by Annie Seaton
“Whoa, Jess. Are you okay? You’re as white as a sheet.” She opened her eyes. Alex turned around and was leaning out of the back of the truck, looking at her with concern.
“Just need something to eat. I’m okay.”
He reached into the cooler, and passed her a bottle of water and a trail mix bar before he pointed to a small boulder beside the pickup.
“You sit there while I unpack.”
Gratefully, she took the water and the snack, holding the cool bottle to her cheek. She wandered over to the rock and plonked herself down. Too late, she remembered she didn’t even look for snakes…or scorpions…or crocodiles. Sipping on the water, she watched Alex unload the back of the truck. He pulled everything to the back of the canopy, and again she appreciated the view as he climbed backwards out of the pickup. He reached up and lifted her suitcase, and the muscles in his arm flexed as he lowered the bag to the ground beside the truck
“What have you got in there? Rocks?”
“Ha, ha, very funny. Just clothes. I have to look the part when I do the interview.”
Alex turned to her and his gaze traveled up her dirty clothes and to her overheated face and tangled hair. “Ah, yes, mustn’t forget the interview.”
When everything was unpacked and on the ground beside the truck, he climbed down and made two trips across to the shaded area beneath an overhanging rock.
Jess finished the water, unwrapped the trail mix, and wandered over to where Alex was setting up their camp. “Can I help?” She looked curiously at a long canvas bag next to the cooler. “What’s that?”
“That’s my swag.”
“Your what?”
“It’s a combination of a bed, a tent, and a sleeping bag. All rolled up into one compact little bag. Haven’t you ever been camping?”
Jess grinned at him and shook her head as she munched on the trail mix. “No… I didn’t even go to summer camps when I was a kid. My father—”
He looked at her waiting for her to finish.
“Nothing,” she said not wanting to talk about her father. It was too nice an afternoon to start thinking about him and the way he’d treated her when she was growing up. Alex looked at her curiously as he gathered a pile of sticks and brush together. Jess wandered over and sat next to the circle of rocks he’d set up around the makeshift fireplace.
“My father thought camping was a bit ordinary. He preferred to give me what he called enriched experiences. So we went to art galleries and museums and spent a lot of time in places where he could be seen.” She sighed and wiped her forehead with the back of her arm.
“I know a lot about art, and old bones, but nothing about the outdoors.” She laughed. “I also didn’t know a lot about the Outback. I don’t know if I would have come if I’d known what it was going to be like.”
Alex stood beside her, his arms full of bits of wood. “Even for the chance of getting the scoop interview for your magazine?”
“Even for the interview.” She shook her head and looked down at her clothes. “Look at me. I was totally unprepared for this.”
“Well.” He dropped the wood to the ground and squatted next to her. “As a fair dinkum Aussie I’d better give you a better impression of the outback. What do you say about a swim?”
Despite the petulant expression on her grimy face, Alex was surprised by his need to keep looking at her. There was some sort of chemistry in action, and she fascinated him. He’d obviously been away from women too long, and he’d have to get out his little black book out when he got back to Darwin. He’d been missing out on that part of male-female relationships lately.
That’s all it was. Nothing to do with finding her so bloody attractive.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked. “You’ve got a funny look on your face.”
Caught out fantasizing about taking her to bed, or rather to his swag, Alex cleared his throat. He stood and held his hand out to her. She grabbed it, and he pulled her up, ignoring the warmth of her hand in his. “Come on, we’ll go for a swim, and then I need to cook you a decent meal.”
Alex looked down at her hand. Her fingers somehow had gotten entwined through his. Slowly he lifted his gaze up to her face. She’d pulled her hair back, retied it with the string, and left her face unframed. Her clear green eyes were fixed on their joined hands, and the blood rushed straight to his groin.
“Ready to swim?” he asked softly, ignoring the pulsing in his jeans.
Surprise flickered in her face when she glanced up at him. She didn’t have to look up far; she was only a few of inches below his six three even in her flat sandals.
All rational thought had fled, and her lips beckoned his as she held his gaze steadily, her clear green eyes assessing him, filled with the knowledge that she knew exactly what he was thinking.
Her lips parted a little and he dropped his head, capturing them beneath his. Her hands wound around his neck, and he pulled her closer to him. Her mouth opened, and he groaned, unable to help himself anymore, losing himself in the sweet depths. He lifted his hand and held her face gently while he deepened the kiss. Jess caught her breath on a soft gasp as his teeth scraped hers, and his tongue began a slow, seductive dance with hers. His mind was just beginning to haze like the heat shimmering over the far horizon when she drew back and looked up at him
“And what was that all about it?” she asked.
“I needed to.”
She reached down and held his hand up to her face, taking time to examine it, and he sensed she was avoiding his gaze. He tilted her chin up with the fingers that were still resting against the side of her face.
“Was I out of line?” he asked, willing her to look up at him. When she held his gaze, lazy desire swirled in his chest. Although she quickly looked down, he could see the smile playing about her lips.
“No, I’m a big girl now.” Finally she lifted her head again and met his eyes, and the jolt that hit his chest almost took his breath away.
