‘Aren’t you going to tell someone where you are?We’re about to get out of phone range.’
That’s when reality hit her.
She was sitting in the passenger seat of a dust-covered ute, with a guy she’d just met a few hours ago, while babysitting his wild crocodile eggs on her lap.
She’d never felt more adventurous than in this moment—especially when she was clueless as to where she was going, or who Stone was.
Sure, she’d been on plenty of adventures, but they came with strict itineraries because time was money in her industry.Yet, this was completely unscripted.And she was loving every second.
‘Just shoot a text to someone.’Stone wasn’t being rude about it either.He was being practical.
‘You’re right.’She dragged out her phone.With her arms resting on the lid of the cooler like a desk, she tapped out a text message:
Hey Mum,
I’m in Elsie Creek, running away with the crocodile wrangler.I had to quit that doco job coz the director was a dick.
‘You can’t send that to your mother.She might have one of them motherly panic attacks.’
‘Are you reading my text?’Romy slapped her phone to her chest.‘Do you normally read over people’s shoulders?’
Stone’s confident grin said it all.‘I was seated next to this lady on a plane once, and I told her to slow down on her smut book.’
‘What did she do?’
‘Took her a while to register what I’d said to her.But she was good about it.She was reading the second in the series and handed me the first book she had in her bag.Juicy stuff.’
‘You read smut?’She arched her eyebrows at the masculine crocodile wrangler.
‘It killed time on the plane.And when I shouted her a few vodkas, she gave me this list of the best smut books to read.’
‘What for?’
‘Training.Fun.Something to talk about.’
‘You’re a flirt, aren’t you?’It was easy to picture someone like Stone swaggering up to some poor, unsuspecting female in the airport, which would be a second home to a pilot.Of course, he’d give that cheeky smile, his white teeth showing off his deep tan, along with that mischievous twinkle in his striking hazel eyes.Then, he’d effortlessly drop it into the conversation that he was a crocodile wrangler, while showing off his crocodile boots, he’d have the women drooling to learn his story.Although Romy wasn’t drooling, she did want to know Stone’s story.‘I bet you use your job to attract the women.’
‘Well, hell, I am a full-time sweetheart and part-time crocodile wrangler.’
That line was so well rehearsed and cheesy, she had to laugh.
She then retyped her text to her mother.‘Do you have a business name, Stone?’
‘Nope.But you can give your mother my full name.Stone Kipp.K-I-P-P.And tell her I’m not only devilishly handsome, I’m also nice to the ladies, both wild and domesticated.’
Oh, brother.The laugh escaped her as she struggled to tap out a text:
Hi Mum.
I met a cheeky chopper pilot, who is more of an overpriced tour guide who helped me quit my job.Now I’m going to see a crocodile hatchery outside of Elsie Creek.
‘That’s good.’He nodded at her, leaning closer, his musky cologne divine.‘Just tell her you’ll be back in range by sunset.Which is around seven-ish this time of year.You’ll need to adjust for time zones, as we don’t do daylight savings in the Territory.’
‘Do you mind?’Again, she held her phone to her chest.‘Don’t you have any boundaries?’
Stone casually shrugged.‘You climbed onto my front seat, not me.’
The ute was a rather small space.At least the air conditioner worked a treat.But there was no privacy, not with the cooler on her lap, but it was enough to finish her text:
