by Lucy Clark
‘Really? Great. Then I’m glad I booked one.’ When Phemie met his gaze, Gil shrugged. ‘I thought you deserved a reward after your brilliant presentation. You were by far the best presenter at the conference.’
‘Oh. Uh. Thanks.’ Phemie felt self-conscious at his words as they climbed into the limo.
‘Now,’ Gil said, relaxing back, ‘William has told me that I’d better not get bitten by any drop bears or hoop snakes. Oh, and I need to remember to check under the toilet seat for red-back spiders.’
Phemie laughed at Gil’s words.
‘What’s so funny?’ he asked.
‘Who told William about drop bears and hoop snakes?’ The smile lit her eyes and Gil tried not to stare too much. She was so incredibly beautiful.
‘James Crosby. He’s a colleague who lives here in Sydney. Why? Was he wrong?’
‘Let’s see…drop bears, aka killer koalas, drop from eucalyptus trees and attack you and, uh…hoop snakes bite their tails and then roll down the hill like a hula hoop before slithering over to bite you.’
‘So it’s true?’
‘No. It’s all…well, how should I put this…? Er…fictitious.’
Gil’s eyebrows hit his hairline. ‘Really?’ Then he laughed. ‘Wait until I tell William he was being teased. He thought Crosby was serious.’ Gil paused. ‘What about those red-back spiders?’
Phemie nodded, her expression serious. ‘Oh, they’re very real. Along with the brown snakes and the funnel web spiders.’
‘Great. This country sure sounds like an adventure!’ Gil eased back into the plush seats.
‘Thank you for the limo ride,’ Phemie said as she rubbed her hand back and forth over the cream-coloured upholstery. There were little lights in the roof and a fully stocked bar. ‘It’s fantastic. Anthony’s been in a limo before and he took pictures but this…this is…’ She looked at Gil, her eyes alive with pleasure. ‘It was a lovely gesture.’
‘I’m pleased you’re enjoying it. It’s also a way of thanking you for allowing me to come and stay at your base. I do appreciate everything you’ve done, the strings you’ve pulled to organise this, Phemie.’
‘It wasn’t difficult, Gil. Your name opens a lot of doors in the medical world.’
‘At least it works somewhere,’ he returned with a smile. It appeared that both of them were on their best behaviour today. After all, they would be spending a lot of time together as they travelled across the country.
Throughout the day, they talked on many topics, Gil even allowing her to read a rough draft of his next article. She was both honoured and flattered as well as being secretly delighted when he’d taken her constructive suggestions seriously.
Whilst they flew, she saw no outward signs of nervousness or anxiety on Gil’s part except the way he talked non-stop during take-off and landing. She listened, she absorbed and she relaxed in his company. They were two friends, travelling together. That was all. Her earlier thought about being in love with him was obviously as ludicrous now as it had been when it had first popped into her head. She liked Gil. She admired him. Nothing more than friendship. That was how it had to be.
In Perth, they switched planes and boarded a small Cessna bound for Kalgoorlie. When they arrived in the large outback city, Phemie declared them to be in luck.
‘I thought we’d have to drive from here to the base but look.’ She pointed out across the two landing strips to where an RFDS plane stood. ‘We can hitch a ride with Sardi.’
‘Sardi’s the pilot, correct?’
‘Yes. Good memory.’ When Phemie saw her friend again, the two hugged as a way of saying hello. ‘I feel as though I’ve been gone for a year rather than a week,’ she murmured as they boarded the aircraft. She watched Gil as he entered the even smaller space and sat in the seat she indicated. Once she was seated, she looked over at him.
‘How are you doing?’
‘Fine.’
‘Liar.’
He turned and smiled at her. ‘I’m sure Sardi’s a most competent pilot and I also trust that you would never, knowingly, put me in danger.’
‘No. I wouldn’t.’ He had faith in her. He trusted her. He accepted her. Phemie was overwhelmed at that and reached out to take his hand in hers, linking their fingers together. ‘Not too much longer now.’
