The Stranger (Closed for heartofcourage)

Jennifer laughed softly as he tipped his hat and winked at her. He made her belly fill strangely warm and her heart fluttered in the most beautiful way. He was so handsome and his smile made her glad that he had eyes for her.

“I’d love to ride with you.” She said, following him outside before she slipped into the passenger side of his vehicle. “But only if you promise to have dinner with me tonight.”

Dave grinned at her,

"You will have no choice in the matter, we will be spending dinner in camp. But tell you what, you can always sit next to me."

He greeted the other people as they piled in, cameras and waterbottles galore, he checked with the van, they were ready, he unlocked the rifle, started the vehicle and started off.

"See that tree in the distance? That will be our mid day stop, it's the Boabab tree, also named the upside-down tree, the fact that an African tree actually thrives here had many biologists puzzled, of course it just proved historians right, the continental shift only happened during the Ice Age, that is why trees and plants which is here can also be found in Africa and also our wild life is so close to theirs, the only change is years of evolution."

He glanced over his shoulder at the faces behind him,

"Or would you prefer to rather ask questions about things you see?"

“Then I’ll expect you to not be late.” Jennifer teased, grinning at him as she waited for him to make his final preparations before they started off into the wild unknown.

It was peaceful and beautiful out there, she decided, taking in the sights as Dave described everything. The other guys in the truck didn’t seem to care, but she was drinking up every single bit of knowledge that he had to give to her.

“I’m rather enjoying hearing you talk.” She said softly, letting her opinion be known as she looked across the short distance to his handsome face.

He gave Jennifer a smile, but the general concencus seemed to be that they wanted to hear about things they asked about and so he turned his attention back to the road, he spoke to Jennifer though, telling her about the grass, bushes and trees, how they flowered, survived dry seasons, how the seeds got spread. By the time they reached the stopping point he had answered a few questions, as they all piled out he called for everybody's attention,

"The break will not be long, if you need to use some of our outdoor facilities, take somebody with you, if you encounter something you do not know, nor trust, back away and come back here, in other words do not not go outside of hailing range. For the more refined among us, there is a chemical pot, which I will set up for your use. Lunch will be in twenty minutes...oh and smokers, make sure that all you leave behind is ash, and be careful a brush fire out here will destroy acres and also cut short your time here."

He turned to the last vehicle and started to get out the containers with food

Jennifer slid out of the front seat of the truck and stood looking over the beautiful surroundings. She took in a deep breath, grinning at the fresh air that filled her lungs as she listened to Dave set down the ground rules for their trip into the wilderness.

Turning back to the vehicle, she rummaged through her bag until she pulled out her brand new camera. She had splurged after her last success and bought a top of the line camera. This was the perfect place to try and catch a few pictures of wild animals as they grazed. The only problem was…she wasn’t really sure where to look for said animals.

Turning towards Dave, she saw that he was busy at the moment and she simply shrugged her shoulders and made up her mind to find her own way. She went a short distance away from the others before she brought the viewfinder to her eye and started snapping pictures of the surrounding area.

He finished laying out the food and picked a semi-secluded bush for the chemical pot. He realized that Jennifer was very silent, he scanned the group for her, but did not see her, he did see her venturing away from the group, camera before her eyes. He followed her, keepind a sharp eye out, though carnivores were not likely to attack in broad daylight, a solitary figure might prove to be an appeasing prospect. He came up behind her, slipping and arm around her trim waist and pulled her back, preventing the step she was about to take.

"Stand still."

He motioned to the ground where the form of a snake could be made out between the grass and bush,

"Move slowly with me."

He kept his hold on her waist as he took two steps back, only relaxing after the third step, he only then realized that his arm was around her waist and he released her,

"That is the only snake that doesn't give a warning, it relies on it's camouflage. One bite and you would've been in hospital for three months."

He sighed,

"I also asked you to pair up if you do move from camp, come have something to eat."

Jen was busy taking photos of the beautiful savannah, taking in all the sights and sounds and colors that were around them when the heavy weight of an arm around her waist startled her. She let the camera drop from her eye and turned her head slightly to look at who was holding her so closely. Dave looked a bit miffed and when he told her to stand still, she suddenly turned her gaze back to the front, spotting the snake that had been resting right where she was about to step.

