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“Are you sure?” At Georgie’s nod, she said, “Well, it’s a bit of a hike to the top, so you can cool off here before or after, or both. Whatever you— Oh, here it is then,” She finished when she saw Andrew step off the track and down onto the rocks. They all followed, slipping their shoes off at the water’s edge.
Georgie moved away from Sharon and Andrew a little, once they were in the river, and turned to Ryan. Slipped her arms around his waist and pushed up on tiptoe to kiss him. “Thank you.”
“It’s no trouble,” he said, putting his arms around her. Georgie sighed and rested her head on his chest. Nothing was ever too much trouble for him. She felt a sensation move through her, intense and overwhelming. Tightening her arms around his waist she looked up at him. “What is it?” He asked, looking at her with a frown.
Georgie shook off the feeling. “Nothing. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She pulled away. “How lovely is this water, hey?”
“Yeah, it’s great.”
They paddled about for a while, then sat on sun warmed rocks to have drinks and a snack with their feet dangling in the water. From there, they moved further on up the track to a bridge that spanned the river. Georgie paused to read an information panel at the start of the bridge. Once she was finished, she looked up to see Ryan waiting for her in the middle of the bridge. He stood with one hand on the railing, the other on his hip, smiling at her. The river gurgled below him and the trees filtered the sunlight so it lay gently on his face. Her heart squeezed hard and her legs turned to jelly. She forced herself to move forward, pretended her legs weren’t shaking. He watched carefully as she approached him, an enquiring look in his eyes. Without a word, Georgie wrapped her arms around his waist, sighed when he hugged her in return, because she needed it. Desperately. Pulling away, she linked her fingers with his, not looking at him as she turned to walk along the bridge.
Her mind and heart were reeling. She was in love. So deeply in love she couldn’t believe it had taken her this long to realize it. Part of her wanted to take the love and hold it close to her heart. Another part of her wanted to push it away because she didn’t know what it meant for her. For them. She’d never been in love before and the idea terrified her.
CHAPTER25
Georgie tried really hard to act as though she wasn’t in gut churning turmoil over the course of the rest of the day. She felt completely knocked off her stride. So she forced herself to laugh and smile through dinner at the pub in Mossman after they’d finished at the Gorge and again when they’d had an evening swim in the pool with Sharon and Andrew. She’d ended up claiming a headache and gone to bed early, feigning sleep when Ryan joined her. She needed space to deal with the confusion and overwhelm she was experiencing. Throughout all of that, she found Ryan’s eyes on her every so often, watching her closely. Each time, she made herself smile, hoping to reassure him. She was fine, really. It was just that her entire world had been knocked of its axis and she had no idea what to do about it.
She woke in the morning snuggled against Ryan’s side, having gravitated towards him during the night. The morning light was pearly gray as it filtered into the room and the birds had only just begun their song. Georgie raised her head from Ryan’s shoulder to look at him. He looked much younger in sleep, even with the tinge of gray in his stubble. She felt her heart roll over in her chest. God, she loved him. She still hadn’t processed the idea fully, but it was definitely there. The love. Wedged under her heart like it would never leave. Needing to channel the feelings somewhere, she caressed his chest lazily before slipping her hand lower, under the sheet. Ryan shifted when she wrapped her fingers around him, stroking him until he was hard.
Feeling him trailing his hand lazily up and down her body, she lifted up so she was straddling him, pressing kisses to his chest, his neck, his lips. She kept her eyes closed as she lowered herself onto him, too afraid for Ryan to see her heart in her eyes Tangling her tongue with his, she rode him, letting her body take over, setting her roiling mind free for a few brief, blessed moments. Ryan wrapped his arms around her, pushed his hips up to meet hers, holding her close as she came quietly. She kept herself still so he could achieve his own climax, then dropped her head to his chest, lying there for some time, just listening to his heart beating.
“Well, that’s a fine way to wake a man.”
Georgie laughed softly. “Thought you’d like it.” She felt calmer now, more composed and in control of herself, so she raised her head to smile at him. He smiled back, putting his hand on the back of her head to pull her forward so he could brush a light kiss across her lips. “I’m gonna jump in the shower.”
