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We needed to change that.
We needed to discuss our futures. With him in my arms, it all seemed so simple. Yet I had to wonder what the morning light would bring.
He mumbled something into my chest that I didn’t quite catch. “Mm, what did you say?”
“I don’t want to go back,” he murmured. “Stay here with you, forever.”
I smiled into the dark, my arms tightening around him. It sounded so easy when he said it like that. “You make it sound so simple,” I whispered, my heart thumping.
“’Cause it is. Now go to sleep. Busy day tomorrow.”
I chuckled, rubbing his back.
Could it really be that simple?
CHAPTER EIGHT
DEREK
I wokeup hot and sweaty until I realised I was clinging to Paul and he was the reason I was sweating before six o’clock in the morning.
I peeled my skin from his and rolled onto my back, earning myself a sharp ache in my arse. I smiled at the familiar reminder of what we’d done.
Sunlight was beginning to dawn outside, the last day of the tour. I was excited, sure. But more excited about my plan, about my future. And it had been a long time since I’d felt excited about anything.
I rolled out of bed and took a quick shower. I found myself grinning when I remembered the reason why my arse felt wet and slippery. The memory of Paul planting his seed in me burned in my chest, making my whole body tingle.
I couldn’t remember feeling so alive.
I shut the water off, and as I grabbed for a towel, Paul walked in. “Morning,” I said, still smiling.
He squinted one eye at me, his hair sticking up on one side. “Hm. You’re awfully cheerful today.”
“I have every reason to be.”
Paul frowned. “It’s your last day,” he said.
I snorted. “No it’s not.” Then I looked down at his very naked body. Damn, he was so sexy. “Come on, hurry up and get showered, or I’ll end up back in here with you, going for round three. I’ll see if I can figure out the coffee.”
I left him to it, getting dressed and going out to the communal kitchen. I had two brews made just as Paul joined me, right when the sun was coming up. I handed him his cup. “So,” he began, eyeing me cautiously. “Want to explain the good mood?”
“I told you last night,” I said, sipping my coffee. “Today’s not my last day. I’m not leaving tomorrow. It’s that simple.” Then I shrugged. “I mean, there’s more to it than that, and it’s probably more complicated in the details, but the bottom line is I don’t want to leave. I want to be with you. Not just living in Jabiru, like I thought could be a possibility.” Jabiru was the closest town. It made sense, but it wasn’t close enough. “But here, with you. At this camp. Helping you.”
He stared at me.
“Come on, let’s go sit out here,” I said, walking to the chairs that faced the valley below.
I waited for him to join me.
“So that’s your plan?” he asked.
I sighed contentedly, smiling as I sipped my coffee and taking in the glorious sunrise. “Yep.”
“There are permit applications and some pretty strict rules that apply to working out here,” he said. “It’s not a simple procedure. It took weeks for mine to come through. They do background checks—”
“I’m fine with all that.”
“They’ll need valid reasons, economical reasons. My business does okay, Derek, but I don’t know if it can sustain us both.”
