Australian Quinns. Kate Hoffmann

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.”

      She shook her head. “I’m exactly where I want to be.”

      “And how long will you be here?” Brody asked, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger.

      “I hadn’t thought about it. I came in on a tourist visa, so I have three months.” She shook her head. “I like it here. I’m not leaving anytime soon.”

      He drew a deep breath. “Don’t you think about going home? To your family and friends?”

      She turned her attention back to the stars and Brody sensed she was avoiding his question. She seemed to be reluctant to talk about what had brought her to Oz. He suspected she wasn’t just a student touring the country. If she came from a wealthy family, what was she doing working for slave wages on a cattle station? And why had she run out of money so quickly?

      “You don’t belong here,” he said.

      “I don’t have anyplace else to be right now,” Payton replied.

      “I don’t believe that. What are you running away from, Payton?”

      “Nothing,” she said. She glanced over at him. “Really. Nothing.”

      “Talk to me,” Brody said, suddenly desperate to know more. Sooner or later, the sex wouldn’t be enough. And if there was nothing else to hold her here, to keep her in Australia, she’d leave.

      “There’s nothing to say,” she insisted. “And what difference does it make, anyway?”

      He’d always been realistic about his relationships with women. He’d been an enthusiastic lover, romantic when the time called for it, and supportive if required. But he’d never surrendered his heart, never allowed himself to get too close.

      Yet the intimacies he’d shared with Payton made him want more. He needed to know who she was and where she came from. He longed to know how she felt about him. Why was she here and how long would she stay? “Fine,” he muttered. “And I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised if I wake up one day and you’ve just moved on.”

      “I wouldn’t do that,” she said. “I’d say goodbye.”

      “Well, that’s nice to know.” Brody couldn’t keep the sarcasm from his tone. He pushed to his feet and walked over to the edge of the pond, the moonlight gleaming on the water. He grabbed a small pebble and threw it into the pond, hearing the plunk before the ripples glimmered in the dark.

      He closed his eyes when he felt her hand on his back. “I don’t understand what you want,” she said.

      “I don’t know what I want.” He turned and pulled her into his embrace. How could he answer that? All he knew was he didn’t want to hold anything back. He wanted honesty and openness and complete surrender. But then, he hadn’t been honest with her. Perhaps that’s where it would have to start.

      The problem with his story was it really didn’t make him look good. He hadn’t planned well for his future, he’d bet everything on a successful football career. And then, in one incredible act of stupidity, he’d blown it all.

      “We should go back,” he said. “It’s starting to get really cold and I don’t want to you catch a chill.”

      He rolled up his swag and retied it onto the back of his saddle, then took her hand and led her over to his horse.

      She looked up at him and forced a smile. “Thank you for bringing me here. It was fun.”

      Grasping her waist, Brody helped her up into the saddle. After he mounted, he turned the horse toward the house. Payton leaned back against him and he turned his face into her damp hair, inhaling her scent.

      “Stay with me,” he said.

      “I’m not going to leave.”

      “I mean tonight. Stay with me tonight.”

      “Not tonight,” she said.

      “I want you with me,” he said. “I don’t like sneaking around. We’re not doing anything wrong, why do you act as if we are?”

      “Because it’s just between us right now,” she said. “Nothing can mess it up if it’s just us. I’ve known you for three days, Brody. We should at least try to take a few things slowly, don’t you think?”

      This was exactly why he couldn’t be friends with a woman. He didn’t understand the reasoning. It was all right to have sex in the stable, but not in his bed. Everyone on the station knew what was going on between them, but pretending that nothing was happening made more sense.

      Arguing