“Okay.”
“Today should be interesting,” she said, on her way to the bathroom.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, I’ve never seen a crocodile in the wild before.”
“Me either. Just make sure you keep all parts of you in the boat at all times. I like your limbs attached. Mostly because I like them wrapped around me first thing of a morning.”
“Haha, me too.” Georgie turned the water on and stepped under the spray. This was good. This was doable. The storming emotions had calmed now and she felt more like her normal self.
* * *
As they made their way to the research center a few hours later, Georgie thought maybe she was going a bit crazy. Everything seemed brighter and clearer today. She felt hyper aware of the bright blue of the sky, the brilliant green of the tropical foliage and the scent of the river when they boarded the boat. She couldn’t seem to keep her hands to herself when it came to Ryan. If he was within reach, she just had to be touching him. If he wasn’t, she had to be looking at him. Ryan didn’t seem to mind, putting his arm around her when they took their seats on the boat and brushing a kiss against her temple.
The cruise down the Daintree River was a once in a lifetime experience. Sharon tooled the boat carefully along the deepest part of the shallow river, talking into the microphone the whole time. About her research and what the donations would mean for the future of the crocodiles that called the Daintree home. Georgie gasped at her first sight of a crocodile in the wild, sunning itself on the riverbank with its mouth hanging wide. “Jesus Christ, would you look at that! He’s huge!”
“That, ladies and gentlemen, is Derek. He’s an impressive twenty feet long and is the king of these here parts. Don’t let folks fool you. Size does matter!” Sharon grinned when everyone laughed.
“She’s good, isn’t she?”
“Aye, she is.”
A bit further on, they saw a baby crocodile. It seemed very small to Georgie, compared to Derek, but Sharon said she was a teenager now and measured just over eight feet, so not much of a baby these days. Georgie took out her phone, leaning across Ryan to take a few pictures. Pulling back, she glanced at him, then went completely still. There was a look in his eyes that went straight through her. Intense and fathomless. She could drown in it, she thought. She forced herself to break his gaze, looking down at her phone, pretending to check the photos she’d just taken. Her heart was beating erratically. When she looked at him again, his expression was neutral. He smiled at her before turning away to look at the scenery. Georgie shivered when she felt his fingers trail along her upper arm in a light caress.
After the boat ride, they had lunch at the research center, then there was time to head back to Sharon and Andrew’s for a swim and a rest. Ryan went off to have a beer with Andrew, leaving Georgie to get ready for the night’s event on her own. She showered, rubbed lotion all over her body, did her best not to flinch at the scars that covered her. Doing her makeup, she eyed the dress that she’d laid out on the bed, muttering to herself. It was a sleek cherry red that hugged her curves without showing an inch of excess skin. Her mind drifted to what she would have chosen if she didn’t need to cover up so much. A thigh skimming, low cut black number. She shied away from the image. Nope, never going to wear that sort of outfit again. Suppressing a sigh, she focused on finishing her makeup.
Ryan arrived in time to throw his suit on and zip her into the dress, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck before he let her go. “You men have it so easy,” Georgie said, rolling her eyes at him.
“Hey, it’s no matter to me if you dress in a tuxedo, flat shoes, your hair barely brushed and no makeup on. I’ll still think you’re the sexiest woman alive.”
“Ha, thanks for that,” Georgie replied, ignoring the flash of doubt she’d felt at his words as they walked out the door. Her heart sank when they entered the research facility and she caught sight of Sharon. She looked stunningly elegant in a sleek black, halter neck dress with a split to her mid-thigh. Glamorous, sophisticated and in control. Georgie held on tighter to Ryan’s hand as they went to greet his ex-wife. She spent the rest of the night glued to his side, feeling a flutter of anxiety when he was pulled away to take part in a group photo of the donors to the center. He was back in less than five minutes, sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her close. Only then did she feel calmer. Jesus, she thought to herself, when in hell had she become so needy?