“I can look after myself. But I don’t know that I was quite expecting this.”
Her face told him a different story. A soft flush sat on her high cheekbones and her lips were slightly open when she looked back at him, tempting him, but he dropped her hand. He turned away, trying to push away the need to take her in his arms and continue where they’d left off.
Too complicated. He didn’t need any complications in his life.
Chapter Nine
Jess scrabbled around in her suitcase willing her heart to stop beating so fast.
It was the heat. She was dehydrated. She had a lot to worry about. It was her job.
It had nothing to do with this rough and hard fisherman, who had just taken her to heaven for a brief moment with his mouth. She glanced at him as he moved the coolers further into the shade of the overhanging rock. He was hard, his body was hard, and his face was rugged and unshaven, but his mouth had been soft and inviting, and he had taken her by surprise. Now all she could think about was getting up closer to him and trying it again.
No way. One night, and she’d be back in civilization and doing the job she came here to do. She was not going to get side tracked. Imagine the text she could send Monica.
In the bush. Smelly fisherman. Great sex.
Because she knew it would be great sex. He had that lean, whipcord, masculine body. His hands were strong and his hair was begging to be gripped while he—
“Jess?”
She jumped and smiled, drawn out of her fantasy. Pulling her swimsuit from her suitcase, she shoved everything back in, ignoring the red dust that was everywhere. She shook the dust from her swimsuit and looked around at him.
“Where can I change?”
He grinned back at her and then slowly turned around, putting his back to her. Jess let her gaze wander over his broad shoulders and the snug fitting faded jeans encasing his butt.
“Right where you’re standing.” He stood waiting, and she figured he would be a gentleman. She undressed quickly, pulling on t
he sleek black swimsuit with the plunging neckline. Shivers ran down her back and turned into heat when they reached between her thighs and stopped.
“Okay, you can turn around now,” she said.
Jess grinned as Bowser barked and ran over to her. She reached down to pat him, and knew she looked good. This swimsuit had cost her a fortune and it molded her curves in all the right places, or so the saleswoman in the exclusive boutique had said.
“Thank you, Bowser. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She glanced across at Alex. A pulse flicked in his cheek and he stood still for a moment while his gaze swept from her face to her feet. He took a step toward her, and her breath hitched, but he all he did was take her hand and lead her over to the edge of the bluff.
“Come on, you’re in for a treat.” His voice was rough.
Keeping hold of her hand, Alex helped her down the rocky slope, and Jess tried to ignore the warmth taking over her whole body.
It’s only the heat. The hot air, nothing else.
Her sandals slipped on the loose rocks and she stumbled. Alex slid his arm around her back to hold her steady, and she fought the heat that began beneath his fingers, rippled down her stomach, and pooled between her thighs.
She needed to cool off in the water. As soon as possible.
When they got to the bottom of the hill, Jess stood silently and drank in the vista in front of her. From above she hadn’t been able to appreciate the waterfall cascading down the rock just beneath where the truck was parked. From sixty feet above, water fell in a white froth over a series of stepped rocks down to the clear, deep pool edged by pure white sand. A tall tree with lacy foliage overhung the water at the far end, its lazy movement reflected in the still green depths. The gorge walls rose high, and she had to crane her head back to see the bright blue sky.
It was cooler down here next to the water. A slight breeze puffed and ruffled the surface of the pool. Jess turned to Alex, who was staring across the water.
“This is magical,” she said.” I had no idea it could be so beautiful just a few hundred meters away from that dusty road.” She leaned over the edge of the pool and peered into the water. “But are you sure there’s no crocodiles?”
Alex laughed and dropped his head, reaching for the bottom of his T-shirt.
“No. No crocodiles. I can prove it. I can walk you back and show you that it feeds from a spring a few hundred yards back in the bush. There’s not even any freshies up here.”
Jess walked over, sat on the side of the pool, and removed her sandals. “Okay, I’ll take your word for it.” She leaned over, trailed her fingers in the water, and looked up with surprise. “Wow, it’s hot!”
“Maybe not hot, but certainly warm.” Alex squatted down beside her and pointed to the far end of the pool. Jess swallowed dryly as the muscles flexed in his arm.
And pecs, and a six-pack to die for.
“It’s deep enough to dive down that end. It starts shallow here at the falls and the hot rock warms the water even though it comes from underground, and then it drops off pretty quickly. It’ll be much cooler down at that end.”
“I should have brought my soap and shampoo down. I didn’t think.”
She caught Alex smiling at her.
“Go on, say how forgetful I am. I can see it on your face.” Jess laughed as he shook his head.
“Never.” He raised his hands in denial, and her gaze was drawn to the top of his unclipped jeans. A line of dark hair disappeared southward and her mouth was suddenly dry again.
“I’ll go up and get it. Where is it?”
“In the pink bag next to my suitcase. Just bring the bag down, thanks. It’ll be a luxury to have a wash in this warm water.”
She turned and watched him climb back up the path. His jeans had slipped down a little, and a pair of black Calvin Klein briefs peeked over the top. The afternoon sun shone on the deeply tanned skin of his bare back.
