Page 40 of Maximum
I swung my head to the large male, who lay resting on the ground with his eyes closed.
“He’s ruled by nature and follows the natural way of things. His destiny is already decided.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was born into a pride and had to leave with his brothers when he was old enough to show interest in females. When he became the alpha in this pride it was because he challenged the alpha who was already here and won. If there were cubs from the other male, he most likely killed them and now he’s breeding a new generation, but as nature wants it, he’ll be replaced in a few years. An alpha isn’t with a pride for more than three to five years.”
“That sucks.” Maximum frowned.
“Why?”
“I wouldn’t want some younger male to come and push me out only to breed with my woman and daughters.”
“What’s the alternative? The females always stay together and to avoid incestuous relationships, the alpha is replaced before his daughters reach mating age.”
“When is that?”
“A lioness is typically between three and four years old before she’s ready to mate. Males are somewhere between three and five.”
“Fascinating. How come you know so much about lions?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, my parents are wildlife enthusiasts, and if that weren’t enough, I worked in a park like this when I was a teenager. I can also tell you that a lioness is pregnant for about one hundred and ten days, and that when she feels it’s time to give birth, she hides herself in a secret lair where she’ll stay with her cubs for three months.”
“How many cubs does she normally get?”
“Between two and six, but when it’s more than four some of them typically don’t make it as she only has four teats.”
“Fascinating.”
I leaned my head back and looked up at the black sky with the millions of bright stars. “I love talking about animals. It’s nice of you to be so interested.”
“Are you kidding? I feel like I’m the luckiest guy to go with you on this expedition. I’ve always wanted to go on a safari, but one of my friends went and he said they drove bumper to bumper and it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.”
“Yeah, it’s like that in some of the popular national parks when it’s peak season. This is much better.”
Maximum reached out and weaved our fingers together. “I love it.”
For a split second, I thought he was about to say that he loved me, and it made my heart rate pick up. It was years since I’d heard those words from a man and in the end, when Pierre had said them, I’d stopped believing him.
“When I was young, my parents and I used to go on trips like this all the time, except we didn’t have a car as fancy as the Wrangler. We slept in tents on the ground. And then when I married Pierre, I’d follow him around the world chasing that perfect picture. I would help him track the animals in the wild and communicate to them that we only wanted to admire them up close. Pierre got some astonishing shots during that time and I got to be close to the animals I loved.”
“Why did you have to bring him up? We were having such a good time.”
“I’m sorry.”
Maximum tugged at my hand. “Don’t be. I get that he’s part of your past and all. I’m just a jealous chap and I don’t like the idea that you two were ever close.”
I studied him for a long moment. “You say it as if jealousy is no big deal, but now you have me wondering if jealousy is the darkness that I sometimes sense in you?”
Maximum moved in his chair. “I’d like to think that I take after my mum, who was loving and kind, but I’m afraid some of my father’s genes slipped in as well.”
“Was he a jealous man?”
I angled my head. “I’m not sure. To be honest, I can’t imagine my mother was ever with anyone else but him, but he was a devil with a dark soul, and I blame my jealous streak on him. Well, him and my first girlfriend, who cheated on me.”
“I’m sorry about that,” I said with a sympathetic sideways glance. “I know what it’s like to be cheated on.”
“Really? Don’t tell me Pierre was stupid enough to cheat on you.”
