Page 10 of The Curvy Girl’s Lucky Cowboy (Cowboys Love Curvy Girls)
A lion’s low, throaty roar rumbles in the distance.
I slowly crack one eye open, stretching my arms above my head, as I listen to the monkeys chattering outside our luxurious tent, its cream-colored walls swaying gently in the African morning breeze.
I’m not dreaming. I sink deeper into the white linen sheets, my toes curling against the crisp fabric as I stare up at the sheer mosquito netting, draped over and around our four-poster bed.
“Bo,” I call out softly, and wait for him to answer.
Where is he? I ask, mumbling to myself, and swing my legs over the bed’s edge.
The polished mahogany floor is cool beneath my bare feet.
I slip into my silk bathrobe, tying it loosely at my waist, and shuffle to the entrance, parting the canvas flap with a gentle push.
The dew is still clinging to the grasslands, sparkling like scattered diamonds.
The air is crisp now but it’ll be warmer than yesterday.
I lean against the tent’s frame, losing myself in the incredible view. The pink-orange sky is streaked with wispy clouds, and far off, I trace the silhouette of Mount Kilimanjaro with a dreamy sigh. I can’t believe we’re here.
I hear the curtain flap rustle behind me, and turn to see my beautiful husband Bo, his broad shoulders filling the entrance as he balances a gleaming silver platter loaded with coffee, croissants, mango slices, and bowls of creamy yogurt topped with roasted almonds. “Breakfast is served, sweetheart.”
He gives me a carefree grin, and I have the urge to run my fingers through his tousled hair.
He’s been letting it grow on our month-long adventure, and I’m loving it.
He sets the tray down on the worn leather trunk at the bottom edge of the mattress, then flashes me a mischievous smile with a glint in his eyes. Uh oh.
He puffs out his chest with an exaggerated grunt and stomps.
“The wild vet beast man stalks his prey in the African jungle,” Bo says in a low made-for-TV announcer voice as he crouches on the glossy floor next to me.
“Slowly, the dangerous love monster sneaks into the tent where the unsuspecting garden goddess rests.” Bo quickly climbs on the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight as he prowls toward me on all fours.
“The wild vet beast man slides his hands over the sheets and grasps her silky leg,” he growls, brushing my ankle with a tickle.
I give him a playful swat, my hand grazing his shoulder as I laugh.
“If you think I’m going to stop you from grabbing me, you’re in the wrong tent.
” I giggle, rolling on top of him, my knees straddling his hips as I pin his wrists above his head.
“The garden goddess wants the wild vet beast man to claim her and drag her off to his den.”
He looks up at me with shock in his brown eyes, his mouth opens in a delighted gasp. “I think I like your story better.”
“Then kiss me.”
Bo leans up and cups my face tenderly, his thumbs tracing my cheekbones as he whispers against my lips, “Happy anniversary, sweetheart.”
“Happy anniversary, wild vet beast man.” We seal our words with a kiss, my fingers threading through his hair as I melt into him.
“Hungry, my sweet?” He asks, rising from the bed with a stretch, his arms flexing.
My eyes latch on to the sight of his perfect butt as he saunters to deliver breakfast, spoiling me rotten. “Can’t wait. I’m starving.”
He gingerly lifts the tray and walks back to my side, but pauses mid-step, cocking his head toward the tent’s open flap. “Do you hear that?” I hold my breath and listen intently. A hippo’s deep grunt echoes from the river, followed by splashes of water.
“Oh my God,” I squeal into my hand, my eyes widening as I clutch his arm, still shocked by all I’ve seen and heard over the last three days. “Can you believe we’re actually here?”
“That’s our wake-up call. Better than any alarm clock.” Bo places our breakfast on the bed and carefully slides beside me, his thigh brushing mine to avoid wiggling the mattress too much and spilling everything.
We hear the hippo grunt again, louder this time, and both start laughing.
I almost spill my coffee and clutch the mug with both hands.
“I don’t think I want to meet that hippo in person.
” I take a bite of perfectly ripe mango and moan over how delicious it tastes.
“Think that big boy will crash our jungle tour?”
“Not if our guide has anything to say about it.” Bo bites into a croissant, crumbs dusting his chest as he brushes them off with a chuckle.
“How much time do we have before we leave?”
He finishes swallowing, and answers with an incorrigible grin, “About an hour. They won’t go without us. And don’t worry about any wild beast except me. I’ll protect you,” he says, giving my knee a reassuring squeeze.
We sip our coffee and I rest my head on his shoulder thinking about what a whirlwind our first year together has been. Wild Vet was far more successful than anyone dreamed. They’ve already shot the second season, and we’ve traveled all over the world to promote it.
We’ve been to Europe, spent time in Alaska with polar bears, toured India to see rare species of Bengal tigers and Asiatic lions, and now we’re here. Costa Rica and Madagascar are next on the list. I take another bite of mango, licking my fingers as I tilt my head toward him.
“Would you ever be happy if we didn’t travel?”
He turns to me, his brow furrowing slightly as he sets his coffee down, his hand resting warmly on my thigh. “Why? Are you unhappy, honey? Are we moving around too much?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. I was just wondering…” I let the question trail off into silence, too embarrassed or nervous to ask him outright, but I see by the way Bo is peering at me with those soft eyes, he isn’t about to let go.
“What? What were you about to ask? You know you’re able to tell me anything. We made a deal to not keep secrets from each other.”
“I know.” I inhale a deep breath, and tuck my legs beneath me, trying to come up with the best way to express myself. “If a wild vet beast man and a garden goddess had a baby, what would it be?”
“If you’re talking about our baby, it would be pretty damn cute, especially if he or she looked like you.”He reaches out and caresses my cheek with his thumb.
I can’t help but beam at him as I lean into his hand. “You always seem to know the right thing to say.”
“Why did you ask? Are you ready to have a child?”
“Maybe,” I admit honestly, my shoulders shrugging slightly. “But I’m not sure you’d be happy lugging car seats and strollers out in the wild.”
“We probably wouldn’t take as many trips like this, but we’d do other things. Catching pollywogs is fun, going fishing, playing ball, school plays, that kind of thing.” He leans closer, his forehead brushing mine as he speaks.
“So you’re open to the idea?” I clarify.
“Yes. We talked about having kids before we got married. I haven’t changed my mind.” He raises his brows at me, his hand sliding to the small of my back, pulling me closer. “Let’s try now.”
He gathers the tray with a quick scoop, his biceps flexing as he moves it off the bed to the trunk. “Right this very second?”
“Absolutely, I’m getting hard thinking about my seed growing inside you. You’ll be a fantastic mother.” He takes my hand, guiding it to his stiff erection, his eyes lock on mine with a smoldering intensity.
“Wow. You aren’t kidding.” He strips down to nothing, tossing his clothes aside and comes back to bed, with his cock leading the way like a lightning rod.
He crawls over me, and cradles my face kissing me hungrily.
“Just the thought of your swollen breasts and belly with my baby growing inside drives me crazy.”
“You think that’s attractive?”
“Oh, hell yeah.” He spreads my legs wide open with his knees, his hands sliding down my thighs with a possessive grip. “Come to Papa, baby. Let me show you how much I love you, and I’ll keep showing you, forever.”