Jess folded her arms across her breasts as she watched the taut muscles in his lean legs flex as he reached the top of the slope. Her nipples were tightening despite the heat. When she’d climbed into his truck this morning, an interlude like this had been far from her thoughts. She’d fully expected to be checked and settled in her room at Cockatoo Springs by the end of the day.
If I have a room.
By the time he scrambled back down the path and placed her toiletries bag next to her, she had her desire under control. Almost. If he touched her, she was sure she’d ignite. To her relief, as soon as he’d dropped the bag beside her, Alex walked around to the far end of the pool and dropped his jeans. Jess busied herself in her bag, pulling out body wash and shampoo, and didn’t look up again until she heard a splash at the far end. For a moment, there was no sign of him, and then he surfaced and swam to the waterfall. Standing under the cascading water, he shook his head and tilted it back beneath the streaming water. His hair was sleek and black and plastered to his skull. She stared at his eyelashes, stuck together in spiky clumps around his deep blue eyes.
“Coming in? The water’s beautiful.”
Jess knew what would happen if she got in the water with him. It wasn’t only the thought of the cool water lapping her skin that beckoned her. She swung her legs over the edge of the rock and slid in, sighing as the warm water caressed her skin. Bubbles ran up her legs as the water moved against her, and she pushed herself out to the middle to the deeper water and dived under. Opening her eyes beneath the water, she was amazed at how clear it was. She looked up and the blue sky rippled through the surface of the water above her. She surfaced and turned to face Alex as his strong hands grasped her waist.
He moved quickly, and in an instant his mouth was hot, hungry, and hard against hers. His hands held her tightly, pulling her closer, and she couldn’t stop herself. She wound her legs around his hips, and he groaned into her mouth. This kind of raw, primeval need was new to her. Sex was usually civilized and polite, and in a bed, after the required social preliminaries, but she responded in a way that was foreign to her. The low guttural moan that escaped her lips echoed the throbbing between her thighs.
For the first time in her life, she surrendered without thought. Alex pulled at the straps of her swimsuit and they slid off her shoulder, exposing her breasts. He lowered his head and nipped at her skin, and she let her head fall back, the hot sunshine caressing her face. Alex caressed her breasts with his tongue, and the water lapped at her still-heated skin. As he sucked at her breasts, his fingers pulled her swimsuit lower until it drifted loosely in the water around her legs. Before she could move or respond, he trailed his fingers down her stomach, drawing circles on her sensitive skin until she quivered. He lifted his head and stared at her before lowering his head and taking her mouth again. At the same time, he plunged a finger into her and she clenched around him, tipping over the edge into a myriad of sensation. Wave after wave of pleasure pulsed thought her as his finger continued to move inside in time with the exquisite contractions. She whimpered against his mouth and clutched at his shoulders. Slowly, he withdrew and lifted his mouth from hers.
“Okay?” He smiled down at her.
Jess nodded while she kept her gaze fixed on those dark blue eyes and reached down for him, slipping her fingers past the waistband of his Calvin Kleins. His hard length pushed into the softness of her stomach, and he groaned as her fingers circled him.
“It’s a long walk to the glove compartment,” he said roughly
“You should have thought of that box when you were getting my bag,” she said playfully.
Alex dropped his forehead on hers and closed his eyes. “That would have been making a big assumption. I didn’t intend for this to happen, you know.”
“Neither did I.” Jess pulled her head back and looked at him. “So what are we going to do now?”
“If you keep your hands down my pants like that, I won’t think straight,” he said. “How about I go back to the truck and it’ll give you time to think if you reall
y want to take up where we left—”
Jess reached over, snagged his lips with hers and increased the pressure of her hand.
“God, Jess.”
She smiled and slid her hand slowly back up his rock hard stomach away from all temptation. “Okay, you go back up to the Boy Scout compartment…and I’ll be waiting.”
Alex dove under the water and swam across to the waterfall before he pulled himself up onto one of the rock steps beneath the cascading water. The swim in the cold water hadn’t done him one bit of good at all, or so said the rigid outline in his briefs. Even though her blood was zinging around her body with anticipation, she’d hadn’t felt this relaxed or had as much fun since…since she couldn’t remember when.
Closing her eyes, she tipped her head back and floated in the warm water, waiting for Alex to come back down the hill. The soft breeze picked up, cooling her damp cheeks and rustled the leaves of the branches overhanging the pool. The breeze dropped, but the rustling continued, and a soft grunt came from behind her. Jess opened her eyes and rolled over in the water as a frisson of fear rippled down her spine, replacing the anticipation of a moment ago. She stood and turned slowly as the grunting got louder.
A huge black…thing…with slits for eyes and long yellowed tusks sticking from its bottom jaw stood at the edge of the pool, its dark beady eyes fixed on her. Black bristles poked through the red mud coating its massive shoulders. She watched as it strutted closer to the edge and scratched at the ground with its front feet. She gasped and moved slowly toward the other side of the pool, as far away from the massive thing as she could, while it snorted and folded its front legs under its huge bulk and dropped its snout into the water.