Come Down Under Read online

  Powerful legs. Solid build.

  “I did it,” she cheered after I hit the beach on the wave behind the one she’d caught. Her hands went flying into the air, and this time when she gyrated, she really was dancing. “Wooo! I can’t believe I actually did it.”

  She continued jumping up and down, swaying and generally driving me out of my damn mind for another minute or so before beaming at me. “Thank you. I’m sorry about the victory dance. It just happens sometimes.”

  “No problem.” I dragged a hand through my wet hair and noticed hers was plastered back. Her face was open and clear of makeup, a faint pink flush on her cheeks and lips. Yup, fucking beautiful, and she didn’t even know it.

  Or at least, she didn’t act like she did.

  “Let’s go back in,” she said, eagerness shining like a beacon in her eyes. “I’ll race you.”

  Sand splattered out behind her as she dug her turquoise-painted toes in and ran. I took a second to appreciate the sight of her running with a surfboard under her arm, then followed after her.

  We splashed into the waves again and spent the next three hours riding them together. It was only once the sun was high and moving over us that I remembered she’d been hungry before we even got here.

  “Time for food,” I said, planting the board in the sand and using my hands to shake the water out of my hair. “Hunger will catch up to you fast. Surfing is hard enough work as it is, but after last night, you’ll definitely need something solid.”

  “Let’s stay a little while longer,” she said. “Just a few more waves?”

  “You’ll collapse,” I warned. “Take it from me. You don’t want to overdo it on an empty stomach.”

  Sighing wistfully as she looked back at the water with such intense longing that I almost gave in, she nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s ironic that you had to drag me here, and now you have to drag me away.”

  “You can come back anytime. Surfing is pretty much a way of life for most of the people in our office. If you ever want any company, there’ll be plenty of takers.”

  Her lips curled into a smile. “That’s quite the way of life to have.”

  “It sure is.” I grinned and pointed a thumb at my chest. “Aren’t you glad you trusted me this morning?”

  She rolled her eyes but shrugged. “Surfing definitely beats feeling sorry for myself in my hotel room, but all good things must come to an end.”

  “Only to get some food into you for now,” I pointed out. “Besides, it would have stopped being so good if you had to be hospitalized for dehydration. Plus, I hear your boss is an asshole. You wouldn’t want to call in sick on your first Monday.”

  “True.” She ran her fingers through the roots of her hair, unsticking it from her head and giving it a messy look that was a stark contrast to the perfectly put-together girl I’d met. I liked her even better like this. “I’ll just order something for lunch from room service when we get back. I solemnly swear I will not give my asshole boss reason to be an asshole on Monday.”

  “Room service?” I shook my head. “No. I know a place just down this stretch of sand. Come on. It’s full of locals. You’ll love it.”

  Chapter 15

  ROSE

  Jude and I sat at a picnic table on the beach. The restaurant we went to was a casual pop-up diner on the sand, like a “toes digging into the sand while you dig into your meal” kind of place.

  Talk about perfect.

  It served burgers and fries with iced drinks, and I couldn’t think of a better place to go to cap off what had been a surprisingly fun day. When Jude had showed up on my doorstep this morning, I hadn’t been expecting to like hanging out with him.

  It felt like life in Australia was in Technicolor while the rest of the world lagged behind. I hadn’t seen or experienced all that much of the country yet, but there was something about it I loved.

  Everything seemed brighter here, more full of life. Colors popped. Laughter was infectious. Even the birdsong coming from the tall trees at the edge of the beach seemed more jovial than anywhere else I’d heard it.

  I bit into my hamburger and suppressed a moan. “This is so good.”

  “Right?” Jude flashed me a dazzling grin. “The owner used to be a contestant on one of our cooking shows. Everyone loved him on the show, but once we got to taste his cooking for ourselves, he became an overnight success.”

