The Lion's Love Child (2 page)

He looked her up and down then, with an animalistic appreciation that sent chills down her spine.  It had been a very long time since any man had physically affected her in such a way.  She felt the desire inside her growing as his eyes lingered on her mouth.  Her mouth was suddenly dry and she felt her temperature rising under his gaze.  He took a step closer then and leaned against her jeep, his face only a few inches from her own.

“Do you spend much time here?” she asked, trying to distract herself from the intimacy of their odd situation. 

“At least a few weeks, if I can,” he said.  His eyes seemed to be searching hers and she didn’t mind a bit.  She felt sure that he was trying to tell her something more, but she was too distracted by his physical closeness to put her finger on it.

“Did you say you are a wildlife photographer?” she stuttered, trying to find her footing.

“Yes,” he said.  Though he only said one word, there was something about his expression that made her think that he had maneuvered her in some way.

“My partner and I are here on an extended research trip to study local lion populations.  I'd love to pick your brain and get a look at some of your photographs.”  The thought of him sitting in her little cabin was oddly appealing.

“I would be happy to oblige.”  He leered at her then, as a predator might look at prey.  She knew that it should make her anxious, but instead it was oddly exhilarating.  Her breath began to quicken and she tried desperately to slow it, trying not to give away the thoughts rolling about in her head.

“Great! You should come to my cabin for dinner.  When would be best for you?” she asked him with a feigned casual tone.  She couldn’t believe her own boldness, inviting a strange man to her cabin.  She didn’t remember the last time she had done such a thing
.  Shannon
will be so proud of me,
she thought
.
  Still, she knew nothing about this man, other than that he was not being entirely honest to her.  Something about him, though, touched her on a primal level and she couldn’t allow this to be the last time that she saw him.  Though he said very little, she felt a real connection to him. 

“I can come tomorrow evening if that is convenient,” he said smoothly.  She tried to tell herself that the excitement that she felt was because of the tremendous resource that he could be to her and Shannon.  Still, it wasn’t the thought of looking through his photos that made her heart beat quicker or her breath come faster.  It was the thought of this large man in her tiny cabin, all hers for an evening.

“That would be great. What do you like to eat?” she asked as an afterthought, having thought more about how to see him again than having to prepare some sort of meal. 

“Any sort of meat will be satisfactory,” he said, grinning as though they were sharing an inside joke.

“Great! Will you be able to bring some of your recent photographs?” she asked in an attempt to remind him that this meeting was related to both of their careers.

“That won't be a problem,” he replied.  “You will have to excuse me.  I have a bit more scouting to do.”

“I will see you tomorrow evening, then,” she said, wondering how he planned to travel to his next scouting location.

“It will be my great pleasure.”  With that, he walked off.  She was a bit surprised, but watched him as he went.  There was a strength and confidence to his movement that took her breath away.  The following evening would be interesting, indeed.

Later that evening, when she and Shannon had their usual meeting to compare data, the lion population was the furthest thing from their discussion.  Grace sat at her desk and looked around the room as Shannon paced back and forth in disbelief. 
“You got a date in the middle of the plains?” she gasped.

“It isn't a date,” Grace insisted.

“Are you cooking dinner?” she asked, though she already knew the answer.

“Well, I can't exactly invite him out to a restaurant, can I?” she said innocently.

“What are you going to wear?” Shannon looked calculating as she spoke.

“I don't know yet,” Grace said, unable to keep her annoyance from her voice.

“Ah, ha!” Shannon cried, stopping in her tracks and jumping up and down with glee.

“What does that mean?” Grace asked.  She felt as though Shannon had gotten just the answer she had hoped for, but she was not at all sure why.

“If it wasn't a date, you would have said it didn't matter, not that you didn't know yet,” she said as she danced about in the way she always had when they talked about boys.

“You read too much into everything.” Grace’s mind had already drifted to what outfit she should wear.

“I just wish I was going to be here,” she pouted.  She had a scheduled delivery of supplies to meet at the airport and she couldn’t postpone it.

“Me too,” Grace admitted.  She always felt a bit more comfortable with Shannon nearby.

“Well, someone has to go get supplies.  How else will you cook dinner for a handsome stranger?”  She winked then, clearly enjoying herself.

“I'll get copies of as many of his pictures as I can. They could help us in our research.”  She thought that perhaps she should focus on the true purpose of their dinner, the science.

“Or you could focus on the handsome wonder you’ll be all alone with,” Shannon said as she wrapped her arm around her friend’s shoulder. 

“Knock it off,” Grace said, gently elbowing her.

“Have fun!” she said as she skipped out the door, leaving Grace alone with her thoughts.
 

*

Grace slowly looked around her cabin.  Since moving in nearly a week ago, she had worked hard to transform it.  What had once been a very sparse room now felt cozy.  She had visited the local market and picked up a variety of handmade fabrics that had made all of the difference.  She sewed a curtain that gave her both a living space and a separate bedroom.  In addition to the desk that had been provided, she made dozens of pillows that now filled the furthest corner of the cabin and created an exotic lounge where she could relax.  She’d even come across some netting that she used for the practical purpose of keeping the bugs away from her sanctuary and for the romantic purpose of making her little corner of paradise the feeling of being its own little world.  The room was ready, she knew, for her guest.

