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“Maddox?”
“Yeah, Calvert?” he asks as we both stare at the view straight ahead.
“I burned my hand, but I didn’t burn my tongue. I thought you were so hot that I couldn’t talk.”
One second, Maddox stares at the horizon with his hands on his hips. The next second, my eyes blur as he spins me to face him, turns his ballcap backward on his head, tilts my chin up with one hand, and cups the back of my head with the other. “Then your tongue is just fine? Good.”
He brings his lips down to mine, and I reach for his face, running my hands up his sandpapery jaw as I melt into the kiss. His lips are warm and gentle, not aggressive or pushy. It’s a sweet kiss without tongue or urgency at first, and I lean forward so our chests touch, encouraging him to push his tongue into my mouth.
I move my hands to his hair sticking out of his hat and run my fingers through the softest hair I’ve ever felt on a man. It feels like down or soft cotton sheets. When I’ve had my fill of his hair, I run my hands down those impressive shoulders, squeezing lightly to feel them in my palm, and then moving over his pecs until I grip his shirt in my fist. He tests my mouth with his tongue, and I open for him, eager to feel his mouth every place he wants to put it.
He tastes salty, like the sweat from his upper lip dripped onto his mouth. Before I can wonder if my mouth tastes the same, he breaks our kiss and drops small kisses on my lips as he rubs his nose against mine.
What do you say to the best kiss you’ve ever had in the most beautiful place you’ve ever been kissed?
“I need to go to the bathroom,” I mutter and instantly grimace as he chuckles against my nose.
“It’s about a twenty-minute hike that way.” He nods to the left and gets the water bottle I didn’t even notice he dropped. Taking a swig from it, he holds out his hand for me, kisses it, and turns to lead me to the bathroom. “Unless you want to use a bush.”
“No way, and that’s disrespectful to the Aborigines that hold this place as holy. I’m terrified anyway.”
“Snake fear?”
“What if one bites me in the ass like you hear about in movies? You’d have to watch me die in front of you.”
A wry smile creeps over his face as we walk down the rocky trail, kicking pebbles out of the way as we go. “Nah. I wouldn’t let you die, but I’ll need your permission to suck the poison out of your ass.”
“Permission to suck my ass granted.”
Fear of Flying
“Absolutelynot.”
“Why not?” Maddox asks as I stare at the gray helicopter grounded about twenty feet in front of me.
“I’m terrified of heights. You should know that about me by now.”
Maddox rubs a hand down his cheek. “That seems a little unfair since we just met a few days ago. I can’t possibly know everything I need to know about you, Calvert. I thought it would be a fun surprise.”
“It’s a death wish.”
Jesus, I sound like my mother. I clear my throat and shove my hands in the pockets of my khaki shorts to keep them from shaking. I should get on the helicopter just to spite Maddox. If we go down in a spinning ball of fire, at least he’ll spend his last seconds alive feeling sorry that he put me in this situation. Sure, I’d be dead, but knowing he felt guilty would be a great consolation.
A man sits in the front of the helicopter, wearing a helmet with a microphone and aviator glasses. He doesn’t wave us over or tell us to get in. He waits like he’s waiting for a signal from Maddox, which seems weird. Usually, these are done in tour groups. At least, that’s what I know from my research for the magazine. They’re also about five hundred bucks a pop, and that’s the per person in a group price. Did no other tourist book for today so we could get our own ride?
“I worked really hard to get this,” Maddox mumbles next to me. “I wanted to show you Uluru from the air.”
“I can’t afford a helicopter tour on my budget. I thought you said you were staying on yours.”
“I, uh, used a special deal I found on a travel website.”
I squint into the sun that’s behind Maddox’s face. I can’t make out his features, but something seems weird because he won’t meet my eyes. “What kind of deal?”
He rubs the back of his neck like he’s embarrassed and looks away from me. “Well, I bought a t-shirt, and then I purchased a raffle ticket to win a helicopter ride.”
“A raffle ticket after you bought a t-shirt?” I drawl.
“Yep.” He smiles and throws his hands open. “I won! How about that?”