  “It’s so juicy,” I said after swallowing another bite. Devouring the burger the way I was probably wasn’t very ladylike, but I was starving and this was amazing. “I also don’t think I’ve ever tasted tomatoes that taste so much like a tomato.”

  He chuckled, swallowing a bite of his own down with a sip of ice-cold lemonade. “All the ingredients are locally produced and sourced. It’s farm fresh and organic.”

  I stuck my paper straw between my teeth and took a long drink. “I was today years old before the whole organic craze started making sense to me. This is delicious. I can definitely taste the difference.”

  “I’m not hung up on eating that way, but this place makes me think I should be,” he said. His gaze drifted from mine, and another tight but polite smile touched his lips as he waved at someone.

  “Do you know that person?” I asked, curious since it had happened at least four times in the few minutes that we’d been sitting here.

  He shrugged. “No, but they know me. I’m always in the public eye, so I tend to get recognized a lot.”

  “Doesn’t it bother you?” It would annoy the heck out of me if I kept having to greet people I didn’t know while trying to have a conversation with someone I did.

  Jude shook his head. “I’m used to it. It’s been happening for so long, I think it’d be weird to go out and not have people coming up to me.”

  “Next time, we could put you in a disguise and conduct an experiment,” I suggested, smiling as I took another huge bite of my burger.

  A quiet laugh came out of him. “Sure, we could. What next time are you talking about, though? I thought you’d rather go to a dark, air-conditioned movie theater next time. People can’t recognize me in there.”

  I shot him a look, but I couldn’t help the corners of my lips twitching up. “You want me to say it out loud, don’t you?”

  He batted those long lashes of his innocently, pressing a hand to his bare chest. “Whatever do you mean?”

  “You know what I mean.” I forced my eyes to stay on his instead of wandering back down to his chest or the insanely sculpted body it belonged to. “But I’m not too proud to admit it. I loved surfing. Thank you for bringing me with you. I can’t believe how much of a one-eighty the day made after you showed up.”

  “You looked a little rough when I arrived,” he said, but not in a way that made me feel judged or condescended to. “I’m glad I could help you feel better.”

  “You were right.” I leaned back after finishing my last bite. “That cured my hangover so fast, I’d almost forgotten I woke up with one just this morning.”

  “Exercise,” he said matter-of-factly. “It works every time. If you can make it fun, it’s even better.”

  “You mean jogging doesn’t work as well as surfing?” I pretended to gasp. “Whoever would have guessed it?”

  Jude laughed, and my toes curled just a little into the soft sand beneath them. Every time I heard him laughing, I wanted to jump him. It had to be the sexiest sound I’d ever heard, but I always had been a sucker for a guy with a good laugh.

  “Well, I like jogging, so it works for me,” he said, fixing a solemn expression to his handsome face. “But surfing will always be my first love.”

  I admired the curve of his lips as he smiled at me, wishing I could stop checking him out. But it was hard, especially after being out in the water with him. “I think I’m adopting it as my first love, too. Mind sharing?”

  “Not with you,” he said, an almost secretive edge to his smile suddenly. “I brought you out here for a reason, didn’t I?”

/>   Our gazes caught, and a tingle ran down my spine as my stomach clenched with lingering desire. Having his hands on my body, even fleetingly, when he was helping on the board and seeing the strength he possessed when I’d watched him surf, it had gotten me a little more than hot under the collar.

  It seemed that was something I would have to get used to, being turned on when I was around Jude. I hated to be part of the stereotype, but with him, I was. Like all the women who apparently came onto him all the time, I wanted him too.

  Rather badly. Especially now that I’d figured out I actually enjoyed his company.

  Something sparked in the green depths of his eyes as we continued looking at each other, and it seemed like he might be biting the back of his lower lip. It was like a spell had been cast on us both, just as it had last night when we’d ended looking into each other’s eyes.

  I felt something pass between us, but I knew it had to be my imagination. No way a guy like that, who could literally choose any girl on this entire continent, would be attracted to his intern.

