My Despicable Ex (Book 1) (15 page)

“
Is that just your fancy,
humble way of saying it’ll be better because you’re so buff
now?”

He smiled. “I wasn’t aware that you’d
noticed.”

“
Right,” I said. “You’d
have to strip down to re-create that photo, and I think there are a
lot of things we need to leave in the past, Jake.”

“
I can’t make that kind of
promise,” he said, slowly walking away.

* * *

That night, I decided it was best to
sleep in my clothes; the African bush, in a tent, with Jake didn’t
exactly call for a silk nightie. After I checked the sleeping bag
for creepy-crawlies, I slipped inside it and made myself cozy. I
also made sure I was on the other side of the tent, so Jake
wouldn’t get any ideas.

Jake turned off the lantern. “Today
has been amazing.”

“
I can’t argue with that,”
I said, snuggling into my pillow. “It’s not exactly some glitzy,
five-star hotel, but this is pretty awesome, everything we talked
about and more. There’s something magical about Africa,” I
said.

“
Right, it can’t be
experienced in some fancy resort or from the safety of a
Jeep.”

“
Definitely.”

“
Ashly…” Jake
said.

“
Yes?” I said over the
chorus of zillions of nocturnal insects buzzing and humming in the
air.

“
There’s a question I’ve
been dying to ask you.”

“
Do I still load my burger
with tons of mustard? Yes.”

He laughed.

I smirked in the darkness. “Do you
still drown your eggs in ketchup?”

“
Yep,” he said, his tone
serious, “but that wasn’t the question.”

“
Just trying to keep the
situation light.”

“
Do you think you’ll ever
really want to get married again?” he asked.

“
Can’t we just talk about
condiments?”

“
Come on,
Ashly.”

“
We had such a good day.
Why ruin it with all this? Like I said, the past is the
past.”

“
I just need to
know.”

I let out a sigh. “Sure, someday. I
didn’t before because…well, it didn’t exactly turn out like I hoped
the first time around. If anyone proposed to me again and I
accepted, I’d just go to the justice of the peace. Inviting all
those people to my wedding and then being stood up like that is
something I can’t go through again.” I gazed in his direction, even
though I couldn’t see anything in the darkness. “I never bothered
to ask. Are you married…or have you even been married?”

“
Like I told you before, I
made a stupid mistake with you, and I regret it every day. No woman
has ever been able to fill the void. So no. I’m not married, and I
don’t plan to be. Without you, I don’t see the point.”

“
So there’s nobody special
to share all that money with?”

“
No, nobody. My last
serious relationship ended a year ago.”

“
Well, I hope you don’t
think just because we’re both single and have a past together…” I
paused. “Just know I’m not available, Jake—not to you. I never will
be again.”

“
You’re still
bitter.”

“
What do you expect? Damn
straight I’m bitter. I don’t think I’ll ever get over
it.”

“
I didn’t mean to stir all
this up, Ashly. I’m sorry. I just want to say I’m glad we’re
friends…and that I really enjoy being out here with you, even if
you are still angry with me and hardly speak to me without being
cold and distant.”

“
I’m not sure what you
expect from me, Jake. All things considered, it’s taking everything
in me for me to be civil with you.”

“
You’re still as beautiful
as I remember.”

I was growing sick of his flattery,
which wasn’t really getting him anywhere but deeper down on my shit
list. “Goodnight, Jake,” I said, then turned over in a
huff.

“
Goodnight,
Ashly.”

And with that, I closed my eyes and
tried to fall asleep.

It was little use to try and get some
rest, for as beautiful as Africa was during the day, it was very
noisy at night. The tent flapped all night and kept waking me up.
And then those nocturnal birds Anto told me about were super loud
with their distinctive and characteristic calls. Anto had called
them Fiery-necked Night Jars.

