Lost In Kakadu (24 page)

“Abi, come look.” His voice was packed with excitement.

This was it. She knew from previous experience that he thrived on her initial reaction. Placing the half bald bird onto a metal plate, she wrapped it with a T-shirt and placed it into a cockpit compartment. She walked around the wreck and her heart jumped into her throat at the sight of Mackenzie. He stood completely naked in front of his construction. His teeth were brilliant white against his thick beard and he looked majestic, like a tribal warrior standing proud and confident alongside his conquest.

“Get your gear off. It’s bath time.” He waved her forward. “Come on, while it’s hot.”

She wiped her hands on her pants—a pair of cargo pants she’d borrowed from Toni’s luggage—as she walked toward him. Her heart pounded louder with each step and the moisture in her mouth evaporated. She couldn’t speak. Stopping before him she chewed on her bottom lip and willed herself to look into his honey-coloured eyes, searching for his thoughts and confused by her own.

“Feel it,” he said.

Her mind raced, but then she realised he was talking about the bath and swallowed hard.
Control yourself, girl
. She dipped her fingers into the water. “It’s warm.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt warm water on her body; it was a slice of heaven.

He reached toward her. “Shirt off then.”

She held her arms above her head, allowing him to remove her top and she proudly stood bare breasted before him. A tantalising shiver covered her body with goose pimples as she watched Mackenzie’s eyes, eager to see if he peeked at her. But he flung her shirt aside as if this was something they did every day, barely even glancing at her. She chided herself, realising her desires were deluded. Mackenzie wouldn’t be interested in a woman ten years older than him.

“I’ll get in first, okay?” Mackenzie held her shoulder as he climbed into the bath then he turned and shuffled to one end. Abi watched, mesmerised, as the muscles beneath his bottom cheeks moved. When he turned, she soaked up every inch of his well-toned body. His skin radiated a healthy tan, his abs rippled and the line of hair below his neatly sculpted navel drew her eyes. Heat burnt within her and it took all her might not to look any lower.
He’s not interested, Abi
.

As he eased himself into the water, he closed his eyes and sighed, obviously absorbed in the ecstasy of the moment and she longed for him to invite her in. Her body tingled with anticipation.

Finally, he opened his eyes. They appeared lost, distant. “Come on, your turn.” His voice was a husky whisper.

She slipped out of her underpants and focused on her yearning for the warm water, rather than her nakedness. For a fleeting second, she realised Mackenzie was the first man to ever see her naked like this. She’d gone to great lengths to ensure Spencer never saw her body. Sex was always with the lights off.

Mackenzie placed his hand under her elbow and she eased one foot into the warm water. The sensation sent shivers up her spine and she giggled. “Oh, Mack. This is heavenly.”

“Well, get your lily white arse in here.”

She braced herself and slipped her other foot into the warm water and now stood between his legs, naked and exposed and for the first time in her life, unashamed of her body. He smiled up at her, reigniting the desires she was trying to push aside.

A sigh released from her lips as she lowered herself into the water and she savoured the sensation of the warm water caressing her skin. She shuffled back until she rested against the other end of the bath and pulled her knees up above the water.

Abi rested her hands upon Mackenzie’s knees, her fingers playing with his coarse leg hair. Her breasts bobbed salaciously above the water line and her wanton nipples peaked as the sensation of the warm water and the cool air teased her skin. Mackenzie placed his hands over her hands and she felt the warmth emanate from his palms. She closed her eyes and was absorbed in the immeasurable pleasure of a simple bath.

His hands splashed into the water and his fingers caressed her calf muscle. She opened her eyes. He was watching her. His honey eyes drew her in. Her heart beat faster and heat rose from within her core. As he devoured her with his gaze she wondered what he was thinking.

He licked his lips. “Would you like a foot massage?”

She swallowed hard, unable to answer.

Without taking his eyes off her he lifted her foot from the water and she chewed on her bottom lip in an attempt to curb the fireworks racing through her body. Her breath deepened more with each toe he massaged and she felt herself melting away when he ran his thumbs down her instep. Her heart quickened as she experienced one of the most sensuous moments of her life.

