Windswept Shores Read online

  “I reckon not.” He smiled.

  She noticed some greenery nearby. “Can you cut me some reeds from over there? They look good enough to weave a basket.”

  “Sure, mate.” He cut so much that they filled the deck and gave her his knife to trim off the leaves.

  By lunch time, she wrapped the last reed around the top. I love weaving. It always relaxes me so much that I can feel my blood pressure drop. Not that anything here ever makes it go up. Well, except maybe Seth when he smiles or flexes his muscles.

  The ladder moved, making a noise. Seth climbed back into the boat. “Oy Megz, you finished already?”

  “Yup,” she agreed as she tugged the last reed into place.

  “You did that flat out, like a lizard drinking.”

  “Is that fast?”

  “The fastest.” He winked at her, causing her heart to skip a beat. Then he helped her clean out the boat.

  Windswept Shores

  Chapter Ten: Bill’s Bones

  Megan felt a ripple of muscles under her hand. Running her fingers higher, she found a nipple, then another one. The warm skin was smooth. Good. I hate a hairy chest. A belly button was at the bottom end of an even set of bumps. Oh, a six pack. Her caresses seemed to wonder back to the nipples, which hardened under her touch.

  “Stop, luv, or I’ll be forced to return the favor,” Seth breathed.

  Megan jerked her hand back like she’d touched a hot stove. Realizing she was spooning him, she scooted away. Heat started in her face, running all the way down her neck and chest. Oh, God, what am I doing? “Um, er, sorry, I-I was half asleep,” she stuttered.

  “Hmm, a good excuse for a fondle,” he murmured as he rolled toward her.

  In the pre-dawn light, she saw he wore nothing but his briefs, and he was happy to be there.

  “Megz, this is killing me.”

  She jerked her gaze to his face. “Maybe one of us should sleep in the bunk beds.”

  “Can’t, luv. My feet hang off the end.”

  “What did you do when Bill was alive?”

  “I let ‘em hang. Bill was captain and entitled to the big bed.”

  “I’m little enough to sleep in there.”

  “You can’t climb up to the top bunk with yer hurt leg, and it’s the only one with a mattress.” He moved against her, slipping an arm around her waist, murmuring, “I reckon there’s something else we can share, besides sleeping arrangements.”

  “Seth. Don’t. Please,” she said, afraid he would kiss her. When he moved away, she found herself disappointed. What is wrong with me? Visions of him seducing her flooded her mind. She bit her lip, trying to look anywhere but at his passion filled gaze.

  “Megz, you know he’s dead.”

  “No, I don’t!” she snapped. Tears filled her eyes.

  “If he isn’t, I reckon he appreciates your faithfulness.” He got up to use the bathroom. Shortly, she heard water running.

  “He never has before,” she whispered.

  The shower stopped, and Seth stepped out with a thin white towel wrapped tight around him, revealing one muscular leg all the way up to his hip. “I’m gonna get dressed, then make brekky.”

  Megan dragged her gaze up to his. “Okay.”

  He stopped at the door to the small bedroom, but looked back at her suspiciously. “Were you watching my arse?”

  “No,” she lied.

  He snorted like he didn’t believe her, before going into the small room.

  Megan took her turn in the bathroom. Staring at the small shower, she scratched her scalp. Itchy. Then she stuck her head in, got it wet and grabbed the shampoo. She kept her leg out so the wound wouldn’t get soaked. The door to the cabin slammed, as footsteps thumped across the deck. Seth apparently was leaving to pick fruit for breakfast.

  ~* * *~

  Seth was just climbing back up the ladder when Megan limped out on deck to look for him. “There you are,” she said, relieved.

  “You were worried?”

  “Well, yes,” she said, but then staggered. The whole boat moved. The tarp shook, and something thumped against the covering. A beer can rolled across the deck. “Is it me, or did we just have an earthquake?”

  “Don’t reckon I can claim credit for making the earth move for ya.” He smirked, bending his knees to take the movement. “Tide is coming in.”

