Ocean of Fire (6 page)

The trip across Storm Bay and up the Derwent River was a relatively uneventful one. There would be no last minute dash for the finish-line with a rival competitor. The only other vessels they came across were fishing boats and the occasional spectator craft.

As Nicole took in the breathtaking scenery, she started thinking about her tour. If the rugged, untouched countryside extending to the water’s edge was anything to go by, she would thoroughly enjoy her holiday.

They approached the finish-line earlier than anticipated. Twilight had fallen an hour ago, which came around nine-thirty in summer this far south. Nicole watched the twinkling lights of Hobart brighten as they drew closer. Soon she would be reunited with the rest of her family. Soon she could bid farewell to the dreaded Philip Pelayo once and for all.

Right on cue, he came to sit down beside her, and Nicole turned away from him to watch the glittering shoreline draw closer.

A sudden gust of cool evening air made her shiver.

“Cold?” Philip inquired.

“Not particularly,” she replied shortly, keeping her gaze fixed on the shore.

“Here,” he said, and to her surprise, he draped one of the sea rugs across her shoulders. “Did you and your family have a nice Christmas?” he asked.

So now he wants to chat, does he? she thought in bemusement, as she drew the rug around herself. It might have eased the cold, but it didn’t protect her against his presence. Oh well, if he really wants to know I’ll tell him. “Yes, we did, as a matter of fact. We had a feast as usual. All my aunts and uncles and cousins were there… Ginny’s the first to have a baby. She bought little Marty along. He’s so tiny and cute. Hard to believe we all start out so small and helpless…” Suddenly she stopped, conscious of his gaze on her as though he really was interested in every word she said. “What about your Christmas? Did you spend it with your family,” she finally asked, peering back at him in the dim light, but he glanced away, and she was presented with his handsome profile.

“I don’t have any family.”

“They all overseas, or something?”

“No, they’re dead.”

“What did you do to them, bump them all off in a fit of rage?” she retorted, and then wished she hadn’t. The scowl he leveled at her spoke louder than words. Now she knew why he always looked so bitter. He didn’t have a soul in the world. She lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Yeah, I think we’re all too tired to know what we’re saying anymore,” he acknowledged, still not looking at her. “Actually I spent Christmas at the Mathew Talbot Hostel.”

Nicole looked up. “What, the one for the homeless?”

“The one and the same.”

“What the heck were you doing there?” she asked in bewilderment.

He grinned that knowing grin she’d grown used to seeing on his face. “I go there every year to help serve up Christmas lunch. So there you go. I’m not the scrooge you thought I was.”

“Did I ever say you were a scrooge?”

“Well maybe not a scrooge exactly, but you’ve called me a pirate, a creep, an animal, just to name a few.”

“Yes, well you earned those.”

“Thanks a bunch.”

“What about all the unsavory things
you’ve
said to me?”

“Such as?” he prompted, leaning closer, so they were almost nose to nose.

“Oh let me see now,” she leant back, taking on the thinker’s pose. “You told me you didn’t think I was cut out for social work.”

“I did not.”

“Well, you suggested as much. You practically slobbered all over me like a – “

“Oh excuse me –“

“And to top it all off you said Dad needed his head examined for taking me on this trip.”

“And he’s agreed with me.”

“That’s a bold faced lie!” she fumed, wondering why she thought she could ever have a civil conversation with him.

“It’s true Nicole,” her father said, obviously having heard the tail end of their argument, as Nicole’s voice had grown ever more strident, and like the lawyer he was, Philip had kept his tone low and menacing. She turned to glare at her father. “You’re not cut out for this kind of ocean racing.”

“Come off it Dad. I’m fine now. I can’t have been as sick as he says I was.”

“Your father owes your life to me.”

She returned her attention to Philip. “What on earth are you talking about?’

He raised his brows at her. “You don’t remember?”

“Remember what?”

“Body heat is the best way to combat hypothermia. You really must have been in a bad way not to remember who kept you warm last night,” he all but purred in her ear.

Then she recalled her dream. Only it hadn’t been a dream at all. It had really happened. She
had
shared her bunk with Philip Pelayo.

Jumping to her feet she swung around to face her father. “And why the hell did you let him?” she demanded angrily.

“I didn’t exactly have a choice Nicole,” Peter answered seriously. “He was already there when I came below.”

“Your father didn’t even know you were ill. No one bothered to look.”

“Except you,” she accused.

“Yes, except me. And if I hadn’t you’d be in an even worse state than you are now.”

“Well if it’s thanks that you’re after forget –“ A sudden dizzy spell, along with the abrupt lurch of the yacht, sent her tumbling straight into Philip’s lap.

“You seem to like ending up in my arms,” he grinned up at her as he steadied her across his knees.

Nicole glared sabers at him as she tried to disentangle herself from his embrace. In doing so she became acutely conscious of the firmness of his biceps under her hands.

“Well, I don’t intend getting that sick again for a very long time. Consider it a moment of weakness. You’re the last person I’d want in my bed when I’m coherent and in full command of myself.”

He chuckled softly. “Haven’t you heard about the power of the subconscious mind? I was made acutely aware of your subconscious needs last night. And if you want to be a half decent social worker you must get in touch with your own needs and desires.”

That did it. With all the strength she could muster, she swung her elbow into his solar-plexus. The resulting groan and releasing of her from his arms proved she’d hit hard. Nicole scrambled away from him, and over the edge of the deck towards the bow of the yacht.

She heard a few sniggers as she went, and Jim’s comment, “She might be small but she packs a pretty mean punch.”

Nicole was seething so much she paid little attention to their crossing the finish-line. She was conscious of the shoreline drawing closer, and the bustling activity on the pier, but her violent thoughts were too busy condemning Philip Pelayo to a watery grave.

