B00BR2BOUU EBOK (13 page)

“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.

***

I must’ve fallen asleep,
because when I woke up, it was a couple of hours later. He had moved the patio
sun umbrella over me so that I did not burn to a crisp. I lifted my head, and
he was sitting next to me working on his iPad.

“Hello, sleepyhead.” He put
the tablet down and sat on the edge of my lounge. “Exhausted are we?”

“Just a little, I have had a
few busy and strenuous days recently. Plus, I watched the whole movie last
night, you didn’t.”

“Touché, my love. What would
you like for lunch?”

My stomach was rumbling.
“What’s the time?”

“Nearly 2:30 p. m.”

“Oh, I did sleep for a while,
didn’t I? Have you eaten?”

“Yes, I just had a sandwich.”

“Sounds good, I can make it.
You go back to your iPad. Are you doing work?”

“Just a little, it’s fine and
can wait. I like making you things.” He kissed my shoulder and then walked
inside. I really had hit the jackpot, how the hell had that happened?

CHAPTER
NINE

He was heart-stoppingly handsome and sexy. He was sweet,
romantic and smart. He could cook, play an instrument and was obscenely
wealthy. The man was simply too good to be true. He returned momentarily with a
heart shaped sandwich, which made me giggle.

“Are all my meals going to be
heart shaped?”

“Most of them, yes.” He
sucked his finger and walked off.
Jackpot all right! Alexis Summers, you have
landed yourself the most incredible man alive
. I bit into the sandwich and
once again my tastebuds went into meltdown; turkey, cranberry sauce, camembert
cheese, alfalfa sprouts and avocado on white bread.

“How did you get hold of all
these ingredients? We are in the bloody outback for frig’s sake.” I called out,
hoping he was in ear shot.

“It’s what I...”

I cut him off. “Don’t even
bother.”

His chuckle resonated from the
kitchen. “Dinner is booked for 6 p.m., so we will head into Yulara about 4 p.m.
Are you happy with that?”

“Sure, I need a shower first
though.” I finished my romantic ‘Sanga’ and got up. He had laid a black
cocktail dress on the bed for me. I liked it when he chose my clothing, it
showed he cared. This dress, however, seemed a bit too formal for the outback,
but knowing Bryce, he had something planned.

***

I didn’t think I had many bad
habits, then again, ask my family and they’ll tell you otherwise. One that I
knew of was singing in the shower, I did it subconsciously whether I meant it
or not. It didn’t bother me, of course, but Nate seemed to hate it, especially
when he had one of his friends sleeping over. Obviously the acoustics in the
bathroom were complimentary. However, I think the reason I do it is because I’m
in a small space by myself, with no interruptions and that’s when the songs come
into my head. I had been singing and humming away as I usually did, and was
just about to turn the taps off when Bryce stopped me.

“Oh, for shit’s sake! You
scared the crap out of me.”

“Where do you think you are
going, Ms. Summers?” he asked, as he stepped further into the shower.

“To get dressed, Mr. Clark,”
I replied, but knowing that was now not the case, and taking a step backward.

“Not yet, you’re not.” He
pressed himself against me, and I stumbled further back against the wall. His
strong and protective arms wrapped around me, lifting me ever so slightly. Our
mouths met and I threw my arms around his neck. Water cascaded down our faces
as we stood there taking each other in orally. When we kissed it felt like the
world stopped. He lifted me higher, indicating I should do what I always do; wrap
my legs around his waist. I’m guessing he liked the feeling of my thighs vice-gripping
his hips. I know I did.

“I could kiss you all day
long,” I said in between kisses.

“No, you couldn’t.” He
mumbled, as he continued assaulting my mouth.

“Why not?”

“Because you talk a lot.”
What?
I do not.
I grabbed his hair and yanked it hard pulling him away from my
mouth. His eyes grew wide and he looked fiercely at me.

“Is that a problem, my
talking?” I still had hold of his hair.

“No my love, but it is if you
want to kiss all day.” He growled and shook his head free of my grip then let
go of one of my legs. It fell to the ground, opening me up so he could penetrate
me with force. I gasped.
Fuck, I love his cock.
We seemed to mirror each
other’s actions when we made love; if he was rough, I’d be rough back; and if I
was soft and slow he’d, reciprocate. We consumed each other in the shower. I
didn’t talk much, especially after his cheeky feedback, but it was still
incredibly hot and sensual and although he had been a bit naughty, he was still
oozing love for me through every pore on his body.

We got out and once again, I
did my hair, finding the humidity and constant washing, was starting to turn my
normally obedient locks into a crazy, rebellious shag. I gave up trying to tame
it and fixed it into a loose bun with some pins. I entered the bedroom and found
that Bryce was already dressed. He still took my breath away, and without even realising
it, my mouth fell open. He had on a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up and
the top two buttons undone, grey suit pants and black shoes; he looked very
handsome. Slowly, he walked over to me and lifted my jaw back up.

“Thank you,” he said as he
kissed me then walked into the bathroom.

I put on the Wayne Cooper
Dress. It was black, tight, mid-length and it had one shoulder strap. Bryce had
also left out a pair of champagne coloured Jimmy Choo strappy heels for me. I assessed
myself in the mirror, and once again concluded that he really did have great
taste. I have loved everything he has ever chosen for me; the man knows me
better than I know myself at times.

I caught his reflection in
the mirror. He was leaning on the doorway to the bathroom, and funnily enough,
his mouth was agape, too. I slowly walked over to him and lifted his jaw up
with my finger.

“Thank you.” I said, and mimicking
the kiss he had given me.

“No, thank you, Alexis. You have no idea how satisfying you
actually are. From the moment you strolled through my Casino, you have captured
and engulfed me entirely.” He kissed me as I touched his face.

“Thank you for rescuing me, Mr. Clark, I really didn’t know
what love was until I met you.” He placed his forehead against mine and closed
his eyes as if he were in pain.

“Hunny, it’s the other way around. You rescued me.” He took
my hands, kissed the tops of them and we left our room.

***

The helicopter flight was very quick, considering Yulara was
only 5km from Outback Hideaway. He set the chopper down, and we walked just a
small distance to the shopping centre. I felt very over dressed as we entered a
souvenir shop, due to a few people looking us up and down. Bryce placed his
hand on my hip and whispered into my ear. “I’ll be back in a minute Hunny.”
Don’t
leave me here alone!

He hurried off.
Maybe nature is calling?
I strolled
along the aisles, looking at the numerous stuffed kangaroos and spoons with
pictures of Uluru and Kata Tjuta on them.
I should get Tash a spoon!
It
was a private joke between us. I came across a spoon once that looked like a
penis, and she thought it was hilarious, so from then on, whenever I saw a
strange looking piece of cutlery I got it for her. These spoons looked quite placid,
except for one, where the Olgas resembled a pair of boobs. I smiled and picked
it up. I continued to browse and came across a gold miniature telescope on a
stand. It was very cute and reminded me of Bryce. I couldn’t leave it behind,
so I hid it behind the stuffed dingo I’d found for Charli. I also chose her a
necklace with an aboriginal painted pendant. Nate would no doubt have fun with
a boomerang, and I couldn’t possibly leave without a didgeridoo, so, with great
difficulty, scooped up one of those as well. Mum had a fetish for tea towels—I
swear she has a cupboard at home filled with the things— so I picked out a
couple for her, then I took my haul to the counter to pay for it all. They had
a bucket full of lovely bunched posies by the door.
These are perfect as a ‘thank
you’ to Dorothy
. So, I grabbed one of those as well. The attendant placed
all my items into a bag with the exception of the didgeridoo.