Page 74 of Seduction Under the Southern Stars
“That I can promise.”
He sighed as well and ended the call.
Now, Elora sulks a little at the thought of her brother interfering. “I hate them thinking I’m weak and feeble,” she says. “I hate it that men are stronger than me. I wish I was a guy.”
I give her an amused look. “Really?”
Her eyelids lower to half-mast as she studies me. I can’t tell if it’s a moody look or if she’s thinking about sex. “No,” she says after a few moments. She meets my eyes. She’s thinking about sex.
I wait for her to elaborate, but she looks away, out of the window, then says, “Ooh look, mountains!”
We’re flying down the spine of the Southern Alps, which still bear snow on the highest points, including Aoraki Mount Cook. The forked tongue of the Franz Joseph glacier is clearly visible and prompts lots of oohs and aahs from both of us. It’s not long before we see water below us, possibly Lake Hawea or Lake Wanaka, and then we’re flying along the valley of Lake Wakatipu, with the Remarkables mountain range to our right. A few minutes later, we land in Queenstown.
“I’ve hired a car,” I tell Elora as we say goodbye to the attendant and exit the plane.
“Oh, okay! Are we going straight to the hotel?” she asks.
“A bit early yet.” It’s not even midday. “I have something else planned.”
“Oh?”
“I’ll tell you when we get there. Did you bring something warm to wear?”
“I have a sweater, yes. Are we going up the mountains?”
“Not quite.” Grinning as she glares at me, I collect the cases, then head off to the rental car stall.
I went for the top tier set of cars and discover we’ve been given a hybrid Lexus SUV. I sign all the paperwork and give the details of my British driving license, pick up the keys, and we head off to the car park.
The Lexus is a thing of beauty, black and sleek, silent as the grave.
“Very flash,” Elora says, buckling herself in. She gives me an amused look. “You like having money, don’t you?”
“I do, as it happens.” I reverse it out of the parking space and head toward the State Highway. “I think I appreciate it more because I didn’t have any when I was young.”
“That makes sense.” She watches the signposts flash past and obviously realizes we’re heading away from Queenstown town center. “So… can you tell me where we’re going now?”
I give her a mischievous grin. “Kawarau Gorge.”
She frowns. Then her eyes widen as the penny drops. “The bridge? Oh my God, you’re going to bungee jump?”
“We’re going to bungee jump.”
Her jaw drops. “What? I… I couldn’t.”
I reach out and take her hand. “They do a tandem jump. We’ll leap into the wild unknown together.”
She just stares at me. I chuckle and return my gaze to the road. “See how you feel when you get there,” I tell her. “I’m not going to make you do it. But I’d like you to come up with me and listen to them explain how it all works.”
She’s just blinking, and I can see the wheels whirring around in her head. “A… a tandem jump?”
“They strap you up together, very very tightly, apparently.” I lift my eyebrows at her.
“Linc!”
“What? Are you worried about the jump or being strapped to me?”
“Oh my God, both!”
