Kiss On The Bridge (9 page)

‘What if for some unforeseen circumstance the
rope missed the foothold?’ The thought struck Wade hard. Either
way, in seconds he’d know the outcome.

Wade felt a huge tug. He opened his arms to
collect Anneli. She crashed hard into his chest, locking them into
a swinging embrace.

“Nice catch!” exclaimed Anneli.

“You missed the handhold you were aiming
for.”

“It was wet.”

Lightning pierced the sky over their heads
again. Another deep rumble came louder. The wind speed seemed to be
doubling every few minutes.

When the duo caught their breath, Wade pushed
Anneli towards the metal structure. She clung to the main beam and
slowly descended, taking extra care.

Eventually they made it to terra firma. Wade
untied the rope around their waists, coiling it in his hand. When
he came to the cut he looked at Anneli. He snorted, trying to sound
angry.

“You almost cut the rope in two. The rope
couldn’t take much more. Only a few strands remain undamaged.
Saying that, I’m sure your plan would’ve worked.”

“I’m happy you thought up a second plan,”
confessed Anneli.

Wade slipped the rope through his belt.
Reaching out he gently took hold of Anneli’s hand to begin leading
the way back to the hut.

“What now?” Anneli yelled over the roar of
the wind.

Wade looked through the window to view the
condition of the hut. Already water covered the dirt floor making
it look like mud. “You’re right about waiting out the storm in the
hut.”

“We can’t stay outside,” screamed Anneli. “To
me this storm might be forming into a massive cyclone.”

Wade almost pulled Anneli off her feet,
sprinting towards the motorbike. She straddled the black seat,
ready for a fast ride. Wade picked up the long rigid canvas bag he
brought from the yacht and quickly tied it against the side of the
bike. “Hold on tight. I know a safe place.”

“Of course,” she whispered.

A loud clap of thunder directly overhead
drowned her words.

Wade glanced over his shoulder. “I missed
what you said.”

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“You’ll see. Hang on tight.”

Anneli didn’t need to be told twice. She
slipped her hands around Wade’s waist, locking her fingers
together. Through his soaking wet shirt she could feel his taught
stomach muscles tighten.

Wade roared the motorbike over the top of the
hill, slipping and sliding on the soft water logged ground. Another
round of forked lightning lit the sky, highlighting the area.
Almost immediately thunder vibrated the ground.

The narrow path they were travelling along
quickly formed into a creek from the monsoonal downpour. In minutes
the track will be useless to trace. The gale force wind and the
rain forced Anneli to close her eyes. Instead of asking again where
they were going, she decided to trust the man steering the
motorbike.

Fifty feet directly in front, the two riders
came to a small narrow opening in the side of the hill. At speed,
Wade burst through the entrance. Twenty feet from the cave’s mouth
they stopped in the middle of a thirty foot wide cavity. Wade
killed the bike’s engine before looking over his shoulder at
Anneli. He knew from the moment they kissed on the bridge he’d
fallen in love. Looking at her now, it was a foregone
conclusion.”

“I hope you’re not thinking I look a mess?”
questioned Anneli.

“Never,” replied Wade. “If it’s your worst
look, you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever had the privilege to
meet.”

Anneli’s face flushed red at the
compliment.

Wade climbed off the bike. His wet clothes
were almost transparent. Anneli’s eyebrows shot skywards at what
she saw. ‘You look and feel great yourself,’ she thought. “You
didn’t mention there’s a bunker close to the hut,” quizzed Anneli,
masking her erotic thoughts.

“This place really isn’t a bunker,” explained
Wade. “It’s a disused mine. Back in the early nineteen hundreds a
man known only as Sea Dog started to dig. Legend has been recorded
he actually found gold. His biggest mistake happened to be bragging
about it to the wrong people. They robbed him of his life.”

“What happened to the gold?”

“No idea. I couldn’t unearth any more
details.”

Anneli started to turn in slow circles.
Comparing it to the few caves she’d previously visited over the
years, the mine appeared to be exactly the same.

“I placed a few provisions in here just in
case I happened to be caught unawares by the rain.”

