by Juanita Kees
Peta fisted her hands into his shirt, arching up against him, anchoring her legs around his, careful not to hurt his thigh. ‘This needs to go,’ she muttered, pushing the material up between them.
‘Maybe we should take this into the bedroom in case Bella wakes up and comes wandering through,’ Jaime suggested, pushing himself up.
No. If they moved now, the dynamic would change. She’d lose him, the warmth he promised, the satisfaction she knew would be there at the end, the chance to make this real again. She closed her eyes, frowned against the panic that rose in her belly.
His thumb stroked across her lips, up to ease the crease from her forehead. ‘It’s okay, baby. Please don’t be afraid of what we have, what we will have. I’ll be more comfortable in the bed. This sofa wasn’t made for making out with a bullet wound in the thigh.’
His tender smile eased the panic but made her realise the selfishness of her wanting him to the point that she’d forgotten his injuries. ‘Oh God, Jaime, I’m sorry. Your leg—’
‘Will be just fine, baby. Come, let’s go to bed.’
‘Yes,’ said Peta.
She eased into the spot against his side, his arm draped around her shoulders and they made slow progress up the hallway. Each step bringing them closer, each movement of their bodies against one another feeding the fire that grew inside her.
She closed the door behind them, releasing her hold on Jaime. He sat on the edge of the bed. For a split second, she hesitated, her hands pressed against the wood of the closed door. If she went through with this, there’d be no turning back. He eased his polo shirt over his head and in the light of the bedside lamp, the muscles in his torso rippled. He’d changed over the years, become harder, stronger. He’d been ripped then but now he had added maturity that made her hands itch wanting to explore the changes, rediscover the man who was the same yet different.
Then his gaze met hers across the room, eyes rich and warm, filled with an invitation to guilty pleasures. Ones she didn’t deserve to have when her life lay in tatters around her, when the man who’d destroyed her life was still a threat and the one she loved was only a few steps away.
But then he eased himself out of his track pants, and she remembered how much she loved his strong thighs, sculpted from years on the local football team and maintained by his love of running. The only thing marring the beauty of everything that was Jaime Caruso, was the bandage that covered the skin where her ex-husband had shot him. She leaned her head back against the door, tears clogging her throat. She didn’t deserve him. She should let him go. The danger wasn’t over yet. What if Paul sent his thugs after them?
The track pants fell to the floor on top of his shirt, followed by his socks. Jaime’s feet. Strong, big, broad and ticklish. She smiled at the memory of the times she’d taken advantage of that weakness until he’d been helpless under her hands and ready to give her anything she wanted. And she wanted him. Then, now and always.
‘I can hear you thinking, baby. Come here.’
She pushed away from the door, crossing the room on shaky legs. He patted the spot on the mattress next to him. She sat, her eyes on his legs, her hands clenched in her lap. His arm came around her, across her back, his palm drawing relaxing circles on her hip. His lips found her temple and her lids fluttered closed at the warm sensation of his mouth on her skin.
His other hand worked her fingers out of the knot they were in, splayed them across those muscles in his thigh. They twitched underneath her hand, so she stroked them, her palms flat against the warmth, moving from muscle memory buried deep inside her mind. Her hands remembered him, her mind provided the pictures and her blood was on fire for him once more. Gently he pressed her down to the bed, his body following hers slowly, gingerly.
‘Your leg …’ She trailed her fingers across his ribcage, flattened her palm against his side.
‘Will feel a lot better if we think of something else,’ he whispered against her mouth, his hands busy as he loosened the button on her jeans and pulled down the zipper.
‘Be gentle with me.’ She pressed her hand against his as his fingers trailed the line of her underwear. Like the night they’d first been together this way. When making love had been a journey of discovery, each touch unearthing a new sensation, a newly discovered place of pleasure.
‘Always.’
She lifted her hips and he eased the denims down her legs, dropping them to the floor, her underwear following them down. All barriers removed, they lay savouring the feel of bare skin against one another, heated yet cool, eager yet patient, their hands and feet exploring, stroking, entangling.
The strength of his need pressed against her thigh, hard and seeking. She reached for him, her fingers running the length of him, her lips spreading in a smile as he murmured what he wanted in her ear. Then he lowered his head, took her mouth, nibbled at her lip, stroked her tongue with his, driving her crazy with teasing, making her want to devour his mouth and his body with a heated desperation before she reminded herself to slow it down.
Through the fog of desire, the tinny, electronic sound of ringing reached her ears. Jaime groaned and muttered something about lousy timing. ‘I bet that’s your bloody brother.’
‘His timing has never been great. It’s what makes him a good cop. He catches his suspects unawares.’ Peta reached out to retrieve it from the bedside table and pressed the answer button. ‘Hello?’ she said, trying to keep a steady voice as Jaime’s hands continued to work their magic.
