Against All Odds (Outback Hearts)

by Silva, Jezz de

  She slid down his thighs and rolled the condom over his rigid cock with the practiced grace of a woman who knew exactly what she wanted. “He refuses to listen and is terrible at taking direction.”

  He sucked in a breath to respond, but the long list of examples he was going to use to argue his case evaporated as she lifted her hips and engulfed the head of his cock.

  Her eyes shimmered in the dawn light washing over her torso as she hovered above him. “He makes me laugh.” She sank lower. “He helps me forget.” Her voice dropped to a whisper as she consumed him. “He protects me and makes me feel special.” Her breath washed over him as she leaned down and captured his face between her palms. “And he makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. ”

  “Because you are.” He crushed his lips to hers and lost himself in her.

  With each caress, with each flick of her tongue, with each rise and fall of her body, the spell she’d cast over him seeped deeper into his soul. He eased his mouth free and secured her face until she had no choice but to look at him. He wasn’t allowing her to blow him off with a wave of her hand or a joke. Her eyes widened and her hips stilled as if she’d glimpsed the darkness swirling inside his head. Had she felt the fear constricting his muscles? Had she seen the truth he’d been trying to hide?

  He had no right—he was a selfish, evil, manipulative bastard—but he was already going to hell. No more games, no more pretending, no more waking up each morning and wondering if this was the last day they’d share together. Who dares wins.

  “Stay with me.”

  ...

  Abi froze. She’d dreamed about the words so often over the last few days she wasn’t sure whether she’d actually heard them or just imagined them.

  He pulled her down until their foreheads touched. “Not for a few days, not for a week, stay with me until you—”

  She silenced him with a kiss that was filled with as much relief as desperation. It was weak, it was selfish, it was irresponsible and crazy, it was everything she despised, but she craved this man like she’d never craved anything before.

  She freed his mouth and gazed into his eyes while claiming him. They’d had sex gently, teasingly, playfully, frantically, desperately; she’d given and taken over and over again, but this was different.

  The piece of the puzzle that had floated just beyond her groping consciousness slid into place. With each rise and fall of her body, the missing piece settled deeper until it felt like it had been inside her all along. She savored every sensation, every whispered groan and delicate caress as she guided them over the edge and into a blissful peace she’d been too terrified to venture into before.

  She collapsed on top of him and counted the steadying beats of his heart as the waves of her release ebbed away. There were no bells and whistles, no fireworks, no Celine Dion belting out “The Power of Love,” just an infinite peace that seeped into her soul and consumed her heart.

  Electricity rippled across her skin as he trailed his fingertips up and down her back and trickled kisses over her face. “Do I take that as a yes?”

  She rested her chin on his chest and released the breath she’d been holding. Was the tentativeness in his voice an act, or had he truly believed she’d ever leave this magical place before she had to? “I guess so. I’ve only got a few weeks left, and it’s going to take most of that time to sharpen you up for your next client.”

  The rhythmic motion of his chest faltered, but he remained silent. Had he picked up the jolt of realization that had shot through her as the words left her mouth?

  She yanked her mind off the dark path leading into her future and focused on the warmth and security radiating from the man trapped beneath her. “It’s so peaceful here.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight before pecking her forehead. “Make the most of it. Once the muster kicks off this place is going to turn into a circus.”

  Maddie’s chainsaw voice shredded the peace. “Rise and shine, kids. I hope you’ve finished defiling each other. Ry, I’ve got a corral that needs replacing, three hundred head to find, and a hundred-year-old ute that’s refusing to start without a cuddle from that freaking city-girl petrolhead you’re banging.”

  “Shhh.” He tightened his hold around her and trapped her mouth with his, but it didn’t do any good. Her chuckles spluttered between their joined lips until they both laughed out loud.

  “You’ve got five minutes. That should be plenty of time to finish up, from what the Stig’s been telling us.”

  He glared at her.

