My Despicable Ex (Book 1) (14 page)

“
He’s…huge,” I said, my
mouth agape.

“
I can see why he’s king,”
Jake said. “Surely no animal in their right mind would mess with
him!”

“
The lion is a symbol of
power and dominance,” Anto said, gripping the steering wheel. “He
can eat up to forty pounds of meat in one sitting.”

“
Whoa! That’s, like, over a
hundred Big Macs!” Jake exclaimed.

I shot Jake a big smile. “I dare you
to go pet the kitty.”

He playfully slugged me. “Not a
chance.”

“
Why doesn’t he attack?” I
asked.

“
He’s not interested in
eating a vehicle, but it might be a different story if we get
out.”

I chuckled. “I think I’ll stay
put.”

“
We’re not moving until the
lion gets out of the way,” Anto said, shaking his head and clicking
his teeth. “Today it was a lion, yesterday twenty-foot-tall
giraffes.”

“
That’s a whole other kind
of traffic jam than what I’m used to!” I said.

The lion let out an intimidating roar,
stretching his powerful jaws wide. Staring in amazement, I aimed my
camera and started snapping, just in time to capture the big cat
with his mouth open. After making his presence known with that
roar, the lion shook his head and strolled away as if he didn’t
have a care in the world, which he probably didn’t.

Once the lion had trotted off across
the veldt, Anto pressed the gas on the Land Rover and took us to
the place where water buffalo were known to gather. Our assignment
was to have our picture taken next to a wild herd.

“
Ah, the perfect spot!”
Anto said as he parked the vehicle.

I grabbed my camera and stepped out.
Beneath my feet, the grass was a deep gold, the same color as the
lion we’d seen, and above me, the skies were blue and filled with
raptors, like something out of prehistoric times. Acacia trees
stretched out for endless miles.

We waded through a river,
which wasn’t nearly as easy as they made it look in the movies, and
before long, I was panting from the effort. Pebbles shifted under
my shoes as I walked to the other side, and under the stifling
weight of my wet clothes, I stumbled over a rock or two. I just
hoped no crocs lurked nearby. In spite of the difficult river
crossing and my trepidation about being eaten alive, the
spectacular wilderness, undisturbed wildlife,
and 
breathtaking
 scenery was a dream come true. As I stared around me, I
couldn’t stop smiling. Everything in every direction was absolutely
stunning.

My gaze drifted to Jake. My cheeks
grew hot as I stared at the safari shirt stretching across his
broad shoulders and strong chest, with the sleeves rolled up at the
elbow. Khaki pants were the perfect finish for his swashbuckler
ensemble. His black hair hung in shaggy waves under his hat. He
looked really hot, but there was no way I’d ever admit that to
anyone. The guy still made me furious. If he’d had a bullwhip, I
would have wanted to strangle him with it.

Anto advised that we should hike
downwind so the herd wouldn’t smell us. I stared ahead through the
tall elephant grass. As the buffalos grazed, their tails and ears
wagged and twitched. Their reek drifted through the air, and I
covered my nose with my hand. Nonetheless, I peered straight ahead.
The animals resembled overgrown oxen, with short faces, wide
muzzles, and a flat forehead with prominent eyes. A thick layer of
mud covered their dull, gray skin. I stared at their giant heads
and enormous, white, curvy horns that stretched out to a five-foot
span. Even the smallest of the beasts had to weigh close to a ton,
and most stood six feet at the shoulder.

I heard the
snap
of a
twig
, followed by a loud
crunch as we moved along, and I was terrified the noise would alert
the animals that there were intruders at their buffet. “Is this
really such a good idea?” I asked, fearing I’d be trampled any
minute.

“
We need that picture, and
we’re gonna get it,” Jake said, taking another daring step closer
like it didn’t even faze him. “That’s no bull!” he said with a
grin.

“
Stop,” I said, rolling my
eyes at him.

“
What?” he said, feigning
innocence.

When we were within twenty-five feet
of the buffalo, I could hear them chomping away on grass. I tugged
Anto’s arm. “This is close enough, right?”

He nodded.

I let out a sigh of relief. “What if
they charge us?” I whispered.

“
They’ll run first. But if
they do charge, don’t run. Just lie flat on the ground behind me
and my gun.”

“
What!? I don’t wanna be a
doormat for those things!” I said. “We’ll be trampled!”

“
Maybe…or maybe not,” Anto
said, shrugging. “It’s still our best chance.”

I let out a long breath. It was
official: Our guide didn’t care if he lived or died. He was
carrying a rifle, but I was sure those measly bullets wouldn’t do
anything to stop the whole herd, if even one of the massive
creatures.

Jake handed Anto the camera, then the
guide slinked into the grass cautiously, looked around for a
moment, and climbed on top of a large rock. He motioned for us to
stand closer together, and Jake took full opportunity of the
necessary closeness, slipping his arm around me. “Smile,” Anto
whispered.

I rolled my eyes when Jake pulled me
even closer.

“
Smile!” the man whispered
more insistently.

Realizing he asn’t going to give up, I
finally smiled. All things considered, having to stand next to Jake
for a photo was slightly less hazardous than being killed in a
stampede because I didn’t want to say, “Cheese.”

After Anto snapped the picture, he
jumped back down and handed Jake the camera.

Jake glanced down at the digital
image. “It’s good.”

“
Great,” I said. “Let’s
go.”

As I took a step away, another twig
snapped. The beasts lifted their heads and snorted. I instinctively
grabbed Jake’s arm, and he protectively moved me behind
him.

Suddenly, there was a pounding of
hooves, but when I peered around Jake, I was relieved to see them
running off to the left.