“Planning ahead for the unexpected is a good
thing,” advised Anneli, refocusing on the man standing directly in
front of her.

Wade walked over to a knee high, Tasmanian
oak cabinet. He squatted. Using his fingers, he dug at the hardened
dirt directly underneath the lock, unearthing a small silver key.
He unlocked the door, pulling the contents off the only shelf. He
pushed a small matchbox into his back pocket before handing a towel
to Anneli. She grabbed it and immediately started to dry her hair.
Next he unraveled a blanket on the ground. A black track suit sat
in the middle. Wade looked doubtful. “The clothes are too big for
you. Sorry, it’s the best I can do.”

Anneli bent to pick up the track suit. “Thank
you. The only thing missing is a change room.”

“I’ll take a look outside to see if the rain
has eased. I’ll come back in five minutes.”

Wade walked to the entrance of the mine. To
try to block out the urge to view Anneli’s half naked body, he
concentrated on the storm which seemed to be getting worse by the
minute. Behind him Wade heard a groan. He subconsciously turned his
head in time to see Anneli standing naked. She stood side on to him
totally oblivious to the pair of eyes staring at her. Wade’s mind
soaked up the image of her perfect flawless olive skin. Her long
black hair, still damp from the rain, cascaded over her shoulders
and draped towards her feet. He felt the twinges of love pull at
his heartstrings. He wanted to walk over to hold her in his arms
for eternity. Wade sighed, forcing his eyes to look back at the
rain. He watched the strengthening wind push the hail sideways.
Each lightning strike and thunder clap rolled together in a
continuous light show and one infinite baritone of noise.

Soft quiet footsteps approached from behind
him, jerking Wade back into reality.

Anneli pushed her arms around his waist.
Instead of looking out at the storm, she closed her eyes. Her mind
started to bathe in his strength. His masculine smell wafted into
her nostrils; exciting her. She wanted him to hold her in his arms,
take her to a private location so they could make passionate
love.

Wade could feel Anneli’s warm body against
his. He instantly slipped hopelessly back to the previous erotic
scene when he turned from viewing the storm. He knew he should only
shelve her beauty in his memory. Sweeping Anneli off her feet so he
could make love to her engulfed his thoughts.

Anneli’s voice broke the spell. “I found a
dry shirt inside the tracksuit. It’s too big for me. I’m warm
enough in the tracksuit.” She secretly hoped Wade will strip off
his wet shirt. Her pupils danced at the thought of seeing his deep
chest and broad shoulders.

Standing square to Anneli, Wade striped off
the wet shirt. Before dressing he reeled her in close. He felt her
warm breath sweep across his cheeks. Their lips were close and
parallel to each other. The embrace tightened. Their lips were
hovering apart by only the width of a hair. Anneli moved her arms
further across Wade’s shoulders. The move pulled them in even
closer. For the next few minutes there’d be no communication
between them. There didn’t have to be. Each knew what the other
wanted. Their lips lightly touched. For several heartbeats neither
seemed to dare to take the final step. Both were pondering the same
question. Will the kiss feel the same as it did on the bridge or
will they be disappointed?

Which one will be brave enough to make the
final move?

CHAPTER EIGHT

Thirty minutes before cyclone Tracy hits
landfall.

ANNELI’S STEPFATHER stood staring out of the
hotel window at the Cyclone. He insisted on paying for the
presidential suite and the whole sixth floor for several nights.
His plans of having a flawless first impression between Anneli and
her future husband seemed to be failing. Hearing the warning on the
radio of the imminent cyclone he frantically raced from room to
room to wake his family. Darryl found each of his sons asleep lying
next to a young lady.

“Where’s Meredith?” cussed Darryl, glaring at
his middle son lying in the bed.

The young blonde haired woman next to him
pulled the blanket over her head.

“Dad, what’s the meaning of barging into my
private room?”

“I don’t care to answer your question. Have
you any idea where your sister is, let alone her husband?”

The young man sighed. “She’s in the room at
the end of the hall. Number six twenty-two.”

Darryl stormed over to the door. Reaching for
the handle he looked over his shoulder. “Get dressed. Be down
stairs in one minute.”