Gil looked at their entwined hands then back to gaze into her perfect blue eyes. The fact that she had been the one to initiate the contact spoke volumes and the elation he felt overshadowed his tension at flying.
He looked again at their hands, loving the feel of her smooth, soft skin against his. He’d only known her for a week. He’d held her in his arms, he’d talked to her, they’d worked together, he’d been immensely impressed with her on the medical front, he’d watched the way she’d cared for her brother…and not seventy-two hours ago he’d had his mouth pressed to hers in a most engaging and electrifying kiss.
She’d been a constant visitor to his dreams and when he was with her like this, the way her bright cheerful scent enveloped him only made him want to hold her, to be with her, to kiss her again and again. To say he’d reconnected with the world, that he’d been catapulted out of his comfort zone was almost an understatement. Throughout the entire tour he’d slowly withdrawn from his cave, meeting people, chatting, being sociable. He’d realised he had missed being connected with the world and whilst he knew he had to return to England, to the life he’d had before, he’d also been ready to stop moving from one hotel to the other. June and Caitie would always be a part of him, he knew that and felt that, but it was indeed time he moved on.
Then he’d met Phemie and she’d turned that level of ‘normal’ he’d thought he’d found upside down and inside out. She’d brought sunshine into places of his life he hadn’t realised were dull and grey. She’d made him re-evaluate what he thought he knew. She’d accepted him as a person, a man in his own right as well as respecting him as a professional. She’d opened his heart and awakened a passion which was addictive. He rubbed his thumb along her finger, relishing in the fact she’d given him permission to touch her, to be with her. The main problem was, he wanted more.
He swallowed the thought. They had a whole week together. Working alongside each other. Talking, having the ability to spend real time alone. He was looking forward to it and decided right there and then that he wasn’t going to waste it. Life was for living. He hadn’t been doing much of it prior to the fellowship and that meant he had lost ground to make up.
He tightened his grip on her fingers just for a moment and smiled. ‘I’m glad you insisted we take the red-eye out of Sydney.’
‘It has been a long day.’ Why did her tone sound so husky? So intimate? She looked over at him and swallowed, her tongue coming out to wet her lips.
‘But a good day.’
A small, inviting smile touched her lips as the tension between them continued to increase. ‘Yes.’ Phemie nodded and settled back in her seat, the heat from his hand suffusing her body, and she wanted, just this once, to enjoy the effect he had on her.
‘So it was worth having your sleep disturbed?’
She looked at him with hooded eyes, trying not to subconsciously beg him to hurry up and press his mouth to hers. ‘Indubitably.’
He smiled. ‘You are so lovely,’ he whispered as he caressed her cheek with his free hand and watched as her eyelids fluttered closed. Her breathing increased and then caught in a gasp when he rubbed his thumb over her lips.
‘Gil.’
He heard the veiled hint of pleading and knew what he must do, what they both so desperately wanted. Cupping her chin, he lifted her head and in the next second had his mouth on hers.
Together, they leaned into the kiss, absorbing everything the other had to give, needing to feel, to recapture and expand on what they’d felt last time.
‘This is insane,’ she murmured against his mouth.
‘I know but I can’t help myself. You are so totally addictive.’
‘We
shouldn’t be doing this.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because you live…And I…’ Rational thought left her as he once more took her to heights she hadn’t thought possible. Her breathing was erratic. His lips were tender and slow.
‘We have all week to figure it out.’ He spoke softly, desire in his tone.
‘Fasten seat belts,’ Sardi announced. The pilot’s words were enough to bring them both back to reality. Phemie sat up straight and tried to pull her hand free from Gil’s but found she couldn’t. When she looked at him, his eyes were serious.
‘I can’t hide what I feel for you, Phemie, but I do want to understand it. To do that, we must do some research.’ He kissed her again as the plane started to dip. ‘And I have a feeling this is research we’ll both enjoy.’
Pandora’s Box was now definitely open wide and surprisingly he couldn’t wait.
CHAPTER TEN
WHEN Gil had looked down through the window of the small plane to the land below, all he’d seen was what appeared to be a tin shed and two houses.
