‘I wouldn’t stop you. I might follow you, though. It’s a bit of a family tradition.’ His fingertips traced down her arm. ‘If we weren’t in public, I’d kiss you now.’
‘We’d get into a lot of trouble. The way I’d be kissing you back...’ In the heat of his gaze it felt almost as if he were kissing her.
His lips curved into a smile. ‘Yeah? Think you can hold that thought?’
‘I’m holding it. Tight...’ Heat was building between them, spiced by longing and the knowledge that if they did any more than just hold hands, Jaye would most probably have airport Security tapping on his shoulder.
‘I love you, Megan. And if you love me back then it’s going to tip both our worlds upside down. We’ll both have to re-evaluate all the things we’ve believed about ourselves for a long time now. But we both have the power to do anything we want, if we’ll only take it.’
‘My world’s already tipping.’ She rubbed her finger gently against his wrist, and saw his eyes darken. Less really was more.
‘Mine too.’ His fingers closed around hers and Megan stifled a gasp. ‘If you follow me now, I’ll follow you, wherever you want to go.’
‘Five countries? Two continents?’
He nodded slowly. ‘That sounds just about right.’
She smiled up at him. ‘Wherever you are is my home, Jaye. What do you say I follow you? I’m sure John Ferris has plans for you.’
‘We can work that out, Megan. We’ll follow each other.’
‘Okay. All I want is four walls and enough privacy to kiss you and take off your clothes...’
‘You think I’m not naked now?’ His lips curved in a delicious smile.
In everything other than actuality, they were. More naked than they’d ever been together, closer and more at one, even though only their fingers were touching.
Wordlessly he picked up her bag, slinging it over his shoulder. Megan stowed her passport and the wasted ticket in her handbag. Then he took her hand, leading her away.
Epilogue
FIVE COUNTRIES AND two continents. That was if Jaye managed to get through customs.
He’d told Megan to go on ahead, through the ‘Nothing to Declare’ channel, and he’d catch up with her. After a long flight from Indonesia to Melbourne this was the last thing they needed.
She stopped, keeping him in view, as he talked with the customs officer at the desk. The conversation seemed to be friendly enough, but the man wasn’t letting Jaye go.
‘Just keep going, miss. Through the door over there.’ A woman officer was directing people through the doors once they’d been through Passport Control.
‘I’m waiting for my partner. They’ve stopped him and I don’t know why...’
‘I’ll go and see.’ The woman officer walked over to where Jaye was standing, and he spoke briefly to her. She nodded and walked back to Megan.
‘Everything’s okay, we just need a form filled out. Go and wait outside, he won’t be a minute.’
‘But...’ The woman ignored Megan’s protests, and smilingly shrugged when she asked what it was that required the filling out of a form, shepherding her towards the doors.
Okay. So she’d go through the doors but she wasn’t letting Jaye out of her sight. Megan stepped to one side, pressing her face against the full-height glass so that she could see him. But he was following the customs officer through a door into what must be an interview room.
She waited for ten minutes. Then ducked back inside and marched up to the woman she’d spoken to. ‘Please, can you tell me what’s going on? Is there something that I can help with?’
‘No. You should wait...’ At that moment the door that J
aye had disappeared through opened, and he emerged. Striding up to her, he put his arm around her shoulder, smiling at the woman officer and guiding Megan away.
‘What was that all about?’
Jaye walked through the doors and stopped suddenly. ‘This is the fifth country. And the second continent.’