Eva Down Under Ch. 03

"Tell you what, hun. You keep going with your tour, sort out how you feel, decide if I'm your man, and let me know when we next meet, ok?"

"Well, all right, if that's what you want, darling," she said distractedly.

Just then the manager of the tea rooms came out and told Alfie that they'd finished unloading, and he was right to go.

"Well, I gotta go hun, see you up the road somewhere. You be in Darwin tonight?"

"Yes, but it'll be late," she said, "because we've got a couple of stops on the way".

He stood up, leaned over, and kissed her, and then said, "See you there. Want to go to the casino?"

"Yes, we could do that darling," she said. "I'll give you my answer then".

"Ok, well, see ya!" he said, and strode to his truck, checked his tires and tarpaulins, climbed in and pulled out.

After he left, she reluctantly agreed that it was the better way to go.

"Oh wow, what a nice ring!" said one of the tour ladies.

"Thank you," Eva said distractedly, "it's my engagement ring." Then she squealed excitedly, "He just asked me to marry him! OH MY GAWD!" The realization finally hitting home, she raised her hands to her cheeks. "He...just...asked... me.... to...MARRY...him!"

They all trooped onto the bus, offering Eva congratulations, and the tour left, and stopped in at Douglas hot springs, Robin Falls, Adelaide War cemetery, and had afternoon tea at the roadhouse, before cruising on into Darwin, and the Darwin hotel. Once she had been given her room number, she took the key and went to her room. When she opened the door, all she could do, was stand there, hands over her mouth, and stare. In the middle of the room, on a table, was the biggest bouquet of roses she'd ever seen!

She barely managed to close the door behind her, and then she was walking over to them. They were so beautiful! All red roses, what seemed like a hundred! She would count them eventually, but for now, she just wanted to enjoy their beauty and the lovely fragrance that wafted from them and drowned the room in sweetness. She dropped her suitcase, threw her purse on the bed, and took a single stalk in her hand. Walking to the window, she looked out, the rose at her nose, thinking that she must be the luckiest girl in the world to have a man like Alfie love her. She looked down at the sparkling ring on her hand, and felt chills shiver up her arms, up her spine.

"D'you like them, then, hun?" a voice asked behind her.

She spun in place, and dropped the rose she held as Alfie walked toward her.

"How...?"

"I come here often, hun! They know me, and they know I've never talked about a woman before." He reached her, and held her arms in his big hands. "You're under my skin, baby, real deep. I can't get you out. I don't want to!"

He bent his head for a kiss, and Eva realized suddenly that she had been wanting this all day. She had been needing it, like the air she breathed. Alfie begged admittance to her mouth, teasing her lips with his tongue, and she let him in, looping her arms around his neck. He pulled her close, pressing her against him, and Eva groaned with the burst of desire that shook her. Alfie kissed her and kissed her, as though he couldn't get enough of her, and Eva knew if he didn't stop soon, they would be naked on her bed...and they would miss the casino.

"Do...do you have a run tomorrow?" she asked shakily, breaking his kisses, and putting a hand to his chest.

" Tomorrow? I dunno...I'm empty at the moment, and staying that way for a while. Depends on you actually. Look, get some jeans on, and come with me. I've got something to show you."

As she changed, he whistled at her, and when she bent over to put on her jeans, she heard his sharp intake of breath.

"Like what you see darling?" she said, giving him a wiggle as she pulled up her jeans.

He just laughed. They exited the hotel, she was looking for the truck, and in a disappointed voice, asked where it was. He told her it was in the yard at work. But he said he had something else she might be interested in, and told her to close her eyes, as he led her across the car park. He stopped, and told her to open her eyes. Before her sat a chromed-up, blue Harley Davidson, in mint condition.

"It's a 1340 cc Sportster, hun, the biggest bike Harley ever built, before the Japanese take-over." He passed her a helmet, and helped her do it up. "Now, its important you listen, or we'll crash, if you don't do as I say. Sit up straight, and don't lean into the corners. Let the bike lean. You sit straight, okay?"

"Ah, yes! Sit straight...got it!"

He got on the bike and kicked it into life, then helped her on behind him, pulling her arms about his waist, and locking her fingers together.

"You ready?" When she nodded, he said, "We go then," and took off slowly, allowing her to get her balance.

He cruised slowly out on to the Stuart highway, heading south, out past the airport, on out through Berrimah, then on the open highway, to Howard Springs, and then he turned off the highway and drove to the Humptydoo pub, where they stopped.

"This pub has a world record holder here, for the quickest to drink a Darwin stubby," he said, as they entered the bar.

Up on the wall shelf Eva noticed a few bottles of beer, that must have held a gallon of beer in them. Under them was a sign, 'Darwin stubby'. He got the barman to show her a normal stubby, which held about 380 mls of beer. She laughed at the size difference. Alfie took her out the back of the pub, and showed her a Brahma bull, explaining that it held the record for drinking the Darwin stubby. After a quick drink, they headed back to town, and went to Lee point, where the fish came in to be hand fed, as well as a couple of dolphins. She found this great, and took photos.

From there, he took her out to Casaurina, where there was a large shopping center and a tavern. They went from there down to the Darwin wharves, where the fishing boats all came in with their catches, and were lucky enough to watch them unloading a boat that had not long come in. He took her back to the hotel, where she admitted, she was just astounded with his short tour, not realizing Darwin had so much to offer. They changed for dinner, and went to the dining room, and were ushered to a table.

"You look absolutely stunning" he said, watching the color rise to the surface of her cheeks.

"Thank you. You look all spiffed up too, my darling" she replied.

"And, now, my dear Miss American wench, I need to hear your answer, to my question from this morning."

"What question was that? I do seem to have forgotten," she teased.

So, Alfie got out of his chair, and knelt down on one knee beside her, took her hand in his, and asked, in a very loud voice, "Eva, will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

The whole dining room, full of her tour group, waited in awe, for her answer, as did he, remaining on his knee.