The captain declared the ocean too rough to send him out tonight, so Jean found he had to wait until morning, when the swell had died down a bit, or so he hoped.
Jean just nodded and returned to his cabin to get more work done.
Day dawned with smaller waves, so Jean wolfed down his breakfast and set to work with the other crew, loading the Zodiacs. He went ashore with the first boat, filled to the gunwales with supplies, and he soon found himself lugging boxes from the rocky beach to a safe spot above the waterline, where his camp would be for the next month. Once the boats were unloaded, they returned to the ship for more, but Jean plodded on, dragging box after box until he'd stacked far more than he remembered bringing from McMurdo. Had Davis sent him extra supplies? The boxes looked like the ones he'd seen at the Aussie stations. He hoped they hadn't sent him a crate of that foul black spread they liked so much. Beer wouldn't be so bad, though.
The Australian Antarctic Division had promised him a hut, and it looked like the boats were bringing it ashore now. It looked for all the world like a water tank, wallowing in the waves as two boats towed it across Spit Bay and into the shallows. It took six of them to wrestle it ashore until someone managed to push it over on its side. Then it only took three people to roll it up to the campsite.
"Where do you want us to set it up?" a crewman panted.
Jean pointed at the spot where they'd assembled the mess hall last year. "That'll do nicely." He paused. "Do you need a hand?"
"Nah, we got this."
Jean nodded. "Mind if I go take a look at the penguin colonies on the beaches on the other side of the spit? I'll need to do a bit of reconnaissance to work out how long it'll take to survey everything here before I'll need a lift west to Atlas Cove."
"Knock yourself out, mate. I'll come find you when we're done."
The American crew he'd worked with last time wouldn't have let him escape set up. Jean decided to get out of there before the Aussies changed their minds. Grabbing his field pack, he set off past the ruins of the old sealers' camp to where the penguin colonies were supposed to be. It was easy going for a while, as long as he avoided the cushion plants, but then he hit snow. Well, snow on one side and a freezing cold pond of water on the other side, which was no choice at all, really. Of course Jean picked snow.
His boots plunged into the soft powder nearly to the knee, but he ploughed on, determined to reach Doppler Hill or at least a high enough vantage point where he could see the hill. He yanked one foot out of its snowdrift and set it down again, only to hit ice. His foot shot forward, catapulting the rest of him backwards into the snow.
Swearing, Jean staggered to his feet, bruised and angry but not ready to give up yet. He pressed on.
Four more missteps later, the last one landing him quite painfully on a pile of rocks hidden under a light dusting of snow, Jean admitted defeat. The ice evidently extended much further than he'd realised – he'd probably found one of the glaciers named but not marked on his map.
He glanced in the direction of the camp to make sure he was out of sight, then dropped to his hands and knees to crawl over the snow so he wouldn't slip a sixth time. By the time he reached rock, he was more than ready to stand up again, if only to stop his knees from freezing up completely. He walked carefully back to camp, where he found the guys stacking empty pallets and preparing to leave.
"We're pretty much done here," the crewman in charge said. "Unless you need anything else, we're shipping out. See you in four weeks, and don't forget your radio check-ins."
Jean nodded. He eyed the Zodiacs. If he took one of those and kept close to the beach, he wouldn't have to hike across the glacier at all. "Can I keep one of your boats?" he asked.
The crewman shrugged. "That one's supposed to be yours, anyway. You should have enough fuel for that and the generator, as long as you don't try to head to Australia or the mainland in it."
"I'm staying right here, where my research is," Jean said firmly.
"See you in four weeks, then."
The guys piled into the remaining boat and cruised across Spit Bay to the Investigator.
Jean stood on the beach for a moment, watching them, but his knees threatened to seize up again, so he decided to warm them up a bit more with a walk along Elephant Spit to Spit Point, where the reports said there was a small colony of king penguins. At least there wouldn't be any snow to trip him up, or ice to pitch him on his ass.