Very slowly she started to move backwards, her eyes focused on the snake in front of her. To his credit, Dave kept her calm, his arm around her waist moving her back at the proper pace that would get them out of danger. She let out a breath as he suddenly released her, telling her that the snake could have put her in the hospital for months.

Turning to face him, she actually had the thought to blush and that she did, her cheeks heating under his gaze as he scolded her. “Well, I was going to ask you to come with me, but you were busy.”

She sounded like a pouting child, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t like the idea that she was being scolded by someone that she liked so much.

He looked at her and shook his head slightly,

"Those basic rules are there for a reason, you could have asked me, I don't bite..."

A sly smirk touched the corners of his mouth,

"Unless you ask nicely."

He touched her shoulder,

"Come along, I want to go make sure they don't set the field on fire. It clearly is a first time in dry veld for a lot of them."

He glanced at the camera,

"Keep the camera handy, I'll help you find some good field pictures for the blog that website mentioned."

He adjusted his hat and walked alongside her back to the camp.

Jennifer gave him a little smile as he slipped her a sly smile. She laughed softly and followed beside him as they walked back towards the camp. She didn’t want field pictures for some blog. She wanted them for herself, to record this little journey and keep it for a lifetime. She badly wanted to turn her camera on Dave, but she stopped herself. She didn’t want to seem that forward.

“I’d love to find some animals in the wild.” She told him as the walked, her gaze turning to catch his. “But it looks like they’ve all disappeared in the heat of the day.”

"They'll be near wayer, resting inder trees. This tree is a rather good spot to find animals, that is why I told everybody to be careful. Like you saw, camouflage can be very effective."

He smiled at her,

"We pass a watering hole on our way to the camp site, I'll bet you that we will find animals there."

He came into the camp with her and found that the rest of the crew was actually behaving quite well, that was heartening to see. He waited for everybody to finish the quick meal, use the rather primitive facilities and then started packing up again. A few minutes later everybody was back in their vehicles and on the way.

True to his word they did pass a watering hole and there they found a multitude of herbivores, antelope, rhino, zebra and even two giraffes. He slowed down and stopped, allowing for those with cameras to take pictures.

"It's seldom that you will see a group of these animals together, safety in numbers, but too many of them also hamper their way out of trouble, so they do not like to be so crowded."

“Wow…” Jennifer said as he pulled along side the watering hole, all of the animals gathered around for a drink of the cool water in the heat of the afternoon.

Immediately she pulled her camera to her eye and started taking as many photos as she could of the animals. She would probably never see another sight like this in all of her life. It was truly breathtaking. She could hear Dave talking in the background but she didn’t really hear what he was saying. She was too focused, to in awe.

When she had taken all the photos she wanted, she turned back towards him, giving him a warm smile. She would thank him properly later for showing her this and taking the time to allow her to take the photos that she desperately wanted.

He met Jennifer's smile with one of his own, it was always good to see people enjoy the little things, like getting the chance to take pictures. When everybody was done, he switched on the engine and continued with their drive, it was late afternoon when they reached the camping site. There was a huge fireplace, cement benches arranged around it, a screen of reeds ran around it and a few lights adorned the thatch roof. Six raised huts surrounded the lapa, the kitchen stood nearby, all the structures had thatch roofs, cement grounding, the kitchen cement counters with tile covers and stainless steel wash basin, the sun geyser promised warm water.

Dave parked the vehicle and got out, he waited for everybody to get out and gathered around, je knew it wasn't the most impressive camp ever, but it was the best so far into the field, so it had to do. He cleared his throat to get everybody's attention,

"Alright people, same rules as with the lunch stop, stay together, get away from anything weird. The roofs are known to become housing for several of our more poisonous friends, I will be going through every hut, the lapa and kitchen. It will take some time, so get your gear unpacked, do not pick up any of the firewood, it's been dropped off two days ago and may contain somebody more poisonous than you. There will be lights, but they are 12 volt and run on solar batteries, there is solar chargers if you do need to charge some of your gear."

He slung the rifle over his shoulder and headed for the lapa which would obviously be the place everybody will gather. He searched, poked and prodded, only when he was satisfied that it was safe, did he move towards the first hut.