‘I hope I’m not interrupting anything,’ Mark’s voice replied in her ear.
Peta laughed, slightly breathless, as Jaime’s hands stroked across her abdomen, trailed by his lips. ‘No, of course not,’ she squeaked, grabbing a fistful of Jaime’s hair and halting his mouth as it approached its final destination. He blew out a warm breath at the apex of her thighs and she bit off a groan of pleasure.
Jaime grinned mischievously up at her before trailing his body up hers to plant a smacking kiss on her lips. Then he pulled the phone from her nerveless fingers, tapped the speaker icon and said, ‘Make it fast, boyo. We’re in the middle of negotiations here.’
Mark laughed loudly, his voice echoing through the speaker. ‘Is that what they’re calling it these days? Look, just calling in to say we’ve wrapped it all up into a tidy parcel on our side. Price sang like the bloody canary he is.’
‘What about the threat to Peta?’
Peta stiffened under him, her breath hitching in her throat. He stroked her hair with gentle hands, soothing the tension from her body.
Mark’s words almost had her tensing again. ‘Their attentions have been turned elsewhere. Apparently they have a little trouble on the east coast they need to take care of involving a scandal with money laundering through a car dealership. Someone named Serena Snow is a far bigger threat to their organisation than Peta is. We’re working on it with the cops in Sydney. They’ll have to rethink their strategies. The evidence we gave Paul was passed to one of the runners in the Tag Raiders gang and never made it to Beyond Hell’s Reach clubhouse. Tiny Watts’ safety is our priority now. Albero and Bennetti won’t think twice about silencing their lambs for good. No one misses the street kids.’
Peta wriggled under Jaime, desperate to get up as the horror of what Paul’s associates were capable of began to kill off the passion she’d felt only moments earlier. Jaime shook his head and cupped her face. Stay. His lips formed the words silently, his arm anchoring her to him. ‘Then you’d better get on with the job before anyone else goes missing.’
‘Yeah, I’m on it.’
The seriousness in her brother’s tone made her heart ache. He cared. Too much. More than he needed to. More than he should. She frowned.
Jaime smoothed the lines away. ‘Mate, are you trying to kill the mood here?’
‘What? No! No, not at all. Not ever. You have a mood going? That’s great!’
Peta groaned against his side. Mark would never let her live this one down, but at
least it put a happy note back in his voice. Jaime chuckled, the sound rumbling in his chest. He squeezed the hand she’d placed over the tattoo on his heart.
‘Well, wrap it up then, mate.’
‘Right. Wrap it up. Hope you’re wrapping it up.’ Mark chuckled. ‘You guys can come home now. Unless, of course, you’d like a few more days in your deserted paradise, you know, to complete the … ahh … negotiation process?’
Jaime looked down at Peta and for a split second, she considered it. It would be nice to stay here tucked away from reality, but there were bridges to mend and the sooner they did so, the sooner they could settle things between them. She shook her head and Jaime sighed.
‘When did you want to come and pick us up?’
‘We’ll fly in tomorrow morning at about eleven.’
‘We’ll be ready,’ said Jaime.
‘Hey, Caruso …’
‘Yeah?’
‘Take care of my sister.’
Jaime smiled down at her, promise in his eyes, and Peta’s heart dipped and danced.
‘Absolutely. Forever this time.’
‘Yes! Harold, you owe me a beer.’
Mark’s shout made Peta wince as it echoed around them before Jaime hit the end call button and tossed the phone on top of the pile of clothing.
‘Now, where were we?’
Chapter 18
Mark and Harold arrived dead on time and Peta was glad she’d eased out of bed at the crack of dawn to pack. It had been a tough decision to make in the cold, hard light of day when she’d spent the night in Jaime’s arms relearning every inch of his body and falling in love with him all over again.
He’d lain there against the pillows, fast asleep, the shadow of a beard caressing his jaw, a pillow elevating his injured knee, an arm thrown out over his head. She’d wasted a few precious packing minutes just looking at him, remembering the hours they’d spent exploring each other, the number of times they’d turned to each other in the night.
So perfect. Almost too perfect. Despite the comfortable aura that had settled around them, the glances between them that were tender and new again, an uncomfortable churn settled in the pit of her stomach.
She met Mark’s knowing smile with the pang it brought to her heart. Perhaps one day when the time was right, he’d have what they had. He’d find that special someone who made him feel alive again. He too could move on from playing rescue hero for her and find his own damsel to save.
Bella chatted happily to her uncle, her ordeal a weakening memory, slowly erased by life moving on. Soon she’d forget the terror she’d been through, and if their future with Jaime was as bright as it looked, she’d eventually forget it completely.
Jaime was clearly on the road to recovery, his colour normal again and, other than the need for crutches when he walked further than to the bathroom, there was little indication that he’d suffered an injury.