She looked in the glass pane she had found and repurposed as a mirror.  She wore a kimono that she had picked up during a stopover that she had Shannon had made in Japan.  It was a colorful silk fabric, with many shades of blues that she had always felt brought out her eyes well.  She twisted her hair up with pins.  Though she usually wore it up in a ponytail, Shannon had been horrified at that.  She insisted that Grace wear it down, letting it flow, but she put her foot down, knowing that the heat from cooking would make that unpleasant.  They compromised on the pins, but Shannon had still been unhappy about it.

She had the cabin door thrown wide open as she usually did.  The scents of the beef stew that she was cooking over the fire outside filled the room.  She went outside to stir it one last time and was quite happy with the taste that she had been able to achieve under the conditions.  She then settled in at the outdoor table to wait for her guest. 

It was only a few moments later when he arrived.  She felt his eyes on her before she heard him approaching.  She looked up to see him standing at a distance, staring at her intently.  She felt his gaze like a caress on her skin.  He began his approach then.  There was an almost feline quality to his smooth movements.  As her heart began to beat more quickly, she was almost sure that he realized it as he cocked his ear in her direction and grinned with pleasure. 

As he moved closer, she could appreciate his appearance.  He had not shaved, allowing a bit of scruff to grow in on his chin.  His own blue eyes were well accented by the dark blue tee shirt he wore.  His hair, though still shaggy, was a bit more controlled and she had the sudden urge to bury her hands in it and mess it up. 

“You made it,” she said, feeling silly immediately for stating the obvious.

“Yes,” he said simply.

“I'm glad, come in. The food is almost ready.  I hope beef stew is OK...I'm not the best cook but I think it turned out alright.”  She realized that she was talking a mile a minute and knew that he must realize that she was nervous.

“It smells delicious.  Thank you.  I so rarely get a home cooked meal.” Again, he laughed to himself as though he had told the most compelling of jokes that she didn’t understand.

“It's nice to cook for someone besides Shannon.  That's my research partner. She is the world’s pickiest eater. All she does is complain.”  She relaxed a bit then.  There was something about him that made her feel at ease in his presence. 

“Will she be joining us?” he asked, looking a bit disappointed.

“No, she had to go to the airstrip to get supplies.”  His look of relief brought a smile to her face.

“Does she share the cabin with you?” he asked, looking around for evidence of a second resident.

“No, she has the cabin next door.  These are the nicest places we've had to live in on any research trip. We are getting spoiled,” she laughed.

“It's a cozy cabin. How do you usually live?” he asked, looking intently at her as she began to respond.

“Well, we usually have some sort of tent when we are on assignment.  When we are home, we both lecture at the university so we'll split a short term lease near campus.”  She thought then of the last little apartment they had shared, with its tiny windows and beige walls.  She had been so happy to leave.

“You must enjoy your visits back to civilization,” he said, looking a little disappointed.

“No.  It's too loud.  I can never quite get comfortable.  Plus, in the city you can never see the stars.”  She shuddered at the thought of returning to that dull life.

“That would be a hard thing to bear,” he said with a grin, seemingly appreciating her answer.

“Well, you must go through the same thing.  Don't any of your magazines ask you to come in for meetings?”  He smirked then and she wondered what in the world was going on in his mind.

“No, I stick to the wild side,” he said with a chuckle.

“Lucky you!” she teased.

“I'm sorry,” he said suddenly.  “I forgot to bring my camera and my memory cards.”

“It's alright,” she said.  She was surprised by the fact that she was more upset that it meant that he would be leaving early than that she wouldn’t get to see his research.

“I'd be glad to tell you about my experiences with the lions here, though,” he replied, in no hurry to leave.

“That's great,” she smiled, unable to hide her relief.

“Anything in particular I should begin with?” he asked, as though he was unsure what might be of interest to her.

“Well, where am I most likely to be able to view them without disturbing them,” she asked, trying to seem professional.

“Johnson’s ridge,” he said simply.

“OK, I was at Dalton’s point a few days ago and they got a little close.  I do not want my presence to interfere with their behavior.  Then there is no point to my research,” she explained.

“An interesting stance on the matter.  Many people disturb them with no thought to its impact on the lions.”  His words were thoughtful but his expression seemed angry.

“I would think as a wildlife photographer that your philosophy would be similar to mine.”  It seemed odd to her that he was surprised by her own attitude towards the animals she was dedicating a year of her life to studying.

“Oh, it absolutely is. I fully believe that the lions should be respected,” he said, seeming to realize that she was analyzing his earlier response.

“What made you want to become a wildlife photographer?” she asked, eager to move past the momentary awkwardness.

“I have a deep respect for the natural world and believe that people should understand it before they destroy it,” he said, his earlier anger beginning to resurface.  He let it pass quickly, however, before moving on to ask, “And you, what made you decide to research them?”

“You just summed up my reasons very well,” was all she was able to say.  It shocked her that he was so able to identify with her own reasons for dedicating her life animal research.  She had found him attractive before that moment, but it was magnified as she saw the passion that he had in his eyes when he spoke about his own dedication to the natural world. 

He was watching her then and she was so sure that he could hear the very thoughts that were playing out in her mind.  Finally, he spoke again, asking, “What's the oddest creature you have ever studied?”

“Our first research project focused on the banana slug,” she laughed, remembering the six wet weeks that she and Shannon had spent living in a tent in the Pacific Northwest. 

“Noble creature,” he jested.

She smiled as she looked deeply in to his eyes.  “I certainly think so,” she said.