I dropped my head and placed my elbows on the shelf. I was spent, my arms were jelly, and my insides were well and truly satisfied. When I lifted my head up to look in the mirror, he was looking back at me and his look of complete satisfaction mirrored my own. He pulled out and helped me stand back up, not taking his gaze away.
“You are truly beautiful, Hunny, from here...” he traced his finger from my earlobe, down the side of my face and neck, to my chest, just above my heart, “...to here. Especially here.” I put my hand over his and turned my head to kiss him. “Come with me Hunny, I wish to continue our dog theme.” What? Oh no you fucking don’t, my cave is well and truly in a state of hibernation for at least tonight and possibly tomorrow, well tomorrow morning anyway.
“Bryce, you are going to render me useless if we keep this up.”
“Oh, we can’t have that. Come on, it’s not what you think.” He helped me step out of the bath and passed me a towel. My body had literally been on a sexual rollercoaster, climbing slowly, ticking and ticking, momentarily teetering on the edge, then speeding up and exploding—up—down—up—down—until it slowed to a stop. And just like a rollercoaster the feeling stayed with you, throbbing inside even after you got off.
We dried ourselves off and both climbed into bed. He put his arm out, and pulled me to his chest so I could lay and watch the television. He switched it on and tuned into the Internet Movie Channel.
“What are you up to?” I asked, curiously, but he didn’t answer. He just pressed the buttons until he finally downloaded Lady and the Tramp. A huge smile crept across my face. This man was so romantic. “You never cease to amaze me, Bryce.” He smiled and kissed my forehead. The sound of Bella Notte began to fill the room, automatically drawing me into the wonderful world that is Disney Classics. I often sat down and watched them with the kids on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Charli and I adored The Little Mermaid, and Nate’s favourite had been Peter Pan. At first I felt a little home-sick, or more to the point, a little Charli-and-Nate-sick. But I was curious as to why he wanted me to see the film, so I snuggled into him and watched the animated story unfold. He had been running his finger along my arm as we laid there together, but it wasn’t until about a third of the way into the move—maybe when Lady found out her owners were to have a baby— that I noticed his finger had stopped. I gently looked up and he was fast asleep. This was only the third night we had shared together, yet it felt like years. I watched his chest rise and fall as he breathed in, deep, relaxed, and completely comfortable. I could have observed him sleeping all night, but Lady had just met Butch and he was taking her to Tony’s. I watched as Bella Notte began to play again, and I found it to be extremely cute. These two dogs were not meant to be together, and yet here they were at a little dinner table about to eat a big bowl of spaghetti meatballs, courtesy of the restaurant’s chef. My heart fluttered as I watched Lady stand her ground, yet shy away from Butch when he looked at her. It reminded me of Bryce and me when we first met. Maybe this was what he meant when he said I reminded him of Lady? No, it wasn’t, it was the moment their lips met when they ate the same piece of spaghetti. Oh, how adorable.
He was such a romantic at heart, I loved that about him. It was the small gestures that made my heart melt for him, not the grand and over-exuberant ones, although, most of them were really nice. I could have easily fallen asleep with him, I was so exhausted, but I hated missing the end of a movie, I had a hard time starting something and not seeing it out to its end. I kept my eyes open and watched Lady and Butch live happily ever after with their puppies. What a beautiful movie. Walt Disney, you never disappoint.
I propped myself up on my elbows again and gently moved a bit of Bryce’s hair from his eye. He was my Butch, he pursued me with the intention of showing me there was more to the life I knew, but was I Lady? Lady tamed Butch, captivated him and changed his outlook on life. Would we live happily ever after? Could we? I switched off the TV and snuggled into him. Maybe we could.
CHAPTER EIGHT
This time I recognised the tingling sensation before I opened my eyes, I could quite easily get used to waking up by rose tickle. Bryce was once again sitting on the edge of the bed trailing a rose up and down my back.
“Good morning, Lady. So how was the movie?”
“I loved it, Butch.”
He raised his eyebrow and got up. “Come on, no rest for the wicked, my love. We have climbing to do.” Climbing? Oh the rock, how exciting.
