgasms. But that was only if she misbehaved. If she was really, really good, surely she’d reap the benefits of Rhett’s hot body and his seeming mastery of hers. “I’ll wear it.”

  “You will?” His eyes widened a little.

  “Yes.” She tipped her chin. “While I’m staying in your home, if that pleases you, Sir, I’ll wear it.”

  “Ah, Jesus, yes, it pleases me.” He pulled in a deep breath and slipped the collar around her neck. Very carefully he fastened the delicate silver buckle.

  Casey watched the concentration on his face as he did it. That was sexy in itself, how much the collar meant to him. Which in turn meant it was important to her, too.