“We’ve taken every photo it’s possible to take, Nick. What more could you want?” she whined as he lifted his camera up over his head and set it down carefully on the steps.
He turned around and walked across the platform in a few short, determined strides and didn’t stop until they were face to face and the railing was prodding lightly at her back.
“Oh, I see,” she said, with a knowing smile. All thoughts of shade and icy beer vanished as his hands found her hips and pulled them toward his. His gaze was as hot and intense as the sun on her shoulders, and as much as she wanted to hold it, to stare back until he broke first, she wanted his mouth on hers more.
When she got it, when her tongue slipped between his sweat-salty lips and claimed his mouth and he pulled her even closer, until their damp bodies were flush against each other, she had a fleeting, absurd thought.I could get used to this. Which was ridiculous, she knew. Whatever Nick said, whatever he thought he wanted from her, this arrangement of theirs had an expiration date. In two weeks the wedding would be over, and she’d go back to New York, back to real life, just in time for Nick to realize that he wanted more from her than she could ever give him. Before she had to watch him be disappointed, before he could go back on his word that he’d take anything she had and didn’t need more, she’d be gone. It was a perfect arrangement, really. Heavy on making out in beautiful public places, light on any Carly-esque failures. And if her climbing follower count was anything to go by, it would be a professionally fruitful arrangement, too.
After a few minutes, he pulled away, panting and hard, and swallowed with what looked like a lot of effort. She watched his Adam’s apple bob and resisted the urge to lick the stubbled, salty skin there.
“We should go,” he murmured, undercutting his point somewhat by putting a hand in her hair and tugging lightly until her head tipped back and he could kiss her where her neck met her jaw.
“You first,” she groaned, squinting against the sun. “Don’t we have cocktail testing to do?”
His only reply was a growl against her skin.
“A compelling counterargument,” she replied, putting a hand on each of his shoulders and pushing him away. “Come on, Heather and Mucus are counting on us.”
With a reluctant chuckle, he took a few steps back, then retrieved his camera from the steps, and they returned the way they came. But not before she’d taken one last look at the falls and the valley, wondering if she’d ever smell eucalyptus again without thinking of Nick’s lips on her skin.
They climbed back up the hill to Leura’s main drag, and Nick scrolled through his photos as they walked. He’d gotten some great shots, and some that could be improved with editing. Certainly a few that were worthy of his portfolio. Behind him, Carly was checking this morning’s Instagram posts and reading him some of the more effusive comments. Her follower count was steadily rising, and they hadn’t had a squabble in almost twenty-four hours. It was hard to bicker with their tongues in each other’s mouths.
“Listen to this one: ‘This photo belongs on a billboard or an ad for Australia.’ Pretty cool, right?”
Nick nodded, still scrolling back to the beginning of the afternoon’s work. “Very cool, and let’s hope that Tourism Australia agrees with—”
“Nick?”
He raised his head at the new voice, and his fingers slipped around the camera. Nina. What the hell was Nina doing here?
“Uh, hi,” he said awkwardly. His sister stared back at him, mouth half open, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.
“Uh, hi, yourself. Aren’t you meant to be in Paris right now?”
“I … Marcus is getting married,” he said, running a hand over his hair.
“I heard. I just figured you weren’t gonna come home for it. After last time—”
“Well, I did,” Nick said, a little too abruptly, and he felt, rather than saw, Carly’s frown and the sharp sideways look she threw at him.
He forced himself to meet Nina’s eyes, which were the same colour and shape as his own. She’d cut her hair to her shoulders since he’d seen her last, and it was darker, too. She was looking up at him, an expression of mingled confusion, expectation, and disappointment on her face. Nick felt sweat gathering at the base of his spine, his T-shirt clinging to his skin there, and knew it wasn’t all from the summer heat. Nina’s eyes darted from him to Carly, then back again.
“This is Carly Montgomery. She’s the maid of honour, from New York City. We’re, euh, running some wedding errands and working on a project. Carly, this is Nina. My sister.”
He watched as Carly gave a little nod of confirmation, as if she’d suspected just by looking at Nina they were family. “The horse girl,” Carly smiled, extending her hand. Nina looked confused for a moment, then shifted her shopping bags to shake it.
Nick watched uncomfortably as his sister performed the polite, perfunctory pleasantries with Carly, asking her how she was enjoying Sydney, where she was staying, what sights she’d seen so far. All the while, he could feel her watching him in her peripheral vision. Nina lived a few towns down the mountain, in Blaxland, and worked as a nurse at a dental practice in the city, and he hadn’t expected to run into her here in Leura. Then again, he realized, shame creeping up his spine, regret squeezing his chest, he had no idea how his younger sister spent her weekends. For all he knew, she went shopping up here every week.
“What, euh, what are you doing up here?” he asked, once Carly had finished telling Nina that she’d eat a lamington for every meal if she could.
Nina raised an eyebrow and levelled a cool look at him. She looked annoyed, and hurt. “I live here, Nick. What areyoudoing up here?”
“I told you, we’re running errands and taking some photos,” he said. He’d wanted to take Carly to one of his favourite mountain towns, the most picturesque place he could think of, but he realized now it had been a huge mistake, a stupid risk.
“That’s not what I …argh,” Nina replied, cutting herself off in frustration. “Carly, would you please give us a minute?” she asked, without taking her eyes off Nick. Nick felt Carly’s questioning glance and answered it with a stiff nod.
“I’ll go get some coffees. Nina, do you want one?” When his sister shook her head, Carly hoisted her bag up over her shoulder, walked quickly to the nearest café, and disappeared inside. Nick watched her go, but his attention snapped back to Nina as she spoke.
“Were you seriously going to come home, after all this time, and not tell any of us you were back?” she asked, shifting her bags again so she could put her hands on her hips.