  She throttled back her giggling and shook her head. “She’s lying. I told them at least six min—”

  He flipped her over and pinned her to the mattress as the breath gushed out her lungs. He didn’t say a word, just loomed over her and peered into her eyes as if he were interrogating her soul.

  He eased his lips over hers and claimed her mouth. His kiss was tender, sweet, powerful, and overwhelming all at the same time. She struggled to free her hands to tangle them in his hair, but he wouldn’t let her go.

  Just as she surrendered and gave herself to him, he eased away and grinned down at her. “I better get going before she comes up here.”

  She nodded, he nodded back, and there they stayed, locked together.

  With a groan that sounded more like a curse, he rolled off the bed and got rid of the condom. “If I didn’t owe her a decade’s worth of musters, I’d tie her to the Wishing Tree as an offering for some freaking peace and quiet.”

  The vision of an insignificant woman with flowing auburn hair walking toward a desert oasis drifted into her mind. She didn’t have the hair, but the wish the Wishing Tree had granted her had come true. Now she had almost three weeks to lose herself in this dusty fairy tale kingdom before kissing her scarred and battle-hardened Prince Charming good-bye and dragging what was left of her broken heart back home.

  She shook the visions of her future away and pinched his butt. “Give me half an hour. I need to break the news to Olivia.” She cursed through gritted teeth. “Better make that an hour. She’s going to need at least forty-five minutes to tell me how nuts I am.”

  He squeezed her thigh but didn’t look at her. “Do you think she’s right?”

  From the instant she’d opened the door to the police all those years ago, her life had changed. For the sake of her sister and herself, she’d held her course and made sure not to stray too far from the safe path. Well, she’d well and truly run off into crazytown now, and she’d never felt more alive.

  “Yeah.” She trailed her fingertips along the ridges carved between the muscles encasing his shoulder. “But I wouldn’t change one single thing.”

  His torso sagged as a sigh gushed from his mouth. “Why don’t you sleep in and get some rest? I can have a look at the ute and knock over my work in the morning, and we can take the horses out in the afternoon or go for a swim.”

  And just when she’d thought he’d given up fussing over her and treating her like a princess. “Nice try.” She pulled herself up onto her knees and draped her arms over his shoulders. “You get that corral fixed and try to calm dragonlady down, I’ll sweet-talk that ute into starting and give your mum a hand, then meet you on the chopper pad to see if we can track down those steers.” She leaned over and nibbled his ear. “Play your cards right, cowboy, and I might pack a picnic lunch for you. Who knows, you may even get lucky if we find the cattle early.”

  She smacked a kiss onto his cheek and shoved him out of bed. He rose onto his leg and turned to face her. His smile would’ve fooled almost everyone, but she’d memorized every expression and every emotion that had played across his face.

  The man he’d been raised to be, the hero who’d sacrificed so much for others, the friend who’d made her laugh and helped her forget, and the lover who’d guided her into womanhood studied her as if she was the only thing in his world. Had she looked at him the same way? Her throat clenched and her heart raced as she drew in a brea
th and stared at him. No, please God no, don’t say anything, don’t ruin everything, just smile and walk away.

  “I…” He reached out a hand only to let it drop to his side.

  She screamed at herself to say something, to stop the slow-motion train wreck occurring right before her eyes, but she couldn’t get her mouth to work.

  “I…” He sighed and flashed her a lopsided grin before jamming a hand through his hair. “I’m glad you’re staying.”

  His body had coiled so tight it looked like he’d had to force the words out, but they’d done little to ease the tension constricting his muscles. If anything, he looked even more on edge, but she was too relieved to dig any deeper into the emotions dragging on his features.

  He was happy she was staying, nothing more, nothing less. Wasn’t that exactly what she’d been hoping for? Then why did it feel like someone had punched her in the gut?

  “Me, too.” The words squeaked out of her mouth, but she was lucky to even get them out given the thoughts and emotions twisting her into knots. She hid her panic behind a hysterical chuckle and waved him away. “Get out of here. ET needs to phone home.”

