Interestingly, she held some kind of machine in her hands.
“What’s that?” he queried.
“It’s a Single Axis EMF meter.”
“A what?”
“Electro Magnetic Field, used to measure fluctuations in electromagnetic fields.”
“Uh-huh.”
Unperturbed, she continued walking, the machine held up before her. “Unfortunately, it isn’t picking up any fluctuations that may indicate extraterrestrial presence.”
“You don’t say,” he said dryly, holding back a branch back for her.
“Have faith, sweetie.” She patted his chest with one hand as she passed. “Any day, any time, could be the day or time.”
He felt that pat all the way down to his toes. Shaking his head, he walked around her to continue clearing the way.
The hill neared and suddenly they stepped through into a small clearing near the base. Immediately, Bree stopped, laying her hand on his arm.
Nick scanned the ground and surroundings. “The heavy rain last night would have washed away prints or burn marks.”
“I need the Full Spectrum Digital Camera.”
Removing the backpack, he held it out to her. “You see something?”
Bree opened the backpack and slid the EMF meter into it. “You’re correct, the rain will have washed away almost everything. But we still need to check things out, take photos of anything that looks out of place. You never know what the camera will catch that the eye doesn’t.”
“Dust motes?”
“You into floating orbs, Nick?” Taking out the camera, she fiddled with the scope.
Uh-oh. “Please tell me that you’re not.”
Holding the camera to her eye, Bree turned in a slow circle. “I’ve got some photos of orbs.”
Slipping the backpack over one shoulder, he couldn’t resist it. “You know they’re just dust mites on the camera, right?”
“Nick, Nick, Nick.” She laughed, trained the lens on something he couldn’t see. “I can see I have a lot to teach you.”
“I can’t wait.” It would be entertaining. “As long as I can return the education.”
“Sure.” Camera to her eye, she turned slowly.
A little fissure of heat went through him at the thought of what he’d like to teach her. His smile widened. “Is that a promise?”
“Absolutely. There’s always something new to learn.”
“You have no idea.” His thoughts were decidedly darkly carnal when she bent over to touch the ground with the fingertips of one hand. The motion had her slacks pulling taut across that curvy backside and his imagination going into overdrive.
To come up behind her, pull those slacks do-
“You can teach me to fight.” She walked towards the far side of the clearing, studying the ground. “Show me the dirty moves-”
Oh yeah.
“And I’ll show you the orb photos and a few other things that’ll blow your mind.”
“A case of you show me yours and I’ll show you mine? I’m there, honey. I am so there.”
Oops, had he said that last part aloud? Obviously so, going by the way she swung around to stare at him. Nick smiled innocently at her, or he hoped it was innocent. His blood was going through his veins a little faster, a little hotter, and definitely aiming in one direction - down to pool in his loins.
Bree looked at him for several long seconds before turning away.
Not having a clue what she was thinking, Nick tried to divert his attention from his dirty, dirty thoughts. “So, found anything unusual yet?”
“You have no idea.”
Hmmm, she echoed his previous statement. Stroking his chin musingly, he studied her. Did that mean she suspected his thoughts weren’t entirely on the hunt? Possibly. But she hadn’t run from him, slapped his face, or fronted him up demanding an apology or explanation. She hadn’t ripped his clothes off, either, but that was beside the point. Apparently.
He had to be careful, though. He didn’t want her to get her back up, think he was a pervert or something. If he overstepped the line too far, she was likely to stop any further overtures of friendship.
Even though he intended to have a lot more than friendship with her. Jesus, he wanted her, no doubting that. She drew him like a moth to a flame.
Forcing himself to concentrate on the surroundings, Nick inspected the ground as he walked slowly across it, looking for anything unusual. “So when you come out to these places alone, what do you do for protection?”
“I carry a tin of repellent.”
“I don’t mean from the mozzies.”
“Hair spray.”
He couldn’t have heard correctly. “What?”
“Hair spray.”
Nick looked around to find that she’d moved out of sight.
Unacceptable.
He moved quickly across the clearing, following her voice. She stood not far from the clearing, inspecting the trees. Relaxing at the sight of her, he repeated, “Hair spray?”
“Yep. It’s sticky.”
A thought struck him. “Was that what you sprayed me with back at your place?”
“Yeah.”
“It wouldn’t have stopped me hurting you if that had been my intention,” he pointed out.
“If it caught you unawares, it can buy me some time.”
Concern spiked through him. “You did catch me unawares and it wouldn’t have stopped me.”
“You move fast, I give you that.”
Annoyance followed the concern. “Jesus, Bree, that’s all you carry for protection?”
“I had a small bottle of perfume once.”
“Perfume?”
“Trust me, get that in your eyes and it stings like crazy.”
“If you get it into your assailant’s eyes.” Nick scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Damn it, Bree, that’s not protection.” He couldn’t believe it.
“Hey, I could always pretend to faint and fall on my assailant. Squash him.” She laughed.
Nick glared at her.
“Come on, it’s funny.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Whatever.” She shrugged, an unexpected bite in her tone as she swung away. “Not like anyone would attack me anyway.”
