Elise gathered her hair into a knot and clipped it, but the catch broke and her hair slipped loose over her shoulders.
“You capture the sunset in your hair.” Brett felt like an idiot as soon as he’d said it.
She half smiled. “I wish I could capture some and take it home with me. It’s been a great week.”
Behind her the sun was sinking, in its quick drop below the horizon. In another twenty-thirty minutes, they’d be stuck in the National Park for the night. “I’m sorry to end it with nothing. No leopard and the park closes in ten minutes. We need to go.”
He half-clicked the ignition. Barking and shrieking erupted near the baobab, in a little acacia. One low branch dipped. “Baboons,” he said, “signaling a predator. The second low branch on the left. There she is.”
A leopard’s head became visible as it turned profile; a long tail lashed below the branch. Brett spun Elise by her shoulders to face west. He hooted--the short forehead, the angle from nose to ear tuffs--no mistaking the feline silhouette--a leopard against the orange sky.
The shrieking of baboons sent birds rushing around them. The leopard gathered herself, sprang off the branch, and disappeared into the underbrush.
“That was my leopard, wasn’t it?” Elise twisted to face him. “So lean, she’s lovely. At least her tail was.” Elise laughed--this time without putting her hand over her mouth.
“Hey--now you’re enjoying yourself. You laughed openmouthed,” Brett realized it was the first time all week he’d seen her teeth.
“Did I?” Elise gasped. “My brother says I never laugh without stopping myself.”
“You have a lovely laugh. Why not laugh?” Brett stopped. Whatever he said wasn’t worth a damn, after tomorrow she’d go back to her easy life with her good job in a sane country. She certainly wouldn’t think about him.
“Thank you for my leopard. For this week.” Elise tucked her feet under her. “This vacation has been tricky. Meeting you comes at a funny time--”
“You don’t have to say,” Brett interrupted. If she talked, she’d say goodbye, it’s been a bloody good time, and finally how she was reconsidering some goddamn boyfriend. He didn’t want to hear it. This kind of flirtation was supposed to be fun. Damn, he’d take his shot. She might tell him to bugger off, but he was going to kiss her. He aimed for her pretty, wide mouth, fast before she could shift away.
Her shoulder bumped his. She laid her hand on his chest, fingertips balancing. As she leaned close, her hair swept over his shoulders and she kissed him hard, teeth knocking.
Her fingertips pressed lightly, holding him off, but there was a nice salty taste of her tongue. She knew her way around the block. He was getting a bit rigid when he noticed the air temperature dropping. The sun had set, changing the west to a red-streaked glow. Damn, it would be full darkness in about twenty minutes. “Shit. They may have shut the gate. Would you like to spend the night under the stars?”
“In the Jeep?” She touched the stiff old leather. “I leave early in the morning.”
“Ndi, we’ll hurry right at dawn and get you back in plenty of time. Sunrise is gorgeous.” There was an old blanket in the back and he had water bottles. She’d have to pack and all that stuff before she left on the eight a.m. flight, but he could get to the lodge in thirty minutes if he pushed the old Jeep. “Rather than sit at the stupid gate all night, we might as well stay here and enjoy the stars. See, the guards won’t let us back out.”
“My clothes won’t pack themselves. I have an idea. When we get close, let me drive.” She braided her hair and twirled it into a bun but the loose ends bobbed like a quail’s topknot. “You inspire a crazy part of me.”
He didn’t know what she had in mind, but he liked how a leopard didn’t dull her quickness. She was as unpredictable as the veld’s predators. “We can’t crash through the gate, if that’s what you’re thinking and this Jeep’s too low slung for off road driving. They’ll recognize the lodge’s name on the doors.”
“Nothing so crude. I’ll act flustered. Curse in Danish.” She rested her hand on his thigh as he drove faster, almost too fast. They stopped around the curve from the gate. She scrambled over him into the driver’s seat as he slid under her. He resisted the urge to squeeze her marvelous bottom; instead, his hands guided her hips above his crotch.
“Ready?” she said, racing the engine.
“Ready. You’re looney.” Whatever she had planned, they’d likely be struck here at the gate with two idiot guards for company. “Beautiful but looney.”
“Now hold your belly and moan. Act like you’re going to puke.” She shifted into first, smoothly accelerated to third.
“I love a woman who’s not afraid of a stick shift.”
“Shut up and start moaning.” Her forehead was all furrowed and serious as she approached the gate, doing sixty kph. She slammed on the brakes a scant meter from the gate.
“Opmærksomhed! Jeg er hungrig!” She slapped the dashboard and wagged her hand at the gate. “Den låge.”
The guard stopped drinking from his mug. “We are closed for the night, Madam. You must go back--”
“Den lage. How you say--NOW,” Elise yelled. Brett was surprised she had such a big voice when she wanted to. He moaned louder. It was lucky he didn’t know this guard, a short guy whose shirt strained over his fat gut; this guy wouldn’t try to chase them if they had to drive in the ditch around the gate.
“Indeværende menneskene er igangværende hen til gylpe opoven på mig.” Still shouting, Elise half stood and pointed emphatically first at the guy and then at the gate and then down at Brett. Brett let his moans border on howls--this stunt was totally daft.
“All right, all right. Crazy little sister. I’m opening it up.” The guard put his palm up to suggest calm, but he jogged to the metal gate and swung it open. “Muzungus, sheesh.”
Elise popped the clutch and the Jeep shot through. After the next curve, they stopped to switch back to Brett’s driving. She stood and yelled “Wooohoo.” Then she wrapped her arms around Brett’s neck and giggled. He breathed in her lovely smell and tried to kiss her neck. Instead she banged her skull into his. He had to laugh, her craziness fit with his usual type of stunts.
“We make a great team. What did you say to him?” He bounced her onto his lap as she climbed back to her side.
“I told him I was hungry.” She was still giggling as she wiggled over him.
“Hungry for what?” Brett asked. They laughed so hard Brett almost drove off the dirt track. The moon was rising, a yellow ball stuck in the trees. The night breeze blew cold as they turned onto the lodge’s driveway. She folded her arms under her breasts and shivered a little. He didn’t have his jacket to wrap around her.
“I’ve missed getting you to dinner. David will be wondering about that,” Brett said. He needed to get the right mood back, get her hand back on his thigh or something better.
“I told the Nelsons to, um, cover for me in case I wasn’t around, but I’m hungry. Too bad the lodge doesn’t do room service.”
“I’ll make you a sandwich.” Brett took her hand as he opened the side door of the main building. They would sneak inside, avoiding the torch lights. Peering in, he first listened, cupping his hand to his ear.