Harriet wrapped her arms around his neck taking most of her weight and he used both arms to lift her higher, pulling her dress up before ripping open his trousers. He probed gently with his fingers and finding her ready, he pulled aside the fabric and let her slide down to take his full length. Her fingers dug into the skin at his nape, the sharp pain shooting straight to his dick. Maybe she was as desperate as he was.
She shuddered, and Lucas tightened his grip on her thighs, supporting the weight of her legs as he turned to put her back against the wall of the hallway. His mouth sought hers and his tongue delved deep, its thrust echoing the pulsing rhythm as he drove into her body. He needed this connection, if this was all she was prepared to give. Heat built in his gut, pushing him to the edge of control.
She was slick and wet with wanting, the slap of flesh against flesh sounding loud in the silence of the apartment, echoing the panting breaths and gasps. A wave of sensation shivered through him burning his skin where it touched her sweat damp skin. He was lost as she cried out, his name juddering against his mouth, her internal muscles clenching around him. The jagged rhythm sent him soaring, sublimating the pain of her teeth on his lip. He poured himself into her, pumping hard, giving all of himself, offering her everything.
Harriet didn’t want to come back. She wanted to stay with Lucas in that place where nothing mattered but the connection between them. His heart pounded against her chest, a counter point to the rapid flutter of hers as they took deep breaths to bring them back down.
Straightening, he pulled back and let her slide a little, so she could drop into her chair. Harriet watched him pull up his underwear and trousers and do up the zip leaving the button and belt undone. His shirt was half un-tucked, and he automatically tidied himself and she did the same, pulling up her straps and adjusting the skirt of her dress. He had a slight frown as he looked at her, fiddling with her twisted strap.
“I’m sorry Harry. That lacked finesse.”
Harriet stared back at him. “Do you see me complaining? The screaming was because it was good for me, Lucas.”
His lips twisted. “I always have plans to take it slow but then I touch you and they go out the window.”
Harriet turned her chair and headed for the bedroom. “Slow is good for me, now you’ve taken the edge off.” She turned at the doorway “Are you coming?”
She watched as he ran his hands through his hair and for a moment she thought he might say no. “Of course. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He smiled ruefully. “Your wish is my command, as always.”
He had a small gift box in his hands when he entered the bedroom shortly after she’d climbed into bed. Purple paper with silver ribbons.
“Happy birthday.” He extended his hand with the box, looking awkward and unsure. Her heart flip-flopped as she took the present, tugging on the bow at the top.
“You didn’t have to.”
“It’s nothing special. I wanted to give you something. I’ve missed a few birthdays.” That awkwardness was more marked, a faint flush across his cheekbones. He was so sweet like this. He’d been the same when he’d given her a locket for her eighteenth birthday. She’d been wearing it on the night of the accident but somehow it had been lost.
The lid came off easily, exposing a tissue wrapped something. She could feel his eyes on her, the nervousness radiating from him with an intensity that should have hummed like a power grid.
“Oh.” The crystal fairy, all amethyst and sparkling clear features, shocked her into silence. This was so much more than an ornament.
“I saw it and thought of you.”
“It’s beautiful.” She cradled it in her palms, revelling in the feeling of hope that warmed her from chest to fingertips. This reminder of their first meeting had to mean something. Placing it carefully on the bedside table, she reached out to grasp one strong hand. “Thank you. I love it.”
“I’m glad.”
With a gentle tug, she drew him down onto the bed, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest. His heart beat steadily under her ear. After a momentary hesitation, he folded her into his arms and they stayed there for long minutes. Whatever they had, it was more than sex. Why else would he feel like home?
“I’d like us to go to the beach on the weekend. You said you don’t have rehearsals this Saturday.” Harriet looked up, surprised. Lucas had been quiet since he arrived at her apartment mid-week, looking worn out and she had respected his mood, continuing to check her emails. He came straight from work and she’d already been for her swim.
He’d told her before he left that morning not to wait for him as he had meetings that could go late. The Lasagne in the oven would keep warm until he was ready to eat. His jacket and tie lay across the back of the couch and he’d toed off his shoes under the coffee table. His socked feet had a homely look that made her heart clench. Undone buttons on his shirt showed of glimpse of tanned flesh, but he didn’t look terribly relaxed.
She could see shadows under his eyes and a faint frown line between his brows. Was it work or her demands? He rarely got a full night’s sleep and she considered the possibility that he might prefer to be at home.
“You look tired. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”
Undoing more buttons, Lucas shook his head. “I’d like to stay but maybe I should just sleep after I’ve eaten. Would you mind?”
Harriet pursed her lips “Of course I don’t mind. You let me sleep when I’m tired.” She shut down the laptop and moved into the kitchen. “I’ll serve up now and you can get off to bed.” She quickly put his meal onto a plate with cutlery and put it on the coffee table before returning to the kitchen to get her own.
Lucas ate the food in silence and Harriet flicked on the television to watch the news channel. With a murmured thank you, he put his plate into the sink and vanished into the bedroom.