His jaw dropped, then slammed shut. “What did you say?”
“Nothing.” Camera in one hand, she strode away.
Like hell. Nick was on her in seconds, grabbing her by the shoulders and swinging her back around to face him. “You did not just say what I thought you said.”
Chapter 5
Genuinely surprised, she stared at up at Nick. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Anger was definitely sparking in those brilliant green eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I asked first.”
“Did you just say that someone wouldn’t attack you anyway?”
“Well…” Guiltily, she bit her lip. “Yes.”
“How dare you?” He gave her a little shake.
“Whoa, throttle back, Nick.” She grabbed his upper arm, absent-mindedly noting the bulge of muscle beneath his sleeve. Nice. “I didn’t mean it.”
“Didn’t you?” Eyes narrowed, his gaze was disconcertingly direct. “Because I’m sincerely hoping that was a bad joke.”
“Well, joke, not really, but…Look, forget it, okay? It was a bad choice of words on my part.” Really bad, obviously.
Unfortunately, that too-intense gaze was boring holes in her face, those yummy masculine lips firm and ungiving. “Was that a crack at your size?”
Ouch. “Look, I-”
“Because I’ve seen women of all ages and sizes being abused in many ways. Being attacked is nothing to joke about.” A muscle in his jaw ticked. “Ever.”
Oh shit, she’d forgotten the sights he must have seen, the places he’d travelled in the Army, the countries where women were treated as second-rate citizens. “Nick, I-”
“I’ve seen it and not been allowed to interfere in most be
cause it wasn’t our culture. I had to put up with it there, I don’t have to put up with it home here in Australia. Do you understand?”
Wishing she hadn’t said anything no matter how his earlier reaction had annoyed her, she bit her lip. “Yes.”
“You’re a pretty woman, Bree. There are men out there who wouldn’t think twice about attacking you, hurting you.” His fingers tightened a fraction, that muscle ticking in his jaw again. “Never think you’ll be overlooked. Never.”
“Okay.” A little alarmed at the intensity in his gaze and grip, she sought to reassure him. “I will be careful. I am careful. I am, Nick, I promise.”
“What do you take for protection?”
“I’m thinking ‘the pill’ isn’t the correct answer right now.” No sooner had the words left her mouth than she paled and stammered, “I didn’t - I wasn’t - Nick, I swear - oh shit.” She hung her head and sighed. “Ah, crap. I can’t help what falls out of my mouth. Please stop being so mad.” Bree felt so low, so completely crestfallen, her shoulders slumping.
There was silence for a few seconds, then the hands on her arms gentled, shifted, and before she knew it, Nick’s strong arms had encircled her and pulled her against his big, muscular body.
Surprised, she stiffened.
“Oh Bree,” he murmured. “What am I going to do with you?”
His embrace was protective, his voice affectionate, and in relief she relaxed against him. There was something so comforting about him, something that practically screamed ‘protector’, something that attracted her to him. Something that made her trust him, and it went beyond the fact that he was a soldier, a man sworn to protect his country.
It was just Nick, with his sense of humour, his sense of honour, his protectiveness which, if she was honest, gave her a secret thrill. No man had ever been protective of her, not even the blokes from the UFO Hunter Team. Probably because if they had to run, it was often every man and woman for themselves. Detection was not an option, so splitting up was the preferred form of retreat.
Nick would never leave her if they had to run. That had her feeling safe, snuggling just a little closer, feeling his arms tighten around her. He smelled so good, all male, soap and winter chill, and-
“I looked forward to your letters.”
Bree’s eyes popped open.
“I’d wait for every delivery.” Nick’s voice rumbled in her ear where she rested against his chest. “I’d rip the envelope open without waiting to get back to my bunk. Bree, you know it’s me.” His hands shifted, fingers splaying out along her sides as he eased her back a little. “Forget this pretence.”
Before she could even look up at him, snapping branches sounded and the voices of teenagers.
“I’m telling you, they went this way,” David’s voice said.
Nick looked in the direction of the voices then back down at Bree. With a sigh, he set her back from him. “We’ll continue this later.”
It said a lot for her state of mind that she missed his warmth and was still secretly thrilled when he placed himself partially in front of her, one of his hands coming back to rest across the front of her hip, fingers splaying out to hook around the curve of her hip. A protective gesture that not only had her thrilled, but just a little breathless with it.
Stupid woman. Rolling her eyes at her emotions, Bree stepped back from Nick, moving to the side when he glanced over his shoulder and taking the few steps needed to bring her right up beside him.
Whoa, his hand came up to rest on the small of her back. Possessive? Protective? It sure made her secret places get all warm and tingly.
God, when had she turned to a mushy woman?
Apparently, in this clearing.
Holding the camera in one hand, she watched as David and another boy around his age came bumbling into the clearing. “Hi.”
David and the boy looked from Nick to her and back to Nick.
Huh. So they were looking to him for answers. How very male bonding of them.
Nick simply looked down at her, and the boys followed his gaze.
Look who was in charge.
