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‘No,’ I say. ‘I’ll never be frightened of the lions again.’
He takes my hand and leads me inside. Our tent is much bigger than the one I had before, and the furnishings more lavish. A double bed is dressed in cream with a red and pink kanga across the bottom, the dressing area has a wardrobe, the shower will comfortably fit two. But the best thing of all is that, this time, I’ll be sharing it with Dominic.
‘You are tired?’ he asks.
‘No,’ I say, ‘not tired at all.’ Despite not having slept, I’m completely hyper and I don’t want to waste a minute of the precious time we have together by sleeping.
‘I have made the shower ready for you.’
‘That’s lovely. Thank you. Asante.’
‘Karibu. You are welcome, my love.’ He looks at me with such tenderness that my heart melts. My love, I think. He called me, my love. ‘When you have showered, we will have lunch.’
‘You’ve thought of everything,’ I say gratefully. There could be no better reunion than this. I had expected our time together to be snatched, surrounded by other tourists. I had no idea that Dominic had this planned for us and I’m touched by his thoughtfulness.
‘I’ll take a shower then.’ Shyly, I start to undo the buttons of my shirt.
‘Here,’ Dominic says. ‘I think that you need help with this.’
He undoes my shirt, slowly, slowly, one frustrating button at a time, and strips it from my body. Then he kisses me deeply. I shiver with anticipation even though the temperature outside must be pushing eighty degrees. Inside the tent, it is a cool dark sanctuary.
Together we undress each other and then go to stand under the shower. As we kiss, we drench each other with the warm water. Dominic soaps my body tenderly, massaging his firm hands all over me. All my tension leaves me and Dominic holds me against him as the water cascades over us once more.
Making love on the double bed, our bodies move together as if they’ve done so a thousand times before. Outside the tent, a gazelle passes by and casually glances in. I curl into Dominic and he strokes my hair.
‘My Janie,’ he murmurs. ‘My own Janie.’
We lie entwined for an hour or more, until Dominic says, ‘I think it is time for you to eat.’
He shrugs on his red tunic and then disappears from the tent. While he’s gone, I change into some fresh clothes. A few minutes later, two more Maasai men appear with a small table that they set up on the veranda. They bring a dish of barbecued meats and some rice and then quietly melt away into the bush. Dominic grins as he opens a bottle of champagne that’s been chilling in an ice bucket.
‘How have you managed all this?’ I ask him.
He shrugs. ‘Some people, they owe me favours,’ he explains. ‘I say that this is a special occasion for me. Now I ask for them to be returned.’
Dominic pours me a glass of champagne and he pours himself some milk from a jug that’s also appeared on the table. We toast each other.
‘Bottom’s up,’ Dominic says with a cheeky grin.
I laugh. ‘To us,’ I tell him. ‘This toast should be to us.’
‘To us,’ he echoes. ‘To us, Just Janie.’
Chapter Forty-Five
Believe me, listening to lions roar in the dead of night while you’re lying in the arms of a Maasai warrior holds no terror. None whatsoever. Whenever I wake, Dominic is there next to me, awake, watching over me and I’ve never felt so cared for or so protected in all my life. It is, however, still pitch black when he rouses me from a deep and dreamless sleep.
‘You must get up now, Janie,’ he says, gently stroking my cheek.
‘Now?’ I think my eyes are open, but I can see nothing.
‘There is something we must do.’
I prop myself up. ‘What time is it?’
‘It is very early.’
You don’t say.
‘Come,’ Dominic urges. ‘We must go now.’
Reluctantly, I leave his arms and slide out of bed. On autopilot, I find my way into my clothes. Dominic hands me my warm fleece as the morning air is chilly and then, as I stumble about sleepily, he leads me outside and towards the minibus.
This better be worth it, I’m thinking as I fight the urge to nod off again. A hippo is grazing by the van and he turns tail and trots off into the bush as we emerge. In the darkness, we bump across the plains. I have no idea how Dominic is even finding his way as the headlights only throw a tiny pool of light into the night.
When my eyes are focused enough, I manage to look at my watch. ‘It’s four o’clock,’ I say to Dominic, eyebrows raised.
‘It is the early bird that catches the worm, Just Janie,’ he informs me.