THIRTY
"You sure you're going to be all right here with him?" Kevin asked, shielding his eyes as he stared at the sun, trying to angle the solar panels just right. "He pretty much hid in his cabin the whole trip and didn't talk to anyone. Completely up himself, too good to associate with lowly crew like us." He sniffed. "What is he, some big, important American academic?"
"Just a PhD candidate, same as most of the other researchers on your ship, except for the professor," Audra replied cheerfully, kneeling in the volcanic dust to check the connections to the satellite dish. Everything seemed sound to her. "I don't know what his problem is, except that he had an accident last year and had to cut his trip short, so this might be his last chance to finish his research."
"Still doesn't explain the attitude," Greg grumbled, testing the door on the toilet cubicle. "This is done. Sleep quarters and the bathroom. Have you got the power hooked up yet, Kev?"
A yell came from inside the tank hut, before the door flew open and a man stuck his head out. "Warn a man before you plug in the power. I didn't hear the generator start up." Darsh glared at the other two men.
Kevin held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, don't look at me, mate. I'm still setting up the solar panels and the genset's over there by the fuel drums. The only way you could've gotten shocked is if the batteries are charged. They weren't supposed to be. Lemme test them." He pulled out a multimeter and proceeded to check the storage batteries. "Looks like you have enough power for two days here, as long as you don't turn the hut into a sauna with the heating. The solar panels should charge up enough during the day to get you through the night, but you've got the generator as backup, just in case. Oh, and Carrie figured you might want something other than dehydrated field rations, so she packed you some of today's bake, last night's leftovers and what looks like a month's worth of chocolate. I hope she didn't give you all the Tim Tams!"
"Radio me if she has, and I'll make sure not to eat them all, so there's some left to tempt you guys back to pick us up," Audra said. "Right, so if everything's all set up, I should try the satellite connection to see if it's working." She pulled her laptop out of her pack and propped it open in her lap. "Okay, I think it's found the network. Logging on...and I'm in! Anyone want to know which song's number one in this year's Hottest 100?"
Kevin and Darsh exchanged a glance. "We were wondering if you could include us in your video of the camp. Maybe even say we helped you set up and all."
Audra laughed in delight. "You've been watching my video channel?"
All three men nodded. "It was cool to see Christmas at Davis. It kind of made us want to hurry to get there sooner. And that video with the seal..."
Everyone loved Jen and the seal. Audra needed to record more footage of the seals here, and hope they were just as popular as Jen's one.
She clambered to her feet. "Right, let's find a spot where I can film the camp and maybe get a good shot of the ship and the beach, too."
The guys lined up, and Audra started recording.
"Welcome to Heard Island, where we've just arrived. The valiant crew from the RV Investigator have set up our camp here at Spit Bay, for which I'm very grateful, because they're very busy men. After dropping us off, they still have to help out another expedition who are mapping the sea floor and ocean currents of the Antarctic convergence, which I believe has never been studied at this kind of depth before. So a special thanks to Kevin, Darsh and Greg, for taking the time to make sure I can still broadcast to you from this lonely island, and thanks to all their crewmates still aboard the I
nvestigator. Here's to a good summer for research!" Audra panned the camera around the camp. "I'll take you on a tour of my luxury accommodation later, and maybe even let you join me for dinner. Wait 'til you see the gourmet cuisine we get out here. You'll wish you were here!" She switched the camera off. "I feel like such an idiot talking to myself like that," she admitted.
"You don't sound it," Kevin reassured her. "Everyone at the bases wants to know what the Penguin Weather Girl's up to next, and it gives our families back home a bit of excitement. They'll think we're famous for getting a spot on your show."
That made Audra laugh. "Let me do one last check to make sure we've got everything, and you guys can head back to the ship, if you want. I should be able to handle unpacking. When Jean comes back, I'll put him to work, too."
