Winds of Change (Hearts of the Outback Book 4)

by Susanne Bellamy

  “Don’t stop? Okay.”

  “Jax—”

  His hand moved lower and her breathlessness assumed a new quality.

  “Still want me to stop?”

  “I’ll kill you if you don’t finish what you—”

  His mouth cut off the rest of her words and caught her scream minutes later as another orgasm tore through her.

  Boneless and deliciously fatigued, she peered at him through half-closed lids. “You look pleased with yourself.”

  “And your point is—?”

  “No point, just—thank you.”

  Willa’s phone alarm beeped, intruding into the moment out of time she’d snatched with Jax. She reached past him to turn it off and stared at the time. “Damn, that’s the second alarm. How did I miss the first?”

  “How indeed.” Jax’s grin broadened before he rolled out of bed and headed into the bathroom.

  At the sound of the shower starting, Willa stretched and sighed. One night together would be their parting gift to each other. Clearing the air meant they could move on with their lives. Forgive and forget.

  As if forgetting Jax were possible, but at least now when she thought of him, it would be with happy memories. She rolled onto her side and rested her hand on Jax’s pillow where the indentation of his head remained. Tracing the outline, she considered luring him back to bed for another round of make up sex but if she didn’t get her A into gear, Laurie would arrive before she was dressed. And that would be all shades of awkward.

  Before she could give in to temptation, she threw back the covers and went to the kitchen. She switched on the coffeemaker and popped two slices of bread into the toaster. By the time Jax came out of the shower wearing a towel and a smile, she’d eaten half a slice. Dusting crumbs off her hands, she moved towards the bathroom.

  “Coffee’s almost ready and there’s a piece of toast. Help yourself.”

  Jax slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. Her hands rose automatically, landing on warm skin still damp from the shower.

  “Don’t mind if I do.” Before she could protest, his lips were on hers in a kiss that banished all thoughts of a quick shower.

  “Mmm, strawberry kisses.” His lips slipped from hers and travelled along her jaw to her earlobe.

  Was there time for a quickie? She tipped her head back to give Jax better access and he obliged, drawing a gasp of pleasure as he nipped her neck in that spot that seemed to link straight to her core.

  “Want to come back to bed?”

  “You read my mind. But I’d better go shower before Laurie arrives.” She kissed him once more and raced into the shower. She was towelling off when the front door buzzer chirped.

  Scrabbling for her clothes she clipped her bra as she heard the front door open and Jax’s voice greeting Laurie.

  Dear God I hope he’s dressed in more than a towel.

  She pulled on jeans and a black T-shirt, grabbed a hair tie, and pulled the door open in time to hear Jax say,

  “Thanks, Laurie. If you can take Willa out this morning, I’ll look after her transport this afternoon and for the rest of the shoot.”

  She rounded the corner into the lounge and came up short.

  Laurie’s gaze was fixed on Jax. He was dressed—sort of.

  “I was just telling Laurie I’ll bring you home tonight.” His shirt hung open showcasing his chest with its light smattering of sun bleached blond hairs and jeans zipped but unclipped at the waistband. Surely he hadn’t answered the door in an undressed state deliberately?

  Jax winked and buttoned a single button over his stomach, which drew her attention south. She gripped her hands behind her back and took a deep breath. Save for Laurie’s presence, she would have pushed him down on the sofa and damn the production schedule.

  Laurie cleared his throat. A flush ran down her neck and coloured her face as she made her way to the door. “Hmm, well, we’d better get a move on, Willa.”

  Laurie drove in silence until they reached the outskirts of town. Once she was in the eighty kilometre zone, she released the curiosity Willa was sure had been burning since Jax opened the door to her.

  “So, you’re not interested in our major, hey? I never believed you, Hun. After that greeting this morning, I’m jealous.”

  “Things aren’t what they look like.”

  “Seriously? Willa, you ain’t foolin’ nobody with that line.”

