Chapter 27
Mitch
That kiss had changed everything.
I’d got Zeus moving again, and we rode in silence for maybe twenty minutes before I halted Zeus near a cluster of rocks. Charlie needed water and food. Hell, I needed a moment to get my head straight.
When I’d found Zeus, Bella’s supplies had still been in the saddlebag, thank God. Dried meat, nuts, crackers, and a canteen that was three-quarters full. Charlie and I ate standing in the moonlight, neither of us saying much, yet the looks that passed between us said a hell of a lot.
That kiss had confused the hell out of both of us.
When we mounted again, I settled Charlie behind me to provide better balance for Zeus. At least, that's what I told myself. Truth was, I needed her out of my line of sight before I did something stupid like kiss her senseless.
But she wrapped her arms tight around my waist and pressed her cheek against my bare back, and every breath she took, I felt it. Every shift of her body when Zeus adjusted his gait over the rough terrain sent awareness shooting through me.
I should've been focused on the route ahead, on making the most of the cool night air and the clear light from the moon and stars. I should've been calculating distance, checking landmarks, and figuring out where the heck we were so I could plan our path back to the station.
Instead, all I could think about was the taste of her lips and the way she'd kissed me back, as if she needed me as much as I needed her.
Which was a problem. A big one.
Because once we got back to the ranch, she'd head back to her world, and I'd still be here, working through the wreckage of mine.
A dull roar rumbled from somewhere in the distance, and relief flooded through me. Rushing water.
Charlie eased away from my back and pressed her warm palm on my shoulder. "Do you hear that?"
"Yeah." I steered Zeus toward the sound. "A waterfall."
"Oh, wow. I hope we can wash in it. I don't think I've ever felt so filthy in my life."
And yet she was still the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen.
"And that's saying something," she continued. "I work in dirt nearly every day." She giggled, and the sound was so sweet and unexpected that heat shot straight through me.
Christ. I was responding to her like some randy teenager who'd never touched a woman before. My body didn't care that wanting her was a spectacularly bad idea. It just wanted her. All of her. In every way I could have her.
The urge to pull her close and kiss her until neither of us could think straight, and to do a hell of a lot more than just kiss, was killing me.
The vegetation changed as we rode toward the waterfall. Scraggy scrub gave way to river gums and native grasses. The air grew cooler and damper. We were close.
Charlie tried to peer around my shoulder. "Can you see it yet?"
"No. Nearly there, though."
I guided Zeus through a stand of ghost gums, and the billabong appeared like a mirage.
Clean water. Finally. The cascade tumbled over a limestone outcrop, falling a good ten feet before crashing onto smooth rocks below.
Ripples caught in the silver moonlight, and the surface glittered as slick as mercury.
"Oh, thank God," Charlie breathed. "It's beautiful. Is it safe to go in?"
"Hell, yes."
As I angled Zeus toward the water's edge, a few landscape features jogged my memory. That distinctive split in the rock to the left of the waterfall, the way the gums grew in a crescent around the eastern bank. I'd been here before. Years ago. Twenty years, maybe more. It hadn't changed much.
At least, now I knew where we were.
We were still days away from the ranch, but it was a start.
I pulled Zeus to a stop a few feet from the water's edge and swung my leg over, dismounting. I placed my hands on Charlie's waist. "Come here."
She leaned toward me, and I helped her down, but the moment her feet touched the ground, her legs buckled.
"Easy." I tightened my grip on her waist, holding her steady. "Your feet still hurting?"
"A little." She swayed against me, trembling from exhaustion or the adrenaline crash, probably both.
Stepping back from me, she rolled her head from side to side and winced.
"Actually, everything is hurting, but nothing a cool swim won't fix.
" She glanced at the billabong, then back at me. "You're absolutely sure it's safe?"
"Positive."
"No crocs? Because I've had enough of wild animals trying to eat me today."
I chuckled. "No crocs. The water comes from a natural underground spring and flows down from the ranges. The flow is too fast, and the water too cool for them. You're safe here, I promise."
That seemed to relax her. She walked beside me as I led Zeus to the billabong. At the water's edge, I dropped to my knees and plunged my hands into the cool water. The first mouthful hit my parched throat like heaven. I gulped handful after handful, water running down my chin.
