A Delicious Mistake (17 page)

Sarah
laughed. She understood. There was nothing that needed to be said, not then and
not there. She reached out to grasp the back of Benjamin’s neck and brought him
in for a long, tender, fiery kiss.

She
opened her mouth to him, gave herself to him. She wanted him to have her faith,
her honesty, and her trust. She could give him her pride and her stubbornness.
Above all else, she gave him her love.

The
future might be uncertain, but she knew one thing.  Should she ever fall,
he would catch her. Sarah didn’t say any of it out loud, but she didn’t need
to. Her body spoke for her and she knew Benjamin understood the language. After
all, he was very fluent.

For
her, Benjamin turned that night into a bold, decadent journey into a taste of
the magical future that would be theirs if she wanted it.

Sarah
found she
did
indeed want it. She wanted it very much. She wanted
him
.
She wanted him in her bed and most importantly, she wanted him in her life. All
of him—his body, his mind, and his beautiful, huge, kind heart.

“Sarah,”
he rumbled. He mapped the outline of her body with his lips. The dark timbre of
his voice as he spoke her name sent a shiver down her spine. “Sarah, I want
you.”

Warmth
spread over Sarah’s body. That whisper, that quiet, loving, impossibly erotic
admission was almost enough to push her over the edge and make her come. She
resisted, if barely. A tug in her belly came in response to his attentions.
That yearning, that ache had become familiar. Benjamin was the only one who had
ever been able to awaken such emotions within her. That alone was reason enough
to be grateful to him forever.

Benjamin’s
hands moved over her, eager but gentle as they guided her onto her side. He
spooned up against her, the evidence of his need for her brushing against her
ass.

“Tell
me if this is something you don’t want,” he said gravely.

Sarah
turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. “I want it.”
I want you.
In every possible way.

Besides,
she was eager to try new things, to explore that mostly unexplored part of
herself with him. Her sexuality. Her urges. Her needs. Her passion. Her
desires.

She
turned back to face away from him, expectant and nervous. Her excitement
increased exponentially. He was unbelievably gentle. He was unbelievably hungry
for her. He pushed into her from behind. It was rough, but it didn’t hurt.
Sarah had never imagined anything could ever feel so good, and she certainly
hadn’t imagined that the second time could be even better than the first. The
touch of Benjamin’s big, strong, passionate, and yet ever gentle hands thrilled
her. 

As
he reached around and grasped her breasts, Benjamin’s fingers were cool,
soothing. He stroked over her nipple, his magic fingers moving in tiny,
electrically charged circles that drove her wild almost as much as the feel of
him moving inside of her.

Impossibly
so, deliciously so, it felt like this was the first time all over again, and
over and over and over again. Everything was new. Every single one of
Benjamin’s touches, even the tiniest one, sent pleasure radiating through
Sarah’s whole frame. He seemed to make her nerve endings burst into flame.
Whenever Benjamin’s fingertips touched, sparks crackled on her skin.

Sarah
never wanted him to stop touching her—this way or any other way. His knowing,
expert hands traveled over her skin as if he had already learned her body by
heart. He knew exactly what to do to pleasure her. Yet it was also like he was
committing her to memory, finding everything new—her skin, her muscles, her
bones. Herself.

The
combination of his rough strokes inside of her contrasting with the gentleness
of his hands upon her flesh was almost too exciting for words. It drove her
wild with a mixture of pure physical arousal and something that ran a lot
deeper. She relished how passionate he was as much as she relished how gentle
he could be. She cherished the way his enticing fingers probed, glided, and
explored.

They
made love as if there were no tomorrow, even though their tomorrow had just
begun.

With
gentle confidence, Benjamin coaxed her deepest and most secret fantasies to
life, passionately bestowing a thousand decadent delights on her. It was a
breathtaking, delicious torture for Sarah. He made her pleasure feel so good it
almost hurt—in the best, most delicious of ways. Throughout the night, he took
her with a primal tenderness that set him apart from all other lovers, she
thought.

With
Benjamin deep inside of her, she courageously touched her lips to his to give
him a soft, trembling kiss. He tasted of desire. She could hardly believe that
she
really
was there with him, that she had given herself to him once
again.

This
time, however, was infinitely better. This time, no questions or doubts clouded
her mind and judgment. Benjamin had touched something deep within her,
something she been scared of for most of her life. He had led her to that point
of no return. And she loved it. She loved him.

But as she lay within the circle of his
arms, her body spent and her mind drifting, she wondered if he would ever say
the words she longed to hear from him.

* * *

               
That second night they spent together became the first of many more heady
nights of passion and the beginning of many long days of rapture and splendor.

Sarah
decided to stay in Tanzania. She phoned her parents to tell them, and had to
return once to England to settle her affairs. They had been surprised at first,
but their worries dissipated as soon as they realized that they had never seen
her quite so happy with her life before.

When
Sarah returned again to the Serengeti, she knew this time it was to be forever.

Each
day she and Benjamin would wake before dawn. They had taken to watching the sun
slowly cast its red, pink, and golden rays over the savannah before it gathered
momentum and rose with gusto over the horizon. Sarah often would accompany
Benjamin and young Thomas. She had rapidly grown fond of the young ranger since
she got to be a big sister to him, one the kid had never gotten the chance to
have. In the open Land Rover, the three of them headed for the golden plains of
the Serengeti to be greeted by impalas, lions, and buffalo.

