Cameron of the Skies

4: Secret Laid Bare-2

THE KISS WAS SO UNEXPECTED!

What was that about?

She was dumbfounded but tried not to give it much meaning, especially when he stood up abruptly and thanked her for lunch.

‘You’re welcome,’ she said. She was a little disappointed. Well, no, a lot disappointed when he walked towards the cold creek. Minutes later, she heard the familiar sound of someone splashing in the water.

On the upside, with him swimming, she could sunbathe. In her mind, there was nothing more hideous than wearing the outline of one’s clothes after a day in the great outdoors. So, she removed her sports bra, rubbed sunscreen all over her face and body, and lay on the beach towel.

She wasn’t worried about taking her top off. Deep Creek Hot Springs was a clothing-optional destination in the first place, and generally attracted a vast number of nudists. Luckily, she and Banjo were the only visitors at present. She hoped it stayed that way for the rest of the day.

She had no intention of falling asleep under the intense glare of the San Bernardino sun at high noon but fall asleep she did. The physical exertion of the rock climb yesterday and today’s hike had been enough to cause her to drift into a restful slumber. So, it was thanks to Banjo that she didn’t acquire a nasty second-degree burn under the summer sun.

Nearly half an hour passed when Banjo came out of the water to find her frying. He walked stealthily towards her, the sand cushioning his footfalls. The first thing he noticed was her firm and supple breasts; the roundness and the pinkness of her areola triggered an involuntary reaction in his manhood.

He had seen many pairs of breasts, and he could generally look at them with cool detachment. But these breasts belonged to a face he was attracted to.

Her dark lashes were so luscious and thick. Her abdomen was flat as a pancake and her waistline curved out to a shapely hip, then down to a pair of well-defined legs. He didn’t know how long he stood transfixed, admiring her glorious anatomy. All he knew was that he had to wait to slow his breathing down. He quietly put his pants on, for the simple reason he didn’t think it respectful to wake her up in full view of his hard-on.

He crouched down, lifted the towel to cover her up before waking her.

‘Haven’t you been told in school not to sleep under the sun?’

She was startled and sat up suddenly. Sleepily, she ran both hands over her head, gathering her long hair to her front. ‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘I didn’t mean to fall asleep.’

As he bent down to pick up his shirt, he spotted a tattoo inked on the middle of her back. Concealed under her sports bra had been an image of a Black Hawk, as in the aircraft.

He looked down at the sand beneath his feet.

‘So, when were you going to tell me?’

She tilted her head to imply she didn’t know what he was talking about.

He raised an eyebrow and said, ‘That you’re a pilot.’

‘How did you guess?’

‘Takes one to know one ... No, actually, your body art gave it away.’

Banjo knelt on one knee and passed her tee. ‘Go ahead; I won’t look.’

The comment made her laugh.

He stood up and gazed out at the surrounding outcrops. Deep Creek Hot Springs was in the northern section of the Mojave Desert. The isolation of the area and the sparse vegetation would be a turn off for many, but not for Banjo. There was something about it that felt familiar and inviting.

‘Care to explore?’ he asked.

‘Sure.’

Banjo packed away their things, leaving out only their sun visors, water bottle and a half-empty bag of snake jellies for the exploration.

She pulled out a twenty-megapixel digital camera from a side pocket before Banjo could hide their pack inside a dense shrub.

Photography, he learnt, was her hobby.

She was in her element capturing images of the wilderness. Deep Creek and its major tributary, Holcomb Creek, flowed northward from the San Bernardino Mountains to join with the Mojave River. Both streams surged through rugged, rocky canyons, the waters tumbling and cascading among huge boulders, and pausing in limpid pools as they flowed from the high mountains to the desert. They followed the direction of the creek, noting the changes in vegetation. Conifers and willows were at a higher elevation while the sycamores, cottonwoods, chaparral, desert shrubs and cactus thrived at a lower elevation.

When he wasn’t looking, she sneakily took his pictures. Because of this subterfuge, she had taken plenty of his back, backside and the back of his head. Nevertheless, they were beautiful images.

She had taken one of him from the back, watching a pair of golden eagles flying overhead across a clear azure sky.

She got another with his arms outstretched to the side, palms up, head tilted back as if in meditation with the sun at his three o’clock. The play of light and darkness was beautifully balanced.

But her favourite was a close-up image of his long fingers interlocked behind his head. His hands looked so manly; they had been toughened with work and adventure.

‘Would you like me to take your picture?’ he offered.

She shook her head. ‘I like taking them, but I don’t like being the subject.’

‘Oh, come on, just one,’ he coaxed.

She handed him the camera, but he didn’t take a shot. He wanted her relaxed, unselfconscious, and unaware.

They continued to hike until from a short distance they saw an explosion of desert blooms: yucca plants and cactuses in a burst of colours, with tiny yellow, orange and purple flowers. And wild orchids!

He aimed the camera, with her in focus, catching her in a moment of unbridled joy.

‘I think we’ve been gone long enough. We should head back,’ he said.

They retraced their steps, collected their pack, removed their clothes yet again and swam back across the creek. They had to scramble uphill on the canyon before it levelled out in parts. It would be another two-mile hike back to their vehicle.

