by Jessica Gray
Several yards away stood a huge boab tree, and he set the table just beneath it. The romantic setting would only help his plans.
Once that was done, he re-entered the camper to see her dishing up two plates with servings of meat, sautéed asparagus, and a fresh green salad, dressed with vinaigrette.
His eyes grew wide at the sight of the plates, and he inhaled the appetizing smell. His gaze lingered on the woman who’d fixed them and his balls tightened as he watched her. Wisps of hair had escaped her braid and she pushed them back from her temples in an unconscious gesture that was beyond sexy. Her curls were damp from the humid heat, clinging to her skin. He let his eyes roam over her neck and down to her chest, only bringing them back up to her face when he noticed her fidget.
She’d caught him looking her over, but instead of an angry glare, she tipped up the corner of her lips to a slightly amused smile.
“Dinner’s ready,” she told him, her voice showing just a hint of huskiness.
Nik nodded towards the door, “Table’s all set up.” He opened up the fridge and retrieved a bottle of beer.
“Want one?” he asked, pulling out another bottle when she nodded and gave him a small smile.
He popped the tops off using the edge of the counter, ignoring her look of disbelief that he would treat the countertop so carelessly. If she thought she’d get luxury treatment, it was her mistake. This was a camping trip and she’d better get used to it.
Nik handed her the opened bottle, not offering a glass with it. His eyes captured hers and he took a long swallow of the cold brew.
How would she handle the silent challenge he’d just thrown her? Was she a lady who required a glass in order to drink a beer? Or would she tip the bottle up to her lips and drink it straight from the bottle?
Reese held his gaze and the amused smile from earlier appeared on her face again, before she put the bottle to her lips. She took a long drink and then licked her bottom lip, causing his blood pressure to shoot through the roof.
His body tightened when he imagined having other things between her lips than the neck of a beer bottle. He couldn’t remember having ever been turned on by a woman that quickly. His body ached with desire, his heart was racing, and he wanted nothing more than to put his beer down and pull her up against him.
But he did nothing. He took another gulp of his beer and picked up one of the plates. When she did the same and exited the camper, he followed her. It was already dark outside and the cooler night air enfolded his hot and sweating body. Thank god for the breeze.
Casual sex with Reese had definitely been on his table, but the moment she’d licked her bottom lip, throwing him a challenge of her own, he realized there was nothing casual about her. That woman was capable of burning him from the inside out.
Chapter 11
Reese woke the next morning after hearing Nik up and moving around. She rolled over and looked down from the bunk to see him putting his boots on. He glanced up and offered a husky, “Good morning.”
“Morning,” she returned, leaving off the qualifier for the moment. She’d barely woken up after a night filled with hot dreams and it was too early to tell if the morning was going to be good or not.
“I’d like to get going soon.”
Good for you, but I’m just waking up here. She kept her snide comment to herself. It wasn’t wise to annoy him and she had to give him credit for trying to be nice yesterday. Apart from the repeated ogling that left her feeling naked and aroused, his behavior had been above reproach.
Instead, she nodded and waited until he left the camper to hop down from the bunk and put on some fresh clothes. After dinner the night before, he told her about the hot showers available in the center of the campground.
He’d disappeared almost immediately after making that statement, leaving her to clean up the dinner dishes by herself. She’d tried not to resent his absence, too much. She’d actually felt a sense of relief once he left. As dinner had progressed, the sexual tension between them had continued to grow. If they’d met under different circumstances and he wasn’t such an arrogant ass, she might have been up to a flirt or more. No, she wouldn’t go that way. Ever.
Reese dressed quickly, grabbed a bagel with some cream cheese and a can of soda from the fridge. She settled herself in the passenger seat as he opened the driver’s door and got in.
Neither of them said anything as he pulled away from their makeshift camp and headed his rig down the dirt road, taking them further away from civilization and into the Australian Outback.
Five minutes into their drive, he turned on the radio and loud rock music filled the interior of the vehicle. Was the man deaf, or what? The music itself was actually good, just too loud. Nik apparently listened to the same bands her brother Terrence loved. She’d grown up with these songs, and now her brother’s band played the same type of music.
Thinking about Terrence reminded her that she’d promised to text him often, keeping him apprised of her situation and safety.
She pulled out her cell phone, relieved to find it still had service. The signal was weak as they were far away from the next village, but it would be enough for a text message…
T. Left yesterday. Rig is 4x4. Companion okay. Luv U.
She sent the message and was surprised when two minutes later he answered her back. What time was it back in the States? She’d given up calculating the difference, but with Terrence, it rarely mattered anyways. He’d sleep or be awake at crazy hours, depending if they had a performance or not.
R. Glad to hear U R OK. B safe. Luv U 2.
His message sent a pang of nostalgia to her stomach. She read it over and over again, willing him to appear by her side to talk to him in person. She’d always been close to her twin, and she’d looked forward to spending these two weeks with him. Just the two of them, catching up, talking, singing, having fun. Just like when they were kids.
With six siblings, there was always plenty of action in the Paxton house, but she and Terrence had shared a special bond. Even in their teenage years when each of them had started to hang around with friends of their own sex, they’d still been best friends.