“Are we allowed to climb it?”
“Yes, but warnings have been put in place by the land owners, warnings as to why they feel you shouldn’t climb it and why they ask you not to.”
“Oh, should we climb it then? Why don’t they want us to climb it?”
“Because the site holds a sacred significance to the aboriginal owners, not to mention it is quite dangerous to climb. The Traditional owners feel responsible for people who get hurt on their land, therefore, they ask you not to climb. The thing is, it is perfectly legal to climb it. Listen, if you don’t want to climb it, Alexis, we don’t have to.”
“No, I want to.”
“It’s your call, Hunny. Listen, I know it’s a bit controversial, but let’s have some breakfast and decide later when we get there. If you don’t want to climb it, we can take a tour around the base.” Crap, if I don’t climb it, I will regret it, I know I will. We ate our breakfast on the balcony, and I couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at the huge monstrosity situated directly ahead. Now that our climb was upon us, the sheer size of the rock had become quite intimidating. I hadn’t been to the gym in months, therefore, I knew this trek was going to be really punishing. Serves you right, you lazy bitch. The size of the rock was really quite deceiving, it must have something to do with the surrounding areas being so flat. So there was nothing else close enough to compete with its enormity. The Olgas, also known as Kata Tjuta, were the only other monolith in the area and they were over 40km away, so Uluru rivalled no other in its vicinity.
***
Bryce arranged for a transfer by 4WD to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. We pulled into the car park and there were buses and people everywhere.
“So, Ms. Summers, what are your thoughts?” I didn’t want to disappoint him or myself, for that matter. There were many people already climbing it, so I decided to make the trek.
“Yep, come on, let’s do it.”
As we walked past the warning sign, I felt extremely guilty. Warnings are usually there for a reason, but I kept going and began our journey up what is referred to as Chicken Rock anyway. My runners were firmly secured to my feet, and I had also opted for some cotton shorts, a hat and a tank top. Bryce was in shorts, a t-shirt and runners, and he was also carrying our backpack with some drinks and bananas in it. By the time I got to the chained rail, my calves were well and truly burning. What was also burning was the heat the radiated from the surface of the rock, it was only 7:30 a.m. in the morning and maybe 24 Degrees Celsius but it felt much warmer.
“Are you all right, Hunny?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. My calves have just reminded me they exist, that’s all.”
“Would you like me to carry you?”
“Oh you are so funny, Mr Clark.”
We continued our trek, and the view was breath-taking. Before you knew it, the incline of the rock became quite steep, and you were a good 60 stories above ground. It really was treacherous, and I now completely understood the warnings imposed. Many people had stopped on their way up, some were quite elderly, I was concerned for most of them and asked if they were ‘okay’. There was one lady who looked extremely exhausted. Bryce offered to lead her back down, but she politely declined and said she would rest and take in the view for a while, so we continued till the chain stopped. Apparently at that point you were only a third of the way to the top. “Shit, I need a drink.” I knew I wasn’t the fittest person alive, but I was really feeling it now. We sat down as there were a few flat areas where we could rest. Bryce gave me my wate
r and began to rub my calves.
“I think you will need a training session when we get home?”
“Oh I do, do I? Are you going to train me?”
“Of course, my love.” He looked radiant and although he had broken a sweat, he was very fit and healthy. Me? Well, I was drenched. Thank god I didn’t wear my white tank top today; Oh that’s right, I couldn’t—it was torn apart. A smile crept across my face as I remembered our little romp in the desert the night before. Oh crap, I didn’t clean up our mess. I hope it is still there when we get back. We ate our bananas and continued the walk across the top of the rock, which was still quite long, but not as difficult as the original incline. There was a sundial at the end of the journey. Bryce was beaming with satisfaction and the expression of achievement radiated from him. I was just relieved I hadn’t collapsed. I was very happy I had decided to climb it, because the view and idea of being able to stand atop this incredible rock was very special and something I would treasure for the rest of my life.