They were ambling at a gentle pace, chatting about this and that when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She stopped, dug it out and smiled at the screen before answering.

‘Hey Mum,’ she said sounding euphoric.

Astonished, her mother queried, ‘Where did that come from?’

‘Where did what come from, Mum?’

The woman at the other end laughed.

‘Mum? Where did that come from?’

Her eyes widened. She looked up at Banjo, who was grinning from ear to ear. He had heard it, too. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

‘Oh Mom, it’s just, um, I’ve been talking to an Aussie guy ... I didn’t realise I’d picked up his accent.’

‘That must have been one very long chat.’

‘Yeah, I’ve been showing him around. So yeah you can say we’ve been having some fairly long conversations. Enough about me, how are ya?’

‘I’m good. Just worried because you missed our once-a-week morning chat.’

‘Sorry,’ she replied with a grimace. ‘Ah, Mom, can I call you tonight? We’re on our way home.’

‘Sure, hon. Love you.’

‘Love you, too.’ She stared at her cell phone for a second before pocketing it.

‘So, where’s your Mum?’

‘Houston, Texas. I haven’t seen her much since I’m based at Fort Hunter, Liggett in Southern Monterey. You?’

‘Mum’s in Malanda, somewhere in Woop, middle of nowhere in the Queensland outback. I’m based in Sydney.’

‘Does she live with your brothers?’

‘Nah, my mob’s scattered ‘round the world. Eldest bro is in Washington, D.C. The second is in Germany. The third is everywhere he’s sent. The fourth is in Sydney. And the youngest is in New York with her husband and baby son.’

‘Wow, that’s just ... um, astonishing.’

Laughing, he asked, ‘Have you been back to Australia?’

‘Nope. I haven’t had a chance. I still have an aunt there, my father’s sister. And an uncle, my father’s half-brother. And cousins I haven’t seen, except on f*******: since they were knee-high.’

Their conversation was interrupted when her phone vibrated again.

‘Sorry,’ she said, ‘might be Mom again.’

She took the phone out, but her brow knitted as soon as she saw the face on the screen. She let out a deep sigh which didn’t go unnoticed. She greeted the caller politely enough with a monosyllabic, ‘Hey.’

He sensed it was an unwelcome call. Her half of the conversation was very revealing. If he were a betting man, he would bet it was a call from a jilted lover.

‘No,’ he heard her say firmly.

She listened for a good twenty seconds to someone yapping on the other line before she said ‘no’ again; followed by another sharp ‘no.’

Finally, losing patience, she said, ‘What part of ‘no’ can you not understand?’ before hanging up and turning off the phone.

‘Ex-boyfriend?’

She breathed out and said, ‘Yeah,’ suddenly feeling exhausted.

He sensed she’d been fighting him off for ages. For a reason, he couldn’t explain he felt very protective. He didn’t think anything of it other than he wanted to give her comfort. He wrapped an arm around her, prompting Andy to rest her head on his chest involuntarily. They could have stayed locked in that embrace were it not for the hooting of owls that indicated night had fallen.

Reluctantly, he said, ‘Let’s go.’

On the way back, they stopped at a diner for a quick meal.

‘Where do I drop you off?’ he asked.

She gave him directions to the motel she was staying in. He was about to pull into the car park when he noticed her stiffen on the passenger seat. He stopped just short of the entry, pulled the handbrake and asked, ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing.’

‘Don’t bullshit me.’

‘He’s there.’

‘Where?’

‘The open top Jeep.’

Banjo surveyed the car park, then quickly put the car in gear and drove away. ‘Right, you’re staying with me tonight.’

‘Banjo, I can look after myself.’

‘I’ve no doubt you can, but that’s beside the point.’

They didn’t say another word to each other until Banjo asked, ‘So what’s his issue?’

‘He wants me to take him back. I caught him cheating with one of my friends, so that was it. But they also fizzled out.’

‘So now the scumbag wants a second chance?’

‘Something like that.’

‘I hope you’re not going to be stupid enough to take him back.’

She gave him a sideways glance, wondering why he was making it his business, but she couldn’t help liking having someone have her back.

He parked her ancient people mover behind the Best Western. He didn’t want it visible from the main road.

They went to his room. The first thing she noticed was the king size bed. It’s going to be tricky, she said to herself.

He must have read her mind. ‘I’ll sleep on the floor; you take the bed.’

He went to his wardrobe and offered her a pair of his AussieBum underwear and a clean shirt. ‘Feel free.’

She laughed at the ridiculousness of it all.

My God, I’ve known the guy for two days, now here I am in his room about to wear his underwear.

‘Go ahead,’ he said, pushing her towards the shower.

He opened the bar fridge, helped himself to a bottle of beer, turned on the television to watch some late-night movie while she readied for bed.

Minutes later she came out dressed in his shirt, the sleeves rolled up just above her wrists. She looked adorable.

‘Good night,’ she said.

He stared and studied her and decided it would be a very hard night in more ways than one.

‘Good night.’

He waited for her to crawl into bed before heading for a cold shower.