Reese felt lonely. Even though Nik was in the seat next to her, she couldn’t talk to him. In fact, he was acting as if he’d forgotten she even existed.
She sighed, put her phone away and looked out at the scenery, impressed by the vastness of the red dirt, the hills in the distance, and the isolated trees here and there.
The road was god-awful. Nik had his hands full trying to evade the holes and bumps. Apparently, the road graters hadn’t passed this early in the season, smoothing out the ruts and grooves. The corrugation was horrible and the heavy camper danced on the gravel like a nutshell. Sometimes Nik had to slow down to a mere crawl, because the vibrations were bone-shaking and even loud enough to drown out the music.
She observed the way he maneuvered the vehicle with absolute focus and total control. His strong arms gripped the steering wheel and imposed his will on the car.
Her head tipped back, she closed her eyes, tuning out the music and trying to keep from thinking about the man sitting next to her. The very sexy man.
They stopped when the sun was almost directly overhead and had a quick lunch of cold cuts, cheese and fresh fruit. He grabbed a beer from the fridge, but at her pointed look, put it back and instead opted for a soda.
“I could drive for a while—”
He didn’t even let her finish her sentence before he shook his head. “Not happening, sweetheart.”
Reese was secretly relieved, yet pissed off at the same time. His condescending and arrogant attitude annoyed the hell out of her. God, I hate macho guys who think they’re better than any woman on the planet. I’ll teach him how far he gets with this attitude.
***
By the start of day three, they had developed a routine, that while not ideal, soothed her need for organization and his need to fly by the seat of his pants.
Nik actual
ly was a nice guy; that is, when he wasn’t being his usual arrogant self. His arrogance came so naturally, she wondered at his upbringing. But the more she got to know him, the more she acknowledged there was a lot more to Nik Miller than met the eye.
That evening, as they sat around a bonfire he’d made to ward off the evening chill and provide a change of scenery from the inside of the camper, she asked him what the rest of their journey was going to be like.
Almost reverently, he reached for his map of Northern Australia and explained to her the route, along with some of the sights he wanted to visit. By now, she’d noticed how much he liked maps, and planning. In her head, she couldn’t reconcile this trait with his absolute disorganization.
“You sure have a knack for planning out trips.”
His face lit up and he answered, “That’s my job. Since I was a child, I loved to sit in my grandfather’s office and plot out routes across the planet on his huge globe.”
She tried to imagine him as a small boy and the thought made her smile. “So what does your grandfather do?”
His face fell as fast as it lit up. “Nothing.”
Reese interpreted his reaction as grief. “I’m very sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No. You shouldn’t.”
She was surprised by the poignant tone in his voice and stood up to go inside the camper, when she felt his hand on her arm. “Reese, please don’t go. I’m sorry.”
Unsure what to do next, she just stood there in the dim light of the bonfire, feeling zings of desire rushing from the spot where he still held her arm, all the way down to her toes.
He stood up as well and looked right into her eyes. She stared into them, mesmerized by the dark brown color, and the depth inside. She could see he truly was sorry, but she also saw something else. Hurt. Angst.
His face softened, and the light of the bonfire gave him a mysterious aura. When he sat down again and drew her to sit next to him, the atmosphere took a romantic turn. She fought with all her power against the attraction, but it was useless.
Nik lowered his voice and tipped her head back to gaze up at the southern sky. Side by side, they enjoyed the night sky, with the only artificial light in miles being their bonfire. She didn’t know what got to her most. His apology or the tender look in his eyes. Maybe the fluttering in her stomach was just the result of the romantic atmosphere and had nothing to do with his presence.
After a few minutes of silence, he pointed out some of the star constellations and explained how ships had used them to navigate across the ocean for centuries. When he talked excitedly about ships and astronavigation, he turned into a different person. But after the experience mere minutes ago, Reese was clever enough not to ask further questions about his life.
He tried to point out one particular grouping of stars, but she just couldn’t see it. It was frustrating, but before she could ask him to point it out to her again, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and directed her eyes and her hand in the right direction.
His nearness caused tingles of awareness to crash through her body, settling low in her belly and making her breath hitch when she inhaled his scent. His scent of pure seduction. Her strong reaction to him scared the hell out of her, and she opted for the safe way out. She jumped up and muttered an excuse, “I’m really tired. Thank you for showing me the stars. Goodnight.”
Then she all but ran back to the camper, shutting the door and undressing in the dark, wanting to be tucked into bed before he could come after her and start asking questions, or worse, touch her again.
She buried herself in her sleeping bag, turning her back to the door and trying to even out her breathing. He came in fifteen minutes later, and she felt and heard him pause in the entryway. She sensed his eyes boring into her back, heating up every cell in her body with raw desire for him, but she continued to measure her breathing, feigning sleep.
It was best to pretend nothing had ever happened. And nothing had.
Chapter 12
Nik finished his breakfast with a satiated grin upon his face. “Reese, you are a fabulous cook.”