  She looked over the back end of the boat at the waves breaking on the sand, continuing up under the boat, causing the vessel to give another quaver. “So, it is,” she agreed. “I wondered how you were going to get the Dinki-Di off the beach.”

  “She’ll need a high tide or a storm surge to come completely free. Anyhow, mate, take a gander at what I found.” He showed her the basket she made the day before.

  “Eggs, where did you get them?” she said with wonder in her voice. A few were oblong white and some were round with brown spots. She touched one. “It’s still warm.”

  “Over there on the ridge. The seabirds were laying, so I got us some.”

  “Are you sure they don’t have chicks inside?”

  “I held them up and had me a look, just like they do in the egg houses.”

  “Okay, but it doesn’t look like enough with the way you eat.”

  “There are spuds we can fry up.” He looked at her. “You feel up to peeling?”

  “Sure, I feel good enough to help with brekky.”

  Hearing an odd noise, they exchanged a worried glance. It sounded again.

  Megan pulled down the corners of her mouth, spitting out one word, “Pigs.”

  Seth’s eyes widened. “Bill.” He thrust the eggs into her hands, heading to the ladder on the side of the boat.

  “Where are you going?” Megan asked.

  “They’re in Bill’s ashes. After his bones.”

  “You can’t charge boars barehanded. They have long, sharp tusks.” She frowned. “The last time I ran across a wild pig, I had to climb a tree.”

  He slammed his fist on the boat’s railing. “I should have taken them out last night and buried them.” Opening a chest, Seth took out a spear gun. “You know how to use one of these?”

  “No, I’ve only seen them on TV.” She set the eggs on the swivel chair.

  “It’s just like on the box. You point and pull the trigger.” Seth demonstrated, loading it with a long spear with a wicked looking barb.

  “What are you going to do?” She took the spear-gun.

  Seth pushed the sharp end away from him. “I’m gonna make a bullroarer.” He brought out some heavy duty fishing line, tying a pointed weight to the end of it. “If I get charged, shoot. But try not to hit me.”

  “I’ll try,” she said softly.

  “Try a little harder than that, luv.” He grinned as he climbed down the ladder.

  Megan scurried over to the side and aimed the spear gun at the pigs.

  Seth rounded the bow of the boat. He called out with a thick accent, “Oy, get away from there, you miserable drongo.”

  The boar grunted at him, sounding like “Huh?” The sow snorted, her piglets hiding behind her.

  “Well come on, take a gander at the big Aussie.” He spread his arms wide as the boar snuffled, trying to scent him. Seth unwound the cord from the weight, spinning it over his head. The weapon started to hum until it turned into a very odd loud buzzing noise.

  Alarmed by the noise, the pigs snorted and squealed.

  “What a gas bag you are, you and your dirty grubs.” He moved closer to the hogs.

  The female and the babies acted nervous, as if they didn’t want anything to do with that odd whirling noise overhead. With a last loud squeal of dismay, they ran off.

  The boar didn’t budge but pawed the ground. “Seth, the boar is going to charge,” Megan warned. She kept a bead on it with the spear-gun.

  “Steady now, Megz.” He edged closer to the boar. “Oy, you great big wanker, your missus left and so should you.”

  The bore squealed ferociously and charged. Meg
an screamed. The spear-gun went off.

  Windswept Shores

  Chapter Eleven: Bush Pork

  “Seth, Seth,” Megan cried out, dropping the gun so she could grip the boat’s side. “Are you alright?”

  “Fine, luv.” He craned his head up at her.

  “What happened to the boar?” The ashes from the fire billowed, obscuring her view.

  “How do you feel about bush pork for tea?”

  “It’s dead?”

  “If it isn’t, I’m gonna have a hell of a time dressing it out.” Seth lifted an ash covered hoof, then dropped it.

  “Did I kill it?” Her stomach clinched. She had killed something?

  “You or I did, luv.” He pulled the pointed weight from its eye, showing it to her. “Both were killing blows.”

  “Seth, you called me love again.” She smiled down at him, feeling better now that she knew he was all right.

  “You don’t sound like you mind?”

  “Not this time.”

