Read Online Outback Affair: An Affair Novel (Entangled Indulgence) by Annie Seaton - Free Book Online
Authors: Annie Seaton
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face was priceless. By the end of this trip, she’d be able to write an article about keeping safe in the outback.
She had her head back on the headrest, and her eyes were closed. His gaze traveled up the long line of her throat up to the unblemished skin of her face. Her softly parted lips were full and tempting. He still had to decide how far he’d go in teaching her a lesson in honesty, but it certainly wasn’t going to be an unpleasant experience.
All was quiet as they covered the last twenty kilometers to the turnoff, the silence punctuated only by Bowser’s soft snuffling as he slept. Thunderheads built to the north, and Alex slowed the truck as he peered out the window. There was only a little while to go until he had to make the decision of either taking the short cut across to the coast or going around the long way through the tiny settlement of Peppinmenarti.
Damn. His permit to travel through the private Aboriginal land was back in the office at Cockatoo. He hadn’t given it a thought when he’d headed off last week. That pretty much made the decision for him. Without a permit to enter Aboriginal land, they’d have to take the short track, and he’d have to hope the rain held off for one more night. The turnoff to the northeast appeared on the right, and he swung the wheel hard as the tires spun in the fine red bull dust. Bowser barked, and Jess opened her eyes and blinked.
“Are we there?” She stretched her arms above her head and cursed as her hair snagged on the rough headrest again. Leaning back onto it, she untangled her hair and held it up in a knot on the top of her head.
Alex grinned as Bowser clambered back over to her lap. “Sorry, the old girl’s a bit shabby. Not a lot of money in fishing.”
“I’ll pay you for driving me over, of course,” she said.
“No need, I was coming this way anyway. And you’ve already spent enough, I’d say, if you’re not going to have a job.”
“We’ll see.” Jess pointed out the windscreen ahead. “It’s a lot greener up this way?”
“Yeah, we’re close to the Daly River again. It winds its way to the coast in loops.”
She wiped the perspiration of her brow with the back of her free hand and held her hair above her head. “Anywhere to swim when we stop?”
He looked at her with a frown. “If you’ve got a death wish.”
“What?”
“Crocs.”
“Here?”
“Yes, here. You really didn’t do your research, did you?”
“I thought only the saltwater crocodiles were dangerous. Aren’t we a long way from the salt water?”
“Yes, we are. But the freshwaters will attack if you provoke them, too.”
Jess looked across at him and her green eyes were wide. “You’re teasing me, right?”
He shook his head. “When I offered to bring you across to Cockatoo Springs, the main reason I offered was to keep you safe.”
Well, that was one of the reasons he’d offered. And she certainly had shown him she had no idea about keeping herself safe.
“The saltwater crocodile is a man-eater, and they’ve invaded the river and creek systems of the Top End. They come as far as three hundred kilometers inland, and here we’re only about a hundred kilometers from the coast. We wind in and out across the wetlands to get back up to Cockatoo Springs. As the crow flies, it’s only about a third of the distance we spend on the road.”
“You’re just trying to frighten me.”
A lazy swirl of desire kicked low in his groin. Not now. Not yet.
“Look, Jess, I might have teased you about other things, but this is deadly serious, and you have to listen to everything I say and do it when I say to. Okay?”
“Oh…okay, as long as you promise you are being truthful with me. No sharing a tent because you say you have to protect me or stuff like that, okay?”
Alex laughed. He hadn’t thought of that one. It would have been good ploy to upset her. In fact, he hadn’t given much thought to the camping at the waterfall…yet.
“Not a
She had her head back on the headrest, and her eyes were closed. His gaze traveled up the long line of her throat up to the unblemished skin of her face. Her softly parted lips were full and tempting. He still had to decide how far he’d go in teaching her a lesson in honesty, but it certainly wasn’t going to be an unpleasant experience.
All was quiet as they covered the last twenty kilometers to the turnoff, the silence punctuated only by Bowser’s soft snuffling as he slept. Thunderheads built to the north, and Alex slowed the truck as he peered out the window. There was only a little while to go until he had to make the decision of either taking the short cut across to the coast or going around the long way through the tiny settlement of Peppinmenarti.
Damn. His permit to travel through the private Aboriginal land was back in the office at Cockatoo. He hadn’t given it a thought when he’d headed off last week. That pretty much made the decision for him. Without a permit to enter Aboriginal land, they’d have to take the short track, and he’d have to hope the rain held off for one more night. The turnoff to the northeast appeared on the right, and he swung the wheel hard as the tires spun in the fine red bull dust. Bowser barked, and Jess opened her eyes and blinked.
“Are we there?” She stretched her arms above her head and cursed as her hair snagged on the rough headrest again. Leaning back onto it, she untangled her hair and held it up in a knot on the top of her head.
Alex grinned as Bowser clambered back over to her lap. “Sorry, the old girl’s a bit shabby. Not a lot of money in fishing.”
“I’ll pay you for driving me over, of course,” she said.
“No need, I was coming this way anyway. And you’ve already spent enough, I’d say, if you’re not going to have a job.”
“We’ll see.” Jess pointed out the windscreen ahead. “It’s a lot greener up this way?”
“Yeah, we’re close to the Daly River again. It winds its way to the coast in loops.”
She wiped the perspiration of her brow with the back of her free hand and held her hair above her head. “Anywhere to swim when we stop?”
He looked at her with a frown. “If you’ve got a death wish.”
“What?”
“Crocs.”
“Here?”
“Yes, here. You really didn’t do your research, did you?”
“I thought only the saltwater crocodiles were dangerous. Aren’t we a long way from the salt water?”
“Yes, we are. But the freshwaters will attack if you provoke them, too.”
Jess looked across at him and her green eyes were wide. “You’re teasing me, right?”
He shook his head. “When I offered to bring you across to Cockatoo Springs, the main reason I offered was to keep you safe.”
Well, that was one of the reasons he’d offered. And she certainly had shown him she had no idea about keeping herself safe.
“The saltwater crocodile is a man-eater, and they’ve invaded the river and creek systems of the Top End. They come as far as three hundred kilometers inland, and here we’re only about a hundred kilometers from the coast. We wind in and out across the wetlands to get back up to Cockatoo Springs. As the crow flies, it’s only about a third of the distance we spend on the road.”
“You’re just trying to frighten me.”
A lazy swirl of desire kicked low in his groin. Not now. Not yet.
“Look, Jess, I might have teased you about other things, but this is deadly serious, and you have to listen to everything I say and do it when I say to. Okay?”
“Oh…okay, as long as you promise you are being truthful with me. No sharing a tent because you say you have to protect me or stuff like that, okay?”
Alex laughed. He hadn’t thought of that one. It would have been good ploy to upset her. In fact, he hadn’t given much thought to the camping at the waterfall…yet.
“Not a
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