  He remained silent while cleaning up, fitting his leg, getting dressed, and making his way down the stairs, but that didn’t prevent him from checking on her. Seven times he stopped what he was doing and studied her. She knew because she smiled like a mental patient and watched him the entire time while every nerve ending in her body throbbed. She forced herself to wait until she heard him growl at Maddie across the courtyard before yanking on a T-shirt and a pair of panties and grabbing her cell.

  Olivia picked up on the first buzz. “Yeah, yeah, I know, he’s perfect, his family’s perfect, and that damned dusty patch of hell in the middle of freaking nowhere’s perfect.”

  Even her sister’s sarcasm couldn’t hide the truth. The heat, the flies, the backbreaking work, and the endless dust would drive most people nuts, which probably explained the grin spreading across Abi’s crazy face. His family was about as far off the beaten track as Wingarra, but they were the ideal blend of sweet and sour, naughty and nice, and sane and crazy, with enough laughter and love mixed in to create a magical cocktail that had already intoxicated her. And him—he was cocky, overbearing, overprotective, over-skilled, stubborn, manipulative, sneaky…and the most perfect man she was ever going to meet.

  She nibbled her bottom lip and sank onto the mattress. Olivia had been pulling double shifts for the last three days, and they hadn’t been able to talk real time, but with each text they shared, her sister’s warnings had grown more urgent and even less polite. Abi’d tried explaining, but there was only so much emotion emojis could convey. But, now that she had a chance to explain, she couldn’t find the words.

  The silence dragged on until Olivia’s frustrated sigh gushed over the line. “You’ve gone and freaking done it, haven’t you?”

  Abi dropped her head into her hand. “I couldn’t help it.” Christ, she sounded like one of her fourth graders trying to explain why they’d eaten paint.

  “Does he know?”

  Abi was insane but not a complete idiot and the last person on earth who needed to know the batshit crazy emotions still tingling through her was her man. “No.”

  “You sure?”

  If Abi’s recent track record hadn’t been so shaky, she might have grounds to get pissed off, but she couldn’t blame her sister for asking for confirmation. “Yeah, I only figured it out about half an hour ago.”

  “And you’re sure it’s not just because of all the wild monkey sex?”

  The nonstop, mind-altering sex was the reason she’d waited this long before surrendering to the truth. If she’d been honest with herself, she’d have probably confessed the morning she’d left Brisbane for parts unknown because her feelings for him had only grown stronger with every day they’d shared. “Yes.”

  “And it’s not because of the whole I-might-not-get-another-chance bullshit?”

  Doctor Olivia had well and truly slipped into diagnosis mode, but Abi didn’t need another chance or even a second opinion; he was it and she was sure. “No.”

  Another sighed gushed over the phone. This one sounded even more exhausted than the last. “You’re staying out in the middle of that godforsaken desert, aren’t you?”

  The thought of leaving this place of magical water hurt more than the ever increasing tantrums Doris threw inside her head. “I’ll fly out on the twenty-third as planned.”

  Something sharp and ice-cold speared through Abi’s chest. Twenty-one days left.

  “And there’s no point telling you that the longer you spend with him the harder it’s going to be to leave and the greater the damage you’re going to inflict on that heart of yours?”

  Olivia had every right to be worried but the only thing terrifying Abi more than leaving him was wasting whatever time she had left. “No.”

  “Do you know how he feels about you?”

  Wasn’t that the billion-dollar question? His almost declaration flashed across Abi’s mind, but it seemed ludicrous now with the benefit of some alone time and one or twelve deep breaths. “He’s happy I’m staying.”

  “No shit, he’s guaranteed himself regular sex for another three weeks. What man wouldn’t be happy?”

  “He’s not like that.” Christ, there went Abi’s voice again, right when she needed to pull on her big-girl panties.

  “C’mon, he’s a guy. Shit, Abs, he’s not just a guy, he’s a guy’s guy, the type of guy other guys want to be, and the type of guy girls dream about when they’re humping other guys.”