Ignoring the snide little thought, Bree arched one brow. “Something wrong, David?”
“Just wondering if you’d found any signs of the spaceship or aliens,” he replied.
The boy beside him kept glancing around.
“Looking for something?” Nick queried.
“I kinda thought there’d be all kinds of paraphernalia around,” the boy answered. “Detection equipment or something.”
“First rule of thumb.” Bree pointed to her face with two fingers. “Use your eyes.”
“Did you see anything?” David asked.
“Unfortunately not. If anything was here, it’s been washed away.”
“But I did see lights.”
“Yes, but that’s not proof.”
The teenager didn’t look impressed. “So what could it have been?”
“Let’s see. A spotlight and two hand laser beams, perhaps. Couple of teens looking for a laugh.” Bree smiled. “You wouldn’t have seen a couple of teens doing anything like that, would you?”
David glanced at his friend then back at her. “I thought you believed in UFOs?”
“I do. I’m always looking for the truth. Heavy emphasis on ‘the truth’, in case you didn’t get it.” Holding out her hand, she looked levelly at David. “Thanks for letting me know about the lights and things. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
“You’re going?” He looked like he couldn’t believe his ears, even as he reached out and slowly took her hand.
Bree pumped it energetically. “Yep.”
“But you didn’t find anything.”
“Oh, now, I never said that, did I?” Smiling widely, she waggled the camera before moving behind Nick to drop it safely into the backpack. “I’ve got all I need right now. See you around, boys. Don’t let anything catch you at night.” With that, she walked past them.
Nick moved quickly, determinedly, striding right past her to lead the way out, holding back the branches to make the way easier for her. He glanced over her head several times at the boys following close behind, muttering under their breaths, but he didn’t say a word until they’d cleared the forest and were out in the open field.
In a way she was glad of the boys’ presence, as it prevented Nick from saying anything to her about the letters and gave her time to think. So, Nick had outed himself, as it were, letting her know that he knew that she knew that he - forget it. That they both knew each other. So now what? She certainly had nothing to hide, and obviously he didn’t. So what was the next step? She’d never met any of the soldiers she’d written to, she hadn’t actually dreamed that any of them would want to meet her.
But that was okay, she assured herself. This was a first, and first things were always interesting. It was easy. Get to know each other. Unless their little foray into the woods had convinced him she was a nut, which was generally okay by her as she didn’t really care what people thought of her, but if Nick thought she was a nut…okay, she didn’t really care about that either, but what she did care about was him walking away from her because he thought she was a nut.
That would hurt. When had it reached that peak? And in such a short time.
Chewing her bottom lip as they entered the field, she glanced up when Nick moved up beside her.
He met her gaze, his eyes crinkling at the corners in amusement. “So what did you think of the two aliens?”
Okay, he wasn’t going to broach the subject just yet. Right. Okay. She could follow his lead.
She glanced behind her to see that the two teenage boys had peeled off to walk back to the house, both of them looking decidedly dejected. Turning her head back to watch the barns and her van come into view, she replied, “You noticed, huh?”
“Kind of hard to miss their eagerness.”
“I’m not saying there was nothing out there, I’m just admitting that I have a strong suspicion a s
potlight and two hand lasers are at the bottom of all this.”
“And two teenage boys.”
“Ninety nine percent sure.”
“And the other one percent?”
“I’ll let you know when I view the footage I took today.”
“I’d be interested to see it.”
“Really?” Surprised, she looked up at him, only to blush a little when he glanced back down at her…and kept looking.
Slowly, his gaze swept over her face. “I’m interested in getting to the bottom of a few things.” Those brilliant green eyes locked onto hers. “One in particular.”
Hoo boy. Oh geez. Clearing her throat, Bree returned her gaze to the front. “Oh look, Ted’s waiting for us.”
Nick didn’t answer, but she felt his hand brush along her back in a slow, almost soothing stroke before withdrawing, leaving her feeling like she wanted to purr and protest all at once.
Maybe there was some kind of weird alien residue in Whicha.
No, no, it was something weird clinging to Nick. It invaded her commonsense whenever he touched her. Or looked at her.
Wiping his hands on a greasy rag, Ted watched them walk up. “Find anything?”
“Not today,” she replied.
“Not surprising.” He frowned at her. “There’re no such things as UFOs, Bree. But you’ve got people around here thinking about them, a couple of the crazier ones even believing along with you.”
“Ted, you’d be surprised who believes,” she replied, unfazed. “It only takes one believer to bring others out of the woodwork.’
“And one crazy to bring out the other crazies.”
“That’s uncalled for.” Nick’s tone held a hint of steel. “People have a right to believe what they want, Ted.”
“Never said they didn’t. I’m just saying we never had rumours until your girlfriend here came along.”
About to correct the ‘girlfriend’ bit, Bree was surprised when she felt Nick’s hand once more in the small of her back, just as she was gob-smacked when his fingers hooked around the side of her waist and gently but firmly eased her back.
And then damned if he didn’t again step partially in front of her, putting himself between her and Ted.
Good God, was he being protective? Again?
The Goodbye Girl Page 12
