The Adventure of a Lifetime Page 3

  I thought about this for a second or two. I hadn’t had a lot of relationships, maybe only about seven of them in my entire dating history. Every single one of those guys had come after me first, and every single one of them had ended up cheating on me.

  Even my ex had cheated on me. Instead of trying to work with me on saving our marriage, the day he was served with the divorce papers, he slept with one of our friends. Now he was engaged to one of his co-workers, whom he was always working late nights with. I wondered if they had been doing it the whole time we were married. There had been a lot of late nights and business trips between those two.

  It didn’t bother me. I had no desire to be with him, anyway. I only thought about saving the marriage because my mother had pushed me on the matter. Jen interrupted my recollections.

  “Cassidy, you need to step up and go for it. You can do whatever you want down here, and no one will ever find out. I’m not saying fall in love with him. I’m saying fuck the shit out of him and have some fun. Live it up for once in your life. You always do the right thing. This time, do the wrong thing. Be a bad girl.”

  Jen never used my full name, unless she really meant what she was saying. I was always just Cassie. I was beginning to think she was right. I had three weeks to have the adventure of my lifetime. Was I restricted to hiking, snorkeling, and seeing the wildlife? I was thinking I might want to be the wildlife for once. I raised my glass. “Here’s to me trying to be bad. I’m gonna go for it.”

  Jen followed my lead and raised her glass, too. “Thank God. You need a good lay. Here’s to not being a blucker, but being a fucker.”

  “Bludger. I think you meant bludger.”

  “It didn’t rhyme.” We laughed hysterically, clinked our glasses, and downed our drinks.

  “What the hell is this? It’s amazing!” I exclaimed.

  “It’s an Australian Virgin.” It was Luke who answered. Jen and I exchanged a quick glance and giggled. I really hoped he hadn’t heard any of that conversation.

  “I’m hoping someone will pop this virgin’s Australian cherry,” Jen whispered, not very quietly, while motioning to me with her glass.

  “I’m sure that can be arranged,” Luke said smoothly, eyeing me. His gaze was burning into me. I felt myself blush.

  “I just came by to see if you needed anything else for the evening. I’m sure you’re buggered.”

  “Are you heading to sleep so early?”

  “Nah, if you don’t require my services for the rest of the night, I’m gonna meet my mates for some coldies.”

  “Sounds good. I think we’ll be just fine.”

  I was almost disappointed. I had planned on staying up and talking to him all night—or something along those lines.

  “I’ll see you in the morning, then. Breakfast will be waiting for ya. I thought maybe I’d take you sheilas scuba diving over to Cod Hole to see the giant cod or maybe over to see the Clam Garden.”

  “I’m working tomorrow. But I’m sure Cassidy would love to see your giant cod, or maybe you can see her clam. I mean—she can see the clams.”

  Luke lowered his head and shook it, but I could see a huge smirk spreading across his face. I kicked Jen promptly.

  “I’d love to go with you, Luke, to either of those dive sites. Maybe we’ll have time to go to both. And before you ask me, yes, I’ve been scuba diving before, too.” This time when he looked at me, I sensed there was something more to it. What was I detecting from him?

  “Ace! G’night, ladies.”

  I watched his ass as he left. So did Jen. It didn’t bother me as much this time. Jen and I dined on cheese and drank the entire pitcher of liquor. We giggled and talked about everything, as we always did. Soon I could feel my eyes starting to drift shut, and I knew it was time for me to hit the sheets. “I’m tired. We’ve been out here for hours now. You need to get your beauty sleep, anyway. Don’t want to show up the first morning with huge bags under your eyes.”

  “No, that’s for sure. All right. Grab the pitcher and I’ll get the glasses and tray.”

  Jen headed right to bed, saying something about letting Luke clean up in the morning. I spent a few moments in the kitchen washing the glasses, because I felt bad just leaving things for him to do. It wasn’t my style. Plus, I had a hard time going to bed knowing there were dishes in the sink. Call me anal. I proceeded to my room, changed into a pair of sweat shorts and a cami, and got into bed. Sleep hit me fast.

  I had no idea how long I had been asleep, but I was woken by footsteps. I was disorientated when I opened my eyes, thinking I was in my bed at home and quickly realized where I was. The sound suddenly scared the shit out of me. We were in a secluded area, and alone. Who knew what type of people lurked in the night in Australia. I had no idea what the crime rate was here.

  I jumped out of bed and followed the sounds. They seemed to be coming from the path that led to the beach. I peered beyond the glass, crouching behind the chair in the corner closest to where the path was. I could see someone walking down to the beach. It was definitely not a woman. It must be Luke. What was he doing? I looked at the clock and realized it was three in the morning.

  I opened the glass door to my private deck and quietly stepped outside. I had a perfect view from here, and the moon gave me the light I needed. We were in such a remote area; there was no ambient light from neighboring strip malls like in the states. I looked above me and was amazed at how many stars could be seen. I quickly refocused on Luke.