  Willa sighed. “No, I guess not. Look, I wasn’t trying to fool you before. But something happened last night—”

  “That was pretty obvious.” A hint of anger lay beneath Laurie’s words.

  Willa hadn’t meant to lie. In point of fact, she had told the truth. It was only the circumstances of last night that made her disavowal of Jax untrue now. “I thought I had an intruder but it was Jax checking up on me.”

  “An intruder? If you’d had a gun of your own, you would have been safe. So you called Jax to come help you?”

  “No. My mother did. She and my dad flew to Mackay this morning. My aunt had a heart attack and Mum was worried about me after the horse episode.”

  “Sorry to hear about your aunt.” Laurie wrenched the wheel over to avoid a large pothole and Willa grabbed the armrest.

  “And then your white knight appeared, and one thing led to another, is that it?”

  Not quite. But the real story was complicated and not one Willa wanted to share. Not when she hadn’t come to terms with what she suspected her father of.

  “That’s about it. One thing, please don’t tell anyone. I’d rather they didn’t know.”

  “I’m good at keeping secrets. Count on me.”

  Jax felt lighter than he had in a long time and not just because he’d slept without waking in a lather of sweat from his recurring nightmare. Spending the night making love to Willa and waking with her beside him gave him a sense of beginning a journey. Whether that was healing or forgiving himself, he didn’t know but resolving the anger of their parting had shown him one important fact. He and Willa were meant to be.

  The mystery was how to make it happen.

  But before that, he had a stalker to catch. And a psychiatrist appointment to organise if he wanted to deal with the guilt and the nightmares that followed Santos’ death.

  He picked up his phone and rang the Army Public Relations Department first.

  “Pertwee speaking.”

  “Captain, it’s Major Heathwood. I want to arrange another secondment for this film shoot you’ve got me doing in Mt. Isa.”

  “Major, my superior won’t look favourably on a request to pull the pin. We have an agreement with the film company to live up to and—”

  “You misunderstood me, Captain. Given the scope of the project, I require additional assistance.” Mentally crossing his fingers, Jax played the very card the captain would respond to, to make it happen.

  Half an hour and a couple of calls later, Pertwee rang him back. “Success, Major. They’ve agreed.”

  “So you’ll arrange Corporal Preston’s temporary placement immediately?”

  “Yes, sir. And thank you for your willingness to participate.”

  Unwilling to entirely give up the idea of planting a bodyguard within Willa’s film troop, Jax drove out to the day’s location and worked on how to pitch the revised plan to Brodie. With Preston due before lunch, he needed the director on side.

  He waited until Brodie called for a break and extricated him with difficulty from a knot of tech crew. They walked a short distance to the edge of the location, a field of ancient red rocks that rose in a shallow slope before climbing steeply. From the upper reaches, a sniper would command a broad view of the area, including the HQ.

  But he’d also be susceptible to a careful stealth attack from behind. If Willa was filming up there, Jax was going to position himself nearby. The rocky landscape could easily hide Willa’s stalker.

  “I can only give you a couple of minutes. The key grip has to make adjustments to his crew’s positionin
g of the crane for Willa’s next shot. Where have you been?”

  “Making arrangements. Corporal Preston should be arriving in the next couple of hours. I’d like you to insert him into Willa’s raiders as soon as possible.”

  Brodie folded his arms and leaned his hip against a rounded rock. “I thought we had agreed on maintaining the status quo.”

  “Brodie, go with me on this one. That note you got raises the stakes. We need someone close to Willa at all times, including on set. You were right to keep me out of it. I’m more useful in the background, out of the spotlight, but I’ve checked out Preston’s resume. He’s intelligent and he’s met Willa.”

  “Is he the young man you travelled from Townsville with?”

  “Yes. Maybe you can spin the line that Willa asked to give him a cameo role because she wants to give him a break?”

  “I’ll get the scriptwriter to give him a couple of lines of dialogue. Can he act?”

  “No idea, but if you want puppy adoration, he’ll be a natural.”

