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‘Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?’ Popping his headset on, he began flicking switches.
Vibrations pulsed through her as the rotors whirred to life. The deep whop-whop echoed all around them, stirring up a cloud of dust. Pressing her feet into the floor, she felt her stomach lurch as they quickly rose into the sapphire blue sky. The landing pad dropped swiftly away, as did her stomach.
‘You good?’ Connor’s husky voice crackled within the headphones.
She nodded. ‘Right as rain.’ No way was she going to admit her heart was racing like a startled horse.
As Connor achieved altitude and levelled off, Samantha found herself totally lost in the view. Up here, they were truly alone. At peace. Perspective really was everything. Swooping over the top of a mountain, Connor dipped a little closer to the ground. The lines of the creeks and fences, the slope and rise of the hills: Gum Tree Gully was like an open book from this height. Seeing the countryside from above put a whole new scope on the vastness of the land she’d once ridden wild and free on horseback. It was awe-inspiring and timeless; she wanted to reach out, craving to touch every square inch of it. She yearned to grab the dirt and bury it inside of her, so she’d remember the feel of the country she was eternally connected to beneath her skin when she landed back on UK ground. Then, before she knew it, way too soon they were landing and she was surprised to find herself wobbly-legged when Connor helped her out and her feet hit the ground.
‘That was great fun, thanks.’ She smiled broadly.
‘Good, I’m glad you enjoyed it.’ He brushed her windblown hair from her face and tucked it behind her ears. ‘You ready for that swim now?’
‘Mm-hmm, I sure am.’ All she wanted to do right now was kiss the heck out of him.
Ten minutes later, and Connor was stripped down to his board shorts, and man oh man, she was having a mighty hard time keeping her eyes from his tanned, muscular chest, and instead on the gleaming dam.
‘Race you, Evans,’ he said, his expression challenging.
Stripping her dress off, she tossed it onto the picnic blanket. ‘You’re on, Gunn.’
After running a few steps, with her laughter catching on the breeze, Samantha dived into the cooling water right alongside Connor. They were almost always in sync. Arms stretched out, she dived deeper, her feelings for Connor doing the exact same thing. And after touching the bottom, she rose to the surface and met with his spirited, encompassing gaze. They shared a long moment of silent connection as she treaded water, then with a hint of a smile, he disappeared back beneath the surface, only to emerge a few metres away from her. Samantha couldn’t help but keep sneaking glances in his direction. Even though he was heart-stoppingly good-looking, this feeling she had for him went way beyond the flesh. After last night, she knew parts of herself had retreated so she wasn’t left vulnerable, but that didn’t mean she didn’t still feel as strongly for him. On the contrary, she loved him all the more for having the strength to put the brakes on, to do the right thing, to love her the way she should be loved. Needing a moment to herself with the contemplation, she breathed in deep, allowing the support of the water to offer her buoyancy. As she floated aimlessly, peacefully, contentedly, the sunshine warmed her front, as the water cooled her back.
Her eyes closing, she sighed – this was living. She could do this all day long. Lost in her thoughts, she jumped when Connor’s fingertips brushed against hers. She willingly embraced the hint of intimacy. Their touch was so simple, yet it was a momentous gesture. She knew then and there that she was done for. That he’d won her over good and proper. Her place was here, in Gum Tree Gully, with him. She just had to find a way to make it so, sooner rather than later.
‘You enjoying yourself, Sammie Samsung?’
Turning her cheek to him, she cleared her throat in a bid to free her voice, but he beat her to it.
‘Because to me, it looks like you’re having the time of your life.’ His voice had deepened and his usual husky rasp was more pronounced.
‘You know what,’ she rolled over and started treading water again, ‘I am having the time of my life.’ His smile enticed more of an explanation. ‘I didn’t know just how much I wasn’t living, and how unhappy I was, until coming …’ She swallowed down a lump of emotion. ‘Home.’
‘Home, hey?’ His all-encompassing smile was wickedly sexy.
‘Yes, home.’ She liked the way it sounded, and how her heart and soul felt at peace when she said it.
‘Well, as they say, Sammie, home is where the heart is.’
‘Indeed, it is.’ She swam towards him, and pecked a kiss on his cheek in passing. ‘I’m starving, how about you?’
‘I could eat the arse out of a cow, so yeah, pretty much the same.’
‘You and your descriptions,’ she said, laughing. ‘They seriously crack me up.’
‘Good, because I like seeing you happy.’ He climbed back onto dry land beside her.
Watching him, dripping with water, his hair shaggy and his arresting gaze glued to her, Samantha was sure her cheeks were as red hot as her libido as they made their way over to the blanket, got comfy and dug into the goodies basket.
Grabbing two beers from the esky, Connor twisted the lids off, then passed one to her. ‘To happiness and living to our heart’s content.’ He clinked his longneck with hers.
‘Cheers to that.’ Thirsty after devouring half a packet of salt and vinegar chips, she took a big glug, and then unintentionally burped.
‘Wow, that was a beauty.’
‘Pardon.’ Her hand still over her mouth, she laughed, and then burped again. ‘Ha, oops, always the lady.’
‘More like always the wild child.’ His smile turned deep and meaningful. ‘Which is exactly how I like you to be, Sammie – yourself.’