  The chemistry had to be coming from my side only, but I was still curious about how it’d happened that he’d ended up at my door this morning. “Care to share the reason you brought me out here?”

  “I wanted to show you around,” he said, his voice a touch huskier than it had been before. “Plus, I felt bad for practically daring you to take that first shot. You wouldn’t have felt like shit this morning if you’d stuck to your lemon water.”

  “Yeah, but I probably also wouldn’t have had much fun with my new colleagues then either.” I poked at a piece of ice with my straw. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t need alcohol to be friendly or to chat with people, but I was feeling a bit intimidated by it all. I think I would’ve taken off if Shane hadn’t come to get me.”

  “Shane came to get you because I told him to.” The fierce look in his eyes said he was telling the truth. “We’re going to be working closely together. I wanted to get to know you.”

  “Is that what today is about, too?”

  He nodded once. “In a way, yes. Contrary to what you might believe, I know you’ve worked hard to get to this point in your studies and I know the internship is a big deal. If we want it to work for both of us, we’re the ones who need to make it work.”

  “You’re right, but I’m surprised to hear you say it.” I’d honestly thought he hadn’t been very keen on having me around.

  Jude flashed me a smirk that practically melted my bikini bottoms. “Get ready for lots of surprises with me. I say what I think. Life is too short for bullshit.”

  “I like that.” I lifted my lemonade and clinked it against his. “If that’s true, I think we’re going to get along just fine.”

  “Good to know.” He wrapped his lips around his straw, and I found myself admiring them yet again before he released it. “So, you said Oxford was your dream. This is your last semester, right?”

  “Yep.” I sighed, turning away from him to watch the surf for a moment. “When this internship is over, so is my degree.”

  “What would you have done if you hadn’t gotten the internship?” he asked, drawing my attention back to him with the genuine curiosity in his tone.

  Seems I’m not the only curious one between us.

  I lifted my shoulders, shaking my head slightly. “I’m not sure. Everyone in the program gets offered mentorship while we’re writing our final reports, but it’s not a requirement. It’s more a way of transitioning us from student life to real life, I think. It helps us gain the experience we need to get a leg up into the industry.”

  His green eyes were clear and understanding. Despite the fact that he still waved at people here and there, I felt like I had his full attention. “What industries are you considering trying to get into?”

  “I’m open to whatever opportunities come knocking for me. I always assumed I’d go back home to the States to be closer to my folks, but I’m not married to the idea. I’ve applied for positions all over.”

  “Have you gotten anything yet?”

  The corners of my mouth tightened, and my stomach flipped. “Nothing. I thought I would, you know? I’ve kept my grades up, I’ve worked hard, and I’ve done internships before, but none of that has mattered so far.”

  “I’m sure something will come up,” he said confidently. “Maybe people are waiting until after you’ve graduated to hire you. Hiring you now and then having to wait six months for you to fill a position that’s already open would bug a lot of people.”

  Surprised again by the sincerity of his words, I realized I’d better heed his advice and get ready for a lot of surprises with him. “I hope you’re right.”

  “I usually am,” he said. Strangely, he stated it as fact rather than sounding like he was bragging. “Would you prefer to go back to the States to be closer to your folks, or is it just what you assumed would happen?”

  “A little bit of both.” I poked at the ice again. “When I left for college, it was never my intention to leave home forever. I keep in touch obviously, but I haven’t seen my parents as much as I would have liked to.”

  “Seven years is a long time to be in a different country than your family,” he said. “Do you still miss them?”

  “Every day.” It was absolutely true, even if I had gotten used to living with the ache of it in my chest. “How about you? Are you close to your family?”

  It hadn’t escaped my notice that his son hadn’t come up once, nor had this apparently awful ex of his. I hadn’t asked because I hadn’t wanted to pry, but he’d opened the door now. All I was doing was stepping through it.

