BEFORE

Chapter 21

JESS

So last night didn't live up to expectations.

I was still a virgin. A frustrated virgin.

On the upside? I'd had the most intense orgasm of my life.

Because I knew Jack had been listening.

I'd done it on purpose, hoping to drive him insane. Hoping he'd give in to the obvious attraction sizzling between us and finally have sex with me. But the guy had the willpower of a saint.

Worse? I'd woken to find him cuddling me, the tenderness in his eyes almost making me bawl.

So he liked me. Really liked me. But because of some misplaced chivalry he wouldn't touch me. If only we had more time together. If only I didn't have to fly home today.

The moment I thought it, the solution flickered to life again...

I could stay.

I'd contemplated it a few times, before dismissing it as a clingy act of desperation.

Absolute insanity, giving up my life back home to stay in Australia on a whim, but I could do it. If Jack wanted me to. And what was the likelihood of that?

"Idiot," I muttered, grabbing a roll of toilet paper and heading off to find a private spot in the bush. After the requisite scanning of the surrounding area for any animals/reptiles/bugs that could bite my ass, I quickly finished my business, used the sanitary hand lotion and headed back to camp, to find Jack had already dismantled the tent and packed everything away.

So much for him wanting me to stick around. He couldn't wait to get back to the homestead so I could leave for good.

"Come on. We've got a five minute walk to reach the best spot to watch the sun rise." He held out his hand and I didn't hesitate. I slipped my hand into his, relishing the contact.

I was such a sucker. Guess this was what love did to a girl.

Love?

I didn't love Jack. I couldn't.

Shit.

What if I did?

I blamed the sudden nausea on the fact I hadn't had any breakfast yet, but as we stopped at a rocky outcrop overlooking burnished copper plains as far as I could see, I knew my queasiness had more to do with the realization I'd fallen in love for the first time, with a guy who lived a world away.

"The perfect vantage point." He tugged me down and we sat cross-legged, side by side, as the sun peeped over the horizon. "I discovered this place by accident a few months ago, when I first arrived."

"It's beautiful," I said, staring at his profile and not the sun.

"I've come out here a few times, to clear my head."

I watched the tension bracketing his mouth soften as the sun continued to creep into the sky, bathing us in a breathtaking mauve, gold and sienna kaleidoscope.

"Don't you ever get lonely, doing stuff like this on your own?"

He glanced at me, a puzzled frown creasing his brow. "I like my independence. I learned pretty early on to depend on no one but myself." He paused, and his frown cleared. "But I have to say, having you with me, has made this time pretty special."

"I knew you liked me," I said, halfway between teasing and triumphant.

"'Course I like you."

I only just caught his muttered, "Too much for my own good."