Page 36 of Outback Reunion

Gabi noticed she wore a moonboot and there were crutches leaning against the bar. ‘You too. What was the job you couldn’t go back to?’

‘Henri’s an ag pilot,’ Liam said, notable pride in his voice.

‘Nowhere near as exciting as being with the circus, mind you. Now that’s what I call an interesting gig.’ She ditched the glass she was polishing and planted her elbows on the bar. ‘I want to hear all about it.’

Mark wrapped his arm around Gabi’s shoulder and pulled her to his side like he’d done for their selfie—once again, her insides buzzed at his touch. ‘No, no, no,’ he said. ‘All we require from you are drinks. What do you want, Gabriela?’

‘I’ll have a glass of white wine, please,’ she said, awkwardly shrugging out of his grip. She didn’t want to give him the wrong impression.

He nodded. ‘A glass of your finest for the lady and a pint for me.’ He lifted his phone to use the EFTPOS machine.

‘I’ll pay for mine,’ she said, but it was too late. The transaction had already gone through.Déjà vu.

‘You can get the next one.’

Gabi’s stomach flipped. ‘I thought we were only having one drink?’

He winked. ‘We’ll see.’

She couldn’t help but smile at his cockiness.

‘So, how d’you know this tosspot?’ Henri asked as Liam pulled the beer and she poured the wine.

‘We met in Melbourne, years ago,’ Gabi supplied.

Henri handed her the glass. ‘Well, if you want to know all the embarrassing stories about him, I’m your girl. Our mums are good friends, so we grew up together. I can also tell you how I used to whip his ar—’

‘Thanks for the drinks,’ Mark interrupted, glaring at Henri as he ushered Gabi away to the far corner of the pub.

‘That was a bit rude,’ she scolded.

‘Says the person who stood me up last night.’

Gabi blushed. ‘I said I was sorry; besides, Henri seems lovely, and I wanted to hear all the embarrassing stories.’

‘Anything you want to know, I’ll tell you myself,’ he said, putting his glass down on a table. ‘But I’m not sharing you with anyone tonight. We have a lot to catch up on.’

Chapter Nine

Mark couldn’t believe he was sitting in The Palace with Gabriela after all these years, her soft brown eyes wide and bright. He lifted his beer to make a toast but found he didn’t know what to say.

To uswould sound ridiculous.To old friends, not quite true.

She seemed to swing between skittish and flirty around him, but now that they were here, she looked nervous, and he desperately wanted to put her at ease. So instead of a toast or launching straight into the question of why she’d vanished from his bed all those years ago, he took a sip then put the glass down. ‘Are you ready?’

She blinked her thick, long lashes. ‘For what?’

‘Our arm wrestle, of course.’

Her lips quirked and he saw her shoulders relax a little. ‘You weren’t serious?’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re not chicken, are you?’

In reply, she took a large gulp of wine, put the glass off to the side out of harm’s way, made a show of pushing up her sleeves even though her dress didn’t have any, and then planted her elbow onto the table, holding out her palm to his. ‘No, but you should be.’

‘Is that right?’ Her confidence only enhanced her attractiveness, and as he positioned his arm opposite hers, Mark laughed. It would be chivalrous to let her win, but he didn’t want the locals pitying him any more than they already did. ‘Let’s see about that.’

He took Gabriela’s hand firmly in his and even though it was the most innocent of touches, the feel of her skin against his sent a spark of desire right to his core. Her palms weren’t silky smooth like most women he knew but callused like his. He liked it, because he knew her hands reflected the way she could move up and down those silks and—

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