Outback Affair: An Affair Novel (Entangled Indulgence) (10 page)

A little nudge of shock ran through Alex as he held his fingers in front of Jess’s mouth. Her mouth opened and the tip of her tongue ran over her lips. When he’d been walking in the scrub with Bowser, he’d been lost in his thoughts and hadn’t noticed when the dog disappeared into the scrub. He was way too fascinated with this woman, and if it hadn’t been for the pigs, he would have had sex with her in the pool this afternoon.

For the first time in two years, he’d lowered his defenses and let his heart rule his head.

Jess was full of life, and despite being in an unfamiliar and hostile environment, she’d snapped back no matter what he’d thrown at her. Now it was time to put some distance between them Once they reached Cockatoo Springs, he had to make sure she didn’t find out who he really was, and he also had to find some way to ease her disappointment at not getting the interview she’d come for.

Still, he couldn’t understand it. She had the best of everything. Her clothes were top class, and she’d not given a second thought to leaving the hire car at Daly River. If she really needed a job that badly, she was throwing a lot of money around, flying down under just on the chance of getting an interview.

She’d tried on the crazy story about being an actress last night, and maybe the food journalist story was a sham as well. Who knew what she was doing? Now he had to try to push away the heat that pulsed in his groin when she’d parted her soft, pink lips, ready to take the crab and the sauce off his fingers.

She leaned toward him, her lips touched his fingers, and he was lost. He was hungry for more than the crab. She’d lit a fire in him this afternoon and it roared back to life again as her lips circled his finger.

“Mmm.” She pulled back and closed her eyes. “Garlic…and chili? What’s that wonderful flavor? Crab?”

Alex turned away and reached for another plate. If she kept eating off his fingers, he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions. He busied himself at the pot and tipped more sauce onto the crab before reaching into the cooler for the bread. Placing a large chunk on her plate, he passed it to her, and walked around to the other side of the fire.

“It is. Nothing beats the taste of fresh cooked crab.”

Jess seemed to sense he was trying to put some distance between them and she lifted up her fork and ate quietly for a few minutes. Alex leaned back against the rock to get comfortable, grateful for the fire blocking her view. His jeans were straining over an erection that seemed to have been permanently in place since she’d parked the rental car in front of his truck yesterday. He definitely needed to go out in Darwin and get back into life. But to take care of his immediate and pressing need tonight, he was going to jump back into the cold end of the pool as soon as dinner had settled and before he turned in for the night.

“Tell me about Cockatoo Springs.” Jess put her plate down on the rock and lifted the bottle of beer to her lips. Loose curls fell from the scarf she’d tied around her hair, and she lifted her other hand to push it back. Alex shook his head as the firelight caught a huge ring on her middle finger.

How many women would put jewelry on around a campfire in the outback? They were poles apart. He had nothing to worry about. That feeling of wanting to get to know her a little better receded a little.
Just a little.
But the other need to keep her up close and personal still strained against his jeans.

“You must know something about the resort if you have a cabin nearby.”

“Yeah, I wander around the kitchens a bit.”

Jess leaned back, and the shawl slipped off her shoulder. Her white skin glowed with an iridescent pearliness. It had been soft and silky beneath his lips and fingers in the pool this afternoon. He itched to reach out to her and pick up where they’d left off.

Alex stood up abruptly. If he didn’t get away from her, he was going to lose control. “I have to check on the truck. I want to look at the gearbox. I didn’t like that noise it made when we drove in.”

He knew his voice was gruff.

“I’ll see you in the morning. If there’s anything you need through the night, just yell. Oh, and make sure you zip up the windows, because the mozzies will stay around all night.”

If he was going to be hot and uncomfortable, she damned well could be too. He was getting more out of sorts by the minute. Why the hell did he ever offer to take her to Cockatoo Springs?

…

Blasted moody men.

