Hinekiri (14 page)

“Ah, a man of many words,” Hinekiri teased. Exhilaration pumped through her body along with something close to happiness.

Richard separated their bodies and let Hinekiri stand. They washed rapidly under tepid water but Hinekiri had another motive. She wanted to take this further in an Earth bed. Ever since her first sighting of Richard, she’d fantasized about having her wicked way with him in a bed.

“You and Killer get in enough words to make up for my lack.”

“Huh!” Hinekiri washed the last of the soap off, pushed open the glass door and deftly flipped the water to cold before she stepped out of range. Richard’s holler was music to her ears. Grinning she grabbed a cream-colored towel off the rack and wiped off. When Richard switched off the water, she handed him a towel too.

“That was mean.”

“I know.” Hinekiri wrapped a robe around her body. She tied the belt and opened the door into the main living space. “Where’s Killer? Oh look. A sunset! Do you want to sit out with a drink and watch before we go to dinner?”

“I thought we might retire.” Richard stepped up beside her and scanned the horizon. “On second thoughts, we have all night to retire. Let’s neck instead.”

Chapter Eight

“I can’t find Killer,” Hinekiri said.

“She’ll be here somewhere. She promised me she wouldn’t wander off on her own when we discussed it on the way to the cabin.” Richard peered inside the well-stocked bar fridge. “A beer or a gin and tonic. Which would you prefer?”

“I’ll try a gin and tonic.”

Hinekiri called, “Killer!” She settled into one of the cane chairs on their verandah and gazed over the waterhole with a sigh of appreciation. The last remnants of the sun had cast a bright orange glow over the trees and water. Simply beautiful. “Killer!”

“I come,” Killer said.

Hinekiri turned in the direction of the bark and watched a shaking bush. Richard set a cool drink in front of her just as the dog shot from under the bushes.

“Where— By the goddess! What is that smell?”

“Shit!” Richard set his beer down on the glass-topped cane table. He squeezed his nose with his fingers and Hinekiri followed suit. They both stared at the dog.

“How you know?” Killer’s dark eyes narrowed. “You spy on me?”

Hinekiri let go of her nose and laughed. “No. We were in the shower, which is where you should be.”

“Not enjoy getting wet.” The dog backed up rapidly.

A soft, tentative whimper sounded from behind Killer.

Hinekiri’s gaze arrowed toward the sound. “Who have you got in the bushes with you?”

“No one.” Killer’s gaze slid away to look everywhere except at Hinekiri or Richard.

“Killer,” Hinekiri said in a stern voice. “What have you been up to?”

“Nothin’. Do ya have any food?”

“
Killer
.”

“Bored listening to sound from shower. Went outside.”

“I told you not to go out on your own.” Richard’s voice accused. He dropped into the seat beside Hinekiri. “It’s dangerous out there.”

“I thirsty. Went to waterhole for drink,” Killer barked.

“And,” Hinekiri prompted.

“Met locals. Invited for visit.” Killer glanced at the bush behind her. “Had fun. Roll in zebra poo to hide scent from wildebeest. Chase. Friend come to my house for visit and food.”

“That solves the mystery of the smell.” Hinekiri glanced at Richard.

He shrugged before turning back to Killer. “Better invite them out to say hello.” His voice held a touch of caution. Hinekiri didn’t blame him. She was feeling a trifle apprehensive herself. Who knew with Killer? It could be anything in that bush…

“Come out, come out,” Killer yapped.

Slowly, the bushes parted and a grinning face poked out. Hinekiri’s breath stalled. Nope, it wasn’t a person as she’d hoped. The creature had a huge head with roundish shaped ears, a sloping back and slender legs with a short tail. A little bigger than Killer, its body appeared yellowish-red although it was a little hard to tell with the mud and zebra poo that covered its body and stubby mane. Here and there, a dark brown spot showed through the mud. A dopey grin bared his teeth; the lowered head making the creature appear shy.

“That’s a bloody hyena.” Richard’s cane chair groaned when he shot to his feet. The hyena started and let out a squeak of alarm.

Killer bared her teeth in a growl and the hyena sat. “Don’t move quick. You frighten friend Harry.”

“Well,” Hinekiri said. “It’s nice of your friend to visit.”

Richard wrinkled his nose. “Harry could have had a bath before he came visiting.”