To her surprise, Kevin folded her into a hug. "You tell us if he causes you any trouble, right? You're the ranking safety officer on the island, which puts you in charge. Don't forget that." He gestured toward the Zodiacs. "You did a great job towing today. I'd take you on as crew any day, if you get bored doing science stuff at the stations. Will one boat be enough? If you want a second one, we can probably spare it, but I'd need to get you another drum of fuel."
"One's fine, honestly. I doubt we'll even use it. After all, my job's to set up the weather station and he's counting birds, I think." Audra grinned.
"Good luck with bird boy, then. I think he's coming back now." Kevin jerked his chin in the direction of the Stephenson Glacier. "What kind of idiot climbs a glacier without snow chains on his boots?"
"I'll make sure he's wearing them tomorrow. I'm the safety officer, after all. If you could just tell him you're going, to make sure he doesn't need anything else that I've forgotten, I'll go check to see that the video's uploaded okay." Audra headed for the hut.
She'd just confirmed that the video was already live on her channel and a few people had watched it, when Darsh knocked on the door of the hut. "It's up," Audra said.
"Thank you," Darsh replied. "I checked the stove and the lights and the heating. Everything works. You know where the spare gas bottles are, yes?"
"Yes," Audra said, pointing out the window, where she could see Kevin and Greg boarding their boat. "It looks like they're going. You don't want them to leave without you. You'll be stuck here with us for a month."
"I guess not," Darsh said with a shy smile, and he left.
Audra watched through the window as they motored up to the ship, before the Investigator cast off her moorings and manoeuvred out of the bay. A little frisson of fear curled around her belly. Davis had been isolated, but this was an island in the middle of nowhere. An island she shared with only one other person: a man she barely knew, and what she did know of him was hardly encouraging.
Jean stood on the beach, looking out to sea. As if compelled by some desire to follow the only other people within miles, he set off along Elephant Spit, his eyes fixed on the ship steaming away.
Audra sagged. She was hot and sweaty from carrying all the gear into camp, and dirty from setting up the hut and the satellite dish. She'd give a lot of money for a hot shower right now, but showers were once again an impossible luxury. They had enough water for drinking and food preparation, but if they wanted wash water, she had two options: a bucket of seawater or melted snow.
Not wanting to bother with either of those icy options, Audra pulled out some of the supplies she'd packed for the South Pole expedition she'd never joined. A pack of wet wipes were more than enough to get her clean, even if they were nowhere near as satisfying as a shower. She switched on the heater, stripped off, and went to work.
THIRTY-ONE
Jean hadn't made it halfway along the rocky spit before he realised that the brown lumps lined up like sausages weren't rocks at all. Instead, he'd walked into the middle of an elephant seal haul-out area, and the huge creatures were waking up.
Not good. Especially as seals could move faster than a tired man with a limp. They wouldn't even have to do anything. If one of them landed on him, it'd crush him under tons of fat and muscle.
For the second time that day, Jean admitted defeat. Today just wasn't a good day for penguins. Maybe tomorrow he'd have better luck with the boat. He backed away from the seals as slowly as he dared, before they lost interest in him and flopped back down, dormant once more.
He trudged back to camp, resolving to unpack his supplies so he had all the food safely in the hut, along with as many of the water casks as he could fit in there to keep it from freezing. A quick scan of the camp revealed no food or water – nothing but empty pallets that had once held his supplies. Had the ship's crew shifted everything inside for him? He should have thanked them. When he made his regular radio check-in tonight, he would. He'd tell the radio operator to thank...shit. He couldn't remember any of their names. He'd been so caught up in his own dread at being back here that he'd forgotten to ask. They must think he was a complete dick. Well, he had been.
Sighing, he grabbed the handle and opened the hut door.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" he cried...
...and stopped dead, like a deer caught in headlights.
The most divine pair of headlights evolution ever gave a woman. Two globes of creamy soft flesh, garnished by a pair of pink nipples that made him think of cotton candy, and wonder if they'd taste as sweet. His gaze travelled down more creamy curves, to thighs that looked as soft as silk, glistening with moisture. What would it feel like to glide between them, deep inside her as he buried his face between that perfect pair of tits?