Bryce stopped a young couple and asked if they could take our picture. They agreed, so he handed the young woman his camera. We hugged each other in front of the sundial, and as the young lady took our picture, he dipped me for a kiss, surprising me. She then took this opportunity to snap a few more shots. We repaid the favour and took a shot of them also. The young man thought it fitting to dip his lady as well. How sweet.
“Okay, my love, down we go.”
The thought of the trek back down was not as worrying as I thought it might be, that was until we reached the chain and my calves woke up again and decided to punish me for ignoring them for the last few months. What didn’t help was the fact you had to use your calf muscles constantly because the surface of the rock had been made quite smooth as a result of hundreds of climbers over the years. You had to go very slowly, as slipping at this height was not something you wanted to do. The lady who had rested on our way up was still sitting in the very same spot we left her in. We stopped again, and concern spread right through me.
“Are you still admiring the view?” I asked.
“Oh, hello Luv. Did you make it to the top?”
“Yes, we did. My name is Alexis and this is Bryce. Are you sure you are all right?’
“Oh yes, dear. I just don’t think I will be as fortunate as you and make it to the end. I’m going to start my trek back down in a minute.”
“Did you come up alone?” I looked around. No one else seemed to be waiting for her.
“Yes, my group of friends decided on the walking tour around the base of the rock, but I wanted to climb. My dear husband passed away last year, and we had always wanted to do this together, so I owed it to him to give it a try.” My heart broke for her, what an incredibly brave lady.
“Well, we will help you back down, Ms...?”
“Mrs. Reynolds dear, Mrs. Marjorie Reynolds.”
“Well, Mrs. Reynolds, when you are ready, we will help you every step of the way.” I looked at Bryce and he placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure your husband would be very proud of you to have reached this far. Just quietly, Mrs. Reynolds, I saw a teenager turn back at the top of Chicken Rock, so you have done extremely well.” I gently rubbed her back. She laughed, and I think what I had just told her, gave her the motivation to stand up. Bryce took her backpack and I stepped in front of her, making sure we were descending at a snail’s pace. When we reached the bottom I gave her a hug. She thanked us, and we wished her well. Bryce took hold of my hand and led me to the waiting 4WD.
“You really are something, Alexis Summers.”
I looked at him confused. “Why? She was an amazing woman, and very brave mind you. That or slightly outrageous. No, it was obvious she needed some help; we couldn’t just leave her up there.” I could completely understand the Aboriginal owners not wanting people to climb, it really was very dangerous, and unfortunately you don’t realise that until you are at the point of no return, which was the case where Marjorie was concerned.
***
We arrived back at Outback Hideaway and headed to the tee-pee.
“Oh, hang on a minute.” I took off towards our little star gazing spot, and as I got to the top of the mound I discovered everything had been packed up. Apart from the flattened area of grass and dirt, there was no evidence of my romantic surprise and our sexy little dessert tasting session. Shit, I feel terrible. Bryce looked at me worried as I walked back to where I had left him.
“What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t clean up our mess, Dorothy did and I feel awful.” He smirked at me. “What? She was very kind to have helped me last night, and although she said she would clean it up, I didn’t really want her to.”
“Don’t worry, Alexis.”
“I’ll have to buy her some flowers or something. Which reminds me, can we head into Yulara today? I want to buy the kids a souvenir.”
“Of course, I thought we could cool off in the pool first then head there this afternoon for a look around and then some dinner?”
“Great, sounds perfect. I could do with a swim right now.” And there it was that devilish glint of his. “No.” I squealed and pushed him away. As I took off, my calves decided to penalise me once and for all, seizing up and disabling my getaway. He captured me and hauled me into his arms as naturally as you would pick up your bag.
“Alexis, you cannot run from me, and don’t tell me I have an unfair advantage this time, because clearly your footwear is not a handicap.”
“No, but my aching legs are.”
“Bad luck for you, then.” He displayed no sympathy.
“Meanie.”
“Meanie?” He scoffed, “I haven’t been called that since...” His face dropped and he didn’t finish his sentence. I felt I had stirred up something that had been buried deep within in him.
“Since when?” I asked softly, although I think I already knew.