“Do ya have any food? Harry and I hungry.” Killer cocked her head in an expectant manner. “Food. Do ya have any?”

Hinekiri inhaled deeply and immediately regretted it. “No food until you both wash.”

Killer stared, her black eyes narrowing. Hinekiri stared right back, refusing to back down. Finally, with a huge put-upon doggy sigh she turned to Harry and yapped at him. Harry’s grin never wavered as he chatted back with a series of yaps and grunts. Then as one, the pair trotted off toward the waterhole, leaving a stunned silence behind them.

“Luke is never gonna believe me,” Richard said. “Do you really have dog food?”

“I purchased some while you went to your meeting and packed it when Killer decided to come along. I’d better go and get it.”

Hinekiri stood but couldn’t resist watching the approach of the night. The last sliver of sun disappeared below the horizon. Fiery swathes of orange and red and yellow blazed before slowly fading to black. “That was beautiful.”

“Maybe we can watch the whole thing tomorrow night without interruptions,” Richard suggested.

Hinekiri suppressed a shiver, not because she was cold but because Richard’s voice did erotic things to her body. Slowly, she turned from temptation and walked into their room to retrieve the Killer snacks. It wouldn’t do to become too used to this happiness. The day was fast approaching when she and Richard would go their separate ways.

“Where food?”

Oops. Killer and Harry were back. Hinekiri rifled through her bag and pulled out a huge bag of bone-shaped biscuits. She hurried back outside, taking the bag with her.

“I’m not sure the bath has improved the matter.”

Hinekiri bit back a snigger. A brownish-red dust covered Killer and Harry. She sniffed cautiously. At least they smelled better. “Okay, guys. Only three bones each. Richard and I are going for dinner. We’ll try and bring you back some meat.”

“Acceptable.” Killer started a series of yaps and barks directed at Harry. “We hang out here while you go dinner. Tired after chasing wildebeest. Should be called uglybeest,” she added.

Hinekiri handed over the bone biscuits. She turned to Richard. “I’ll get dressed and go to the shop to buy you some clothes to wear for dinner. You can worm a few details out of Killer. I want to know where she met Harry.”

“Uh, shades of
When Harry met Killer
. I’ll grab my wallet from the bag. Do you think they’ll take New Zealand dollars? Or will I need to use my credit card?”

“I’ll get them to charge it to our room. We can sort it out later.” Hinekiri turned away to hide her stunned surprise. Her confusion. She’d just assumed she’d pay for everything. That was what she did with other males she met during her travels. It sort of made her feel better about the temporary status of the relationship. But Richard just kept breaking the rules. He made her care…

Hinekiri forced herself to walk away and into the separate bedroom. Absently, she unbelted her robe and drew Earth lingerie from her bag—a wispy black bra and matching bikini panties. She dressed rapidly, sprayed on some vanilla-scented perfume and drew out a bold, sea-green robe with a thigh-high split. She dragged a brush through her hair and expertly wound it into a braid just like Janaya wore, fastening it with a jeweled circlet to prevent her hair from unraveling and adding several small, jeweled combs for decoration. She thrust her feet into black strappy slides, picked up a small black beaded purse and set out for reception.

Half an hour later, she returned from her shopping expedition, a porter following with half a dozen bags.

“Thank you, Noah,” she said when the porter had stacked all the bags on top of the wooden coffee table for her.

“No problem, Hinekiri.” With a cheery wave, he departed.

“Hey, Richard,” she called. “I have your clothes.” She heard a series of yaps and a higher whistling bark before Richard came inside.

“You have got to hear what Killer— Whoa! Did you buy out the entire shop?”

Hinekiri sauntered up to him and winked before lifting her head for a kiss. She couldn’t seem to help the feminine need to touch her lover. “Only half the shop, sailor. I left merchandise for the other hotel guests.”

“You look beautiful,” he whispered, his eyes glinting with sensual heat. “Are you sure we can’t have dinner here?”

“We could,” Hinekiri conceded, “but then I wouldn’t be able to entice you into dancing with me under the stars. I’ve seen how humans dance but haven’t had a chance to try it out. Could we dance?”

Hell, when she studied him like that, Richard wanted to give her everything. The slinky blue-green gown she wore fitted her form closely and every time she moved, he got a flash of firm, slender thigh. Beautiful. Sexy.
His
. “I’d enjoy that, sweetheart. Come and help me choose what to wear and I’ll tell you about Killer and Harry while I dress. You’ll never believe it.”