  He stood on the beach looking out toward the water. His hands were in his back pockets. I thought about walking down to join him, but he seemed to be meditating or thinking.

  A moment later, he began to move, and I realized he had started removing his clothing. Now I really thought about running down there. I watched as he took off his shirt. He went for his shorts. Holy shit, off they came. I was pleasantly surprised to see he was free-balling it. Nope, no budgie smugglers there.

  He stood on the beach naked. Already straining my eyes to see every detail of him, I started to move closer, and that’s when it happened. Tripping over something, I fell flat on my face causing the bushes all around me to rustle. I peered up to see if he had heard me. He was looking in my direction. I didn’t move and kept myself huddled close to the ground, holding my breath. He turned his head back and stepped into the water for a late night swim.

  Then I heard something move right next to me. Being too scared to look, I still wasn’t breathing, but now for a completely different reason. Fully aware that they had snakes and very large spiders down under, I slowly turned my head, but my eyes refused to keep up. Look, damn it, before it kills you. I finally got the nerve. There, sitting beside me, was the biggest fucking dragon I had ever seen. It was a mere two feet from me. And looked to be more than two feet long.

  I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. If I tried to get up and run, would it chase me? If I stayed here really still, would it notice me? I didn’t know what to do. It turned its head and looked at me, and I was off running with everything I could. Stumbling and almost falling over, I caught myself and kept my ground. I kept trying to look back to see if he was pursuing me, but every time I did, I was afraid I’d fall. So I just ran straight to the beach; straight toward Luke.

  “Luke, Luke, help me,” I said in a breathy whisper. There was no air in my lungs to make a sound. I was using every gulp of air to run. He was never going to hear me like that. “Luke, help me,” I finally was able to scream out.

  I lifted my head to see if he had heard me. He was halfway in the water, and had turned to face me. He saw the panic on my face, and he began charging out of the water.

  He got out just as I reached him, so I threw myself into his arms. He wrapped them around me, and pulled me close against him. I could feel the cool water from his body moisten my clothing.

  “What’s wrong? Are you all right, Cassie?” His voice was calm and smooth.

  “There was a giant dragon thing right next to
me. It was huge. It was going to attack me or something.”

  “A dragon? You’re poppin’ a vein over a gonna, love. Lizard Island, remember? There are monitor lizards everywhere. He’s just minding his business, having a midnight snack. I’m wondering what he was doing in your room.”

  Shit. How was I going to get myself out of this one? The lizard was no longer the thing scaring me. Then I felt him chuckle.

  “You knew I was there?”

  “I am very aware of my surroundings, at all times. You have to be around here. I can see great in the dark, and I can hear a pin drop. Were you . . . watching me?”

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t spying on you.”

  “I’m sure you weren’t. No apologies needed. I’m not shy when it comes to my doodle.”

  Suddenly I was very aware I was still clinging to this very hot, very naked man. “About that. I should probably let you get back to your swim. I’m being horribly inappropriate. I don’t want to get you in any trouble with work.”

  “We’re not like the States down here. Anything goes as long as you have two willing mates. There’s at least one here right now. But you’re right. I’d better let you go before I crack a fat, and then we’ll both be in trouble,” he said with a sultry smile.

  If crack a fat meant he was getting hard, then he was already well on his way. He tightened his grip around me for a moment and then released me with a low growl. I felt my gaze wandering down for the money shot as he moved away from me, but he quickly turned and ran into the water to swim back out. I would have followed him, but a night swim was not on my list of adventures just yet.

  Luke, however, was moving up the list quickly. Getting back to sleep was not going to be easy, knowing his fine, naked body was so close. Now I had felt it against mine, and I wanted to feel it for real, not just because I was poppin’ a vein. Actually, poppin’ his vein sounded pretty good right now. I rolled my eyes at myself, turned and headed back to my bed alone. Did he say there was one willing mate? I’d spend my time falling back to sleep pondering it.

  The rest of the night passed uneventfully. I dreamed of Luke throughout the night. I almost didn’t want to wake up when Jen jumped on my bed at sunrise.

  “Rise and shine! We survived our first night in the bush.”

  “I don’t think this is technically the bush.”

  “Anything in your bush last night?”

  “Really? You’re slut-talking first thing?”

  “Oh, please. When am I not? Now get up, we can sit on the deck and watch the sunrise.”

  I stretched, rolled out of bed, and threw my hair up in a loose, messy bun. We headed out to the deck, and Luke was already there waiting for us.

  “G’day. I hope you slept well and no monsters gotcha in the night.” He was staring at me with a one-sided smirk. I smiled back and winked. Jen either didn’t notice our exchange or chose to ignore it.

  “I chose a traditional brekkie for you. I know everyone needs a quickie this morning.”

  I shot my gaze to him. Yeah, he could give me a quickie any time he wanted.

  “Here ya go, right nice warm damper with billy tea. I’ve got golden syrup, butter, and vegemite. You can choose what spread ya want on it. I suggest butter and either of the others with it.”