He watched a blush crawl up her face and smirked when she ducked her eyes away from his grin. She might have run away last night, but she wanted him, that was sure. He wouldn’t give up, especially when he was so close to winning her over.
His initial plan to hook up with her, have some fun, and forget her name the moment she stepped off his camper in Cairns had been relegated to the back of his head. Instead, he was surprised and confused to find out he actually enjoyed her company. A rarity indeed, for him to enjoy the company of a woman outside the bed.
And the meals she managed to whip up from all of those groceries. Hmm. Yummy. Thank god she’d insisted on going shopping before leaving Broome. Just the thought of consuming canned ravioli for breakfast, instead of the fluffy omelet she fixed this morning, had his stomach turning over in protest.
Reese stood up to clean the table and wash the dishes, while he gathered and packed all their belongings to get on the road again. After the disaster of their first day, she’d never again wanted his help in the kitchen department, but had assigned him to do all the “outdoors” stuff. Which he didn’t mind in the least. No, he was very happy about their division of chores.
Once he’d packed and secured everything, he entered the camper to see her wiping off the countertops. He lingered in the door, appreciating the sight of her cute ass, and a warm feeling he couldn’t quite identify spread across his chest.
He didn’t know how long he’d been watching her when she turned around. Her lips tipped up into the amused smile he’d seen so often by now and she asked, “So, do you think we’ll see other people on the road today?”
Nik shook his head. “Probably not. It’s too early in the season, and most everyone in Broome is waiting for the party of the year at full moon.”
He looked at her quizzically and then asked, “Getting tired of my company, sweetheart?” She usually protested when he called her sweetheart and most of the time he said it to rile her up, but today it came natural and felt just right. What the hell is wrong with me?
Reese gave him an angry glare, but didn’t protest. She shook her head. “No. I actually enjoy your company, honey.”
Honey? She called me honey? How cheesy is that?
He must have made a disgusted face, because she laughed out loud and sent him a very satisfied smirk. She’d beat him with his own weapons. Again.
With every day that passed, she’d grown sassier and countered every one of his offensive or arrogant remarks with one of her own. He tried to make an offended face. If she knew how much he actually enjoyed their banter, she might stop giving witty responses.
“I didn’t anticipate how lonely it is out here. It’s so big, and it seems like we’re the last two people on Earth,” she continued.
He nodded. She’d hit the nail on the head. He’d also underestimated the loneliness in the Australian Outback, and if it wasn’t for her, he’d be having a horrible time. “I know what you mean. And I’m glad you’re with me.”
Another cute blush crept up her cheeks. I should compliment her more often. It makes her even sexier than the angry glare of her emerald eyes.
“So, what’s our next stop?” she asked.
“Tonight we’ll stay at Windjana Gorge.”
“What’s there?”
“A terrific gorge carved out by the Lennard River with walls on both sides one hundred to three hundred yards high.”
Reese smiled. “Cool. I’ve read about the fantastic gorges in this area. How far off the road is it?”
“Not far. The campground is only a ten or fifteen minute drive from the main road. From there, we can walk the two-mile hike into the gorge and have a picnic beside one of the pools.”
She tucked the rest of the dishes away in the cupboard and smiled. “We should probably get started then.”
He didn’t say what else they’d find at the gorge, because he wanted t
o see her surprised face.
***
By the time they reached the campground near Windjana Gorge, the sun was already starting to set, bathing the cliffs in spectacular tones of orange and red. Both of them stood fascinated, watching the spectacle until the cliffs turned black again and the sky exploded in shades of pink and purple.
Neither of them had dared to speak or move until it was completely dark. Nik cleared his throat, still captured by the beauty of the sunset and the presence of the beautiful woman beside him. “We’ll have to wait until morning to hike down to the water. It’s not safe in the dark.”
Reese nodded. “Let’s set up camp for tonight and get up early tomorrow morning.”
The next morning, they ate a quick breakfast of cold cereal and hot coffee. Then packed up some fruit and mineral water, and took off to venture into the gorge.
They walked side-by-side along the clearly marked trail and Nik took pleasure in her appreciation of the stunning cliff walls, an ancient coral reef that had long since risen above the surrounding landscape.
The area was heavily vegetated with Coolamon trees, Mellaluecas, and even a few fig trees scattered here and there. A variety of birds called to one another from their branches, and as they walked out onto the sandy beach, Nik waited impatiently for the moment when she finally would spot the main attraction of Windjana Gorge.
He wasn’t prepared for her scream, or the way she turned and lunged herself into his arms when she sighted three large crocodiles sunning themselves in the morning light. Reese wrapped her legs tightly around his hips and her arms around his neck.
Nik staggered backwards, barely keeping them both from tumbling to the ground. “Whoa!” He wrapped his arms around her, loving the feel of her in his arms, but he couldn’t contain his grin.
Unfortunately, she saw his grin and misinterpreted it. She tried to shove herself out of his arms, but he tightened his hold on her and then watched as her fright of a moment ago was replaced by anger. Her emerald eyes were blazing and she began to shake in his arms, her eyes never leaving the water’s edge or the crocodiles.