“Since Lauchie.” He took a deep breath, kissed my forehead and carried me inside kicking his runners off. I didn’t probe any further; he would open up more about his beloved brother when he was ready. “I suggest you remove your runners, Alexis, because I am not putting you down.” I leaned forward and untied my laces.
“You are going to have to put me down or you’ll destroy our backpack and the camera inside it.” Ha, didn’t think of that now, did you Mr. Cocky Clark? He raised his eyebrow at me, and I knew he wasn’t going to waiver. He walked me outside to the edge of the pool. I assumed I was defeated, so I didn’t put up a fight, not that I minded this time really, the cool water of the pool seemed to be inviting after the strenuous climb we had endured this morning. To my surprise, he placed me down at the edge and walked back inside, taking his shirt off as he went. What was that? I wanted to go in. Grrrr he is so infuriating. I stood there a little dumbfounded; not knowing what I was supposed to do. Follow him, maybe? You know what? No, I’m going in. I stripped off completely and jumped in. He came out seconds later in his board shorts, sunscreen, and Ray Bans.
“Ms. Summers, are you forgetting something?” I was in the far corner of the pool, with my back to the rock and my arms out on the ledge, looking as smug and proud of my daring self as I could.
“No.”
He pursed his lips together and nodded his head, then glanced past me.
“Good morning, Mr Wayne.” He waved to the gentleman who had helped bring our bags to the tee-pee, and who was crouched down beside our balcony doing some gardening. Oh, Shit. Crap. Balls. I instinctively crossed my arms over my body and submerged myself under the water, surfacing seconds later, wearing my infamous beetroot shade. Bryce appeared highly amused then disappeared back into our room. Oh, that’s right arsehole, leave me here.
“Hello, Mr. Wayne.” I hesitantly spoke as I pressed myself up against the wall so that he could only see my head. He didn’t look up, proof he had seen my brazen skinny dip.
“Hello, Ms. Summers, I’ll be finished here in just a second.”
“Oh, that’s
okay, take your time.” Take your time? Alexis, why not invite him in with you? Bryce returned with a bathing suit for me. It was a bikini. I never wear a bikini. Mind you, I never normally wear absolutely nothing in an outdoor area, let alone in front of strange maintenance men. Bryce let the bikini hang from his finger.
“Do you want it?” he teased.
“Yes.”
“You’ll have to come and get it then.” Grrrr, was he bluffing? He is so arrogant at times. I swam over to the edge where he was standing and tried to grab the bathing suit without exiting the water, but it was useless. He was too tall. I’ll show you, Mr. Smartarse. But could I be brave enough to do it? Yes, I could. Mr. Wayne had already seen my naked body, so what was the harm? I glared at Bryce and made my way to the steps, confidently taking one at a time. Bryce’s smile faded and a look of shock replaced it. He glanced in Mr Wayne’s direction then back at me as I strutted to the sun lounge, sat, and laid back, placing one hand above my head. Bryce grabbed a towel and tossed it to me.
“I won’t be needing that, thank you.” I smiled sarcastically at him.
“Thank you, Mr. Wayne. You can finish that later.” he called out quite firmly. Mr. Wayne quickly packed up his tools and basically ran off. “Alexis, are you trying to torture me?”
“Yes, you deserve it.” He walked over and threaded my feet through the holes of my bikini bottom then lifted it up. I tilted my pelvis allowing him to complete his covering. He handed me the top, which I dropped by the side of the sun lounge, then smiled.
Shaking his head and taking in a deep breath, he sighed. “What am I going to do with you?”
“You can start by rubbing some sunscreen on my back. And let this be a lesson to you, Mr. Clark—I am not as timid as you may think I am.”
“Oh, I know you are not timid, Hunny. You have proven that time and time again.” I smirked triumphantly at him and rolled onto my stomach. He squeezed sunscreen onto my back and began to rub. His hands were gloriously strong and firm, and as he massaged the creamy protection into my skin, I fell into a deep indulgent trance. Mmmm, that feels so fucking nice.
Satisfaction (The Temptation Series #2) Page 9