  Seth got a rope so he could tie the boar’s hind legs together. He hung it upside down on a nearby tree. With a bucket, he splashed water on the carcass, washing it off. Taking out his pocketknife, he cut the boar’s throat so it could bleed out.

  Megan found the potatoes, a bowl and a knife, then took Seth’s bucket for the peels. She smiled at him as he climbed up the ladder into the boat.

  “You got the spuds almost done for brekky?”

  “Only one more. How do you like your potatoes cooked?”

  “Fried with lots of salt and pepper, then I mix them with the eggs, covering everything with sauce.”

  “Jeez, I could burn the potatoes, and you wouldn’t taste it.” Megan shook her head.

  “Bill usually did when he cooked,” Seth admitted with a crooked grin. He took a raw piece of potato from the bowl, which he ate, crunching loudly.

  Megan finished the potatoes, found the oil and an iron skillet. She spent a few minutes figuring out how the stove worked.

  Seth cracked the eggs into a bowl, but very carefully checked them.

  Megan glanced at him. “What are you looking for?”

  “Developing chicks,” he cheerfully told her.

  “Uh, yeah.” She wrinkled her nose. “I wouldn’t want to eat one of those.”

  “I reckon it’s a delicacy in some places.” Satisfied, he took a fork and whipped the eggs. Megan took another skillet. Seth walked over to look at it. “Is that for the eggs?”

  “Did you want to do the honors, or shall I cook them?”

  “Sure, I’m no bludger.” He poured the eggs in the hot skillet and grabbed a spatula.

  They had their brekky on the small table which was just big enough for the two of them.

  “How’s them eggs?” Seth asked as he dumped ketchup on his food.

  “It’s hard to get past the fishy taste,” she admitted, tossing down her antibiotic with a sip of tea.

  “Seabirds eat fish.” Seth shrugged. “Try some horse blood on it.”

  Megan raised an eyebrow, but spared a glance at his plate. “I don’t like ketchup.”

  He paused with his fork half way to his mouth and asked, “Hot sauce?”

  “Maybe that’ll help.”

  He reached a long arm to the refrigerator, without getting up and took out the sauce.

  “How are we going to store the pig meat?” she asked, shaking out a few dots of Tabasco on her food.

  “Piece of piss, there’s a freezer we can use.” He nodded to the refrigerator.

  She frowned at it. “That’s awfully small. What’s it running off of?”

  “Noth’n in it. Bill only used it for coldies. It’s running off the main battery. Once it loses its juice I can charge it up again with the generator. The tank is nearly full from our run to Mexico, Bill filled up there.”

  “What happens when we run out of fuel?”

  “Oy, we won’t be ‘ere that long, but if we are, I’ll rig something up, maybe a turbine. There’s enough wind ‘ere to turn it.” He shrugged again. “We’ll store the meat that’ll fit in the freezer and the fridge. The rest we’ll eat.”

  “That’s a lot of pork.”

  “Luv, you’ve never seen me bog in.” Seth grinned at her until his cheeks dimpled.

  “I’m sure you can pack it away, but I don’t usually eat a lot of meat.”

  “No worries, mate. I’ll eat what you can’t.”

  After brekky, Seth changed into an old, stained, white t-shirt and jeans. He took out a huge knife which he sharpened. Walking out on deck, he gave Megan a wicked grin, set it between his teeth, then climbed down the ladder.

  “For some strange reason, I feel like I live with a pirate,” she called after him, then heard his answering snicker.

  Megan watched him gut the pig, cutting from groin to neck. He reached into the body cavity with the knife, cutting something loose top and bottom. She had to swallow a couple of times when the viscera slowly rolled out all in one piece. It fell with a sickening splat into the hole he dug.

  Seth looked up at her. “Megz, can you find a big container for the meat and chuck it to me?”

  “Sure,” she said, glad for an excuse to do something. Megan hunted through the cabinets, finally finding a large square tub under the sink. She dropped it into his hands.

  “Thanks, mate.” After cutting up the boar, he struggled back up the ladder with the tub balanced on his shoulder. “I rough cut it, but I reckon it’ll do us.”

