Chloe's African Safari: clean romance novels

By Kent Hamilton

Chloe joins an African Safari, to help her get over a recent abusive relationship. She has NO interest in any new romance. She largely ignores the other members of the group.
Mark is on the same safari, also healing from a relationship that turned sour. While no stranger to the African bush, and having led a few similar tours of his own, he has decided to come on this tour as a customer, to leave someone else to do the organising.
On the third day of the holiday they are in a game-viewing vehicle, which is high off the ground, but open to the air. They stop to look at a pride of lions close to the road. One of the male lions rushes at the vehicle and starts climbing up the side, right where Chloe is sitting. She freezes in terror. The driver grabs for his rifle and starts to bring it round to bear on the lion. At the same time, Mark, who is sitting on the same seat as her on the other side, jumps over her and shouts loudly at the lion. The lion checks himself, and then drops back down from the vehicle.
Chloe is white as a sheet. Mark asks her if she's OK, and apologizes for jumping over her. She stammers out her thanks for what he did.
After dinner that evening she decides that she should thank him properly, and so goes into the lounge to where he is sitting reading a book. He asks her to sit down and have her coffee with him. 
Will he rescue her from more than just a lion ? Will she heal his bruised heart?

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Heirs Publishing Company
• Release date: Nov 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386259756

Kent Hamilton

Author Kent Hamilton has always had a natural flair for writing, right from his school years. A student of Columbia University, he has over 15 years of writing experience and is an avid reader of clean romance, dramatic fiction and the classics. Kent passion for evoking raw emotion and his honest representation of the human experience makes his work relatable to his readers. He enjoys drawing on the experiences of his surroundings, observing the behaviors of others and combining this with a healthy dose of imagination. He is a keen communicator with an eye for detail and this is reflected in his writing. Having written short stories since he was a teenager, Kent also contributes to online blogs and enjoys reviewing novels from new and established authors. He is constantly open to learning new things and thrives on reading fiction that evokes emotion and stimulated the senses. Prior to writing his clean romance novel Without a Hitch, Kent spent several years traveling around Australia where he met his current partner. He lives with her and their one year old daughter and his other passions include cooking, photography and film. Without a Hitch is a novel that questions the notion of true, lasting love and draws the reader into the hearts of its protagonists. Kent has recently started another romance story which he hopes to publish next year.

Book preview

Chapter One

The pictures swam through the tears in Chloe's eyes.

The cheerfulness of the sunny scene on the travel agent's poster contrasted so totally with her own mood. She had just had another stand-up fight with Alec,ending as usual with his slapping her across the face. She ran her fingers lightly over the weal on her cheek.

Something in the poster spoke to her:Come to Africa.Feel the warmth. Smell the earth. Hear the fish eagle. Find yourself. She turned to carry on walking, but returned to the picture. Something about it was attracting her powerfully, and she finally went into the building and spoke to an assistant.

I, er, I'm looking to get away for a while,and the poster in your window looks quite nice.

The assistant was all bright and businesslike, and pretended not to notice Chloe's weal, and her red eyes."Yes,that's quite a popular tour.

You stay at the African Heart Lodge,for as many weeks as you like.

While there you can choose day and night game drives,canoeing on the river,star gazing,you name it!

Everything is laid on.The accommodation and food are five-star!"

Chloe looked at the brochure that she was handed. It all looked so different from the grey, drab wetness visible through the window on to the street.

Will you be on your own? asked the assistant tentatively.

Er, yes, I'm on my own. Chloe realized that her heart had decided what her head had yet to realize. It was over between her and Alec, and this trip would be an ideal way to make a fresh start. She left her details with the assistant.

As she let herself back into the apartment, Alec ignored her. She decided that a cup of tea would maybe cheer her up. Would you like a cup of tea, Alec?

No.

She went and fetched her passport from the bedside drawer. She looked at her picture in it. It wasn't a bad picture, as passport photos go. Looking at herself in the mirror, and comparing with the photo, she realized that it must have been taken a while ago. She was looking a little more careworn now than she did then. She looked at the stamps in it, and they brought back memories of the trip that she and Alec had made three years ago to Spain. Happy times. Unfortunately now history.

She went into the sitting room, where Alec was watching sport on TV.

Er, can I chat to you a second?

Alec made great show of deliberately pausing the show he was watching, and then turning to her. Yes?

I've decided that I'd like to go on a safari to Africa. I've just been to the travel agents, and they have a package on special that looks nice.

Africa? Why do you want to go there? I have no interest in going to Africa! Chloe tried to interrupt him but he was well under way. I have contracts coming due in the next few months and I certainly can't go gadding about on the other side of the world!

Chloe finally managed to get a word in. Alec, it's not for you. It's for me. He looked a bit startled. Oh. Oh well, that's OK, I suppose. If you want to head off into the wild yonder then I'm not going to stop you. When you get back then maybe we can go and stay with my parents for a weekend. You can show them all the photos I'm sure you'll take.

Alec, that's the other thing. When I return from this trip, I'm not coming back here. It's over between us; there's no point in prolonging this relationship. Actually, there is no relationship to prolong.

Alec stood up, looking angry. She thought that he might be going to hit her again. But after a second or two he seemed to relax. Yes, I suppose that's true. No point flogging a dead horse. OK, well, bon voyage then. And he returned to the TV.

The next few weeks were pretty miserable for Chloe. She and Alec hardly spoke. She even moved out of the bedroom and slept on the couch. She wanted to be as far away as possible from the negativity that she felt radiating from him. When he had friends around, she feigned a headache, so that she wouldn't have to put on a facade for them. She had always found that difficult, but now, at this juncture, it became almost impossible.

She arranged leave from work, and asked her friend Julie to take her to the airport. Normally she would have asked Alec, but the less she had to be beholden to him for, right now, the better.

She bought some light items of clothing, since she would be going from winter here to summer there, and she had been told that it would be hot. She met Julie for coffee and showed her the things she had bought.

I really don't know why you took so long to get rid of that guy said Julie. She always spoke her mind. I could see that he was no good from the start. Julie obviously forgot that, soon after Chloe had met Alec, Julie had said how nice he was and that she wished she could find a guy like him. She had her faults, thought Chloe, but I still like her. Oooh, those are nice she said, inspecting Chloe's purchases. Should be able to find a nice new guy no problem with those!

That's not why I'm going, Jules said Chloe, faintly exasperatedly. I'm going for a holiday - nothing more and nothing less. I'm not on the lookout for a new relationship. This one's scars will take some time to heal. Her hand went involuntarily to her cheek.

Well, I just think that if you find Mr. Right, there's no point in beating around the bush! Chloe was faintly amused at Julie's advice. Julie, who had not had a serious relationship the whole time Chloe had known her!

"Would you like to come with me, Jules?