By the time Harriet finished and cleaned up it was almost nine o’clock, so she waited by the phone for the expected call. Her mother wouldn’t talk long once she knew Lucas was present and Harriet wondered if they would stop calling if he became a permanent presence in her life. It was too much to hope for. She had given up suggesting to her parents that they call less often. It had been the one condition, “request”, they had made when she’d insisted on her own place. It seemed a small compromise at the time. Only now was she finding it too intrusive.
Once the call was over, she turned out the lights and went into the bedroom. Lucas lay asleep on the bed in just his undershorts, his bronzed shoulders and chest bare. She could see his hair, still slightly damp from the shower, glistening in the light from the bedside lamp on her side of the bed.
Harriet had her shower and did her usual preparations before climbing into bed beside Lucas. He lay on his side facing her, his features lit by the lamp. The frown lines were smoothed away in sleep, but the shadows were still visible under the dark lashes. He really was a beautiful man. His body and the strong lines of his face constantly distracted her.
With a sigh she turned away from temptation and switched off the light. Sometime in the night Lucas put his arm over her and she could feel the smooth skin of his chest, warm against her back and she slipped contentedly into a deeper sleep, not waking until well after her usual time. Lucas was dressing, and Harriet propped herself up to watch his fingers do up the buttons and tuck his shirt in.
As if he felt her scrutiny he looked up and smiled at her and her heart did a crazy flip at the tender expression on his face.
“Morning, Harry.” He walked around the bed to kiss her lips but pulled back immediately. “I have to rush. Breakfast is in the warming oven. I might see you at the game if I get away on time.”
He was gone before she had a chance to reply so she got up, dressed and went to check the warming oven. Bacon, eggs sunny side up and grilled tomato with a sprig of parsley. The perfect man. Maybe too perfect, the sensible side of her brain tried to tell her.
Saturday morning
and the BMW ate up the highway comfortably. Lucas checked the time complacently as they arrived in time for an early morning tea at a café at Broadbeach. He was determined to give Harriet the whole beach experience. She’d loved the surf when they were together.
He couldn’t believe she hadn’t been near the ocean since the accident. It seemed her life had become bound by accessibility issues. Apart from the basketball and the cinema, she didn’t seem to go anywhere much socially. She’d protested at first at having to be carried but gave in at the sight of the ocean.
At Tallebudgera Creek they hired a canoe and shared the paddling as they explored the estuary. Lunch at Burleigh Heads was followed by a visit to the beach at Coolangatta. Lucas hired a longboard and surfed while Harriet lazed on the beach in a bikini watching his prowess like any surfer chick. Now he just had to get her into the water.
“Are you ready?”
She glanced at her phone. “Is it time to leave?”
“Time to swim.”
“I couldn’t. Not in the surf. It’s too rough.”
He scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder. “No such word…”
“Are you insane? Put me down.”
“You didn’t say the magic word.”
“Please. Please put me down.”
“Okay.”
She squealed as he lowered her into the water, but suddenly she was laughing. He helped her onto the board and pushed it out through the breakers until they reached the relatively calmer waters away from the other surfers. Steadying himself, he pulled himself up on the board facing her, letting his legs dangle in the water.
Harriet let her legs slide off the board so they were knee to knee. “I haven’t been out on the ocean like this since...” Her gaze shifted to the horizon briefly before returning to his face. “Since you brought me here when we were first dating.”
Lucas rubbed his hands along her thighs until they rested on her hips. “Are you glad you came?”
Harriet smiled her eyes glowing “Oh yes. It’s been a wonderful day. It’s funny. When I’ve thought about the beach before, it’s always been too hard and too complicated. But today, with you, everything has been so easy.”
She leaned forward to kiss him and he responded, licking the salt from lips that burned as they touched. The board wobbled and they both laughed as Lucas slipped into the water so he could steady it.
Exhausted but happy, Harriet slept most of the way home, only waking as Lucas carried her inside her unit to the bathroom. He had already brought her chair and their beach towels up while she slept, so he helped her strip off, ready for the shower, putting her light swimming braces on the bench beside her. Refreshed by her nap and stimulated by the shower, Harriet helped Lucas remove his board shorts pleased to see he was demonstrating a distinct interest as she started to soap his body.
Reaching down he lifted her up, hands gripping her thighs behind her knees, as he usually did, holding her weight easily. Harriet wrapped her arms around his shoulders, taking some of her weight. She buried her face in his throat, hiding from laughing eyes that seemed to see everything. He hitched her higher, shifting his grip.
Caught unawares, she screamed. In a haze of pain, she saw Lucas’ horrified face as his fingers tightened on her legs. “My knee. The right one. I’ve twisted it,” she gasped out, fighting back tears.
Lucas pulled her out of the shower still dripping and carried her to the bed. “What do I need to do? Ambulance?”
Harriet moaned “Not the ambulance.”
Lucas turned off the shower, grabbed some towels and dried her swiftly being careful not to put pressure on the knee. He pulled the doona over her to keep her warm and winding a towel around his waist he left the room.