‘That’s it?’ He was astounded. For some reason when Phemie had said the middle of nowhere, he’d thought she was joking.
‘Home, sweet home,’ she’d sighed.
‘You don’t live here, do you?’
‘Of course I do.’
‘I thought this was just where you worked.’
‘It is. The house has sleeping quarters at the rear and the base office at the front.’ She pointed. Now that they were getting closer the tin shed appeared much larger and he realised it was a hangar. The houses also came into focus and he realised there was only one official house. The other building was a very large garage where a number of cars were already parked.
She’d continued to hold his hand until Sardi landed the plane and then, almost reluctantly, had let go but only because she’d needed to open the doors. They retrieved their luggage and walked the short distance to Phemie’s home.
‘This will be your room,’ she murmured, her body still tingling from the kisses. This time Gil hadn’t pulled away, hadn’t tried to keep his distance as he had the last time he’d pressed his mouth to hers. No, this time he seemed more than happy to continue what they’d both been fighting for the past week.
Phemie opened a door to show him a very basic room. A bed, a table and chair, a lamp, a small wardrobe, a clock and two framed pictures of Australian animals on the walls. That was it. The floor was polished wooden boards and a ceiling fan hung over the bed.
She’d already given Gil a tour of the front part of the house, which was where the RFDS office was situated. Ben had been diligently manning the UHF radio as well as the phones and had been very pleased to meet Professor Gilbert Fitzwilliam.
‘Pheme’s always reading your articles to me. Pointing things out. Personally, I think she’s a little obsessed with you but there are worse things to obsess about, am I right? Besides, she thinks you’re a total legend.’
Phemie had stared appalled at her colleague, unable to believe he’d said such embarrassing things. What must Gil think of her? That she was some gushing fan? Well, in a way she was but that had been before she’d come to know him on a more…intimate level. Now, to have Ben say she was obsessed with Gil only made things worse.
When Gil had looked at her, however, she’d quickly pasted on an over-bright smile and ignored the raised eyebrow that indicated he was very interested in what Ben was saying. Mortification still passed through her at the memory and she’d quickly moved Gil away from Ben, leading him to the bedrooms at the rear of the house.
‘Sorry it’s so basic. I had Ben air it out and remove the boxes I was storing in here. Apparently, he’s even made the bed and put out some towels for you.’ She pointed to the linen and felt like a right royal twit. Of course Gil could see the towels on the bed. She was nervous. That’s all it was and she was starting to babble.
‘I must remember to thank him,’ Gil murmured, and then looked sheepish. ‘I guess I didn’t need to say that out loud. I’m used to saying things like that, having William make a note of it and then reminding me to do it later.’ He put his suitcase down and took off his hat, waving it to create a small breeze around his face. ‘Force of habit.’
‘You’re a busy man. You can’t be expected to remember everything.’
‘Yes, but here I’m not Professor Gilbert Fitzwilliam, Emergency Medicine Specialist Travelling Fellowship.’
‘No. You’re just…Gil.’
A broad smile crossed his face and his eyes lit with delight. Phemie tried not to be affected but still put a hand on the doorjamb for support. ‘I like the sound of that. Just…Gil. I don’t think I’ve been just Gil for quite some time.’
Why did the man have to be so incredibly good-looking? Why did he have to be here in her home? So close yet so far. The two of them all alone. She looked away and focused on a very interesting knot of wood in the floor boards.
‘It’s going to be great here. I can feel it now.’ He walked further into the room and looked around. For all its sparseness, it was clean. The other reason he’d moved was because he needed to distance himself from Phemie. She was an incredible woman and one he was having a difficult time ignoring. The need to scoop her into his arms and carry her to bed was overwhelmingly powerful and he knew he needed to resist. At least, for now.
Gil smiled and the look in her eyes told him she was as aware of him as he was of her. A spark of desire had flared briefly behind her gorgeous blue eyes before she’d started studying the floor.