  “Fallen for her, has he? They all do. She’s one of those rare creatures, lovely both inside and out.”

  Jax knew it. He’d fallen for Willa twice over. Most of his fellow officers told tales of teenage relationships that didn’t survive the end of high school. Neither had Jax’s but now he knew forces beyond their control had been at work to separate them. This time, he wasn’t an angry young man but a soldier and he would fight for Willa.

  “If I put him in an action scene, how do you think he’ll do?”

  “His army record is exemplary; give him a gun and an order and let him go.” Having already met Preston, Jax’s review of the corporal’s record had reassured him he had the right man for the job.

  Brodie stroked his chin before nodding his head. “You’ve got it. I know what I’ll do with him. Now will you go and show Willa how to handle that damned gun. I know she hates them but she’s holding it as though it’s a live snake.” Brodie strode away, calling for his assistant, the chief grip and the scriptwriter before he disappeared under the shade of what he’d taken to calling ‘HQ’.

  Jax approved of the name. His initial dislike of Brodie had dissipated as he’d observed the director in action. He ran the crew like a battle-hardened general, juggling supplies and personnel and issuing orders in timely fashion.

  Jax had butted heads with Willa long enough. When he stepped back and looked at what they both did, at how hard Willa worked every day on set, he saw beyond the glitz and glamour to the daily grind. Willa worked hard to bring pleasure to others through her work, and he’d been pig-headed to believe that wasn’t valuable.

  Laurie scurried towards him, a pen tucked behind her ear and a harried expression on her face. She turned to look at him and walked backwards a few steps, clutching her clipboard to her chest. “What did ya do to rattle his cage?”

  “Not guilty.”

  The assistant stopped and tipped her head. “I don’t know about that. We’re all guilty of something.”

  “Laurie, where are you?” Brodie didn’t sound angry but his tone of voice demanded an immediate response, like any good drill sergeant.

  “Oops, got to go.” She hurried to the tent, leaving Jax wondering what Laurie meant by her odd comment.

  His guilt was clear but he pushed the reminder of it into the background. He’d do everything in his power to atone for Santos’ death. Starting with Willa. Her protection was his responsibility—and his pleasure—and somehow he’d make it work to keep her near.

  “Jax! What took you so long?” Willa slithered down the red slope and hooked her thumbs in the pockets of her trousers. He didn’t need a degree in body language to read her expression. It matched the pleasure he was feeling.

  “Things to do. Walk with me.”

  They strolled away from the activity on set until they were far enough that he was certain they wouldn’t be overheard. When they stopped, he stepped in front of her, keeping an eye out for any approach from the set.

  “Corporal Preston will be arriving shortly and I need you to greet him like a long lost friend.”

  “You mean as Dave, not Corporal Preston? Why?”

  “He’s going to join your raiders on screen.”

  “I can’t believe Brodie agreed to that hare-brained idea. Your powers of persuasion are awesome.”

  He took hold of her hand and squeezed gently. Her nails had dirt under them, and smudges covered her face and neck. She’d never looked more beautiful. “I wanted to give you a bit of warning before Preston gets here.”

  “What’s the cover story?”

  “You’ve convinced Brodie to give Dave a small role as a favour to an old friend.”

  “And will Corporal Preston know the background story before he lands on the set?”

  “No. You’ll have to feed him details as you go.”

  Willa’s eyes widened. “You like setting me a challenge.”

  “I’ll set you another one now. Show me you’re not holding your gun like you expect it to explode in your face and—”

  “And what’s my reward?” Willa moved in close and ran a finger over the bare skin of his throat. Beneath the smell of makeup and dust lay the scent of Willa, sensual, sexy and turning him on.

  And taking his focus off her safety. He took hold of her shoulders, allowing her to read his need for her in his eyes as he moved her back to arms’ length.

  “I’ll be very good to you tonight.”

  “That had better be a promise.”

  “It is. But you have to earn it first. Let me teach you to—”

  Two figures approached from the rest tent. Laurie was chatting animatedly with young Preston and they were heading purposefully towards Willa and him.