“I’m just getting the icepacks from the freezer.” Wrapping them in a towel he placed them against the injured knee, his face grave. “Do you want to go to the emergency room? I can take you.”
He sat on the side of the bed and smoothed the hair back from her pallid face, mopping the tears with the corner of his towel.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
He kissed her forehead. “I know you didn’t. I’m just as much as fault. I forgot about your braces.”
An hour later they were sitting in a treatment room at the Mater hospital waiting for the registrar to arrive. Lucas had helped her dress and driven her to the hospital without complaint, but Harriet worried about the thoughtful expression on his face. Twice she had said something to him and he had brought his attention back to her with an effort, his smile absent as he listened to her repeat her comment.
When the registrar entered the room, Lucas watched silently as the young doctor greeted her with easy familiarity.
“Well, well, well. It’s been a good while since we’ve had you in here. What did you do this time? Basketball aerobatics again?”
Harriet blushed and the doctor glanced over at Lucas curiously. “It doesn’t look like you’ve thrown anything out too far, but we’ll have you in Monday for a scan. In the meantime, absolutely no weight bearing. On either leg. You don’t want to injure the other one by pushing it too far.”
He was strapping the knee as he gave further instructions and advice on painkillers. In response to Harriet’s query he smiled. “I don’t think you should have a problem doing the demo next weekend. If it’s still tender just keep weight off it. Stick to the wheelchair even for around the house.”
Back at her apartment they ate the takeaways they picked up on the way home.
He was restless, stalking the room like a panther. “You’ll need help for the next few days.”
“I’ll be fine, Lucas. I’ve been through this before.”
He stopped pacing and stood awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. “Of course. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No more than what you usually do. I only really need help in the shower for the transfer. I’m actually strong enough to do all the other transfers just using my arms.”
Lucas nodded. “I’m supposed to be in Sydney on Monday and Tuesday, but I can cancel.”
Harriet stilled as she heard something in his voice that disturbed her. “It’s just a shower, Lucas. Mum can help me for a couple of nights. It’s hardly worth cancelling a business trip for. I can work from home for a few days.”
He looked relieved and a little guilty and Harriet knew at that moment he had finally realised the trap being with a person with a disability could become.
She trailed off to bed while Lucas tidied up and when he climbed into the bed, she stayed on her side instead of snuggling as she usually did. When he made no move to touch her either, she had a feeling this was the beginning of the end.
On Sunday he insisted she do nothing from the moment she woke up to him returning from the shops with coffee, hot chocolate and a range of bakery items for breakfast. After breakfast he settled her on the couch and they read the Sunday newspapers together pointing out things of interest and swapping sections. It was nice, but Harriet could feel his restraint. There were no more casual touches and caresses, stolen kisses, only impersonal support when she needed assistance.
Lucas made a salad for lunch and she was grateful for his quick thinking when her parents turned up unexpectedly at afternoon tea time, cake in hand. He grabbed a sarong for her to wrap around over her shorts to hide the medical strapping on her knee. He wouldn’t let her help with cooking dinner either, whipping up a stir fry which they ate on the veranda. By the time he had helped her into bed she was snappy and when he offered to get her a drink, she let her frustration loose.
“I don’t need a carer, Lucas.”
She regretted it immediately when Lucas withdrew silently, his face cold. When he didn’t come to bed she had to bite her lip to stop herself crying. Lucas was gone in the morning when she woke up regretfully from a dream of him kissing her like there was no tomorrow and telling her he loved her. She knew he had an early flight, but Harriet wished he had woken her t
o say goodbye and maybe even make her dream come true. Well the kiss anyway. The other would stay in the realms of fantasy.
The next few days dragged and when Lucas came over on Wednesday night obviously exhausted Harriet ruined their reunion by telling him he should go home to bed which he did. As he had been on the verge of telling her something when she had interrupted him, he simply shut his mouth and left.
He didn’t turn up at basketball on Thursday. When she got home there was a message from Lucas to say something had come up and he would come over Friday. She was to let him know if it wasn’t okay. Resisting the temptation to ring up and tell him it wasn’t and get the whole thing over with, Harriet went to bed, only to toss and turn as she had done all week. Stupid to sleep better when there was someone to hold you while you slept.
He was early. Lucas knew Harriet would have barely arrived home, but somehow, he’d finished early. Probably by driving his team into near rebellion. They were no doubt glad to be rid of him so they could go to the pub for their Friday night wind-down drinks. He knew better than to join them, especially after the week they’d had, putting up with his short temper. He’d apologised, but it didn’t make him feel any better.
Harriet buzzed him in and he let out a breath. She was pulling away since the injury to her leg. So certain he would run. Which, given his history, she had every right to believe. He’d been at fault too, this week, nervous about hurting her, hating to see her in pain. That guilt had been riding him all week, along with some problems with the contract down in Sydney.
Banks were the worst customers, needing the highest level of security for the product, yet always with an eye to the profits. In some ways, government was easier but came with a different set of problems.
Tell Me No Lies Page 13