Up ahead the drawbridge to Constitution Dock was being raised, which meant they were almost there. Their ordeal was over. In a few short minutes Nicole would finally be able to get away from Philip. Once away from the confined space of the yacht she would have no problem avoiding him until it was time for Trisha and herself to begin their tour. She never wanted to lay eyes on him again as long as she lived.

Despite the late hour, hundreds of people lined the dock to welcome in the most recent arrival. The entire city seemed to have caught race fever. As Nicole glanced around from her position at the front of the yacht, she smiled as the crowd cheered them in. Even though it was unlikely that
Gail Warning
had secured a position in her division, the people on the dock didn’t care. They were merely there for the festivities. Food and souvenir stalls lined the foreshore, and a rock band was playing a recent chart topper.

As they were directed to a spot to tie up between two other yachts which had arrived earlier in the day, Nicole craned her neck to try and catch sight of Gail, Trisha and Robert.

Then she saw them. Robert was running through the crown towards them with Trisha on his heels. Nicole had never been so relieved to see two people in her life. Gail also appeared, as Jim threw a length of rope for Robert to secure the yacht to the dock.

To have terra firma beneath her feet again felt so good Nicole’s trembling knees almost collapsed under her.

“Looks like it’ll take some time for you to get your land legs back,” Robert remarked with a grin.

“I’m so glad you made it safe and sound,” Gail murmured, hugging her daughter to her. “When I heard about that terrible storm, knowing you were stuck in the middle of it I was so worried. You mustn’t go again. I couldn’t bear it.”

“I won’t,” Nicole promised. Once was enough. She would restrict her sailing to shorter overnight trips. She had accepted the bitter truth. She simply didn’t have the stamina for such a grueling journey, not that she’d ever admit it to Philip Pelayo.

“You look pale dear,” Gail commented, as she drew a little away for her to glance at her face.

“I did get a bit seasick,” she admitted.

“I wouldn’t call hypothermia a bit seasick.”

Nicole knew without looking who’d said that. She swung around to glare lances at Philip. He was standing behind them with his arms crossed across his broad chest. All the joy Nicole had felt at being on safe firm ground again left on speeding wings. She should have known he’d seek revenge for being elbowed in the ribs.

“But she’s fine now,” Peter cut in, as he came to hug his wife.

“Oh, my poor darling,” Gail cried in concern.

Now look what you’ve done, Nicole shot Philip another withering glare. “Dad’s right. I’m perfectly all right now.”

“I knew you going on this trip was a mistake,” Gail went on. “Tomorrow morning I’m taking you to a doctor.”

“Stop fussing, Mum,” and to change the subject, she asked them what they had been doing since their arrival in Hobart.

It wasn’t until two in the morning that Nicole finally managed to fall asleep. She was sharing a room with Trisha at the Sheraton Hotel, where Peter had booked rooms for his crew and their families. She reveled in finally being clean again, but the after-effects of having been at sea so long kept her from falling asleep straight away. She could still feel the motion of the boat, so she was awake when Trisha returned form sharing a few drinks with some of the men at a nearby pub. Nicole had told her she was too tired join her, which was only part of the truth. She just didn’t want to risk crossing swords with Philip again.

“Is it really true?” Trisha asked, once she was in her own bed on the other side of the room.

“Is what true?” Nicole asked sleepily.

“That you thumped Philip because he got into the bunk with you.”

Nicole groaned out aloud. No doubt that incident had been a hot topic of conversation for them, and Nicole wondered how she was ever going to live it down. She still couldn’t understand why her father had let him do it, when he knew full well Nicole couldn’t stand the man. What a sneaky and cowardly way of taking advantage of a situation! Well, at least she’d paid him back. She hoped he’d have a bruise for days to remember and regret what he’d done.

“I don’t want to talk about it. I’m tired and want to go to sleep,” she told her friend grumpily.

“How could you do that to him when he looked after you so well? They were all raving about how he wouldn’t let anyone else near you, not even your father.”

“Well, they don’t know about all the nasty things he’s been saying to me. Was he there tonight? What did he have to say about it? I bet he was busy acting the great big hero.”

There was silence for a moment, before Trisha spoke again.
“
In fact he said very little.”

“Probably drinking himself into a stupor, judging by the noise some of them were making in the hall about half an hour ago,” Nicole derided.

“Philip didn’t touch anything alcoholic. I don’t think he drinks.”

“Well, bully for him.”

“You really do think he’s a macho male chauvinist, don’t you?”

“Got it in one.”

“I hope you can pass a day without beating each other up, because I invited him and Jim to join us on the tour to Port Arthur tomorrow.”

“If only I had the energy to throw a pillow at you,” Nicole muttered. The way she was feeling at that point in time, she wondered if she’d have the energy to drag herself out of bed in the morning, let alone go on a tour.

It might not be so bad, she told herself. Undoubtedly Trisha would keep the two men entertained, leaving Nicole free to explore the historic sight with her brother.

For the first time in a decade Philip actually found himself longing for someone to confide in, someone who could help him work out where the hell he was going wrong all of a sudden. He’d never had this much trouble getting a woman to warm to him, but then he’d never met one quite like Nicole Cameron before.

His body burned from the mere thought of her. He’d never experienced anything like it. It was more powerful than any desire he’d felt before. She wasn’t the most beautiful girl he’d ever taken out, but there was so much smoldering sensuality in her small slender frame he could feel it radiating from her in waves. And he was pretty certain she had no idea she was doing it.

And therein lay the answer, the reason why she fought him at every turn.

He’d been a fool not to see it sooner. She just didn’t know how to express it, so instead she repressed it behind a veneer of catty and snide jibes.