7
“PADDLE, PADDLE, PADDLE!” Brody shouted. He gave the surfboard a final shove, sending Payton off into the set of small waves on Cottesloe Beach. They’d practiced on the beach first and then he’d caught a few waves with her in front of him on his board. But she was determined to do it on her own.
“Pop up!” he called.
To Brody’s surprise, she nimbly got to her feet. Steadying herself, she slowly straightened, her arms out to the side. Brody shouted as she rode the wave. There wasn’t much that Payton couldn’t do once she set her mind to something.
She stayed on her feet all the way to the shore, hopping off the board just before she hit the beach. She looked at him, waving and jumping up and down in excitement. Then she turned the board around and paddled back out to him.
The weather was perfect for a winter day in June. The sun was shining but the water was a bit chilly, so they both wore wet suits. Brody had made a gift of the surfboard and wet suit, hoping that they’d be staying in Fremantle long enough to enjoy them.
Life was certainly simpler here than it had been at the station. Their days and nights belonged entirely to them. They strolled the streets, stopping to eat or browse through a shop when they wanted. They went to the movies and a concert in the park and rented bicycles to tour old Fremantle.
Brody had planned a trip to Rottnest Island for the next week, booking a room in the old hotel in case they wanted to spend a few hours alone together during the day. Though he knew she might decide to leave at any time, he wanted to believe she’d still be with him in a week.
They kept themselves busy during the day, but it was the nights that Brody found most satisfying. Blessed with absolute privacy, they had the time to explore the limits of their passion. Sex ranged from a silly romp, to a frantic drive for release, to a slow, methodical seduction-and all in one day.
“Did you see me?”
“I did,” Brody said as she paddled up to him. “You were great.”
“I was! It was so much fun. I want to try a bigger wave.”
“All right, hang on. I’ll just put in your order.” He looked up at the sky. “Can we have some bigger waves, please?”
She splashed water in his face. “I meant, we should go to another beach with bigger waves.”
He splashed her back, then reached out and grabbed her, both of them tumbling off their surfboards. Treading water, Brody pulled her into his arms and kissed her, his mouth searching for hers through the saltwater that dripped from her hair.
There was nothing more satisfying, he mused as he teased at her tongue. The fact that he could kiss and touch her whenever he chose to was something he had come to appreciate. In truth, he couldn’t imagine doing without it.
He drew back and looked down into her eyes. Droplets of water clung to her lashes. “We’ll find some bigger waves tomorrow,” he said. He helped her back onto her board, then straddled his. “We need to get you in to shore and put some sunscreen on your face. You’re starting to burn.”
“Let me try one more wave. Then we can go.”
“Only if you kiss me again,” he said.
She leaned into him, her feet dangling off the sides of her board, and placed a quick kiss on his lips.
He frowned. “You can do better.”
With a dramatic sigh, she leaned in again and this time, treated him to a full-on tongue kiss, her mouth warm against his. She knew exactly how he liked to be kissed and she used that knowledge to her advantage. When she drew back, she arched her eyebrow.
“All right,” he agreed. “One more wave. I’m not going to give you a push this time. I’m just going to tell you when to go.”
She lined her board up, watching over her shoulder as the next set rolled in. “Tell me when,” she said.
“Go,” he said. “Paddle hard. Paddle!”
This time, she got up right away. But she was so excited that she threw her arms over her head and disrupted her balance. She wobbled and then tumbled off the board into the water. Brody waited for her to come up and when she didn’t, he paddled over to her board, cutting through the water in strong, even strokes.
By the time he reached her, she was up and coughing water, clinging to the edge of the board. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “Water up my nose.” She coughed again. “That was bad.”
“You shouldn’t have put your hands up,” he said. “You were doing so well.” He held her board as she climbed back on. When they reached the shore, he helped her tuck her board under her arm before walking onto the beach.
“It’s getting late,” he said. “We should get some lunch.” He jammed the surfboards into the sand, then peeled his wet suit down around his waist.
Payton took a deep breath and turned her face up to the sun. “I love it here. It’s just like California. Only no earthquakes.”
“I wish it was spring,” he said. “We could go bush-walking and see the wildflowers. Western Australia is known for that. Miles and miles of flowers.”
“Maybe we can,” she said.
Brody knew it was just an offhand reply, that her words contained no promises. They hadn’t made any plans or given any pledges to each other, beyond the promise of unbridled passion in the bedroom. He didn’t want to think about that now. Instead, he was determined to show her exactly how much fun life was with him here in Oz.
“What do you want to do with the rest of the day?”
“I want to enjoy the good weather.” She glanced over at him. “I noticed there’s a football game this weekend. Could we go?”
“Why would you want to do that?”
“I’m just curious to see what you used to do for a living.”
“I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “I haven’t been to a game since I got dropped from the club.”
“It’s all right,” she said. “If you don’t want to, we don’t have to.”
He thought about her request for a few seconds. Denying her anything was impossible. And what did he have to lose? It might be fun to explain the game to her. There was nothing quite like Aussie football. “All right. I’m going to call and see if I can get us some decent seats.”
She grinned. “Good.”
“Any other requests?”
“I heard there was a nude beach around here.”
“Yes,” he said. “Swanbourne Beach.”
“I’ve never been to a nude beach. I think I should try it at least once. I was really good at skinny-dipping, so I think I’d do well at the nude beach.”
“You do realize you’d have to take off your clothes and go naked in front of strangers, don’t you?”
“Yes. That’s the point. I’ve never done that. I’m trying new things. Trusting my instincts. And it might feel good, liberating, don’t you think?” She reached out and ran a finger down his chest. “It’ll be fun.”
“No,” Brody said emphatically. “I’m not taking you to Swanbourne. You can go on your own if you like, but I’m not going.”
“Prude,” she teased. “You have a very nice body. And you’re well endowed. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“That’s not it. You know exactly what happens to me when you get naked. And I’m not going to walk around the beach with a throb in my knob.”
“I’d find that visual very entertaining,” she said. She glanced down and fixed her gaze on his crotch.
“Stop,” he said.
“What? I’m not doing anything.”
“Stop it. You’re going to get me all worked up.”
“I’m not doing anything,” she repeated in a voice filled with mock innocence.
“There’s no extra room in this wet suit,” he said. “So just knock it off.”
She looked up at him and gave him a devilish smile. “I have such amazing powers,” she said. “I surprise even myself.”