They were all the same. As soon as things didn’t go their way, they cracked. One minute he was feeding her crab and gazing into her eyes like some love struck teenager, and the next minute he’d gone all rude and grumpy and went crawling away to hide under his truck. Now she needed to find a bathroom, and the closest one was still fifty miles away at least.

I hate the outback…and camping. Give me five stars any day.

After she’d found a private spot behind the large boulders, Jess wandered over to the edge of the rock face overlooking the pool. Her feet made no sound on the sandy dirt, and she was sure Alex hadn’t even noticed she was gone. The stars in the inky sky were brighter than anything she’d ever seen in the night sky, and they calmed her ill temper. She drew in a deep breath and sat on a flat rock gazing down at the water.

It was so beautiful out here. Despite the physical challenges, the vast space and the silence tugged at something deep inside her. The moon had risen while they’d sat around the fire, and now the moonlight was reflecting in the water. She really wouldn’t mind spending more time in the outback and having a good look around.

She closed her eyes and imagined hiring Alex as her guide. She could find a decent vehicle—with air conditioning—and he could take her to all the beautiful places he’d talked about. If she didn’t get the interview with Ricardo, the new job was toast anyway, and there was no point rushing home. The last thing she’d wanted to do was to touch her trust money, but what the hell? So what if her father thought she’d failed? She had no respect for him anyway, so she might as well make the most of it—he was loaded. She could still write her freelance articles if she didn’t get the job at
Cuisine,
and travel the world.

She shook her head and pushed the thoughts away. That wasn’t going to happen. She could daydream all she liked, but she’d come here to get the interview and she was going to, and then the job would be hers. She was looking forward to getting to the resort and chasing him down. She’d survived the outback; how much harder was getting an appointment with the managing director?

Soft footsteps sounded behind her and her heart jumped in anticipation. She stared ahead waiting for Alex to speak to her…or touch her. Her skin prickled with anticipation, and she closed her eyes. A wet nose pushed against her arm and she turned. Alex was nowhere to be seen. It was only Bowser who’d come to check on her. She lifted the little dog up into her lap and scratched at his head.

“Just you and me, then, hey little man?”

She had some thinking to do, and she needed a good night’s sleep before they headed off in the morning. Putting Bowser down onto the ground, Jess turned her back on the enticing pool and the moonlight and headed for the most interesting accommodation she’d ever stayed in.

The fire was stoked high, and disappointment filled her when she saw the campsite was deserted. She climbed into the back of the truck, determined to get Alex out of her head.

…

Three hours later, she gave up trying to sleep. She’d heard Alex come back into camp a while back. The zipper of his swag had sounded, and then all was quiet. As for her accommodation, she had never been so uncomfortable in her entire life. For the umpteenth time, she climbed back up to the high side of the small space and wedged the old, tatty pillow into the space near the back door. Alex had parked the truck on an angle and each time she’d dozed off, she’d rolled down to the other side of the truck, to finish hard up against the small outboard motor.

Perspiration trickled down between her shoulder blades, and she sat up, trying to find some movement of cooler air in the confined space. Her long skirt was tangled around her legs. She pulled it off impatiently and threw it on top of her suitcase. Her mouth was dry, and she was so very thirsty.

That’s it. I’ve had enough.

Taking a deep breath, she quietly unzipped the canvas. She grabbed the blanket and pillow, and backed slowly out of the truck, sighing with relief as the cool air hit her bare legs. The fire had burned down to a pile of glowing embers. Alex’s swag was zipped up and there was no sign of Bowser. Jess tiptoed around to the front of the truck, quietly opened the passenger side door, and slipped the pillow and blanket onto the front seat. She’d go and look at the water for a while until she cooled down, and then she’d try sleeping in there. It had to be better than the smelly canvas tent she was sharing with the outboard motor.

