Outback Thunder (5 page)

Breathing heavily,
she relaxed and rolled over in the water, tipping her hat back on her head. The
glare of the sun on the water blinded her. She held her hand over her brow
opening them slowly as her eyes adjusted to the light. Midnight was where she
knew he would be, his head hanging down as he stood resting in the shade after
his cool dip.

Zoe struck out and
started to swim. She made it to the middle of the dam and rolled over on her
back again. Having to resort to sex by herself was getting just a bit jaded. It
was the only thing keeping her sane when she longed for the one and only man
who could send her over the edge with barely a touch. An unsatisfying date
night ended many a time with her hiding under the covers to give herself her
own release.

Now it was
starting to piss her off. How hard could it be to get a decent date that gave
her a stimulating time and then offered more? Obviously too fucking hard if the
last few years were anything to go by.

Maybe I have to
lower my standards? Shit, maybe I shouldn't have any at all.

But that wasn't
the problem and she knew it. She still loved the lying, cheating bastard.

How freaking
sad was that?

 Nobody else had
ever measured up. Not in the 'look what you do to me' department anyway. Her
dates had been good social company but none had rocked her socks or even made
her slightly damp in the panty department.

It was going to be
so hard living in the same house as him while she sorted this out and not give
into the urge to throw him against the wall and make mad passionate love to
him. She would have to set herself some guidelines. Like looking the other way
when he walked past so she didn't give in and grab a handful of that tight ass.
Avoiding him would be better but that would be impossible.

She would look him
in the eye. No more glancing at his throat or the trail of dark hair that ran
down to his belly button and beyond. And definitely no drooling at what lay
below the waist. Her sex threatening to heat up again, Zoe challenged herself
to swim to the other side of the dam.

By the time she
made it to the edge scattering cattle egrets from their lazy positions, she was
breathing heavily from her first bout of exercise this week. She really
couldn't afford to let go of her routine. It had taken years for her to get to
the fitness level she was. Not one to be on show though, it was all for her own
benefit and because of her business. Zoe insisted she and her staff be walking
posters for personal trainers and the chain of gyms she owned and it had paid
off.

She crawled into
the shallow edge of the dam and took off her hat. It was soaking wet. She shook
it and put it back on, mindful that she hadn't been in sun such as this for
years.

She relaxed for
another ten minutes before swimming back over to the other side where she
pulled her jeans over her damp legs. When she had her shirt on she picked up
the saddle and walked over to Midnight. "Let's go home, fella. I could do
with a drink."

When they got back
to the yard, the new helicopter was sitting on the purpose built concrete pad
that hadn't been there when she came home for her parent’s funeral. Zoe
unsaddled Midnight and after checking his feet for stones, she hosed him down
and let him go in the paddock.

"Hey Zoe,
have a good ride?" Brandon asked when she walked into the kitchen. He was
sitting at the table, a cold beer in his hand.

"Yeah it was
good. I think I needed it." She grabbed a glass from the cupboard over the
sink and poured herself a glass of water. Turning to face him she leaned
against the bench and drank deeply. "How did you go with the recon
flight?"

"Great. The
first lot of cattle aren't as spread out as I thought. It shouldn't take too
long for us to bring them in."

"That's good
news. I'm not sure my ass could stand too many days in the saddle to start
with." She looked at him keenly, aware that something was amusing him by
the grin he kept trying to hide. "What's up Bran?"

He coughed and
tried to look away. Just then Jonas walked into the kitchen, a sheet of paper
in his hand. He smiled when his gaze met Zoe's. She looked between him and her
brother, ready to hit out when he spoke. "How was the swim Zoe, enjoy it?"

The heat flushed
up her cheeks and she narrowed her eyes, grappling for what to say.

They saw me?
But I didn’t hear the chopper. Right, you fucking idiot Zoe, you had your hat
over your face and your ears were under water. Duh.

She cleared her
throat and stood up straight. "Yes I did. Do you have a problem with
that?"

"No,"
Jonas said. Brandon burst out laughing and Zoe resisted the urge to throw the
glass at him. "I never have a problem watching you in action Zoe. You know
that."

"Whatever."
She had to get out of there but refused to run knowing they'd enjoy that even
more. "Do I ever say anything when you guys bang the headboard at night
when you're on your own? No I don't, so lay off me."

****

Jonas watched her
for a moment trying to regain control. He couldn't let her know how much the
sight of her floating in the water with her hand down her panties turned him
on. If Brandon hadn't been with him he would have settled the chopper down in
the paddock and walked into the lake and taken her then and there. This was a
Zoe that he couldn't keep his eyes off. He thought she was a stunner as a teen
but now she was a knock out now. The transformation was amazing. He had tried
to keep tabs on her over the years but she never seemed to make any headlines
and even a Google search rarely showed up anything on her personal life.
Brandon had told him about the business she had started and he watched as she
opened one gym after the other. He was impressed with the way she had built
something from nothing and was surprised that she left London to come home when
Brandon called her. If she had asked to look at the purchase agreement for the
shares, she would have noticed there was no such stipulation. When and if she
found out, it would mean his head. He was prepared for fireworks from Zoe but to
have her at his beck and call again the same as when they were kids, it would
be worth it. They were both unattached so they wouldn't be hurting anyone.

He had never
wanted anyone like he wanted Zoe. Since she was a teenager she had driven him
crazy just by being herself. They had a magical childhood. Freedom city kids
never got to experience was theirs for the taking. Growing up on the land was
at its best when you had friends like Zoe and Brandon. When they had become an
item it just seemed like it was meant to be, the natural flow of things. The
sex was amazing and they still had the same chemistry. He had made the right
decision to get her home where she belonged.