An exquisite pulsing between her thighs surprised her.

She wanted him to touch her more but she had no idea if he wanted her too. As she looked into his eyes she wondered if he was thinking the same thing. Never before had she wanted to be with someone so much.

A kookaburra broke the silence, laughing at the ridiculous sight of them.

She cast her pointless desires aside. “This is so wonderful.” The words came out as a faint whisper.

“Mmm.” Mackenzie groaned agreement.

“I’ve had many luxury spas in my life but none of them as good as this.” She thought back to her most recent spa at Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast. The palatial bath, surrounded by Italian inspired columns and inconspicuous lighting, was large enough to cater to twenty people, but only she and Spencer had luxuriated in it at that time. Abi recalled being angry at Spencer, but couldn’t remember why and she now regretted ruining the moment.

She shrugged off the ill-timed memory. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this relaxed in a bath before. I always worried about getting my hair wet or how fat I was.”

He cocked his head, frowning.

“But look at me now.”

“I am.”

“And?”

“You’re lovely.”

Wow.
She glowed on the inside. “All my life I’ve struggled to lose weight but I think I’ve lost at least fifteen kilos out here. And my hair is so soft. You wouldn’t believe the amount of money I’ve spent on hair products over the years. Now I just use plain water.” Her giggle rippled the water.

Mackenzie laughed with her and rested his hands upon hers again.

“You know what?” She turned her palms over to meet his.

“What?”

“This crash is probably the best thing to happen to me.” She paused, letting her bold admission set in. “I’ve found myself.”

“I like what you found. Better than the woman I first met.”

She splashed him. “Really?”

“Really.” He splashed her back. “So aren’t you going to ask me about the cake?”

“No.” Abi wondered if Rodney knew the story but realised she already knew the answer. Mackenzie shared everything with him. She liked that Mackenzie wanted to tell her too.

He cocked his head at her. “Really?”

“You’ll tell me if you want to.”

Mackenzie huffed. “Who are you? And what did you do with the real Abi?”

She laughed. “Very funny. Besides I think I already know what happened.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Go on then. Tell me.”

Abi wanted to be delicate, but there wasn’t a delicate way to say it. “I think your dad threw the cake at you. That’s how you got the scar on your chin.”

His mouth dropped open as his thumb traced the scar. “How the hell do you know that?”

“I’ve become more observant, I guess. When you mentioned the cake, you touched the scar, just like you’re doing now. And the look on your face, well it almost told the whole, sad story on its own.”

He frowned at her. “What else have you noticed?”

“You twirl that lovely ring on your necklace when you think of your mum.”

He did exactly that and his eyes drifted off somewhere into the past.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?”

He dropped the necklace and his warm hands cupped her knees again. When he blinked, his eyes were on her again. “As I said earlier, Mum had just baked a cake. But Dad came home right when she put it on the kitchen bench and I raced off to my bedroom. I always did that.” He shrugged. “I’d wait to see what kind of mood he was in before I came out.”

Abi turned her palms over and he moved his hands from her knees to her hands.

“He wasn’t home for very long when he called me and I knew straight away he was in a bad mood. I remember walking up our hallway, completely terrified, and thinking it was like walking along the devil’s throat. When I saw Dad’s hands, spread out on the kitchen bench I knew things were about to get nasty. I don’t know what it was, maybe the way he was standing, the look on his face. Not sure. He had huge hands, all tobacco stained and dirty nails.” He shook his head. “Disgusting. And his B.O. was just foul.”

“He sounds awful.”

“He was. And he was always looking for a fight. Anything would spark him off. But this time I wasn’t going to give it. But you know what he did?”

“What?”

“He picked up the cake tin, didn’t even notice it was boiling hot. I heard the sizzle on his hands and smelt it burning his skin.” Mackenzie screwed up his face.

“Oh my God.”

“He dumped the cake into the sink and stabbed it until it disappeared down the hole. So even though I didn’t fight with him that time I still lost anyway.”