Then the hairs on my neck
stood straight up when a lion’s roar echoed in the night.
It started out with a few deep, long roars. I
listened intently as the roars ended up turning into a series of
shorter ones, and for thirty minutes, lions prowled outside our
tents. When I managed the courage to look outside, I saw the
shadows of at least ten animals.

“
Don’t worry. They don’t
want us,” Jake whispered over the squawking and chirping of the
birds outside. Then he pointed at a spot in the distance, where
several lionesses were tearing into an unfortunate
bushbuck.

I could only snuggle down into my
sleeping bag like some terrified caterpillar, my heart beating a
petrified symphony in my chest. I was excited that they were so
close but scared at the same time. “Can’t they find someplace else
to enjoy their midnight snack?” I joked.

“
This is what nature’s all
about,” Jake responded. “Wow! Life on safari doesn’t get much
better than this. Jake looked at me, then back out around us, his
eyes wide. “Isn’t this amazing?”

Before I could answer, a hyena whooped
in the distance, making me gasp.

“
A little jumpy?” he
whispered, wearing a big smile.

“
Jake, there are
meat-eaters out there, giant cats on the prowl and striped,
laughing dogs. Pardon me for being a little on edge.”

“
Bring your sleeping bag
over by me. I won’t bite.”

“
Not a chance.”

Something crashed in the trees,
pulling down branches.

My imagination went wild with the
possibilities. “What’s that?” I asked.

“
Elephants.”

Another lion roared, and loud trumpets
filled the air, followed by more crashing feet.

I grabbed Jake’s arm in a
panic.

“
That’s just the lions
scaring off the elephants,” Jake said.

I clutched my heart, trying to stay
brave.

He peeked out the tent window again.
“The lions are bored with us. They’re leaving.”

I let out a long sigh of relief.
“Good. Maybe I can get some sleep now,” I said.

“
Don’t worry. You’ll get
more sleep on our next destination.”

“
Which is?” I asked, since
our near-death experience had my mind going in circles, causing me
to completely forget our agenda.

“
The sand dunes, then
Paris.”

“
Paris,” I said slowly.
That was supposed to be our dream spot, the perfect place for
lovers. I wondered why my mom had been so cruel as to order me to
go to the City of Love with a man I despised.

I remembered all the
passionate ways he’d planned to kiss me in front of the Eiffel
Tower, the moonlight strolls we talked about, and those romantic
boat rides that would lazily drift down the Seine River. We were
going to eat a huge plate of oysters at the tiny Regis and splurge
on a huge seafood platter at Le Dome. We planned to drink Chablis,
Sancerre, Muscadet, and lots of champagne from fancy glasses. I’d
also planned a self-guided kissing tour, with the help of a book
I’d bought, aptly titled
The Best Places
to Kiss in Paris
. I’d mapped out a
fantastic day based on the most romantic locations, fifteen perfect
spots, including a just-the-two-of-us picnic in our hotel room.
Jake had loved the idea and had teased me about being so
sentimental. Jake and I had spent hours talking about Paris and
planning the perfect vacation, but that was just one of those
things I had to leave in the past. This time, we’d be going there
as just friends, if even that, and I found that very
sad.

Frowning, I told Jake goodnight again
and crawled back into my sleeping bag. I refused to get any closer
to him, lions or not. Trying to tune all thoughts of Jake out of my
head, I listened to the beautiful sounds of nature. The symphony of
hoots, shrieks, buzzes, and whistles eventually lulled me to
sleep.

I jolted awake again when
the
crunch
of
leaves and the
snap
of twigs hit my ears, followed by loud wheezing ripping
through the air. I strained my neck to listen as my heart skipped a
beat. I lay as still as I could, and I heard something walking on
dry, crackling grass. The noise sounded much closer than last time,
and I worried that razor-sharp claws would tear through the flimsy
tent material and rip us to shreds.

Chapter 11

“
Jake!” my voice became a
whisper, and my stomach fluttered. When he didn’t answer, I crept
across the tent and turned on the lantern. “Jake!” I said again,
shaking him. “They’re back!”