It appeared he wasn’t the only one who was a little uncertain about the two of them being here alone and she had raised a good point on the plane. They lived on opposite sides of the globe. However, he did believe that during this week they’d find some way to work things out because what he felt for her was something that could no longer be ignored.
‘Uh…’ Phemie pointed up at the ceiling. ‘Fan. A must in the outback.’ She tapped the switch on the wall. ‘Not rocket science. One is fast. Five is slow. The window.’ She pointed. ‘Try and ensure the screens are closed at all times. You may want to sleep with the window open, though. We get a nice breeze sweeping through most nights. Gives a bit of respite from the heat.’
‘Pleased to hear that.’ He walked over to where she stood and switched on the ceiling fan, its gentle whir the only sound in the room apart from their breathing. He was standing close to her and he could tell she was trying to resist the urge to take a step backwards, to put distance between them. ‘Ahh…that should help cool me down.’
There was a thickness to his words that made Phemie wonder whether he was referring to the heat outside, which had hit them like a ten-tonne truck the instant they’d embarked from the aircraft, or the fact that they were in close proximity to each other.
She started to perspire, her body heat definitely continuing to rise, and as she was more accustomed to the dry heat, it had to be Gil’s nearness causing the reaction. What she needed was a cold shower, rather than the breeze from the ceiling fan. Swallowing, she forced her legs to work, to move her away from him before she succumbed to the temptation to lean forward and press her mouth to his. He really was becoming utterly addictive.
‘Bathroom.’ The word came out as a breathless whisper and she quickly cleared her throat as she stepped into the hallway, her flat-heeled boots sounding on the floorboards. ‘Bathroom is just opposite here. We’ll be, uh…sharing the amenities…’ again she couldn’t meet his gaze ‘…so knocking whenever the doors are shut should be a good way to ensure we don’t, uh…walk in on…each other.’
Her breathing continued its erratic increase and she realised she was behaving like a schoolgirl, aroused simply by thinking of Gil naked in the shower, that solid and firm body of his glistening with drops of water. Stop it! She shook her head and took a quick deep breath, hoping to get herself back under control.
‘We’re also under strict water restrictions so all showers are a matter of wetting you
rself down, turning off the water, soaping, then turning the taps back on for rinsing and so on. On and off with the taps is the way to go. Every drop is precious. Uh…toilet is a septic tank so if it gets blocked, you’ll be the one clearing it.’
‘Fair enough.’ There was a tinge of humour in his words and Phemie glanced up, her eyes now blazing with annoyance. She was trying so hard to control herself and obviously he found it amusing!
‘This isn’t a joking matter, Gil. Water is a precious and very valuable commodity out here. We’re on tank water, which means it really only gets filled up when it rains. As it rarely rains, we have to use what we have sparingly.
He sobered instantly. ‘Agreed, and I wasn’t joking about the water.’
‘You were. You smiled when I mentioned the restrictions,’ she remarked accusingly.
‘No. I was amused at the way you were explaining about the septic tank. You blushed when you talked about a blocked toilet. I thought that was adorable.’
Phemie’s annoyance disappeared instantly. ‘Adorable?’ She looked into his eyes and he immediately moved closer. ‘Don’t, Gil.’ She put her hand up to stop him but it collided with his chest. He quickly covered her hand, holding it against his heart.
‘This thing between us is only intensifying with every passing moment, Euphemia.’ His words were soft, warm and filled with truth as he slipped his other hand around her waist. ‘As I said before, we have a week to do some research, to figure out what this attraction really means.’
‘Gil. It doesn’t matter. I can’t.’
‘Can’t what? Do you have any idea what it means for me to feel this way about you?’ His words were soft, entrancing. ‘These types of emotions don’t come along every day. This isn’t any ordinary attraction, Phemie. It’s powerful and it’s real.’
‘I understand but I…’ She trailed off as he brushed a kiss first to one cheek then the other, her eyelids fluttering closed as she relished the contact.
‘I’ve been in a relationship, I’ve been married, I’ve loved and lost and I’ve been so incredibly alone. This fellowship has forced me to reconnect with the world but you’ve helped me to reconnect with my heart.’