  “Vegemite. Not something I’ll be spreading on anything.” This was not Jen’s first trip to Australia. She had been in Sydney for a fashion show a few years back when she was still on the catwalk. I remembered her describing it as tasting like tar.

  “I think it sounds wonderful. What time are we going today?” I was excited to spend my day with him, seeing everything and anything he was willing to show me.

  “I’m loading up my Jeep while you eat. I’ll be ready to go when you are. The earlier we go the better. The dive boats go out around noon, so we should have the place to ourselves this morning.”

  “Sound great. I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Me, too. Give me a shout when you’re ready.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  Luke left us.

  “Oh, I bet by this afternoon you’ll be shouting—more like screaming. Oh, Luke, Oh, Luke, dive deeper!”

  “Really? What kind of girl do you think I am?”

  “A bad one. Remember, do everything I would do.”

  I proceeded to shove my damper down my throat so I could get to Luke faster. Jen just sipped her billy tea and watched me gorge myself. I shot up as soon as I was finished and rushed to get ready. I chose a teal bikini with a Hawaiian-print sarong. If I blended into the water, White Death wouldn’t be able to see me. Camouflage was the plan. Plus, I looked hot in this particular number. It accentuated my rack.

  I decided to head over to his bungalow instead of making him come back for me. It was a short walk, and I was enjoying looking at the birds and foliage.

  His bungalow was adorable. It sat back into the brush, and you could see it was just enough space for one person. His door was open, so I gave a rap on the wall, poking my head in to see how he lived. It was a bachelor pad, but pretty tidy. He seemed to be a minimalist.

  “Luke? Are you in here?”

  He came out from what I could only guess was his bedroom. He had no shirt on, but carried it in his hands. He came over and pulled me into a hug. He did smell good. He pulled back without letting go and looked down at me. “You’re ready for adventure, yeah? Think you can keep up? I have yet to meet my match.”

  Was he talking about scuba diving or something else? My mind began racing at what he meant by it. Then I heard Jen’s voice in my head saying to just go for it. I pushed my body against his.

  “I’m ready for whatever you want. I’m all yours. And no worries, I’ll keep up.”

  There was that sexy smirk. “I look forward to it, then; every bit.”

  We just stood there. I wanted to kiss him. I could feel my eyelids getting heavy with lust, and I parted my lips. The draw to him was indescribable. I had never felt a pull to a man like this before.

  “Cassie, if we don’t get moving right now, I don’t think I’m going to let you leave my place.”

  I felt a tickle wash through my body, and I took a quick gasp of breath. I had to mentally pry my hands off him. His hand remained on my waist as he led me out the door and to his Jeep.

  It wasn’t a long drive, and soon we were pulling up to an open area in the bush. We got out, grabbed the equipment, and I followed him down to the water. There was a small outboard motorboat on the sand. He dropped everything in and then motioned for me to get in.

  “How far are we going?” I asked, as he pushed the boat into the water and jumped in.

  “All the way, I hope.” He started the motor, and we were off. All righty, then. This man obviously wanted me—all these little hints he was dropping. He wasn’t being completely forward, but he was certainly not hiding his intentions. It didn’t take long to get to our destination. I had spent most of my time looking into the water in search of colorful fish.

  “This is Ribbon Reef, and Cod Hole is the best place on it to dive. Do you need any help with your gear?” I thought about saying yes, just so he’d be close to me, but I couldn’t trust myself not to throw him down in the boat and have my way with him right there.

  “I think I got this one.” We geared up. He slid over to secure a weight belt to me, and then dropped a diving flag tied to a line into the water.

  “You’re a light, little thing. Don’t want you floating away. He grabbed a dive box and over the side he went. I mimicked him, and soon we were both in the water.

  “Ready?”

  “I’m ready.” We put our masks on and regulators in, and we entered Cod Hole. This place was amazing. I had never seen so many colors. I now understood why the Great Barrier Reef was one of the premier dive destinations in the world. It was absolutely breathtaking.

  I felt Luke grab my arm, and he pulled me with him to the sandy bottom. He knelt on one knee and nestled my side in between his legs. My whole body wa
s tingling; the view, the excitement, being close to him. My heart was racing. I held on to his knee as he reached into the dive box and released what seemed to be a puff of smoke into the water.

  Within moments I saw something dark out of the corner of my eye. It was gigantic. I closed my eyes tight and waited for the pain. I felt Luke give me a bit of a shake. I opened my eyes to find myself face-to-face with the largest grouper-type fish I had ever seen. It was bigger than me. Hell, I think it was bigger than Luke and I put together. He grabbed my hand and shoved it into the box. I’d rather he had shoved it into his pants, but the day was young. I grabbed a piece of fish and let it go in front of us. The large cod ate it up and then circled back for more.

  Suddenly all my fear was gone. I was so lost in this underwater paradise. Before long, there were several cod floating around us, as well as a multitude of other brightly colored fish. Luke pushed away from me and began to take pictures of me with an underwater camera attached to his dive belt. There I was in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef, on my own, feeding giant fish.