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I chuckled. It was a brilliant array of orange, reds, yellows, all reflecting off pillows of dark clouds. “Ah, the famous Darwin sunset. Pretty, huh?”
“There’s a warm updraft rolling in. There’ll be lightning for sure.”
I took the pizza and opened the sliding door. “Then let’s go watch the show.”
It was hot outside, even as the sun was setting, but the sheen of sweat on Jeremiah’s skin made it worthwhile. The colours of the sunset and the threatening storm made him look even more beautiful.
“Want another beer?” I asked.
“Uh, sure,” he replied, just as his phone beeped. He’d had a few messages, which he’d groaned at and ignored, but this time he sighed. “It’s my boss. Telling me to ignore the earlier messages because they’ve just realised that I’m not in the office. After a week, mind you.” His eyes met mine. “Can we go back to the middle of nowhere where there’s no phone service? Or should I just lob this into the ocean?” He held his phone as if about to throw it.
I grabbed his hand and put it around my waist, leaning against him and giving him a soft kiss. “So don’t go back.”
He rolled his eyes. “While that sounds all good and well, I believe reality beckons.”
I lifted his chin, brushing my nose against his. “What awaits you in Melbourne?” I kissed his lips, down his jaw. “A job you hate.”
“A job I love, work colleagues I hate.” His breath caught when I bit his earlobe. “My father.”
That made me pause. I sighed and pulled away. “Yeah, sorry. I forgot. I just... I just don’t want our time together to end just yet.”
He studied my eyes, searching for something. “I’m trying to decide if you’re pranking me. My dating history would tell me yes, but then you seem so sincere. I’d like to think you’re different...”
I sighed, reining in my temper because his knee-jerk reaction to being ridiculed wasn’t about me.
“Jeremiah,” I murmured. “I am sincere. And clearly I am different to the arseholes you’ve dated before. I’m sorry they made you doubt me.”
“It’s not you,” he said apologetically.
“I know.”
“But...” He ran his hand through his hair, then used it to wave me up and down. “But you’re perfect. Gorgeous, rich, successful. And I’m...”
“You’re what?”
“Me.”
“You,” I said, pointing my finger and lightly jabbing him in the chest with every point I made. “You who earned a doctorate probably a decade sooner than any of the pricks you work with. You, who shows absolutely zero fear. You, with the bluest blue eyes that give me butterflies. And you, who earlier ate my arse and gave me the best orgasm of my life. That same you?”
He almost smiled, clearly not very adept at taking compliments. “The best orgasm, huh?”
“Uncontested.” I ran my hand over his heart, up to his jaw, and made him look at me. “What you did to me earlier? It’s no wonder I want you to stay. Honestly, if you do go back to Melbourne, I might have to come visit a few times a year just so you can do it again.”
He chuckled, his eyes warm. Then licked his lips, wincing, and turned to the ocean. “Lightning.”
And sure enough, the clouds over the bay lit up. A deafening crack of thunder ripped through the sky, and while most normal people would have run for cover, Jeremiah turned to face it. Several bolts of lightning hit the water, less than a kilometre away. Furious and frightening, the storm broke and rain poured.
Jeremiah smiled.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
JEREMIAH
“Hi, Dad. It’s me,”I said, my phone to my ear. I was standing at the glass doors overlooking the ocean, only from inside where it was air conditioned, because this Darwin heat was no joke. Even at 8:00 am. I’d left Tully in the shower upstairs, and I could hear him singing from where I was. Maybe the hand job after breakfast made him too happy...
“I was wondering when I’d hear from you. How’s your trip?”
“Yeah, it’s great. Back in Darwin now. Had no phone service all week, sorry.”