Jonas had grown up
on the farm, his father was one of the permanent staff. His mother had passed
on when he was a small child and Zoe's parents had been more than kind to him.
They had watched over him when his father was working and made sure that he had
the same opportunities that their children did. He wanted for nothing once he
had Zoe except the money to buy his own farm.

Shaking himself
out of his introspection he handed the sheet of paper to Brandon, and turned
away from her. "This just came through. We have a confirmed date for the
auction. Leeds wants at least five hundred head and a couple of our younger
breeding bulls. We'll have time to get them tested and brochures done up. The
auctioneers have already had plenty of interest."

"That's
great." Brandon held his beer up in a toast. "To us, may we get great
prices and sell everything we bring in."

"Hear,
hear." Jonas turned to Zoe. "How about you go and grab a show or
whatever you do this time of night and Brandon and I will put something
together for dinner?"

She looked back at
him, a frown on her forehead. He itched to wipe it away with his fingertips but
leaned against the chair and watched her instead.

"I thought
Shirley was working in the house now, besides didn't you say it was my turn to
cook."

"Nope and yes
I did. Shirley offered to cook a meal for you but she looks after the boys
outside. We decided since there will be the three of us here we could fend for
ourselves."

"Did you not
think I should have had a say in this, Jonas?" Her frown had turned to a
tight-lipped glare.

"You know you
would have agreed, so stop being so damned stubborn. Since when have any of us
needed someone to run after us?"

"You know how
hopeless I am in the kitchen, hell. What am I supposed to do when it's my turn
to cook?" She looked over Jonas's shoulder at her brother, her head tilted
in question.

"You can
clean up." Brandon finished his beer and crushed the can in his hand. He
threw it over at the waste bin and missed , then grinned at her with a shrug of
his shoulders.

"Thanks,
idiot." She turned and walked away. "I'm going to have a shower."

Jonas watched her
walk away his gaze on her tight butt encased in worn denim jeans. His skin
tingled and he imagined her hands travelling the length of those slim legs,
washing herself in the shower. He stopped that train of thought before he
imagined her washing other parts of her body. The flight home after spotting
her in the dam was harder than he thought possible. Having Brandon in the
chopper didn't help and because he was sitting watching every move now it
embarrassed him.

"You want to
see what's in the freezer and I'll finish up in the office and be back to
help."

"Sure,"
Brandon said.

Jonas walked down
the hallway to the office, ignoring Zoe's open bedroom door. He sat behind the
desk and emailed a reply to the auction agent and made notes in his diary
before shutting down the computer and clearing the desk.

He was calm and in
control of his emotions when he walked out of the room. His gaze went into
Zoe's room and he could see her in the reflection of the bathroom mirror
through the open door. She was standing with a towel over her head rubbing her
hair furiously. Her naked body was paler than he remembered but the curves and
lines were now toned and slimmer. She was tight and firm in all the right
places.

His cock reacted
even though logic told him it was hopeless. No matter what he and Brandon had
cooked up to get her home, he doubted Zoe would ever forgive him for what had
happened, not that it would stop him from trying. She had refused to listen
then and knowing how stubborn she was, he doubted if she would listen now.
Jonas leaned on the door frame and let himself be enjoy her just being home,
waiting for the spit likely to come his way when she saw him.

"Like what
you see, Jonas?" She shook her head and swung her hair back off her face.

"You know the
answer to that one."

She dropped the
towel to the floor and stood facing him. "And to think you threw it all
away." With her gaze on him she lowered her hand to the smattering of hair
between her thighs. Zoe smiled a sultry smile at him and slid a finger down her
belly and into the damp curls.

His breath caught
in his throat when her fingers slipped inside her body, her thumb moving in
small round movements over her clit. She leaned back against the counter and
let her other hand toy with her taut nipples. He couldn't look away. It was
incredible to watch the woman he had loved and couldn't have, pleasure herself.
His cock reacted, straining against his jeans. Jonas licked his lips and willed
his body to not let on how incredibly horny he was. His feet were frozen and he
stood in the doorway while she brought herself to a climax.

"Hmmm, that
was good. More fun if I didn't have to do it myself though." Zoe opened
her eyes and looked at him before bringing her slick fingertips to her lips.
Her mouth open, she slid one finger in and sucked it making a popping noise
when she withdrew it. "You don't know what you've been missing,
Jonas."

"I have a
fair idea." His voice sounded raspy to his ears. "I warn you though.
Do that again and I won't be responsible for what happens." He willed his
feet to move and headed to his room to pull himself together before helping
with dinner. The games they played when they were younger and craving for each
other's bodies were still fresh in his mind and it looked like Zoe still had
the knack to do it to him.

The sound of her
laughter followed him. He slammed the door and going into the bathroom,
splashed cold water over his face. He looked into the mirror, his frustration
making him clench his jaw. Drying his hands on the towel he cursed himself for
getting in this situation. He should have made more of an effort to get to the
funeral and stop her going back to London afterward. He was a grown man now and
in the position to offer her what she had always wanted. Marriage and a family.

Only problem was,
he knew she would likely throw it back in his face. He had done wrong in her
mind and he had to find a way to get around that. Undoing the zip in his jeans,
he slipped his hand into his jocks and adjusted himself then zipped up again.
Leaving his bedroom he walked out to the kitchen.