  “Looks like Dave dropped everything to see you again.”

  Willa closed her eyes and her face became expressionless for a heartbeat or two. When she opened them, she blew him a kiss before turning.

  “Dave! You made it.” She threw her arms around the startled corporal and kissed him on both cheeks. Then, linking her arm through his, she began walking slowly back to camp. “You’ll have to tell me everything you’ve been doing and—”

  As her words became indistinct, Jax realised Laurie was watching him closely.

  “Quite a feather in your cap, Jax.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Willa isn’t precisely the Ice Queen but in all the years I’ve known her, she’s never jumped into bed with a guy so quickly, and she’s never looked as happy as she did this morning.”

  Jax shrugged.

  What had possessed him to answer the door undressed and grinning like a bloody Cheshire cat? Showing off wasn’t in his nature, apart from youthful tricks on his dirt bike. Keeping a cool head and thorough planning had been a big part of his rapid rise to the rank of major and yet he’d stopped thinking with his head after the night with Willa.

  If the conversation with Laurie did nothing more than remind him how much Willa’s presence affected his ability to think straight, it had served its purpose.

  Brodie had been right to refuse to put him on screen with Willa.

  Because all he would see was her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Willa kept one arm linked in Dave’s as they walked through HQ to join the group of actors. He held his cap in both hands, running his fingers up and down the edge before scrunching it in one large hand, but his eyes were bright and she had no doubt his street cred with his mates would skyrocket when the series aired. She leaned close and squeezed his arm. “Much more fun than a selfie in an airport, hey, Dave?”

  “You bet, Miss Raynolds—um, I mean Willa.”

  “Say my name over and over in your head at least a dozen times while you look at me and it won’t be a problem. Ready?”

  He nodded but his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

  She remembered that fear so close to awe; the first time she’d met one of her film idols, stringing two words together had been beyond her
. Raising her voice as they approached the group, she maintained eye contact with Dave until they stopped.

  “ . . . and I’m delighted you’re joining me and my raiders, Dave.”

  She drew him into the circle of actors. “This is Dave who is joining our merry crew. Let me introduce the rest of the team.

  “Thommo, he and I go way back to my early days struggling to get parts in Oz.”

  Thommo grinned and shook hands with Dave. “Welcome, mate. Good to have you on board.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Dave is a man of few words, unlike you, Darry.”

  “Fair go, Willa. I don’t talk that much.” He leaned over and shook hands.

  “Believe me, he does, Dave. You won’t get a word in edgewise when he’s around. And this handsome fella is Richo.”

  “G’day, Dave. Good to see another ranga on set.”

  Dave nodded and swallowed again. “I’m pretty new to all this.”

  Willa relaxed as Thommo stood and clapped a hand on Dave’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, mate. We’ve all been nervous on our first shoot. Except Darry. He doesn’t have a single nerve in his body.”

  Willa looked for the fourth member of her raiders. “Sharkey not around?”

  “Gone to the gents.” Darry grinned and nudged Richo. “Must have been something he ate.”

  Confident she could leave Dave with Thommo while she got back to working with Jax, she smiled. “Would you take Dave to see Suzie and get his makeup and costume sorted please, and run him through today’s scene?”

  “Sure, love.”

  “Thanks, Thommo. Jax is going to help me learn to love my gun before the next take.”

  She patted Dave’s back and winked at him. “See you on set, Dave, and welcome to Ronson’s Raiders.”

  Grabbing a bottle of water from the ice chest, she headed out to find Jax. She almost welcomed the idea of how he’d help her overcome her dislike of guns. Something up close and personal for preference. As she rounded the rear of the tent, he called to her.

  “Willa, over here.”

  Jax stood in the meagre shade of a small gum tree on the edge of the camp, well away from high traffic paths. As she jogged towards him, the scent of eucalypt and dust rose around her. Blue sky arced above, intense and stretching into forever.