Abi looked into his eyes, seeking confirmation he was okay. But he was distant again, back with his mum in the kitchen. She waited for the rest of the story, knowing the worst was yet to come. His eyes returned to her and she smiled at him. He squeezed her palm and then reached up to touch his scar.

“He threw the cake tin at my mum and I jumped at it, thinking I could catch it. But it whacked me in the chin instead. It’s weird. It would’ve only touched my skin for a second at the most, but the scar’s lasted forever.”

“Your mum must have been so proud of you.”

“Yeah. When Dad finally took his beer and left us, she hugged me so hard I could barely breathe. Her heart pounded in her chest and yet in front of my dad you could’ve sworn she was as calm as ever.”

“She sounds like an amazing woman.”

“She was.”

Abi couldn’t sleep that night. The feelings she’d had in the bath still pulsed through her, torturing her body and confusing her mind. She decided to read Charlie’s next letter instead. Mackenzie had already started breathing deeply in the bed beside her when she crawled out.

She was drawn to Charlie’s words. They were often as cruel as they were compassionate. After selecting the next pink envelope, she settled by the fire. The first thing she noticed was the envelope didn’t have ‘return to sender’ written upon it. Then she noticed there was no stamp.

Charlie never posted it.

“Oh Charlie,” she whispered, glancing at his grave. “Don’t tell me you gave up?” With a heavy heart she flipped open the seal, removed the folded page and spread it out on her lap. His distinctive, slanted script was as beautiful to look at as his words were to read. He’d sketched an elaborate flower in the top corner of the page and Abi recognised it as the oriental lily, her favourite flower.

She sighed before she began to read.

My dearest Holly,

You looked picture perfect today. Your wedding dress was the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. I know brides always look amazing on their wedding day but you were truly heavenly. Your new husband looked so proud and dashing in his grey suit. I noticed that you chose white lilies as your flowers. Did you know they are my favourite too? I bought them for your mother all the time. Where are you going for your honeymoon? Somewhere exotic? Or secluded?

I’m so happy for you both and I hope one day you will see it in your heart to invite me in. I’m sure your mother has filled you with poison about me that simply isn’t true. I desperately wanted to hold you today, to tell you I love you. But your mother demanded that I stay away from your special day. You looked very happy. I’m so proud of you.

I love you, always will.

Your father,

Charlie

Abi neatly folded the letter into quarters and returned it to the envelope. “Good for you, Charlie,” she whispered as she held an imaginary wine glass up to toast Charlie. She pictured him hiding in thick bushes, smiling as he watched his daughter emerge from her wedding car. Instinct told her he hadn’t posted any more letters, though. He would’ve chosen to leave his daughter alone instead.

She was angered by his silence.

Krystal’s image entered her mind. Would she have the opportunity to be at her daughter’s wedding and if so would Krystal want her there? Her shoulders sagged as she realised her situation was similar to Charlie’s, except she’d never tried hard enough.

Mackenzie walked away from the plane wreck with his head bowed studying the compass he’d cut from the cockpit’s shattered instrument panel several months ago. His goal was to find his way back to the plane using just the compass. He did an about face keeping the needle on the north point and within twenty minutes the plane was back in view.

“What are you doing?” Abi came toward him, a curious frown crinkling her forehead.

“I’m working out how to use a compass.”

“Ooh, I can do that.”

Now that was something he’d never have guessed. He raised an eyebrow.

“I can. I learnt orienteering at college. Hated every minute of it though. Traipsing all over the countryside following a damn needle.” She held her hand out.

Mackenzie huffed as he handed the compass over.

Abi explained the points on the compass. She seemed excited about teaching him something. “Do you want me to show you how to use it?”

Over the next couple of days they explored in different directions from the wreck, each time travelling further away from their campsite. Mackenzie guessed they’d explored several square kilometres of the surrounding area and yet the scenery remained the same—enormous eucalyptus trees, dense underbrush and masses of vines weaving it all together.

Abi baffled him, too. He was frustrated with the monotony, however she seemed to enjoy their daily walks. Her pace steadily increased each day and she didn’t complain about the heat, the tough terrain, or the inevitable scratches from the thorny bushes.