Jennifer hung back at the jeep and pulled her things from the back, waiting for the all clear from the others. She sat on the back bumper and toyed with the settings on her camera, glancing up from time to time as the others searched through the building for any nasty little visitors.

Tomorrow they would start shooting. She had a scene at dawn and she was more than prepared for it, but her heart just wasn’t in the movies as much anymore. She was thinking about slowing down, buying a nice plot of land and maybe started to settle down. Those thoughts had been building in her head for some time now.

Glancing up as she spotted Dave with a gun slung over his shoulder, poking and prodding at piles of wood and searching through the buildings. Putting her camera to her eye, she took a few quick photos of him looking so handsome and official as he did his duties. Maybe she’d get the courage to tell him how she was starting to feel about him or maybe she should let him make the first move. Either way, she wasn’t going to be satisfied until she felt his lips on hers.

After having checked through the huts and the kitchen Dave gave the all-clear, the stretcher beds would be enough, it only struck him then, there was enough bedding for everybody except one, he wasn't counting himself as he slept in the bush tent on top of the Jeep. He scratched his head, there was a solution, but who would be up for it? The fact also seemed to dawn on the other and quickly the question went from what to do, to who will be sleeping on the cement seats, Dave sighed and spoke up,

"Well I will be making my bed on top of the Jeep...there is enough room for one person to bunk with me in the bush tent."

He allowed that bit of information to sink in, he was sure that he would end up with one of the lumberjacks in the group and whinced inwardly at the thought of losing sleep due to heavy snoring.

“I don’t mind.” Jen said, trying to sound nonchalant about the whole thing. “I’d rather the crew have a good night’s sleep so they can make me look good in the morning.”

She gave Dave a wink and a smile as everyone else seemed to agree to that statement. The matter was resolved rather quickly, she thought as everyone started to pitch in on getting the camp set up and the meals prepared for that evening.

“What can I do to help you get set, Dave?” She asked her guide as she placed her camera back in her backpack.

OK that was a stunner, it was the last person he had thought the producer and director would allow to sleep well practically outside. The wink and smile took him by surprise as well, she did state that she liked him, but he didn't think she liked him this much.

"Oh don't worry, it's quick and easy to set up, I'll just get the fire going for the dinner and then set up the tent."

He arranged the wood on the firepit and lit it, soon a merry little fire was burning, lighting up the area, he pulled the canvas tent from a compartment in the Jeep and quickly set it up, he even found a hiking matress for Jennifer to sleep on along with the extra sleeping bag,

"Well seems like we are all set for the night."

He turned to find her close behind him, he smiled at her,

"I'm actually surprised they allowed you to sleep in a tent outside so easily."

He leaned closer,

"Not that I'm complaining of course."

“Well, they know that they need to keep me happy by letting me do what I want.” Jennifer said as Dave turned towards her, smiling at her before he moved in closer. She was staring up into his eyes for the longest moment, her heart racing as she noticed that they were pretty much alone at that moment.

“Dave…I want you to kiss me. I’ve been thinking about how good that kiss will be since last night.” She said in a low voice, slightly vulnerable, but wanting that moment so badly.

For a moment Dave wanted to pinch himself, did this stunning woman just say that she wanted him to kiss her? Just to make sure, he actually held his arm forward and pinched it, he grunted and look sheepishly at her,

"Sorry, just wanted to make certain I heard right."

A smile crossed his lips, a glance proved that they were basically shielded by the Jeep as the others was busy getting their beds ready, he looked into Jennifer's eyes, she was already close, so he leaned down, he could feel her soft breath on his lips and then her soft, full lips rested against his own. He slipped an arm around her trim waist, pulling her gently closer, their lips pressing firmly together as he held her close. He pulled away slightly, only to capture her lips again, kissing her more firmly this time.

Jennifer’s toes curled the moment that his lips touched hers. She let out a sigh, her hands raising to rest on his shoulders as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. The moment was all that she had thought about and more. She let her eyes flutter close, her body on autopilot as she let this strong man show her how things could be between them.

When he started to pull away, she let out a whimper, only to moan softly as he pressed his lips more firmly to hers this time. Her lips parted beneath his, her tongue touching his own briefly as she tested him, wondering if he was ready and willing for more. She hoped that he was because the fire that was now burning low in her belly was threatening to consume her body whole.

