Chapter2

#Chapter2

Paul turns away from her and makes his way towards the staff quarters of the camp, and she watches him go, broad shoulders, slim waist, and just the right height as well. Juliana makes up her mind then and there to find out more about the man, and to get to know him. She can’t get that dazzling smile of his out of her mind.

As things worked out, it could not have been better for the man that had made such an impression on the young Juliana De Luca, was, in fact, Paul Stewart, owner, and operator of Assegai Safaris, and more to the point, he was unattached, so as far as Juliana was concerned, it was game on.

She had not joined her family on this safari with any intention of catching any big game for herself, but once the well built South African had come into her sights, she had quickly changed her mind, and decided that she would not mind mounting him on her wall, and making him a permanent fixture in her life.

Juliana took every opportunity to talk to Paul, to be near him, but at the same time was very careful of throwing herself into his arms, which she sometimes found very hard to suppress, and as the days disappeared into brilliant beautiful sunsets over the African bush, and the sounds of the night folk echoed across the camp, the flames from the fire danced to their own tune, she found that a bond was forming between the two of them.

He was easy to talk to, and she found that he paid extra attention to her, which is one thing that was not lost on her parents, and with a twinkle in his eye, her father nodded his approval as their eyes caught across the flickering flames of the fire. Paul’s laugh was infectious, his naughty sense of humor contagious and his knowledge of the African bush and its inhabitants vast, which he was more than happy to share with his guests.

Juliana found herself being drawn closer and closer to the man, and when their eyes locked, she felt the blue bolt of lightning flash between them, and she longed to be held in his strong arms, and to feel the touch of his lips on hers. The last thing that she saw before sleep claimed her was Paul’s smiling face, and Juliana knew, without a doubt that he was the one for her; he had stolen her heart without even trying.

Her father’s voice breaks through her thoughts.

/"Juliana, Juliana, your mother and I are going to retire for the night, so we bid you and our gracious host good night./"

/"Night Dad, Mom. See you in the morning./"

Paul stands, and bids her parents good night, and then turning to her, asks if she would like to take a moonlight stroll through the camp, as this is her last night here.

They walk, side by side, and she is very conscious of the closeness of his body, and the male smell that is so much a part of the bush, and she finds herself willing him to take her in his arms, hold her close and just kiss her.

The words are out before she can stop herself.

/"Kiss me, Paul./"

Paul stops, and with that beautiful smile on his face, looks into her green eyes, his arms snake around her waist, and he pulls her close.

/"I thought that you would never ask./"

/"Since when does a woman have to ask to be kissed?/"

/"When she’s as beautiful as you Juliana, a gentleman always waits to be asked./"

/"Shut up and kiss me, Paul, you talk too much./"

The date was 17th July 2006. A date that was burnt into Juliana’s brain, for that was the date that she knew she had found true love, and for the first time in her life, she felt safe in the arms of another. The next morning, she bid farewell to her parents, and with their blessings, remained behind with the man that had captured her heart.

***

The days with Paul blurred, and time flew by for Juliana as the two of them fell deeper in love with each passing moment. The mere fact that her father was Don De Luca, retired, did not bother Paul in any way at all, as all he had eyes for was the Don’s beautiful daughter.

Paul taught her to hunt, how to fire a rifle, and the most important lesson of all was the use of the dagger, cutting the animal’s throat to stop any suffering. Juliana not only loved Paul with all her heart and being, but fell in love with Africa as well, and decided that once they were married, she would not have a problem being the mother to Paul’s children in Africa, and living away from her family in Europe.

The Don accepted Paul into the family with open arms, as did Juliana’s mother, and before they knew it, the two were engaged, and the date of 7th February 2007 was set for the wedding.

Juliana slips out of her gown, allowing the silky material to fall at her feet, and slides into the rose-scented water, feeling the soothing effect of the warm water over her body. She shudders as memories cloud her mind, memories of Paul, memories of what could have been. Closes her eyes and allows her mind to drift back in time, back to happier times.