He drew her into his arms and they stumbled toward the stall. After they stepped inside, Payton pulled the door closed. The light from the torch, when reflected off the walls of the stable, was just enough to see by. Suddenly, he felt nervous, just as he had the first time he’d been with a girl.

This was silly. There had been plenty of women in his life since then. But none of them had ever affected him the way Payton did. Was it because she was still a stranger? That couldn’t be it. Or was it because she seemed more exotic, different from the women he usually took to his bed?

She was well educated, he knew that much about her. Though she chose to work in a stable, Brody suspected that she’d probably never done a hard day’s work in her life before arriving at the station. And there was the sense that Payton Harwell was the kind of woman who wouldn’t give a guy like him a second glance out in the real world. She was seriously out of his league.

So why was she here, trying to seduce him? What did she really want from him beyond having a shag? Brody stood in front of her and cupped her cheek in his hand. Was it just an undeniable sexual attraction they shared? Or was it more?

He’d find some of his answers in her touch, in the feel of her body. And the rest, he’d leave for later. Spanning her waist with his hands, he pulled her body against his, then reached down and drew her leg up along his hip.

Her breath caught in her throat as he stared down into her eyes. Burying her fingers in his hair, she fixed her gaze on his mouth. “Well, then,” she murmured, “I guess we’re both ready now.”

PAYTON ARCHED against the stable wall, reveling in the feel of Brody’s hands on her body. It was so simple to want him. She didn’t even think before falling into his arms. Maybe there was something in the water here in Australia. Or maybe it was just the man, Payton mused.

Something had changed inside her. For such a long time, she’d tiptoed through life, afraid to make a mistake, fearful that she might disappoint her parents. She’d been their only child, her difficult birth the cause of her mother’s inability to have another baby. So there’d been a lot of pressure for her to be perfect.

But from the moment she’d hopped on that flight in Fiji, she’d felt a burden lift from her shoulders. Her parents would never forgive her, so there was no use trying to appease them. She could be whoever she wanted to be now. And she wanted to be wild and passionate, a woman who took chances and lived life.

She looked up into Brody’s eyes. This was what she wanted, and not just his gorgeous face or his beautiful body, his penetrating gaze or his playful smile. He was what a real man was supposed to be-strong, confident and just a little bit dangerous. His muscles were hard and his hands rough.

Was that what she’d been looking for? Payton wondered. A man who had the power to possess her completely? Except for that very first time, she’d never made love outside the confines of a bedroom. But here she was, in a stable again, anxious to shed her clothes and feel him move inside her.

Here, everything seemed so much more real, more intense. She didn’t feel sheltered and protected anymore. Instead, she’d become wild and uninhibited, like this land and the people around her, taking pleasure in the simplicity of everyday life-and everyday desires. This was her chance to start again. The ties to her past were gradually fraying.

Drawing a deep breath, Payton kissed him, this time making certain he understood her need. She slowly let her leg drop down along his hip, until she stood squarely in front of him. Then she tore at the buttons of his shirt.

He was as anxious as she was to get rid of the garment and a moment later, it lay on the straw at their feet. Payton ran her trembling hands from his shoulders to his belly and back up again. Then, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his warm skin, just below his shoulder.

What began gently gradually turned desperate. With every kiss, every caress, Payton wanted him more. He found the hem of her shirt and tugged it up, the fabric bunched in his fists as his hips pinned hers against the side of the stall. Slowly, Brody sank lower until his mouth was on her bare belly.

Payton’s fingers furrowed through his hair and his lips trailed higher. He pulled at the lacy bra she wore and when his mouth captured her nipple, Payton cried out in surprise. A wave of sensation washed over her and for a moment, she wasn’t sure she could stand.

Holding her tight, Brody tumbled them onto the blankets, pulling her on top of him. His fingers worked at the elastic that held her hair in check, freeing it to fall like a curtain around them both, and then he yanked her shirt over her head.

Payton sat up, straddling his hips, and ran her hand through her hair. Reaching behind her, she unhooked her bra and shrugged out of it. A tiny smile played at the corners of her mouth as she saw his expression shift.

“God, you are beautiful,” he murmured, smoothing a hand over her shoulder to cup her breast. He rubbed her nipple to a hard peak and Payton closed her eyes. She didn’t want to wait any longer. He could seduce her slowly some other time. Right now, she needed to satisfy a craving deep inside of her.

Payton pushed to her feet, standing over him, her gaze fixed on his. She kicked off her shoes, then slowly shimmied out of her jeans. There wasn’t any hesitation or any insecurity. She knew exactly the effect she had on him.

She reached out for him and pulled him up beside her. Her fingers worked at his belt and then his zipper and when he was standing in just his boxers, Payton let out a soft sigh. “That’s better,” she said.

He reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against his body. Brody’s mouth came down on hers, his kiss deep and demanding. His hands skimmed over her. He knew exactly where to touch to make her ache with desire.

They fell back onto the blankets, Brody rolling her beneath him until his body was stretched out over hers, his hips cradled between her thighs. The delicious sensation of his weight sent a shiver through her limbs.

There were a lot of things Brody said that Payton didn’t quite understand. They came from different worlds, and yet their desire for each other needed no translation. Her pulse racing, his hands searching, the anticipation growing between them until it was almost too much to bear.

