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“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of thunder?” she asked, unable to stop a cheeky smirk. She wracked her memory banks to see if she could remember a time she’d spent with him during a thunderstorm, but came up blank.
“No, I’m not.” Aaron purposefully dropped his hat beside his swag and began to remove his boots one at a time.
“Yes, you are,” she crowed, suddenly delighted to find something this big, strong, no-nonsense man was afraid of. “Don’t worry, I can hold your hand, if you like.” What could Aaron possibly find scary about a summer storm? She thought it was wild and beautiful.
“Just get in your swag, so I can turn the flashlight off,” Aaron growled, not quite able to meet her eye.
She did as she was instructed, unzipping the swag and laying it open, but couldn’t keep the silly smile off her face. It’d cool off during the night, but at the moment, with the clouds keeping in the heat and raising the humidity, she was going to sleep with the swag open and only a sheet to cover her. A lot of the modern swags were almost a miniature tent; they had a roof and a small fly. But at Stormcloud, they used the basic version that bushies had been using for decades. It was essentially a large sheet of waterproof canvas wrapped around a thin mattress made up with sheets, blankets, and a pillow, which could be rolled up and tied into a bundle. If it rained, you pulled the canvas over your head to keep you dry. It was simple, but it worked a treat. Her swag had a slightly more modern twist, in that it had a zip to keep it closed and a small metal tripod that could be erected over her head to keep the canvas off her if it rained. Aaron had laid out the beds side by side beneath the white tree trunk. She toed off her boots and put them near her head, so they were easy to find in the morning.
“Just so you know, I’ll be sleeping in my underwear tonight,” she said sweetly, then slowly undid her jeans and teasingly wiggled them down to reveal her thighs, then calves, then finally she kicked them off. She had no idea why she suddenly wanted to act the provocateur. But whatever had prompted her, the way Aaron’s eyes widened with surprise—and something else—was more than gratifying. In another exaggerated move, she took the small canister of pepper spray out of the front pocket and held it aloft, for him to see, then placed it inside one of her boots, within easy reach should she need it during the night, which she wouldn’t. Folding her jeans, she shoved them down the bottom of her swag; it was the only sure way to keep the creepy crawlies out of them. Prudence got the better of her at the last second, and she decided to keep her T-shirt on. She’d remove her bra once she was in bed. Then she hunkered down into her bed with a sigh, propping herself up on her elbow to watch him.
Without a word, Aaron unsnapped the small gun and removed the ankle holster, and then he also shucked his jeans in one efficient movement, revealing powerful thighs tapering down to muscular calves. Her mouth went suddenly dry at the sight. Uh-oh, she should’ve thought about that before she chose to tease him. Then, in an equally methodical move, he pulled his T-shirt over his head, so that he was standing in only boxer shorts. A flash of lightning lit up the sky, showing off his Adonis chest and muscular arms to full extent. Oh, shit. Julie licked her lips. He was absolutely stunning.
It was his turn to smirk at her as he stepped into his own bed and slithered into it. But then another loud crack of thunder rumbled overhead, and Aaron ruined his sexy pretense by grimacing and ducking his head.
“Are you sure you don’t want to hold my hand?” she said again, meaning it this time. Poor guy, he really did seem to be afraid of thunder.
“No, thank you.” His voice was deep and gravelly, which did nothing to quell her lustful thoughts.
To distract herself from her contemplation of his impressive chest, she asked the first question that popped into her head. “Where did you get that scar? The one through your eyebrow?”
“This?” Aaron touched the scar with his finger.
“Mmm-hmm. You didn’t have it back when… I was just curious,” she finished haltingly.
He hesitated for a split second, as if deciding how to answer. “I hit my head on the steering wheel when I crashed my car.”
“You crashed your car? When?” She leaned toward him on her elbow, fascinated.
Again, that slight hesitation. “The night I left Dalgety.”
“What?” Julie was flabbergasted. “How?”
“I was angry, and I misjudged a corner, that’s all.”
“What were you angry about?” This was the essence of the problem. If he’d only tell her what had made him so angry that he’d up and left without saying goodbye. Was it something she’d done? She doubted it, he’d kissed her sweetly on the lips as he’d climbed out of her window that night, promising to see her in the morning. But he’d never returned. Something had happened that night, and she needed to know what.
“That’s my secret, Captain. I’m always angry,” Aaron answered in a deep, accented voice.
What? He was quoting The Hulk at her, now? “That’s bullshit, Aaron, and you know it,” she replied. “Tell me what really happened,” she demanded.
Aaron narrowed his eyes at her challenging tone. She was becoming angry, too, and he could probably see the conflict in her eyes. How dare he be so flippant?
Another flash of lightning illuminated the scrubland, followed by a growl of thunder a few seconds later. The storm was moving away. Soon, it’d be dissolving on the far horizon, all that hot air and pent-up emotion finally spent. Because she was watching Aaron’s face intently, she saw him flinch at the sound. He really was afraid of thunder. The realization flushed all the building anger from her veins. Aaron rolled over with a grunt to face away from her, and she was left in no doubt that was the end of the conversation.
But she was determined it was only just the beginning.