  Jude didn’t react like I expected him to. Instead of telling me to mind my own business or shutting the conversation down, a wide grin spread across his lips. “I’m as close to them as I can be with the amount of hours I work in a day.”

  My eyebrows lifted, but I didn’t tell him that I’d taken him for a typical jerk who hadn’t even thought about his family in years. I kept it light instead. “Well, the hours you work and the hours you surf, right?”

  He laughed again, nodding as he finished his drink. “Fair enough. I don’t get out on the water as often as I used to, but I try to fit in a session at least once a week.”

  “Once a week?” I asked, my brow furrowing. “I thought it’d be more often than that. You’re really good. I’m going to sleep like the dead tonight. I don’t know how there are people who do this every day.”

  My bed sounded so inviting that I yawned, even though it was still afternoon.

  Jude smiled knowingly. “You get used to it. Are you up for another session before sunset, or is that it for you today?”

  “Do I have a choice this time?” I asked, my tone teasing.

  His eyes flashed with humor. “You always had a choice, Oxford. If you’d have told me to go fuck myself, I’d have left you alone.”

  “To go fuck yourself?” I repeated the words, wondering if I ever would’ve had the courage to tell him that.

  Jude, however, seemed to have taken it as an actual question he had to answer. Another smirk curved on his lips and his eyes smoldered at me for a moment. “Well, yeah. I would have left you alone to go fuck myself. It’s not like I’m going to do it in front of you when we’ve only just met. Jeez. What do you take me for?”

  I was so surprised by his answer that I choked on my own sip of lemonade, then laughed even as I sputtered. He came over to smack me on the back, chuckling as he instructed me to breathe.

  “Fuck, remind me not to make jokes around you if I want you to live,” he said once I’d settled down.

  “Sorry, that was just really unexpected.”

  He winked. “I know. That’s half the reason why I said it. I warned you that I said what I thought, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah.” I just hadn’t realized his thoughts were quite so dirty. I never would have imagined his mind would’ve gone to jerking off while he was sitting on the beach with me. “Let’s just say I’ll be more pr
epared in the future. Joke away. I’ll be fine.”

  “If you say so,” he said, his gaze still light when it landed on mine. “We should probably get going. I know you’ve been dying to crawl back into bed.”

  I nodded, even though all I really wanted to do was to stay with him. We talked more about my studies as he drove me back to the hotel, but he wouldn’t answer any more questions about himself. It seemed he was shifting into business gear, trying to figure out how we would go forward from Monday.

  When he finally parked in front of my hotel, I considered asking him in for a drink. Before I could, though, he turned to face me. “That was fun. Thanks for not slapping me in the face when I showed up unannounced. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Oxford.”

  “Thanks,” I said, taking the hint that he was done with babysitting duty for today. He probably had big plans for the night that didn’t involve his intern tagging along.

  I sighed quietly, nodding as I opened my door. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

  “See you Monday.” He gave me a friendly wave as I climbed out. Then he leaned over to peer up at me with those glorious, brilliant eyes of his. “Oh, and Oxford?”

  “Yes?”

  “Remember that your boss is an asshole.” He smirked. “Don’t be late.”

  Without another word, he reached for the door handle on the inside and closed it, then sped off like a bat out of hell. Meanwhile, I stood on the sidewalk, watching him drive away and wondering why I wanted him to stay so damn badly.

  Chapter 16

  JUDE

  Sunday morning was quiet in the Hudson residence. Mom was out to brunch with some of her friends and Luke was still with Audrey.

  It gave me some rare time alone. Well, time alone that I didn’t have to feel guilty about because I could have been spending it with Luke. People always spoke about Mom-guilt, but Dad-guilt was just as fucking real.

  As I sat in an armchair near the window to my balcony, my mind kept drifting back to my day with Rose yesterday. I might have gone over there at Shane’s suggestion, but I’d stayed with her all fucking day because I’d ended up having more fun with her than I’d had in a long time.