Sarah
would never forget the first ride she had with Gideon. He took her to watch the
incredible, unforgettable sight that was the massive migration of wildebeest.
The herds numbered in the thousands and piled on the banks of the river,
waiting for the first animals to take the lead and bravely step into the water.
That initial leap would springboard the rest, and then it would be an
overwhelming stampede. Terrified yet determined, the wildebeest would one after
the other spring from the banks and head to the opposite side. They scuffled
and bumped into each other, some of them getting dunked in the water. The
patrolling Nile crocodiles waited for nothing more than to get their chance to
pick off the weaker ones. It had been breathtaking, yet tragic to watch nature
take its course. It felt amazing to see. Sarah had felt small and humbled and
grateful for her own courage in leaping for this life she had.

One
afternoon, Benjamin took her to a school that he had helped build with the rest
of the community. It was one of the most advanced in Africa, especially when it
came to practical matters. Dorms allowed female students to live here while
finishing school so they could be free of the fear of being given off to
marriage at an early age, kidnapped by rebels, or raped by poachers.

“Many
of us at the Game Lodge help to support the kids through their years of
schooling," Benjamin told her proudly. “Your brother was their biggest
supporter, financially and also morally. He was just a fan of these girls, of
the bravery they show in studying.”

Sarah
enjoyed that day immensely, particularly because at the end of their visit the
students treated them to a joyous dance. Filing out of their classrooms, they
were happy to perform for the beautiful woman who smiled and laughed happily,
and who was the kid sister of the man who had been their favorite mentor. Sarah
clapped her hands to the rhythm and even joined in when they drew her into the
dance. The day ended leaving Sarah feeling exhausted yet inordinately pleased.

The
best part of it all, of course, was Benjamin. He showed her life in the
Serengeti, a life filled with rustic luxuriousness.

The
only thing that marred it all was the sadness of her final goodbye to Luke. The
necessary arrangements for his burial were to be made in the Serengeti. Despite
Sarah's parents wishes to have their son’s body returned to England, Sarah knew
in her heart that Luke would have wanted to be laid to rest deep into the
ground of the land he had loved.

The
day was heartbreaking, but also cathartic. Luke Hutton’s funeral turned out to
be a celebration of the man and his life. Lucy and David Hutton made the trip,
arriving at the Game Lodge on the morning of their son’s funeral. A nurse came
with Sarah’s father, and he looked pale, but he insisted he had been wise to
make the trip slowly and cautiously. Sarah’s reunion with her parents was
tearful, but it was not as emotional as that of watching them be reunited with
Benjamin. Seeing them together, Sarah realized that Benjamin’s bond with her
family would never be broken. It hadn’t even been in jeopardy. Once again she
was almost overwhelmed with the guilt of having suspected Benjamin. For the
staff, particularly the older ones such as Lindiwele, the arrival of the
Huttons became a cause for celebration. David and Lucy served as a blessing
bestowed and a sign of good things ahead.

Despite
her trying not to worry too much, Sarah kept a watchful eye on her father. The
day was a sad one, but the next day the staff insisted upon a large meal,
singing, dancing, and a celebration. Made confident with medical help being
nearby, the Huttons decided to stay on for a time. They intended to make the
most of each day in order to honor the memory of their son who had lived in
this land so fully and who had died for it. And Sarah knew this would be their
final visit to their African home.

* * *

               
It seemed hard for Sarah to believe it had been two months since she had first
arrived back in Africa. It felt both like she had never been away and yet that
she was a different woman than the one that had first come back. She learned
more about the land in those eight weeks than she had during all the years of
her childhood.  And yet eight weeks felt nowhere near enough time to have
seen everything.

As
always, the sounds woke her in the morning. The night animals left to seek out
the refuge of their dwellings, leaving the hunting and grazing grounds to the
day dwellers, bellowing out last calls or howls. Stretching languidly, Sarah
allowed the dawn birds to fully rouse. Before she even opened her eyes, she
could sense that Benjamin was gazing down at her. This was no news whatsoever.
She had become accustomed to waking up this way every morning. She really
wouldn’t have it any other way.

On
that particular morning, when Sarah allowed her eyelids to lift, the dark eyes
that met hers had a different look in them. Benjamin’s already fiery gaze was
now alight with a different kind of passion. She couldn’t quite pinpoint or
define it but the look seemed far deeper than any other she had seen in him
before. It was more intense, but also warmer and less scorching. Benjamin
stared down at her with something akin to fierce pride. He looked as if his
love for her was so powerful and deeply rooted it could never possibly waver.

Still,
that searching gaze made Sarah uncomfortable—especially when she noticed that
Benjamin was fully dressed.

“Benjamin?”
She drew herself up to a sitting position. She realized that while she had been
sleeping, Benjamin had been outside, roaming the wilderness.

Benjamin
responded with that beautiful, gut-wrenching smile that had the power to tug at
her loins. Without a word, he began unbuttoning his shirt. Even after countless
nights of lovemaking, Sarah couldn’t help but gasp at the glorious sight of his
naked chest. She stared in open, breathless admiration as he bared himself for
her inch by inch, smirking at her eager gaze. She knew she would never get used
to the beauty of him, so raw and unrepentantly male.

Once
he had finished stripping off his clothes, Benjamin joined her under the
covers. The coolness of his flesh soon dissipated as his skin warmed in
response to Sarah’s heat. She knew she still smelled of the sweet sleep.

When
Benjamin slipped inside of her with unerring precision and undeniable
impatience, she cried out and clutched at his shoulders.

Apparently,
this time they were foregoing foreplay. Just as well, she enjoyed it more this
way. Foreplay was a kind of sweet torture and she was always impatient to feel
him inside of her.

Yet,
like earlier when she had looked into his eyes, Sarah couldn’t shake the
feeling that something was different. For all the roughness of his entering her
so suddenly, Benjamin filled their moments with adoration. He painted his devotion
for her on the canvas of her body in a language of touch that made her heart
skip a beat. As with every time, he thrilled her to her core. Sarah felt
herself blush shyly under his loving scrutiny, and her eyes shone as they held
his.