His blood rushed south to salute her like the beautiful woman before him deserved.
Audra covered her breasts with her arm and twisted to turn her back on him. "Stop staring and get out. And if you're going to jerk off, do it where I don't have to see or hear it."
His mouth unable to close or even form words, Jean stumbled out of the hut and closed the door with shaking hands.
He couldn't get the picture out of his head. If he'd been a religious man, her body looked like the answer to a lifetime of prayers. Even now, he couldn't stop thinking about the things he wanted to do to her.
As if that would ever happen. The woman hated him. Probably even more now he'd walked in on her naked.
In all her naked glory...
Groaning, Jean strode for the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. Yanking down his pants, he let his imagination go wild. Just for a few minutes, he allowed himself to dream about what it would be like to make love to the girl he'd seen in the hut just now. Not quick and joyless, like sex with Dairine, but slow and sensual and pleasurable so when she reached her peak, Audra would moan and cry out his name.
His hand was a poor substitute, but he made do. Had to, so he wouldn't pitch a pop-up tent in his pants every time he saw her from now on. Because she was stuck on this island with him now, for the next month. And he couldn't afford to give in to distraction, or desire.
He let out a shuddering sigh and cleaned himself up, leaning against the bathroom wall to support his shaky legs and weak knees after such a powerful release. She didn't need to know that he'd jerked off, just like she'd told him to. He chided himself for his loss of control, staring at her like that instead of having the decency to avert his eyes. He hadn't expected to come face to face with a goddess who could have starred in his most erotic fantasies, is all. She would feature in those fantasies now he'd seen her, as he'd never get that picture out of his head. Fifty bucks said he'd be dreaming of cotton candy tonight.
So much for being alone on the island!
"Jean?" Audra said tentatively. "I'm finished, and I'm decent. It's safe to come back inside now."
He emerged from the bathroom, keeping his sheepish eyes on the ground so he wouldn't look at her. Couldn't look at her, now he knew what was under her boots and expedition gear.
The pinnacle of evolution. The most perfect pair of –
Jean arrested that thought before it went any further. He was here to fi
nd penguins, not fantasise about his roommate.
"What are you doing here?" he asked again, more politely this time.
"Setting up a permanent remote weather station, and keeping both of us safe until the ship returns for us in four weeks. Which just got a lot harder. When you walked in like that, I nearly pushed you back out the door on your arse." Audra's brow furrowed and she set her hands on her hips. "Next time, knock, all right?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said to her boots. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I didn't know anyone else was here and to walk in and see..." He waved at her body, not trusting himself to say what he was thinking. All those superlatives wouldn't sound like the compliments he intended them to be. Instead, he'd sound like the sleaziest work colleague who ever crawled out from under a rock.
"Yes." Audra coughed. "Tell you what. Let's forget about it, and do our best to make sure it doesn't happen again. We're going to be working closely together for the next few weeks and – "
No, they wouldn't be working together. She'd be doing her weather stuff here and he'd be off hunting penguins. They'd be roommates, that's all. Ones who spent as little time together as possible, just like at Davis.
Nevertheless, he nodded and agreed to her suggestions, which should stop him from seeing her naked again. Good thing, too. If he came face to face with those incredible tits again, he wasn't sure he could resist the urge to drop to his knees and beg to touch. To taste. Two things he would never, ever do, he swore.
THIRTY-TWO
Audra couldn't get the image out of her head. The way he'd stared at her. Hungrily, desperately...yes, there'd been plenty of lust in his eyes, but something else, too. Longing? Like he really, really admired what he saw, and he wanted...
What a married man shouldn't want from a woman who wasn't his wife! Audra scolded herself.
To his credit, he hadn't acted on the urge, and he'd apologised for it. Plus, he was staring at her shoes and not her boobs. That put him a cut above Jay, in her opinion.
Maid for the South Pole Page 11