Her sandals were still in the back of the truck, so she walked on her toes over to the edge of the bluff, using the bright moonlight to guide her steps on the sandy ground. Bowser gave a little short bark as she tiptoed past the swag, and Alex’s quiet murmur sent a shiver down her back. Settling on the same rock as before, she pulled the light shawl around her shoulders and tipped her head back to let the breeze cool her face. She was wide awake now, and the thought of trying to sleep in the front of the truck didn’t appeal at all. A soon as they got to the resort she could play catch up on her sleep…as well as hair treatments, showers, and manicures. Quiet footsteps sounded behind her and her skin tingled with anticipation.

Please.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, just hot…and the accommodation is slightly smelly.”

He cleared his throat, and she looked up to a smile.

“I should have offered you the swag, but—”

“But what?”

“Nothing.”

He turned away from her, ran his hand through his hair, and stared out across the water. His jeans were unbuttoned and hung low on his waist, his strong, bare shoulders outlined by the moonlight. He must have sensed her gaze, and he turned slowly back to her. The blood pounded through Jess’s veins and she waited, the electricity between them almost crackling in the air.

She jumped as a huge white flash lit up the sky. “Holy shit! What was that?”

“You’re in for a treat. There’s a dry storm brewing.”

“How do you know it’s a dry storm and it won’t rain?” All she could think of was being stranded here for another night in that smelly space. She couldn’t decide if that would be a good or a bad outcome.

“It will rain over on the coast. We’ll just get to see the spectacular light show from up here.”

Alex held his hand out to her, and she looked up at him. “What?”

“Come on. We’ll go down to the pool for a swim. It’ll be cooler, and the mozzies will stay away. We’ll still get a good view of the storm from down there.”

Jess took his hand and tucked the shawl around her shoulders, conscious of her bare legs. He led her down the rocky incline to the water. He gripped her hand without speaking, and tension hummed through her body. She let go of his hand when they reached the bottom of the waterfall and dropped her shawl to the ground. Slipping into the warm water, she floated on her back and watched the flashes in the sky that were becoming more frequent. A soft splash at the far end of the pool told her Alex was in the water with her. The water rippled around her and a sleek, black head broke the surface beside her. Alex turned to his back and floated next to her.

“Where’s Bowser?” she asked.

“In the truck. I put him in there so he wouldn’t chew my swag up.”

Jess laughed.

“Yes, I’ve seen what he did to my bed.”

They didn’t speak for a few moments and floated together on top of the water watching the blue, pink, and dark green flashes filling the sky as the storm broke over on the coast.

“Amazing,” Jess whispered. “Thank you so much for bringing me out here.”

“To the pool?”

“No, out here.” She lowered her feet to the sandy bottom and lifted her arm in a sweeping gesture. “Out here to all this. It is amazing. You’ve converted me to the outback, Alex.”

“It is pretty special. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

“In fact, I’ve pretty much decided to stick around a while longer.”

“What do you mean stick around?” Even in the moonlight, Jess could see his eyes narrow.

“After I get the interview, I might extend my holiday. If there’s room, I’ll stay at Cockatoo Springs and take some of the tours.”

She looked at him and an unfamiliar shyness filled her. “Ah…how would you feel about showing me around a bit more if I did stay for a bit longer?”

“Do you know how expensive it is out here?” Alex put his hands on her shoulders, and her heart took off as the blood zinged around her body. “I thought you needed to keep your job. That’s why you had to get this interview.”

She shot him a glance, and his brow was wrinkled in a frown. “Look, if it bothers you that much to spend any more time with me, I’ll just do my own thing. Forget I ever mentioned it.”

“It doesn’t bother me.” His fingers pressed into her shoulders. “Well, it does in one way.”

“What way?”

Alex groaned and pulled her close, and heat rushed through her once she realized he was naked.

“This way.” He grabbed her hair in his hands and tipped her head back, his mouth crushing hers. Jess lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist, the slickness of his bare skin burning hers even in the cool water. She stroked his back, her fingers sliding over his wet skin, and his muscles bunched beneath her hands. He raised his head and looked at her, the moonlight shadowing his rugged face. Jess leaned forward and nibbled at his bottom lip, running her fingers through the long wet hair that clung to his neck