Second Chance in the Outback - Chapter 18
Grace kissed Jamie with a feverish hunger she hadn’t experienced in fifteen years. They were naked by the time they’d reached the bedroom. Pressing her down to the mattress, Jamie captured both her hands to slow her movements and then did things to her no other man had done before, building the fire inside her until she was a burning, writhing mass of need.
When he joined their bodies, she had to choke back a sob at the perfection of it. Raking her nails lightly down his back, she gloried in his growl. When she came, she scaled heights she hadn’t known existed.
She floated back to earth, wanting to protest when he rolled away. But when he tucked her in close against his side her objections melted away. She hoped he wanted their fling to last longer than one encounter. Once wasn’t enough.
She woke the next morning to find Jamie watching her. They’d made love twice more last night, and yet it still didn’t feel like enough. He sent her the lopsided grin that made her heart pitter-patter. ‘Morning.’
Her heart didn’t just pitter-patter, it cha-cha’d and whirled. Settle. She couldn’t get too caught up in all of this. She didn’t have room for a man in her life. And she had no intention of forgetting it.
‘I’ve been thinking…’
‘Dangerous,’ she teased.
He laughed, then sobered. ‘How would you feel if I extended my stay an extra week?’
‘That’s an excellent idea. You need the R&R.’
‘I couldn’t agree more.’
She wanted to hug herself. Another whole week? What was it he’d said about them getting it out of their systems…? Another week would be ideal. When they said goodbye, they’d be able to look back on their adventures together with affection. And that sounded perfect.
They spent the next few days riding, fishing and kayaking. They’d picnicked beside the river, had explored a dramatic gorge, and had watched the sun set from a high ridge. They’d seen Echidnas, emus and kangaroos. Today she was taking him to her favourite waterhole.
‘Beautiful,’ he breathed when they reached it.
She glanced across. ‘Do you still worry that what your father-in-law said is true—that you’ve turned into your father?’
He stilled. A fist reached out and squeezed her chest. Couldn’t he see he was nothing like the cold man who’d fathered him?
‘I can see how there’s a danger of that happening,’ he finally said.
Biting her lip, she tethered the horses. It’d be a tragedy if that should happen to him. ‘Right then…’ She turned back to face him. ‘What changes are you making to your life when you go home?’
She hated the thought of him not living life to the full. He deserved to relish every moment. He deserved to be happy. If it was in her power, she’d send him home better off than when he’d arrived—with a strategy for a happier and healthier life. In fact, it’d be an honour.
He slid her a glance. ‘Believe it or not, I have been thinking about that.’