His eyes fluttered open.
“Ashly?”

“
Jake!”

“
What’s wrong?”

“
I heard something.
Something’s out there.”

He listened, but everything had gone
completely still. “The tent’s probably flapping again. It’s been
doing it all night.”

“
I swore I heard something,
and it wasn’t the tent. Maybe it’s an elephant or a lion. What if
it’s a rhino? All that separates us from those dangerous predators
is a flimsy wall of brown fabric.”

A smile grew across his face. “If
you’re that worried, lie next to me. I’ll keep you
safe.”

I slugged him. “Get that silly grin
off your face. I swear I heard something. I assure you I’m not just
trying to get in your…uh, sleeping bag.”

He stared at me. “You’re shaking.
You’re really scared to death?”

I let out a long breath.
“Yeah.”

“
Bring your sleeping bag
over here. I promise to be a perfect gentleman.”

“
I’d rather be eaten by
whatever is out there than come anywhere near you!”

“
Ouch,” he said, sitting
up.

When I realized he wasn’t wearing a
shirt, I was taken aback. In fact, I was relatively certain he was
completely naked inside his sleeping bag. Jake always slept naked,
and being in a jungle hadn’t changed him.

“
Put on some clothes,
Jake,” I said, turning around to give him some privacy.

“
Why?” he asked. “Whatever
it was, our voices must’ve scared it off.”

I listened intently. “You’re right. I
think it’s gone.”

“
I’ll go take a quick look
so you have peace of mind.”

“
That would make me feel a
whole lot safer,” I said, daring a peek over my shoulder when I
heard him rustling around in the tent. “Are you dressed
yet?”

“
Yes, but what if I wasn’t?
You would’ve gotten a sneak peek, looking at me like that—a real,
uh…sensual peek.”

“
Please don’t sleep naked
on this trip,” I said.

“
You used to love
it.”

“
If you could abide by my
wishes, that’d be fantastic.”

“
Who do you think you are,
the African queen or something? I hate wearing clothes at
night.”

I rolled my eyes. “Why are you making
everything so hard? You said yourself that we’re just friends, so
trying acting like one. None of my other friends sleep in the nude
around me.”

“
Not even Nadia? That might
be kinda hot,” he joked.

“
Shut up, Jake,” I said,
not finding the humor in it.

“
I apologize, Highness, but
I can’t sleep in clothes.”

“
Listen, I’m a little
freaked right now, okay?” I said, turning toward the tent exit.
“Your striptease isn’t exactly helping me right now.”

He suddenly touched my shoulder. His
soft touch electrified me, and a jolt raced straight for my heart.
“It’s okay,” he breathed into my ear, his voice as soft and husky
as his alluring, manly aroma.

“
I’m fine,” I said, turning
from him.

He began to rub the hard
knots in my shoulders, something he used to do to calm me
down.
I found it almost impossibly
difficult to concentrate with his big arms wrapped around
me.
Damn, he smells good.
His hands caressed the hollow of my back as he
whispered my name in my ear. I yearned to feel my body pressed
closer to his rock-hard, muscular frame. I closed my eyes. His
touch was like magic. Then, suddenly, I was snapped back into
reality. I didn’t want him touching me. We were barely friends and
nothing more. Biting my lip, I tore away from him.

“
Ashly…” he
said.

Suddenly, another twig
snapped.

“
Shh. It’s back.” I held my
breath, my mind racing. Whatever it was, it was moving through the
thick vegetation, its snorts and grunts coming closer. Something
big was coming our way, powerful steps crashed through, each one
louder than the last.
Waiting to pounce?
Coming to get us? What kind of animal could make that much
noise?
I didn’t want to stick around to
find out, but I was terrified to leave our flimsy excuse for
shelter. I heard a loud blast of air being blown, followed by a
louder grunt, and I tried to ignore the knots in my stomach. “Is
that some kind of wild animal or what?”