As he moved above her, his shaft hard between them, Payton remembered her first time and the strange mix of fear and desire and excitement she’d felt. It was like that now with Brody, as if she were just a teenager, still in possession of her virginity.

She sensed this experience wouldn’t be like anything she’d ever had before. He was different. But even more important, she was different. Something inside her had changed the moment she’d run away from her wedding. And it was time to see exactly what it was.

However, Brody seemed intent on taking his time. He smoothed his hands over her bare skin, sending shivers of sensation coursing through her body. His lips drifted lower until he drew her nipple into his mouth again.

Payton couldn’t take it anymore. Holding him close, she rolled on top of him. Then she straddled his hips, feeling the hard ridge of his cock between them.

“We can do it that way, too.” He grinned.

She reached for the condoms lying on the blanket next to them. His erection pressed out against the cotton fabric of his boxers, but she didn’t take the time to pull them off. The need to feel him inside her had overwhelmed any thought of seduction.

After tugging the waistband down, she sheathed him, then drew her panties aside. A moment later, Payton slowly sank down on top of him, closing her eyes and holding her breath until he’d buried himself completely. She’d never taken control like this, but she knew exactly what she wanted and how it would feel.

Liberated, she thought as she slowly released her breath. Sex had always been an obligation with Sam, but now it was a basic need, a desire so strong that she’d lost any sense of propriety.

When she opened her eyes again, he was staring at her, passion burning in his gaze. “Don’t move,” he warned.

“I have to move,” she replied with a slow smile. “That’s the way it works. At least where I come from.” She rose on her knees, then slowly lowered herself again.

“Oh, God, this is not going to last long if you can’t follow directions.”

Payton leaned forward and kissed him softly. “What is it they say? Just lie back and think of queen and country?”

Brody grabbed her hips and held her still. “Australia is a constitutional democracy,” he said.

“I don’t care,” Payton replied as she rocked forward, ignoring his plea. “We can discuss politics later.”

What began slowly and purposefully soon dissolved into a frantic need to satisfy. Brody wasn’t as close as he claimed and drove into her again and again, their bodies straining.

Payton felt the beginnings of her release grow inside her, the urge to surrender more intense than she’d ever experienced in the past. She closed her eyes and focused on the feel of him, the wonderful sensations that their coupling created in her body.

His hand touched her face and he drew her down again until their lips and tongues met. It was the kiss that sent her spiraling over the edge. The orgasm came as a complete surprise at first and then Payton was forced to let go, to surrender to the powerful shudders and spasms. She collapsed on top of him, and a moment later Brody found his own release, driving deep inside her, his body tense and then trembling.

They lay together for a long time, gasping for breath, neither one of them speaking. Payton wasn’t sure what to say. Thanks were probably in order, considering she’d never experienced an orgasm so powerful. But then, this was only their first attempt. What would subsequent seductions bring?

“That’s never happened before.”

He gently pushed against her shoulders until their eyes could meet. “You’re kidding, right?”

She felt a warm blush creep up her cheeks. If she was liberated enough to make love to a man she barely knew, then she should be able to express her desires. “I mean, it’s happened, but not in that way.”

He stared at her, a perplexed expression on his face. “Well, that’s good, then.”

“Yes,” she said, smiling. “Maybe we could do it again?”

Brody chuckled. “I think we might have to wait just a bit.”

“A bit? What is that in Australian? Because in American that means a minute at the most.” She reached down and ran her fingers along his still-rigid shaft, pulling the condom off along the way.

Brody groaned as he clenched his teeth. “A minute. Maybe two.” His breath caught in his throat. “Maybe less, if you’re very gentle.”

BRODY WASN’T SURE of the time. It was late. After midnight. He and Payton had chosen conversation over sex and she was curled up against him, her leg thrown over his hips and her cheek resting on his outstretched arm.

The batteries on the first torch had faded, but Brody had run out and gotten another. For now, they relaxed in complete darkness. Though he loved to look at her, he was just as content to communicate through touch. Her body was made for his hands, her skin so soft and her curves like a landscape to explore.

“We’d probably be more comfortable in my bed,” he said, smoothing his hand over her tangled hair.

“We can’t,” she said.

“Why? There’s nothing wrong with what we’re doing.”

“I know. I’m not ashamed. It’s just…”

“What?”

“I’m an employee here and I should probably try to behave myself.” She pushed up and grabbed the torch, then shined it on his face. “Besides, this is much more exciting, don’t you think?”

“Exciting, maybe.” Brody chuckled, holding up his hand. “But not nearly as comfortable.” He rolled to his side and pulled a piece of straw from the blanket beneath him.

She sat up beside him and brushed her hair over her shoulder. With a lazy caress, she smoothed her hand over his belly. “When I saw you in the cell next to me, I thought about what you’d look like without your clothes.”

Brody gasped, a laugh slipping from his lips. “Really?”

She nodded. “You look different than what I imagined.”

“Different bad or different good?”

“Good,” she said. Her fingers drifted lower, running along the length of his thigh. He watched, surprised at how such an innocent action could so easily stir his desire. He loved the feel of her hands on his body. As far as he was concerned, she could take whatever she wanted from him. He was willing and quite able to satisfy whatever need might arise.