Charlie fell to her knees beside me, scooping the water with shaking hands. "Oh, God." She gasped between swallows. "I've never tasted anything so divine."
"I know." Finally satisfying my thirst, I stood and ran my hand along Zeus's rump as he drank deeply. "Good boy."
Charlie stood beside me, stroking Zeus's neck. "How old is he?"
"Twelve."
"Twelve." She nodded, as if she was filing that information away, trying to piece together her next question.
"How about you have a swim while I get this gear off him and get a fire going?"
She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Oh, here." She dug into the pocket of those tiny shorts, pulled out my lighter, and pressed it into my palm. "Lucky you gave me this. I wouldn't have survived without that fire."
I closed my hand around the lighter, then looked at her. "It wasn't the fire that saved you, Charlie. You fought like hell out there."
"Yeah, well, the idea of getting eaten by dingoes is pretty motivating." She shrugged it off, acting as though it was nothing. Her battle had been far from nothing. Many people couldn’t have done what she had.
I wanted to reach for her hand and tell her how brave she was. How beautiful. How I couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. But I just stood there like an idiot, holding my lighter.
"Want my help with the fire?” she asked. “I'm getting good at it."
"No. I’ll get it sorted. Go have a swim."
She hesitated, then nodded and headed toward the billabong. I watched her go, those long legs, that perfect curve of her ass in those ridiculously short shorts.
God damn it. I was in trouble here.
I led Zeus back to a sturdy gum tree and tied him up. Then, I pulled off his saddle and the rest of his tack, setting everything in a neat pile on a patch of flat ground.
The moon hung low and full, casting silver light across the billabong.
Charlie had wandered to the far side, standing on a massive boulder, moonlight catching the skin of her arms as she stared at the water, hugging herself tight.
Maybe she didn't trust my word about the crocs.
Poor woman was probably traumatized for life after those damn dingoes. Couldn't blame her one bit.
I gathered some dry wood and kindling, building a small fire near the saddle blanket I'd spread out on a flat patch of grass. The flames caught quickly, casting warm light across the clearing.
When I looked toward Charlie, I froze.
She stood at the water's edge with my tattered shirt pooled at her feet. Her fingers worked the buttons on her own shirt, then she peeled it off and let it fall. Her black bra stood out against her olive skin.
She didn't look at me, but she knew I was watching. Had to know.
Then she reached behind her back, unclasped her bra, and let it slide down her arms.
Her breasts were full and round. Natural. Real. They would fill my hands perfectly.
My mouth went dry.
She hooked her thumbs into her shorts and underwear, sliding them down in one smooth motion, and stepped out of them. She stood there completely naked in the moonlight. Bloody, dirty, streaked with sweat. Her skin was bruised and battered from everything she'd been through.
And still the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen.
She waded slowly into the water, gasping at the cold before sighing as she lowered herself in. She ducked under, and when she surfaced, water streamed down her body in silver rivulets.
I couldn't breathe.
She gathered her hair over one shoulder and squeezed the water out.
Then she looked at me.
Held my gaze. Direct. Unflinching.
Didn't say a word.
Didn't have to.
The invitation was clear.
I should stay where I was and get the fire going properly. Ignore my pounding pulse and the hard ache in my groin. Pretend I didn't notice the curve of her waist or the swell of her breasts. Pretend I didn't want to repeat that kiss and take this burning need to the next level.
But I couldn't.
I was too far gone.
I yanked off my boots and belt, then shoved my jeans down so fast I nearly went ass over. I kicked them free and walked into the water, naked, my eyes locked on hers.
As she watched me approach, a fierceness and tenderness burned in her gaze.
I ducked under the surface, madly scrubbing away grime, dirt, sweat, and blood. When I came up for air, I kept moving toward her, carving through water with desperate need. Nothing else mattered in the entire goddamn world but reaching her.
She waited for me, waist-deep, breasts clearly visible in the moonlight. Water droplets clung to her skin, catching the silver light. Her breasts were perfect, her nipples were hard from the cold, or maybe from watching me come for her.
I stopped just short of touching her, water lapping at my waist.
This was a bad idea.
I knew it was a bad idea.
"Hi," she said softly, a small smile curving her lips.
"Hi." My voice came out rough, barely more than a rasp.
She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, and my restraint nearly shattered.
Holy hell. She’s stunning.