Page 63 of Outback Reunion

Standing in the garden, beneath the moon and the stars, away from the hustle and bustle of her normal life, she felt like the main character from one of her novels. Her breasts grew heavy at the feel of his chest pressing into them and goosebumps broke out on the back of her neck where his hand caressed the skin. They kissed like a couple of teenagers, and she’d never felt so turned on from simply kissing. After what felt like an eternity, Mark slipped her dress straps back down her shoulders and before she knew it, his mouth was once again on her breasts.

So much for waiting until her dessert settled.

She moaned as his lips teased her, her hand moving to his groin. She couldn’t remember ever being this desperate and needy in her life.

‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered, between dropping kisses all over her skin, ‘but I think that was my last condom, so we might have to be creative.’

Gabi was about to say it didn’t matter. She and Dante had tried to have another baby for years, but it never happened. If it weren’t for their lifestyle, maybe they’d have tried IVF, but they were never in one place long enough to make that viable. Eventually, she’d decided that if she wasn’t going to get pregnant, she might as well take the pill that stopped her having periods altogether, because getting your period when you had a job like hers was a real inconvenience.

But before she could put these thoughts into words, a distant ringing sounded from inside her car. Immediately, her whole body stilled. ‘That’s my phone.’

‘I thought you didn’t have one,’ Mark said, his tone light.

‘Did I say that?’ she asked innocently.

He laughed—‘Leave it’—then dropped to his knees on the grass, his hands pushing her dress up her legs again. ‘What could be more important than this?’

She looked down at his head—her pelvic floor already anticipating what he was about to do—and then back towards the car parked not too far away.

Oh, how she wanted to ignore it.

But she was a mother and not answering her phone when her daughter wasn’t with her simply wasn’t an option. It was the kind of thing her own mother would have done. And from the moment she’d found out she was pregnant, Gabi had vowed to be different.

‘I can’t,’ she said, then turned and ran across to her car. In her haste to get out and into Mark’s arms earlier, she hadn’t even bothered to shut the driver’s side door. She fished her phone out of her bag on the front seat and when she saw that the missed call was from Stella Burton, her heart shot to her throat.

Oh God. Please let nothing have happened to Luna.

She’d never forgive herself.

She pressed return call and couldn’t keep the panic out of her voice when Stella answered. ‘Is something wrong with Luna?’

‘No, she’s fine,’ Stella reassured her. ‘Well, physically she’s fine but she’s missing you and her dogs and says she wants to go home after all. Adam’s happy to bring her into town but I just thought I should let you know before—’

‘I’m not in town,’ Gabi interrupted, her heart rate slowing again.Luna was fine.Shemissedher even! ‘I can come get her. I’m only a few minutes away, so I won’t be long.’ She was already wondering where she’d left her damn keys.

‘Oh?’ Stella sounded surprised but didn’t pry further. ‘Okay then. We’ll see you soon. Drive safe.’

‘What’s going on?’ Mark asked from behind her as Rookie jumped up into the car.

She swallowed. ‘That was Stella Burton. My daughter was staying with Heidi tonight, but she’s—’

‘Yourdaughter?’ He looked both shocked and hurt.

But Gabi couldn’t worry about Mark’s feelings right now. She should never have said yes to a sleepover—of course Luna wouldn’t truly be comfortable with such a thing, even if she thought she wanted it. ‘Look, I’m sorry but I don’t have time to explain. I need to find my car keys because I have to go get her.’

Without waiting for him to say another word, she rushed back into his house to look.

Chapter Fifteen

Herdaughter?! What the actual hell?

As Gabriela hurried into the house, Mark stood there frozen, totally blindsided by the news she had a child. How old was this kid? What was her name? Was she the little girl in the circus?

He shook his head. None of this made sense. Why hadn’t she told him she had a daughter? He was still standing by her car, dumbfounded, when she rushed back a few minutes later.

Barefoot—she hadn’t bothered to locate her thongs—she hurried past him as if she were racing from a fire, nottoa child.

‘Out,’ she ordered Rookie, who was still dancing around on the driver’s seat—and, of course, didn’t obey.

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