Page 19 of Outback Reunion

His touch on her bare arm felt like fire and their faces were so close that she could see a tiny red mark on his skin where he must have cut himself when shaving. As she inhaled, she smelled a woody cologne mixed with the scents of hot dog and tomato sauce; not usually aromas that turned her on, yet she had a sudden, almost-irrepressible urge to thread her fingers through his thick hair and drag his face to hers.

To find out if he still tasted as good as he had all those years ago.

But she was older now, wiser, so instead of giving in to baser instincts, she pulled away, ignoring the thumping of her heart.

‘What are you doing here?’ she demanded, glancing around. This was the circus’s private backstage lot, where they kept all their trailers and caravans. If her family or colleagues saw her here with him, there’d be no end of questions.

‘You told me to come.’

Gabi shook her head. ‘I meanthere. Out the back.’ Although why she’d told him to come, she had no idea. What had she been thinking? It wasn’t like anything could happen between them again. Not just because of Luna and her responsibilities to the circus but because he was married. ‘Didn’t you see the signs?’

He shrugged as if such rules didn’t apply to him. ‘I wanted to see you, to check you were okay after—’

‘I’m fine,’ she spat, shuddering as she recalled how he’d literally thrown her off balance. Thinking about that again made her furious—whether at herself or him, she wasn’t sure. ‘Nothing happened. Pretending to fall is part of my act.’

‘Right, okay. I’m glad to hear it.’ He shoved his hands in his pockets and gave her a bewildered smile. ‘Wow. It’s so weird that you’re here. That we—’

‘I can’t chat. I’ve got to get inside and help.’

It was true but being in his presence also unnerved her, bringing back feelings she’d tried to forget.

He stepped back a little. ‘Okay. But will you meet me after the show? We could take a walk along the beach or go to the pub for a drink?’

‘Will your wife be joining us?’ She couldn’t help her jealous tone. She’d been too bamboozled to notice who was sitting on either side of him, but she imagined Tahlia must be here too. Maybe he’d come to the circus not because of her offhand invitation, but because they had little kids.

Mark blinked. ‘Tahlia?’ His eyes went dark a moment before he shook his head. ‘No. We’re not together anymore.’

‘Oh.’ That threw her almost as much as running into him in the supermarket had. ‘Since when?’

‘Middle of last year. We... It’s a long story. Are you with anyone?’ His gaze fell to her ring finger, but it was bare.

She’d married Dante while she’d been pregnant with Luna and afterwards when she’d lost the small amount of weight she’d gained during pregnancy, the ring had been too big. They’d never got around to having it resized because wearing a ring while performing could also be dangerous.

‘No.’

He hit her with a grin that made her toes curl. ‘I can’t believe you’re here in Bunyip Bay. I never forgot you. Always wondered why you did a vanishing act on me.’

Gabi sighed. ‘That is a long and complicated story, one I really don’t have time for right now.’

‘Then we should definitely get a drink after the show,’ he said, running a hand through his thick hair. ‘I can show you the bright lights of Bunyip Bay and you can tell me why I woke up to an empty bed and no way to contact you.’

‘I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Mark.’

He frowned, which didn’t hinder his attractiveness one little bit. ‘Why not?’

Since he’d shaved, his dimple was visible again. She reckoned it was that dimple that had led to her downfall all those years ago. They should really be illegal on grown men.

She swallowed and shook her head, trying to ignore the way being so close to him made her feel. ‘What did you say?’

‘Why not?’ he repeated.

Gabi huffed out a laugh. ‘Because of what happened last time we were together.’

‘I know I was young and inexperienced...’ His lips quirked. ‘But it wasn’tthatbad, was it?’

She couldn’t help but reassure him, her body heating at the memory. ‘It was anything but bad.’

‘Excellent. Then you’ll meet me later.’

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