Read Online Antarctic Affair by Louise Rose-Innes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Louise Rose-Innes
Tags: Romance
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“I’ll go and see if
Amy has any plasters. I think she’s carrying a medical kit.”
Five minutes later he was back and handed her a couple
of plasters. “These should help till we get you back on board.”
Wordlessly she took them from him and ripped the
backs off. A soft moan escaped her lips as she applied them to her shredded
heels. It was all Taj could do not to go to her assistance, but he had to stick
to the plan! He’d already given her the plasters - that was enough. He needed
her to suffer, so that she’d be too sore and weary to accompany them on the
next excursion.
“Let’s rest here a while. We can descend into the
crater in about twenty…” he glanced at Taj, “make that fifteen minutes.
Everybody fine with that?” shouted Don, addressing the group. Everybody nodded
and went off to explore nearby rock formations or to collect water and dried
lava samples.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t have come along,” suggested
Taj feeling more than a little guilty.
“I’m sure you would have enjoyed that,” she said
curtly, sending him a knowing look. He froze. Had she worked out what they were
up to? Surely not?
“What do you mean,” he asked innocently.
“Then you wouldn’t be bothered by my stupid
questions, would you? You don’t have to pretend, I know you don’t want me
around.”
At his guilty look she added, “Luckily for you I’m
too exhausted to ask any questions at the moment anyway.”
He let out a shaky breath. She wasn’t aware of the
plan, but she was smart enough to work out what his intention had been.
She pulled her socks and shoes back on and stood up.
He moved away from her to set up his tripod which he’d lugged up in a special
lightweight camera bag.
He got to work and concentrated on photographing the
barren, lunar quality of the landscape and the sweeping vista around them. He
found Antarctica so unique, unlike anywhere else in the world.
“Wow!”
He turned around. Georgina was staring into the
caldera and expression of wonder on her enraptured face. Despite her wayward
hair and blotchy face, in that moment, she looked beautiful.
“This is magnificent,” she said waving her arm at
the snowy horseshoe-shaped caldera flooded with cobalt blue water. “I can see
why you come here to take photographs.”
He didn’t reply. He was bothered by the fact that despite
being everything he disliked in a woman, she was still growing on him faster
than a polar front coming in from the south. She was distracting him from his
work, but not because she was grilling him with silly questions, but because in
between the painfully stuck-up attitude he saw glimpses of a bright girl with a
fantastic sense of humour. He suspected that when she wasn’t so busy being a
spoiled brat, she’d actually be a lot of fun.
Although she had tried to hide it, Georgina was
furious with Taj - and Don for that matter. How stupid did they think she was? She
knew what they were doing and there was no doubt they were in cahoots. Those
two were as thick as thieves. From the moment they’d left the ship, they’d gone
out of their way to make this excursion as difficult as possible for her. Even Lance
had commented on the crazy pace at which they’d hiked up the mountain. Luckily
for her she could finally put all those hours on the Stairmaster at gym to good
use. If they wanted her to suffer, they’d have to try harder than that. She
didn’t have buns of steel for nothing! She looked down into the crater and for
a moment her determination faltered, but then she gritted her teeth. Even if
she broke every single one of her French-manicured nails she would see this out
to the end, and beyond. From now on she was going to stick to Taj Andrews like
glue. And she was going to ask questions. Lots of them. Hers was going to be
the most thoroughly researched cover story in the history of cover stories. That
will teach him to try and thwart me, she fumed.
Don called the group together and they
Amy has any plasters. I think she’s carrying a medical kit.”
Five minutes later he was back and handed her a couple
of plasters. “These should help till we get you back on board.”
Wordlessly she took them from him and ripped the
backs off. A soft moan escaped her lips as she applied them to her shredded
heels. It was all Taj could do not to go to her assistance, but he had to stick
to the plan! He’d already given her the plasters - that was enough. He needed
her to suffer, so that she’d be too sore and weary to accompany them on the
next excursion.
“Let’s rest here a while. We can descend into the
crater in about twenty…” he glanced at Taj, “make that fifteen minutes.
Everybody fine with that?” shouted Don, addressing the group. Everybody nodded
and went off to explore nearby rock formations or to collect water and dried
lava samples.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t have come along,” suggested
Taj feeling more than a little guilty.
“I’m sure you would have enjoyed that,” she said
curtly, sending him a knowing look. He froze. Had she worked out what they were
up to? Surely not?
“What do you mean,” he asked innocently.
“Then you wouldn’t be bothered by my stupid
questions, would you? You don’t have to pretend, I know you don’t want me
around.”
At his guilty look she added, “Luckily for you I’m
too exhausted to ask any questions at the moment anyway.”
He let out a shaky breath. She wasn’t aware of the
plan, but she was smart enough to work out what his intention had been.
She pulled her socks and shoes back on and stood up.
He moved away from her to set up his tripod which he’d lugged up in a special
lightweight camera bag.
He got to work and concentrated on photographing the
barren, lunar quality of the landscape and the sweeping vista around them. He
found Antarctica so unique, unlike anywhere else in the world.
“Wow!”
He turned around. Georgina was staring into the
caldera and expression of wonder on her enraptured face. Despite her wayward
hair and blotchy face, in that moment, she looked beautiful.
“This is magnificent,” she said waving her arm at
the snowy horseshoe-shaped caldera flooded with cobalt blue water. “I can see
why you come here to take photographs.”
He didn’t reply. He was bothered by the fact that despite
being everything he disliked in a woman, she was still growing on him faster
than a polar front coming in from the south. She was distracting him from his
work, but not because she was grilling him with silly questions, but because in
between the painfully stuck-up attitude he saw glimpses of a bright girl with a
fantastic sense of humour. He suspected that when she wasn’t so busy being a
spoiled brat, she’d actually be a lot of fun.
Although she had tried to hide it, Georgina was
furious with Taj - and Don for that matter. How stupid did they think she was? She
knew what they were doing and there was no doubt they were in cahoots. Those
two were as thick as thieves. From the moment they’d left the ship, they’d gone
out of their way to make this excursion as difficult as possible for her. Even Lance
had commented on the crazy pace at which they’d hiked up the mountain. Luckily
for her she could finally put all those hours on the Stairmaster at gym to good
use. If they wanted her to suffer, they’d have to try harder than that. She
didn’t have buns of steel for nothing! She looked down into the crater and for
a moment her determination faltered, but then she gritted her teeth. Even if
she broke every single one of her French-manicured nails she would see this out
to the end, and beyond. From now on she was going to stick to Taj Andrews like
glue. And she was going to ask questions. Lots of them. Hers was going to be
the most thoroughly researched cover story in the history of cover stories. That
will teach him to try and thwart me, she fumed.
Don called the group together and they