“Time for a break,” he said. He circled her waist with his hands and lifted her until she could swing her leg over his horse, then handed her a small canvas bag. “Come on. Let’s go for a ride.”
Brody hooked his foot in the stirrup and settled behind her, taking the reins from her hands and slipping his arm around her waist.
“I haven’t been on a horse in years,” she said. “Where are we going?”
“I fancy a swim. And there’s dinner in that sack.”
“I don’t have a suit.”
“Then you can sit on the shore and watch for crocs.”
He gave the horse a kick and guided it out of the stable. They rode in silence past the outbuildings and toward a small grove of trees in the distance. The sun was low in the late-afternoon sky but the air was still warm. Winter in Queensland was more like summer in Maine-the nights cool, sometimes chilly, and the days comfortably warm.
“Won’t the water be cold?”
“The pond is pretty shallow,” he said.
“Are there really alligators?”
“No. We don’t have alligators, we don’t have crocodiles, either. They’re not common in this part of Queensland. Teague was just being cheeky with you.” He paused. “Although, I suppose they could wander in here without us really knowing.”
“Snakes, crocodiles, spiders. It’s kind of easy to get hurt here.”
He nuzzled his face into her neck. “I’ll protect you.”
“Who will protect you?”
They reached the pond a few minutes later. It wasn’t like any pond Payton had ever seen. The water was brown, like the soil around it, and a pipe led from the pond to a nearby windmill. She studied the shoreline, searching for anything that moved. “How long can a crocodile hold its breath?”
“An hour, maybe more,” Brody said. “The saltwater crocs are the bad ones. Freshwater crocs aren’t nearly as nasty. And if they were here, they’d be on the shore, warming themselves in the sun.”
He slid off the horse, then helped her down, before wrapping the reins around a nearby branch. Taking her hand, Brody led her to the edge of the water. Then he slowly began to remove his clothes.
“I really wish you wouldn’t go in,” she said.
“I’ve been swimming in this pond since I was a kid. Believe me, it’s safe.”
“And I think I’ll just watch for a while,” she said.
He kicked off his boots and socks, then slipped his jeans over his hips. A moment later, he was naked. Payton held her breath as she watched him walk to the water. He really was a beautiful man, every muscle in his body perfectly toned.
Desire raced through her body and her fingers clenched at the thought of touching him. Suddenly, crocodiles didn’t seem like such a big deal. Not compared to swimming naked with Brody. As he sank into the water, Payton removed her jacket and dropped it to the ground. A moment later, she pulled off her shoes.
“My parents used to take me to the beach when we went on vacation,” she said. “And they’d never let me go in the water.”
“Why not?”
“My mother was afraid of sharks. And my father was afraid I’d drown, even though I’d taken swimming lessons for years.” Payton shook her head. “They spent so much energy protecting me from alligators that weren’t there.”
“Crocodiles,” he said.
When she skimmed her jeans down over her thighs, he smiled. And when she was left in just her underwear, he slowly stood. She walked to the water’s edge. “Take it all off,” he said softly.
Payton drew a ragged breath. They’d been naked together last night, in the shadows of the stable. But it felt just a little bit naughty out in the open. Still, her desire for him was strange and powerful, a force she didn’t want to deny.
The water was cold on her skin and she groaned as it slowly moved up her body. Then, holding her breath, she slipped beneath the surface and popped up in front of him. “It’s freezing!” she cried.
He pulled her into his arms. “You’ll be warm soon,” he said, letting his hands drift over her body.
“I’ve never done this before. I’ve always thought it would be fun to swim naked, but I’ve never had the opportunity.” As he wrapped her legs around his hips, she leaned back, letting her hair fan out in the water. “It feels nice on my sore muscles.”
“You work too hard.”
“That’s what Teague was telling me,” she said as she floated on the surface of the pond.
“And what else was Teague telling you?” Brody asked, an edge to his inquiry.
“Nothing.” She didn’t want to tell Brody that she’d had an interesting conversation with his older brother, that he’d told her things Brody hadn’t bothered to mention. Even now, as she looked into his eyes, Payton saw him differently.
He wasn’t just an object of her desire anymore. He was a man with a real life, a life that hadn’t gone exactly as planned. But then, her life wasn’t exactly a fairy-tale, either. Payton smiled.
She felt his eyes on her naked body and a moment later his hands smoothed over her breasts and down her belly. The sensation was like nothing she’d ever felt before. His touch was warm yet cold, fleeting yet so stirring. Every sensation seemed magnified by the water, her skin slick and prickled with goose bumps.
When he touched her between the legs, a tiny moan slipped from her throat. His caress was so light, so skilled that Payton felt the rise of her need almost immediately. Her eyes still closed, she gave herself over to the feeling. The water lapped around her body, her skin chilly in the late-afternoon air.
She still couldn’t understand how easy it was with Brody. She wanted him and he wanted her. They satisfied each other in the most basic way, driven purely by sexual desire. And yet, there was an intimacy growing between them, a trust that seemed strengthened by their passion.
He slipped a finger inside her and she felt herself losing control. And then, a heartbeat later, Payton dissolved into spasms of pleasure. She arched back as the orgasm rocked her body and for a moment, she sank beneath the surface.
But then Brody grabbed her and pulled her up against his chest. Payton coughed and sputtered. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her heart slamming. Another shudder shook her body and he held her tight.
“Are you all right?” Brody asked, brushing the wet hair away from her face.
She nodded, wiping the water from her eyes. Then she began to giggle and couldn’t seem to stop. The things Brody did to her were scandalous-she felt wicked when she was with him. Payton kissed him hard. “I think you’re more dangerous than the crocodiles. But what a wonderful way to go.”
THERE WERE TIMES-though not many-when Brody truly did appreciate the beauty of the outback. He stared up at the inky-black sky, picking out the constellations that he recognized as the moon slowly rose. “Look,” he said, pointing to a shooting star. “Quick, make a wish.” He drew Payton closer, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. “Got it?”
She nodded as she lay beside him on his bedroll. “The stars are different here.”
He pointed into the darkness. “There’s the Southern Cross. And the Milky Way.”
“No Big Dipper. Or Orion.”
“We have Orion,” he said. “In the summer. Orion is upside down here. Standing on his head.” He rolled onto his side to face her. “It’s not much, but it’s all the station has to offer for entertainment.”
“The swim and the sunset and the stars were perfect,” Payton said softly.
“Better than all those balls and cotillions you used to go to?”
“Much better,” she said, turning to face him. “And I didn’t go to that many balls. Well, maybe I did. But my mother was into those kinds of things. High society and all that. Her one goal in life was to find me a good husband.”
“And now you’re here in low society with me.”
