Summer Down Under (18 page)

“By the way,” Daniel asked, one eyebrow
raised. “Just how long had you been sitting there?”

“Me?” Sam said, feigning innocence. “Um,
err...” Her cheeks reddened in that traitorous fashion they had
adopted in recent days.

“That long, hey?” Daniel chuckled again.

“Sorry,” Sam mumbled to her feet.

“I’m not,” Daniel responded, trying to put
her at ease. Something the poor man was becoming extremely adept
at.

There was another set of patio furniture
outside, positioned closer to the end of the pool where Arthur lay
in all his finery. Sam moved towards it and sat down on one of the
chairs, trying very hard not to make a noise. He was a majestic
creature. His bright green scales almost glowed neon in the
sunlight. He angled his head to one side so that he could get a
better look at her, too. Daniel was right, he didn’t attempt to
come any closer to her or make any movements that might suggest
that he was nervous of her presence. She stared at him for a few
moments, soaking up his uniqueness in the animal kingdom. She only
took her eyes off the creature when she saw Daniel’s towel draped
over the back of the chair next to the one she occupied.

Sam was distracted by a splash. Her brain
responded automatically. She turned her head just in time to see
Daniel’s powerful arms push him up and out of the pool. He headed
in her direction,
all
of him, unabashed and completely
uncovered. If her jaw could drop it would have. Her heartbeat
quickened and the flow of blood rushed to her head.

Realizing she was quite blatantly staring,
Sam quickly covered her eyes with one hand, grabbed Daniel’s towel
with the other, and held it out for him. All the time wishing she
could feel that at ease in her skin. It was hard for her to see a
day when she would ever be able to walk around naked in front of
anyone, least of all, someone as physically perfect as the Adonis
now standing right in front of her. She peeked between her fingers,
by which time he had wrapped the towel around his waist and tucked
it in at the side. Only then did she exhale, after realizing she’d
been holding her breath.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Quite all right,” Sam squeaked, hoping her
cheeks didn’t now resemble ripe tomatoes. She looked up at him. He
seemed even taller standing over her. His wet chest glistened in
the sunlight, droplets of water trickled their way down and over
his contoured body. She caught herself thinking what it would feel
like to trace those droplets with her fingers.

“Be my guest,” Daniel said with a wry
smile.

His response snapped her from her thoughts.
She covered her eyes with the palm of her hand.

“Please, tell me I didn’t just say that out
loud. Did I?”

He grinned his mischievous grin, but didn’t
need to say a word. Her fears were confirmed. Suddenly, she had
forgotten all about Arthur. He could have climbed all over her and
she wouldn’t have noticed.

Daniel leaned over and took hold of her
hands, easing her up and out of the chair. He pulled her close. She
could feel the wetness of his skin through the cloth of her shirt
as it grew damp between them. Sam swallowed a lump that had formed
in her throat, and every muscle in her body tensed. Her eyes
widened with fear but she couldn’t tear them away from his. Daniel
leaned in and brushed his cheek up against her good side. His warm
breath fanning her ear.

“Why won’t you let me in?” he whispered, so
faintly she could hardly hear him, then he drew back until he was
looking into her eyes once again. Sam’s breath started to go
ragged, and her heart was pounding so hard she was sure it would
explode at any second. He must have been able to hear it.

“Relax,” he whispered again, so close to her
face she thought he was going to kiss her. She shot a nervous
glance at his lips. “I’m not going to kiss you, I couldn’t even if
I wanted to.” His intense gaze shifted to look at her bruised,
swollen face and a flicker of concern showed in his expression. “I
just want you to experience how good being loved can feel.”

His hands roamed around her waist, searching
until they found the bottom of her shirt. They slid effortlessly
under the thin cotton and glided up her back. The tips of his
fingers were drawing feather light circles as they ascended. Sam’s
nerve endings ignited. It was the most powerful sensation she had
ever experienced. She had no idea that something as benign as her
back could unleash such intense feeling. She was sure her legs were
going to buckle at any second.

As Daniel’s fingers explored her back, she
became aware of every muscle he touched. It was like they ached for
him and rippled in exultation as he skimmed over them.

