AN: Howdy guys, long time no see for this story, eh? This chapter has been a long time coming and while it is very, very short, the chapters will get longer once I get back into the swing of this story. I've finally managed to get past my writers block, but now that I have like, what, five or so stories going, it will take a while for each chapter to updated, but hopefully not too long. Thanks for all the people who offered me support during my writers block and all of you that stuck around and kept sending me PMs and and following this story. It has easily been one of my favourites to write and I'm glad that I've started writing it again, since just writing the banter between these two women always lifts my spirits.

Enjoy!

Better Than Paris

Chapter Fourteen

To wake up in Queensland in the middle of summer, is to wake up in a pool of sweat beside a very hot and irritable girlfriend. The white sheets clung to my sweat soaked body and I groaned as I attempted to slip out from underneath them, only to become further entangled in this pit of Hell. Alex was having even less luck and despite my own discomfort; I couldn't help but smirk as she fought with the sheets that had wrapped around her lithe body.

"What the fuck," the dark haired woman grunted, her bangs sticking to her forehead and her hands grasping at the sheets clinging to her skin. Her brow was deeply furrowed and her cheeks were flushed and despite her obvious grumpiness, I couldn't help but find her sweat soaked skin and pouting lips completely enthralling.

"Who the fuck changed the thermostat?" Alex continued to grumble, as she finally managed to kick the sheet to the end of the king sized bed. "It's a thousand degrees in here! I thought this was supposed to Surfers Paradise, not the surface of the fucking sun."

I chuckled as I pushed myself out of bed, padding to the window and pushing it open to let the cool morning breeze drift in through the window. I felt the sweat begin to dry on my skin as my body slowly cooled and turned my head to find Alex still sprawled on the bed, her ridiculously pale skin practically glowing in the sunlight pouring in through the windows.

God, she was fucking beautiful.

"With skin like that, you'd never know that you travelled so much," I murmured as my eyes traced the toned muscles of Alex's thigh, watching as it flexed when the dark haired woman moved. "You are going to burn, baby."

"Fuck you, I came prepared." I watched as Alex pushed herself off the bed, the muscles in her arms bunching in a delicious way. "You wanna share a shower? I need to cool off before we go exploring."

I watched as she walked to the bathroom, her hips swaying and her bare, perfect ass on display for my greedy eyes. I tried to speak but all that came out was a strangled moan, causing Alex to glance over her shoulder at me with an amused smirk and all-knowing eyes. I felt a blush heat my cheeks and Alex's grin widened, before she slipped into the bathroom, leaving the door open and allowing me to clearly hear her turning on the shower, which was more than big enough for two.

"You coming?" Alex's husky voice called to me from the bathroom and I vehemently shook my head in response, even though she couldn't see me. I planned to get some actually exploring done today and I knew that if I entered that shower, with Alex's devious hands and orgasmic mouth, we would never leave the hotel room and neither of us would ever come close to cooling off.

"No," I managed to call back, my words sounding choked and strained, thick as they were with barely repressed arousal. "I think I'm going to go take a dip in the pool."

I barely acknowledged Alex amused chuckle as I changed into my bathing suit, a sexy blue bikini, before grabbing a towel and leaving the hotel room. Ignoring the ache in between my legs, I smiled at the hotel staff as I pushed open the door that led outside and immediately closed my eyes as the sunlight momentarily blinded me. It was a truly beautiful day and while a part of me was already regretting not jumping in the shower with my very attractive girlfriend, the feeling of the sun on my skin and the cold water of the lagoon pool helped decrease those regretful feelings.

I leant against the side of the pool, with my arms draped over the ledge and my head resting on my hands, enjoying the cool water caressing my hot skin. I closed my eyes as the sun warmed my back, praying that the rays would result in a tan instead of sunburn. Footsteps padded towards me with a familiar gait and I didn't bother to open my eyes as Alex sat down beside me, emerging her feet into the water.

"It's not so bad out here," Alex spoke as she ran her fingers through my hair, brushing the wet strands away from my face. "Kind of humid, but it's a good day for exploring."