Her lips parted and her tongue touched his lips, this was an invitation that he couldn't resist and he didn't. His own lips parted, his tongue met her own, savouring the feel of her warm body against his, her soft lips against his, her tongue darting and teasing his own and her breath brushing softly over his face. He rested a hand on the side of her face, slowly stroking her cheek and then her neck, his hand travelling down the slender curve of her neck and down her back to rest just above his own arm, the kiss stretching from seconds to minutes.

A loud crack snapped Dave's attention away from Jennifer and into the direction of the fire, it was only one of the branches breaking open from the heat build-up, but Dave also noticed that the other people was drifting towards the lapa, he glanced at Jennifer and gave her a smile,

"I have to go get the food ready."

He slipped his arms from her body and walked towards the kitchen, where the food boxes stood, he placed the rifle leaning against the counter and set about placing food into the freezer and fridge, checking that the power is on. He couldn't help but get side-tracked by the thought of how good Jennifer felt against him, how she kissed...and a million thoughts ran through his head when he thought of sharing a tent with her. He chuckled to himself as he carried the food to the firepit to get grilled.

Jennifer jumped at the sound of the cracking log, her eyes widening as Dave turned towards the sound as well. It was merely a log that had popped in the fire and she let out a little sigh, her fingers uncurling from where they had clenched in his shirt. She gave him a sheepish smile, nodding as he told her that he had to get the food ready.

Letting him walk away from her was too much, she thought to herself as she watched him walk away. She wanted the feel of his lips against hers again. The feel of his hands tracing over her body. The very thought made her shiver and her let out a little moan as she leaned against the car. It would only be for a few more hours…and then she’d be sleeping with him. Oh, how she hoped that wasn’t as innocent a thought as she thought it was.

As was usually the case, a few beers made the rounds and Dave was in charge of getting the food ready, it was not much different from his previous tours and so he did what came naturally by now. Two hours later the salad, meat and toasted sandwiches was ready and Dave finally sat down on one of the concrete benches, it was turning out to be a longer day than he had anticipated and he could feel that he was growing tired.

He watched Jennifer as she moved about and smiled slightly when he caught her eye, he was wondering if she would come to sit with him or if she would like to keep their little moment a secret for now.

Jennifer ignored Dave for the most part, keeping their little tryst a secret from everyone but themselves. She had learned long ago in her career that any sign of flirting would be front page news by the next day, no matter where she was. This felt like something special and she wanted to keep it to herself for as long as possible.

Taking a seat next to the director, she made small talk with him as they ate their dinner, a few glances at Dave as she gave him small smiles across the fire. Did he feel that spark of attraction too, she wondered to herself. He had to or else why would he kiss her the way that he had. Once her dinner was finished, she sat back with a sigh, her eyes finally finding his and holding them for a moment.

“Well, I suppose I better go to bed. It’ll be an early morning tomorrow.” She announced, wondering if he would spring to help her.

That she kept her distance was no surprise to him, he might not have a lot of contact with the outside world, but he had seen enough to understand certain things in life. Though he wasn't really very certain as to how popular Jennifer was, he had to guess that her life was partially the world's as well. One of the cast members sat down next to them and she started asking him about his work and his career, he did meet Jennifer's gaze every now and then. When she announced that she was going to bed, he excused himself, but promised to return, picking up his flashlight, he walked over to Jennifer,

"Let me escort you and make certain that it's save."

He walked with her to the Jeep with tent on it, he murmured softly,

"I will come to bed a bit later, I have to wait for everybody to go to bed."

He quickly climbed the ladder, zipped open the tent and checked that it was all clear, then he climbed down again,

"Sleep well."

He gave her a small smile,

"Tomorrow morning will be interesting."

He glanced at the group and found a few eyes on them,

"Hope you have pleasant dreams tonight."

“I’ll look forward to your return then.” Jennifer said with a grin as he murmured that he would come to bed a bit later. “Really looking forward to it.”

She gave him a smile as he climbed the ladder and then announced that it was all clear. She wanted another one of those toe curling kisses, but she resisted, knowing that all eyes were upon her and him. She simply nodded and climbed the ladder, stripping out of her pants and settling beneath the covers for a long wait.