  “It’s fine.” Megan took it from him. She set it on the dining table and wrapped the meat in tinfoil, then stacked it up in the small freezer. She tossed the rinsed container to Seth.

  The hard work kept them busy until the afternoon. The freezer was full, and the fridge overflowed. “It's chock a block, but did you have to take out all me ale?” Seth complained, opening a beer.

  “That’ll keep, but the meat won’t. Are we cooking what’s left?” Geez, he likes his beer.

  “After I bury Bill’s bones, I’ll make a fire so we can have a barbie for tea.”

  She frowned a moment. “Tea?”

  “Last meal of the day,” he explained.

  “Okay, dinner sounds good,” she agreed, tired but looking forward to dinner.

  “How’s the leg?”

  “Better. It doesn’t hurt.”

  “Let me have a look.” he said. He removed his blood stained shirt, washed his hands, and sat sideways at the dining table.

  Megan walked over, showing him her injured thigh.

  He pulled her closer so she stood between his legs. Running his hands down to the bandage, he asked, “Megz, have you been shaving?”

  “Um, no.” She gazed down at his warm hands on her tanned skin.

  “Blimey, no hair or stubble. Not even one.” He carefully examined her leg.

  “That is the wonders of modern technology.”

  “Howzat?” He furrowed his brow.

  “I had my hair removed with laser treatments.”

  “Smooth like a baby’s bum.” He grinned. Gingerly, he took off part of the tape so he could peek under it. “It looks a bit better. Just a small pink ring around the wound, but it has a decent scab.”

  “Oh, good,” she said, relieved.

  He smoothed the bandage back down, then smiled at her.

  “I want to thank you for taking care of me.” She cupped his face, leaned down, and kissed him on the forehead.

  “Try a little lower, luv.” He tilted his head back.

  “Well, since you went to all the trouble of shaving.” After a moment’s hesitation, she bent down, giving him another kiss on the lips. The moment she did, his arms went around her waist. Seth pulled her against his bare chest. He deepened the kiss, brushing his tongue against hers. Megan melted against him, making a small noise in her throat as an incredible flare of desire took her completely by surprise. The kiss was long, deep and very intense, while his large, warm hands slipped under her shirt, massaging her back.

  M
egan pulled back, looking down at the passionate expression in Seth’s gray eyes. “That was...”

  “Bloody amazing,” he finished for her.

  Megan’s eyes went wide. She took several steps back out of his embrace. She leaned against the counter. “Oh, I really shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Don’t whinge, luv. Ya needed that and so did I.” He gave a lopsided grin.

  Megan found she wanted to trace his full, kissable lips with her fingers. Oh, no. She ran outside, breathing deeply of the clean evening air. What’s the matter with me? I’m married. You don’t kiss other men when you’re married.

  “Megz,” Seth called, ducking as he stepped through the doorway. “It’s okay, luv.”

  “No, it’s not.” She wrapped her arms around herself, even though she really wanted to throw them around Seth. Megan bit her lip. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I shouldn’t feel anything for Seth. He is a big happy-go-lucky lug, also handsome and sexy as hell. Oh, damn.

  He walked up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “When’s the last time you and your bloke threw a leg over?”

  “That’s none of your business,” she snapped. Heat rose to her face.

  “Megz,” he said gently, “ya act like yer haven’t been touched in a very long time. A lot longer than the two weeks that yer been here.”

  She didn’t answer him. He’s right. Jonathan hadn’t touched me in six months. “Are we going to cook that pig or what?”

  Windswept Shores

  Chapter Twelve: Leave Taking

  Megan dreamed about Jonathan coming home late at night. He slipped into bed and spooned her. She felt his hand caress her breast, so she moved over a bit. Fondling the other one, teasing the nipple until it hardened. She pushed against him. “Touch me, please.” His hand drifted down as she spread her legs. It found its way into her panties, then cupped her mound. She moaned and encouraged his hand to explore her folds until she grew wet. “Yes, oh yes.” His fingers brought her tantalizingly close to an orgasm.

  “You like that, luv? Would you like to try an Australian kiss? It is just like a French kiss, but down under.”