“I’m tired after my extra late night. Why
should I even want to agree to get out of bed?”

The young lady under the blanket curled into
a tight ball.

“There’s a cyclone on the way. You have
thirty seconds to get yourself downstairs. Bring the young
woman.”

Darryl sprinted down the corridor, found room
six twenty-two and started pounding on the door. He counted to
three before kicking it in.

Meredith’s bags were packed, waiting for her
husband to hang up the phone.

“Quick, down stairs, there’s a cyclone on her
way.”

Dirk slammed the phone back on the hook,
staring at his father-in-law. “When I woke early I heard the
weather report. They named the storm cyclone, Tracy. I’ve put an
order in for two cabs to deliver everyone to the airport. Inside an
hour we’ll be on our way back to Melbourne.”

“There’s no time,” growled Darryl. “The
cyclone’s too close. Everybody, get down stairs. Congregate in the
main reception area. The concierge has insisted everyone stays
indoors.”

“Merry Christmas,” blurted Meredith facing
her husband.

Dirk gave her a reassuring kiss on the
forehead then led the party down the stairs.

In the main dining room a long table was set
for breakfast. When the hot food, consisting of bacon, eggs, toast,
jam, pancakes, muffins, and caviar came out from the kitchen, the
two waitresses were singing a Christmas carol. Evidently they were
ordered to cheer up the patrons.

Darryl marched over to the dining room window
to view the cyclone. The wind started rattling the taped glass. The
trees were bending, almost touching the ground. Metal signs,
bricks, roofing tiles even whole caravans were being tossed through
the air.

Meredith walked across the pale grey carpet.
Standing next to her stepfather she said. “This looks bad.”

“A half hour ago the radio reported the
experts have labeled this a freak cyclone. They’ve upgraded the
category to number four. If the report is accurate there won’t be
much of Darwin left standing when she’s gone.”

Meredith glued her gaze on a small car
tumbling end over end down the road. Before she could react to what
she witnessed the car crashed into the building opposite. The
building’s brick wall cracked before tumbling to the ground. Brick
fragments were scooped up by the wind and hurled further down the
road.

“That was too close,” squealed Meredith,
rubbing the goose bumps off her bare arms.

“I think we should move away from the window
and retire to the banquet table to join in on the festivities. We
might be here for a while,” barked Darryl.

“How can you think of food?”

“Easy, I’m hungry for the free breakfast
we’ve been invited to.”

Meredith’s jaw dropped. An expression of
sheer panic forced her to pull on her stepfather’s shoulder.
“Where’s Anneli?”

Darryl quipped. “I did try to find her. When
your brothers came home I even asked them. They weren’t of much
help.”

“You sound like you don’t really care.”

“Our heated discussion over my ideas for her
planned marriage has left a sour taste in my mouth. I know I should
care; however at this moment I’m happy she’s not here. Christmas
has been ruined enough.”

Meredith gave him a fiery look. “The argument
happened nearly twelve months ago.”

“Time flies.”

“Have you even spoken to Anneli since the
heated meeting last new-years-eve?”

Hearing footsteps, Darryl looked away. “Your
husband is coming for you. Be a good girl, keep him happy.”

CHAPTER NINE

ANNELI TOOK the initiative to go the one step
further and kissed her hero. The kiss on the bridge felt amateurish
compared to the kiss they shared in the cave in the middle of a
cyclone. The wind seemed to heighten the sensation.

Finally she moved to pull back. Wade trapped
her to prolong the kiss. Anneli surrendered, allowing him to kiss
her even longer. She felt weak in his strong arms. She needed her
hero to look after her. She craved the thought and wanted it known
she wasn’t a weak female.

Anneli gently broke the kiss.

Wade released his hold. For a few moments
they stood gazing into each other’s eyes.

“There’s something I need to say.”

“I’m listening,” whispered Wade, giving her
his undivided attention.

Anneli broke free of his grip only to lean
her back seductively against the wall of the mine.

“Whatever it is you’re thinking about just
say it.”

“I’m not sure how,” she confessed on a sigh,
kicking at a clump of dirt.