Overwhelmed by the intense pleasure he was
creating within her, all conscious thought disappeared. She closed
her eyes and let her head fall back, releasing a soft involuntary
moan. For the first time, Sam allowed herself to revel in the sheer
ecstasy of the moment. Daniel’s hot breath caressed her neck,
fluttering over her sensitive skin, sending shivers of desire
downwards. Her legs went boneless and were threatening to give
way.

Sensing her balance wane, one of Daniel’s
hands stopped their worship of her back. He held her steady as she
leaned into it, accepting the devotion he was giving her. His
fingers pushed open the collar of her shirt and she could feel them
explore downwards towards the center of her chest. Again, he was
trailing feather light circles, which stopped short of reaching the
point between her breasts. Daniel’s hot breath followed his fingers
tracing a path downwards. Every atom of her being felt electrically
charged.

It became apparent that Sam wasn’t the only
one aroused by this encounter, feeling Daniel’s hardness next to
her leg. To Sam’s surprise, she was not worried by this sensation,
instead she felt flattered that she had done this to him.

“Son, are you out here?” A voice called from
around the corner a few seconds before Mr. Miller rounded the end
of the house and came into view.

Daniel tore himself away in a heartbeat. To
Sam, it felt like he had torn a part of her away with him.

“Oh, bloody hell,” Daniel cursed, looking
down at the bulge in his towel.

“Sit down and cross your legs” Sam whispered
as she nudged him towards one of the patio chairs. “He’ll never
notice.”

Daniel complied. They were both sitting by
the time Mr. Miller rounded the corner and saw them. Sam picked up
her book and held it at eye level, pretending to read. It was a
great cover because her face would surely have given her away at
that moment. She was hoping the uncomfortable shift she made in her
seat wouldn’t betray her, either.

“There you are,” Mr. Miller said, spotting
Daniel. “Come on. Lunchtime’s over, we need to get back to
work.”

“Be there in a minute, Dad.” Daniel responded
with just a hint of panic in his voice. “I need to get dressed
first.”

“Well, hurry up,” his father snapped, and
then added as an afterthought, “Oh, G’day, Sam. I trust you are
feeling better.”

“Hello, Mr. M.” Sam called over the top of
her book. “Yes. Much better, thank you.”

“It’s Mr. Miller, Sam. I do not appreciate
nicknames.”

Daniel stifled a laugh and turned to look at
her safely hidden behind her book. Sam rolled her eyes and tried to
shoot him a playful smirk. Unfortunately, it probably looked more
like a grimace.

After a few minutes had passed, Daniel was
restored to his original state. More by the shock of his father’s
intrusion than anything else. He stood up and threw on his
clothes.

“I’ll see you tonight,” he said leaning down
and planting a kiss on the young jillaroo’s cheek. He started off
in the direction his dad went.

“Oh, I see,” Sam joked. “Just leave me here
with Arthur. Thanks, Daniel.”

“Arthur is good company, he’ll look after
you. Won’t you, Arthur?” Daniel called over his shoulder as he
walked out of view.

Sam suddenly felt a bit empty.

She looked over at Arthur. “I’m in serious
trouble, aren’t I?” she stated.

The scaly creature looked back at her and
licked his eye.

“Yeah, great help you are.” Sam sighed and
dropped her head on the table.

***

It must have been about half an hour later
when Sam heard Mrs. Miller calling for her.

“Sam? The lads need your help,” Mrs. Miller
called through the poolroom to where she was still sitting by the
pool. Sam sensed a hint of anxiety in her voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“We just got a call over the radio that
someone put out a distress call. Apparently, they are on our
property somewhere. Paul told the authorities that he will take the
plane up and go look for him, but they could use another pair of
eyes. There’s a lot of dense brush out there.”

Sam was excited at the thought of going up in
the plane again. She grabbed her book and started in the direction
of her room.

By the time she got outside, Mr. Miller was
already starting up the plane. Daniel was waiting by the door to
help her up into the back seat.

“In you get,” he said. “Apparently, there’s a
man on our property somewhere. He crashed his truck into a tree and
called a distress on his radio. He doesn’t know where he is and now
he is not answering. We reckon he’s either hurt or has walked away
from his vehicle. Either situation is not a good one. We have a lot
of land and it may take a while to find him. There are wild boar
out there, too.”

