Pride of the Veld

assuming everyone would fall in line with his orders, as usual. Geo pushed aside the annoyance.
    “We’re still a couple days away from the strip at midpoint; we’ll head there and assess. If we break camp at daybreak we can make it by midday the next, maybe.”
    “Stay in touch. I’ve calls to make.” The thrum of the phone was instantly cut and silence filled the tent.
    “Okay, Andrea… ready?” The photographer nodded his head and bit his lip until Geo noticed Danie brush a thumb across it in rescue. Interesting. With a deep breath of his own, Geo used the kit’s hemostat to slide the first suture into place.
    ****

CHAPTER TWO
    By the time Geo was finished, Andrea was a wreck. Danie held tight to the Italian, cuddling him into the crook of his arm while he kept his other hand pressed against his chest, keeping him immobile. Danie admired the man’s determination to keep his arm steady while Geo worked on closing the wound. The only reaction he allowed were sharp, indrawn breaths, holding them until Geo finished an apparently painful stitch.
    Geo was lovely to watch at any time, but this was an altogether new experience. He seemed to swell before him, as if his grandfather’s words had struck home. Danie knew that Geo always felt like an outsider in his Grandfather’s world. He had two uncles who were constantly undermining his confidence, encouraging him to return to the safety of his American home.
    It pissed Danie off to no end, to see him come back from a “family” dinner with his confidence shaken. It was only when they made their annual trip deep into the reserve to watch over the nesting grounds that Geo would blossom under the dark blue African sky, reminding Danie of a wildflower in the veld.
    Andrea’s eyes were closed and his breathing even. He’d slipped into sleep while Geo was bandaging his arm. Cleaning up after himself and repacking their medical bag, Geo turned to him. “So…” he started, voice low. “What do you think of our guest?”
    Danie crossed his arms and stalled. He stared into Geo’s beautiful eyes, and for a moment he had no idea what the man expected him to say, wanted him to say, feared he would say. There was nothing in his face pointing the way, and Geo was his world― his beautiful, secret world.
    “He’s pretty, Geo. You know how much I like pretty things,” he began carefully. He watched as Geo began stowing his field journals and equipment, tucking them into the footlocker he used during these trips. It held every personal item he brought to Africa with him. Geo looked up.
    “Are you calling me pretty?”
    “You are. Don’t deny it.”
    “But you think he’s pretty?” There was a slight frown. A swift wave of panic broke over Danie.
    “Yes, in a way. But you think he’s pretty, too, don’t you?” he challenged, exhaling in relief at Geo’s nod.
    “Umm, he’s hurt though…” Geo said, considering the man lying still on their bed.
    “You like taking care of injured birds. Are you asking me if you can keep him?”
    “Mmm… maybe. He needs caring for. Look at him.” They did. They looked at the lovely man, resting in their nest of blankets. Sleep had eased the tension that had drawn the face tight since those first harrowing moments. His breathing was slow and deep, and they could see a line of golden skin rise and fall as the shirt parted between breaths.
    “Tell me…” Danie moved over to Geo, pulling him into his arms. Geo tilted his head back, looking up at him.
    “You know I only want you… but…” Geo began before faltering. Danie froze, afraid of the next words he’d hear.
    “No, Danie. I mean I only want you. But for you, it’s different, and Andrea is your type… more than I am… But there’s something about him that I like… so maybe I wouldn’t mind… just once? With you?”
    Danie drew back, staring at Geo and admiring the blush that now touched his cheeks.
    Not sure how to respond, Danie began carefully. “If I even have a type, it’d be you, Geo, but you’re right about Andrea. There’s something there that draws me. Maybe it’s the circumstances; maybe it’s him… regardless, I won’t throw him out of our bed if you decide to bring him into it.”
    Geo was silent for a moment. Then he fixed Danie with a look that was almost too much to bear. There was a sadness and resignation that seemed to rise from him.
    “Don’t worry, I do understand. You don’t have just me. I know all about the others,