Richard grabbed the bags in one hand and guided Hinekiri into the bedroom before it hit him.

His
.

He thought of Hinekiri as his. Shit, when had that crept up on him? He never made quick decisions—well, apart from flying off into the wild blue yonder in a spaceship. That had been a bit on the fast side but he gave every other decision in his life a great deal of thought. It had taken him three weeks to decide to take the plunge and invest in Alicia’s condom company.

Hinekiri sorted through the bags and plucked out a pair of khaki trousers and a long-sleeved white shirt plus black boxer shorts and dark socks. “How’s this?”

“Looks fine.” At least it was normal and not transparent. He started to dress and found everything fitted perfectly. Women seemed good at that. He had no idea how they managed it.

Ten minutes later they left Killer and Harry guarding their cabin—with the door open so they could go outside—and went off for dinner and dancing.

A soft breeze stirred the rapidly cooling air. Some sort of insect chirped and clacked away in the tree they passed. The soft sound of lovers laughing together came through an open window. Richard drew Hinekiri close so no one would overhear him but in reality, he wanted to hold her next to him and stake his possession. The act of a caveman. Hell, yeah! But that didn’t stop him from following the instinct that shouted at him to hold her.

“Evidently Harry is having woman…um…girl hyena problems,” Richard said. “A hyena called Livi.”

Hinekiri chuckled. “Tell me more. This has the makings of a good story.”

“Seems Harry wasn’t particularly interested in this girl hyena but his family are keen on the match. They’ve even built him a marital burrow. Everything is ready for Harry and the girl hyena to move in and have a litter.”

“Except for Harry.”

“Yep. Harry came to this neighborhood to get some alone time and met Killer. They struck up a friendship—Killer assured me there was no hanky-panky going on—and she told Harry he could hang out with us for a while.”

“Well, I suppose that’s okay. It would keep Killer occupied because I’m not sure the lodge would approve of a dog on the premises. This is a National Park, after all.”

Richard nodded. “That’s what I thought so I said it was okay as long as they kept out of trouble.”

“Hmmm,” Hinekiri said. “I would have bet that was near impossible for Killer but I’m willing if you are.”

A smirk grew before Richard could register the fact. “That’s mighty fine to know. Lady, you’re on a promise.”

The dining room overlooked part of the waterhole. The doors onto the verandah outside were open to make the most of the view and the cooler air. About twenty tables of various sizes were set with pristine white tablecloths. The silver cutlery and crystal glasses gleamed under the soft light. Candles flickered at the tables occupied by diners while the scent of food made Richard’s stomach grumble. A waiter strode past with a steak and some sort of fish on another plate. He sighed. Felicity would have loved this formal setting. The thought flickered and passed with minimal regret. She would have hated the long plane flight necessary to get here and the dust would have played hell with her allergies. Hinekiri however, seemed to slip into whatever role was required of her at the time.

A hostess greeted them with a broad smile. “This way please.”

As they followed the hostess, the tinkle of music started up and Richard saw a three-piece band on the verandah. Two couples headed outside to dance beneath the stars. Richard saw the wistful look Hinekiri sent in that direction and smiled. If his lady wanted dancing beneath the stars, then that was what she’d get.

They slid into their seats, accepted menus and a wine list.

“Your waiter will be with you shortly,” the hostess said.

Richard leaned toward Hinekiri. “If we order quickly, we should manage to get a dance or two in before our meal arrives.”

Beaming, Hinekiri opened her menu, glanced at the contents and slammed it shut. “I’ll have the crocodile tail.”

“Would you like wine? Maybe something from South Africa?”

“Good idea. I love to try the local stuff.”

The waiter approached and Richard placed their order. “Crocodile for the lady. I’ll have a medium-rare steak and we’ll have a bottle of the Pinot Noir.”

The waiter scribbled down the order on his pad. “Thank you, sir.”

“Shall we dance?” Richard asked.

Hinekiri bounded to her feet, the excitement on her face making her eyes sparkle. A fist tightened around Richard’s heart. How the hell had he lucked out with this woman? She was attractive, capable, had a sense of humor and was damn sexy to boot. Nothing seemed to faze her—not purple-suited pansies attacking or talking dogs turning up with their hyena friends.