“So,” Mr. Miller continued, “we just need to
keep our eyes open and see if we can spot him or the vehicle.”

Sam nodded her understanding and accepted
Daniel’s help to get up into the back seat.

A few moments later, they were taking off.
Sam felt the familiar lurch in her stomach as the plane’s wheels
left the ground. She still couldn’t get used to the fact that they
used a plane like any normal person would use a car. Once in the
air, they flew over to the other side of the property, where Paul
thought it would be a good place to start. There was where a large
section of road cut through on that side and it made sense to start
looking there. They were swooping and turning for what seemed like
an eternity and Sam’s eyes were scanning the ground constantly.
Other than the odd flock of sheep, and lots and lots of trees, she
hadn’t spotted anything yet. She was starting to feel a bit
hopeless. Sam had never gotten motion sickness before, but after
about an hour of Mr. Miller maneuvering the plane in every
direction possible, she was beginning to feel more than a little
nauseous.

“Over there.” Sam shouted, when out of the
corner of her eye something glinted in the brush below, catching
her attention. “That looks like a truck down there.”

Mr. Miller angled the plane around and
circled over the vehicle a couple of times. Sure enough, the
vehicle was wrapped around a tree.

“What on earth would someone be doing all the
way out here?” Sam asked.

“Probably hunting,” replied Mr. Miller.

There were no signs of life from the air. Mr.
Miller landed his pride and joy in a clearing that was not too far
from the disabled truck. It was a bumpy landing, but Daniel’s dad
knew what he was doing. They came to a safe stop at the edge of the
clearing nearest the vehicle. Not a moment too soon, as far as Sam
was concerned. Daniel grabbed the first aid kit before exiting the
plane, but when they arrived at the vehicle, it was empty.

“Stupid idiot,” cursed Mr. Miller.

Sam looked at him raising her eyebrows in
question.

“It’s the most basic rule in the book,” he
answered her unspoken question. “You never leave your vehicle.
Never.” He looked around for a few minutes, scanning the immediate
area. “Okay, Daniel, you start looking over there. Sam, you over
there and I’ll go this way.”

The three spread out, calling to the person
as they walked. He could be anywhere, Sam thought as she waded
through the brush that was quite thick on this part of the
property. So thick, you couldn’t see very far in front of you. She
was hoping that if he was injured, he wouldn’t have been able to
get too far away from his vehicle. Thankfully, she was right. Just
up ahead, slumped against a tree, the figure of a man came into
view. Sam called to the others as she ran over to him.

“He’s over here,” she called again as she
kneeled down beside him. He was out cold. A trickle of blood
streaked a path down his face from his temple. Daniel and Mr.
Miller ran over to where she was. Sam checked his pulse, it was
very weak.

“He doesn’t look good, he hasn’t got much of
a pulse,” she told them when they arrived.

“Oh, God. He’s stopped breathing. Daniel help
me get him on his back.” The CPR training her mum had drilled into
her all those years, kicked in automatically. Sam lifted his chin,
tilting his head back, and looked for anything that may be blocking
his airway. She couldn’t see anything. She knew the next part was
going to hurt, but, as much as her mouth protested, she covered the
man’s with her’s and blew into him, watching his chest rise with
each breath.

“Daniel, do you know CPR?” Sam asked after
blowing a couple of breaths into the man.

“A little,” he replied.

“Chest compressions?”

“Yes.”

“Start them now, please.”

“I’m going to run to the plane and tell Mrs.
Miller to get the Flying Doctors,” Mr. Miller said. “I’ll be back
in a minute.” Daniel’s dad hightailed it off in the direction of
the plane.

Daniel and Sam carried on doing CPR for a few
more minutes. To their relief, the man coughed and took a breath on
his own. Sam hovered above his face feeling for his breath on her
cheek to make sure he could continue breathing on his own. When she
was sure the man was breathing by himself, she looked up at Daniel
and heaved a sigh of relief. Daniel stopped the chest compressions
and gave Sam a look of admiration.