  If Abi had been in a normal frame of mind, she might have been spared the trauma of understanding what the hell her sister was ranting about, but she understood every damned word, which confirmed how far off the deep end she’d plummeted. “I know.”

  “Aw shit.” Olivia ground out a few more unintelligible grunts before sighing. “Your magical merry-go-round ride on Sergeant Harper ends on the twenty-third when you get on that plane and fly the seven thousand miles back to your home and real life.”

  Olivia muttered a curse, paused, then muttered another curse as if she was having a second argument with herself. “Look, he seems like a really nice guy, I’ll give you that, but he knows you’re leaving in a few weeks, he knows about Doris and the operation, and if he’s as switched on as Google thinks he is, he’s already figured out there’s no future for you guys, even if he wanted one, which he doesn’t. Governments spend years and millions of dollars turning these guys into emotional robots so they come up with last-second decisions to impossible problems. He knows you’re going to be stuck over here for God knows how long killing that fucking bitch, and from what you’ve told me he’s going to be working his ass off wrestling cattle. So for the love of God, don’t think he’s going to drop to one knee and beg you to stay with him forever after only spending a few weeks with you.”

  Instead of freaking her out, Olivia’s brutal honesty calmed her racing heart and settled her roiling belly. He cared for her, cared enough to treat her like a queen and introduce her to the family he loved. He cared enough to try and protect her from herself and to ensure she had the time of her life. He was a hero, a son, a brother, and for the next three weeks he was hers and that was all she wanted.

  Abi sighed and wiped the tear that had dribbled down her cheek. “That’s the only reason I haven’t left. I can survive a broken heart, I’ve survived worse. But I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt him.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Ryder shook his head and tracked the huge rooster tail of dust pouring from the Aston Martin’s bootylicious rear end as the Vanquish rocketed toward the Wishing Tree.

  Jarrah cringed and straightened beside him on the Big House’s veranda. “Jesus, I still can’t believe she got me to hand over the keys again.”

  Ryder chuckled. Why should he be her only victim?

  “You know she told me she’s not medically fit to drive right before p
ower-sliding out of here?” Jarrah glared at him. “If she totals it, the insurance company’s just going to laugh at me.”

  If his older brother had been anyone else, Ryder would have worried, but Jarrah made more money than he knew what to do with. “Serves you right. How much did you pay for that damned thing anyway? Three hundred, three fifty?”

  “Three ninety.” Jarrah cursed and rested his elbows on the railing beside him. “She’s evil.”

  Yup, there was no getting around it, the woman was diabolical. Ryder shifted his gaze from the hat clutched in his hand and regarded his brother.

  Jarrah smiled and nodded to the dust cloud disappearing toward the horizon. “She’s going to drive you insane. You know that, right?”

  Too late. In two weeks, the innocent sweetheart with the shy smile, sexy glasses, and sunset eyes had turned him into a nervous, paranoid wreck.

  Jarrah chuckled and slapped him on the shoulder. “Christ, you look so pathetic I almost feel sorry for your crippled arse.”

  Ryder swapped the Akubra he’d driven poor old Marjorie Wilson nuts selecting that morning to his left hand and punched Jarrah with his right. After taking so long to choose the damned thing he wasn’t damaging the brand-spanking-new Regency Fawn Cattleman on his idiot brother. If it hadn’t been for Kira and Jeddah stepping in to help, he’d still be staring up at the racks of hats lining the general store’s wall and trying to decide which one she’d like best. Not that it mattered, she was going to beat him to death with it anyway for ignoring her orders not to spoil her.

  Jarrah shook off the blow and regained his balance. “So Casanova, have you broken the news to her yet?”

  Ryder spun around and glared at his brother. His mother knew about his feelings for Abi, then again, the evil harpy knew everything. And judging by the smart-arse grins Kira and Jeddah flashed him in the general store that morning, his oldest and youngest sisters had a pretty good idea Abi wasn’t just a holiday fling, but how the hell had his big brother figured it out? Was it tattooed across his damned forehead?