I turned around, with my nerves still
on edge, only to see a lioness bolting out of the tall grass. I
backed up slowly, but to my surprise, she ignored us and made her
way to some thicker vegetation, where a dead animal was waiting for
her to feast upon. I couldn’t even make out what kind of animal it
had once been, but its insides were strewn about.

Jake grabbed my arm and led me to the
right.

Wide-eyed, I glanced over my shoulder
to make sure the lioness wasn’t following us, and I was thankful
she wasn’t. The last thing I wanted was to end up like that dead
animal.

We
made it back safely to our vehicle and sped off. I hung on as
we continued the bumpy ride over rocks, brush, and fallen branches.
Everything was so beautiful and I couldn’t stop staring up at the
indigo sky dotted with the most fluffy, white clouds. It was the
prettiest sky I’d ever seen. I never took time out like this for
myself, and it was nothing short of amazing. After a few minutes,
Anto slowed down.

“
Look ahead!” he
pointed.

I stared at the magnificent elephants
through my binoculars and watched the old matriarchs lead the way
as their precious families and young calves lumbered right behind
them on the green and brown earth. Suddenly, a blur caught my eye.
An ostrich sped past us going so fast that I swear it could be
mistaken for a road runner.

“
Get a picture!” Jake
said.

I snapped, but I was sure it was
nothing more than a blur.

“
Did you get it?” he
asked.

When I glanced down at the view
finder, I was pleasantly surprised. “I sure did!”

Jake shot me the biggest grin ever as
the wind whipped through his hair.

Chapter 10

On the way to our camp, we saw more
lions feeding on a buffalo carcass. Looking through my binoculars,
I even caught a glimpse of six white rhinos and one black one with
her baby. I watched a leopard drinking at a waterhole, only to be
chased away by an angry herd of elephants, and I also saw a wild
pack of dogs with at least ten pups. We saw lots of giraffe,
hippos, and antelope. Every time I saw a new animal, my excitement
grew. Our African safari was, by far, one of the most incredible
experiences of my life, and I made sure to document everything with
my camera.

When we set up camp, I realized that
Jake and I would be forced to share a tent; we were informed that
if we separated, it would break the requirements of the Will. Since
we didn’t want to risk being disqualified, we had to play by the
rules. Jake wanted to sleep under the stars, but our guide was
against that, because it wasn’t safe at all. I actually had to
agree with Anto; as much as Jake was on my nerves, I didn’t want
him to get eaten by a lion or bitten by a malaria-carrying
mosquito.

After dinner, we sat by the fire and
chatted with Anto. He had been a tracker for twenty years, and he
had the best stories to share by the fireside. We listened
anxiously and hung on his every word. The black sky twinkled with
billions of glittering stars, a breathtakingly dazzling
display.

After a while,
I excused myself and sat
down in front of our camp to watch an approaching lightning storm.
Black clouds drifted in the sky as bright flashes of light lit up
the golden grasslands. We were serenaded by the natural sounds of
the wildlife around us. The little slice of African wilderness
truly touched my heart and soul. Just being out there in the bush,
practically alone with my thoughts, was a life-changing time for
me.

After about an hour, Jake approached.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“
Yes. Everything I dreamt
of and more.”

“
I’d love to spend another
week in Africa.”

“
I know, but we don’t have
that kind of time. It’s so peaceful and serene here though. I could
just sit here for hours with my thoughts.”

“
Being with you is just as
magical for me as Africa,” he said. “I’ve never stopped thinking
about you, Ashly, not once. I’ve wondered what you’ve been up to
all these years.”

“
Well, you didn’t just
ditch out on me, Jake. You also left your friends and family. You
didn’t bother calling or emailing them either, and they didn’t know
if you were dead or alive. You just dropped off the face of the
Earth.”

“
I was just…ashamed.” He
paused for a minute, then continued, “I actually came home a couple
times, but you were so busy with school.”

“
I didn’t know you came
back.”

“
Only a handful of people
knew. I know you’ve always loved fashion and photography, so I’m
glad you’ve been able to combine your two passions into a career.”
A smirk grew across his lips. “I remember how long you used to
spend choosing your outfit, fixing your hair, and putting on
makeup.”

“
Well, I had to look good.
After all, you were the hottest guy in school. I had to make sure
your attention didn’t stray.”

“
My attention? Ashly,
you’ve always taken my breath away.”

I smiled. “Thank you,
Jake.”

“
How much longer do you
plan on being a fashion photographer and journalist?”

“
I’m kind of sinking trying
to do that while running my own business. Like that old movie,
something’s gotta give. When my business takes off, as I hope it
will, I’ll have to quit my job. But I also wanna start my own
fashion magazine so my journalism skills will come in
handy.”

“
You’re so smart and
talented. If anybody can do it, you can.”

“
Thanks for the vote of
confidence.”

He smiled. “Anytime. You know, I
remember a few of our photo sessions. Didn’t that one, uh…risqué
one of me win first place in one of your photo shows? It had a
black background, and I was looking down.”

I cleared my throat and looked away.
“You weren’t naked, Jake. You were covering yourself with your
hands, and it was a sensual photo. Nobody knew it was you because I
shadowed your face.”

“
Sensual, huh? Well, I’d
like to retake that shot.”

A chill shot down my spine. “Are you
serious?”

A sexy grin spread over his face, and
his eyes sparkled with mischief. “Dead serious.”

I met his gaze, and our eyes locked
for a minute. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how anyone
could be so damn handsome. My breath froze as I imagined what he
looked like naked, in his grown-up body.

He shifted his stance. “Look at you, a
blushing beauty,” he mocked.

“
That’s only because it’s
so hot out here,” I said, fanning myself. “And the answer to your
question is no. I’m not retaking the shot.”

“
But I think I can bring a
lot more to the picture now—you know, in an artsy sort of
way.”