"It's going to be Hell in the rainforest." The trees would block out the sun with their thick foliage, but the humidity would be almost overwhelming. I could feel the sweat beading on my skin just thinking about it.

"Mm, you all hot and sweaty, just how I like you," I could hear the smile in Alex's voice and it made me smile in response. "Come on then, Chapman, there's an adventure waiting for us."

/

Alex had organized to hire a car, a black four wheeled drive (since we were currently in the outback and it was only right) and the forty five minute drive to Mt Tamborine was well worth it. We parked outside the Eco Centre and after buying a few bottles of water and holding Alex down so I could rub some sun screen into her pale skin, we began our one and half kilometer journey on the Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk.

"Wow, just... wow." It was all that I could say and the word barely begun to express the amazing sight before us, since it felt as if I had just stepped into another world. The sun was bright in the sky, illuminating the rainforest, making the green leaves and colorful flowers more vibrant and reflecting off a small creak below us, causing it to sparkle beautifully. Even Alex, as worldly and experienced as she was, looked on in wonder at the trees that towered above us and the small creatures that stepped right across our path, used to the humans that walked through their home on a daily basis.

The journey started at a massive steel bridge, which towered over the ground and gave us amazing views of the rainforest. With Alex's hand firmly encased in my own, I led her along the bridge, pausing every few steps to stare down at the rainforest floor and to gasp in awe. I had been to be Africa and Indonesia and hadn't ever seen anything like the giant trees that twisted around each other, as if tangled in a lover's embrace, or the types of the plants that grew on rain forest floor, at least not in this setting. I had been in botanical parks in America, but it had been akin to being in a zoo, with the trees and flowers contained like animals in a cage. This was like Mother Nature grabbing you and giving you a firm shake, as you gaped, speechless, in complete wonder at her exquisite beauty.

"This is really something else, isn't it?" A soft, husky voice murmured in my ear as I leant over the edge to once again gaze down at the amazing sights before me. I turned my head to find Alex staring straight at me, her green eyes sparkling and I felt as if her words contained more meaning behind them then I was truly ready to comprehend.

"Yeah," I breathed, gazing straight into her twinkling eyes. "It really is."

/

"Come on, lazy ass," I teased Alex who was walking several steps behind me, at a much slower pace. "Seriously, how can you fuck for hours on end and get winded by a little bit of walking? It's ridiculous."

"Fuck you." The dark haired woman glared at me, her cheeks flushed beautifully and her skin sparkling with a light sheen of sweat. "The people who live here are crazy, this fucking weather is ridiculous. And as for your 'little bit of walking', you walk a lot fucking faster than I do, kid; this isn't a race, you know."

"You've got longer legs than I do, Sasquatch, what are you complaining about?" I shot back immediately, with a wide grin to take any sting out of my words. "Plus, you promised me we'd go up to the Sky Tower again today, while it was still daylight, but with the way you're walking, we're going to have to wait until tomorrow." Even as I said the words, I slowed my pace until Alex was beside me and wrapped my arm around her waist, smiling as I felt her arm sling over my shoulders in response.

"We've got two weeks here, babe, there's no rush." Alex murmured as she turned her head to press her lips against my hair, the action so natural that it made my knees feel weak.

"But there's so much that I want to do," I replied honestly, mentally reviewing my list of activities for the next three weeks. "I want to go snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef and go to the Australia Zoo, I want to hold a koala and trek through some more rainforests and-"

"Don't forget the theme parks," Alex cut me off with a smirk.

"And the theme parks, Sea World, especially," I agreed easily, giving Alex's waist a gentle squeeze. "I want to see a Great White Shark."

"We've got time, babe." I felt a small shiver run down my spine at the wistful tone in Alex's voice as she spoke. "We'll do everything that you want to do, but let's just enjoy the scenery while we do it, yeah? My feet are fucking killing me."

I grinned as I hugged Alex closer, feeling her squeeze my shoulders in response and sighed in complete contentment. We had time; we had all the time in the fucking world.