Peta smiled. When she’d looked in the mirror this morning, she’d noticed the shadows under her eyes had gone at last and she prayed with all her heart that they stayed away now that she’d found happiness in Jaime’s arms again. Still the churn in her stomach niggled. They still had hurdles to overcome, perhaps their worst battle was still to come when they faced Jaime’s parents, her mum, the people who’d kept them apart.
Harold herded them all into the small plane and settled himself in the pilot’s seat. The plane rumbled down the short, dusty airstrip before the nose rose in the air and the resort became an unknown mark on the map once more.
Jaime’s hand settled over hers in her lap, his fingers threading with hers, palm against palm. Peta tried hard to push back the niggling feeling that refused to settle in her belly. They were going to be okay. They could do this. They could face the past and lay the doubts to rest.
On arrival at Williams’ rural air strip, Harold offered to drop Peta and Bella back to the hotel, while Mark drove Jaime home to his parents’ house. She’d rather not leave his side. If he didn’t come back …
‘I’ll see you later tonight,’ Jaime told Peta with a kiss on the cheek and a comforting hand on her shoulder. He’d always had the uncanny knack of reading her doubt. ‘We’ll grab a bite to eat first before we go and see the parents.’
He bent down to give Bella a hug before he stood to meet her eyes, holding her gaze, promising without words. He’d promised before and then he’d disappeared. Could she trust him any more now than she had then?
‘Six o’ clock.’
‘Okay,’ she said and watched as he got into Mark’s car and they drove away.
They’d agreed it would be best to get the reunion with his parents out of the way as soon as possible. There’d been no reason to delay it any longer, but that didn’t make Peta feel any less terrified. She doubted they’d feel any differently about her after all this time, not even with the presence of their grandchild. If they broke her little girl’s heart or rejected her after all this time …
She wouldn’t stand for that. She’d walk away. If they accepted Bella and not her? She’d deal with it out of fairness to Jaime. She’d let him go if they demanded it, but what would that do to her child? Family pressure was a passion killer, no matter what the outcome of this reunion.
‘Come on, Peta, let’s get you back to the hotel,’ Harold urged, as she stared after the departing car. ‘Is everything okay?’
Peta nodded and smiled up at him. ‘Everything will work out as it’s meant to,’ she replied. ‘Thanks, Harold, for everything you’ve done for us. It feels so good to have things back to normal again. Is Paul really safely away?’
‘Yes, and he will be for a very long time. We’ve got him on some serious charges. Some his bent lawyers, Albero and Bennetti, might get him off on, others they won’t. But trust me when I say, our eyes are on everyone in contact with Paul Price. He’s not wiggling on our watch. There’s no space,’ Harold answered. ‘About Caruso …’
Peta sighed. ‘Let it go, Harold. If it works out, all well and good. If it doesn’t, we’ll deal with it when the time comes. We’ve come to an agreement to take it one step at a time. That’s all I can ask.’
‘You know I’ll always be there for you, Peta, you only need to say the word. Jeannie too.’ He put the car into gear.
***
Scrubbed, polished and dressed in her best outfit, Bella twisted in front of the mirror, admiring herself. ‘Do I look pretty, Mum? Will Nonna and Nonno love me?’
‘Of course they will, darling. You’re beautiful.’
Peta carefully selected a trim pants suit in pale peach with a darker shade camisole under the jacket from her wardrobe. She matched it with strappy gold sandals. Earlier she and Bella had treated their toe nails to a delicate shade of varnish to match their outfits. Satisfied, she fastened a simple string of pearls around her neck and a heavy gold bracelet on her wrist to match her watch. Matching pearl earrings dangled from her ears on a short gold chain. She’d brushed her hair until it shone rich and full-bodied under the lights.
‘You’re going to knock their socks off, Mum,’ said Bella. ‘You look like a princess.’
Peta bent down and hugged her tightly. ‘So do you, beautiful.’
A knock sounded at the door of the suite. ‘That’ll be Daddy,’ yelled Bella as she ran to open the door. She let out a whoop as Jaime scooped her up and planted a loud kiss on her cheek.
‘Well, look, I got me a little princess,’ he said before putting her back on her feet and looking at Peta. ‘Oh and a fairy queen.’
With Bella’s hand still in his, they walked over to where Peta stood. ‘My God, you’re beautiful,’ he said.
‘Thank you,’ said Peta, a flush burning in her cheeks. She wanted to be beautiful for Jaime, every day, forever. Jaime leaned down and gave her a kiss that made her want to forget all about the meeting with his parents and stay home cuddled in bed with him instead.
‘They’ll love you both,’ he said. ‘Stop worrying.’
‘How can you be so su
re?’ she whispered.
‘I love you and that’s all that matters.’ He stroked her cheek with his finger, a reassuring touch that turned her knees to jelly. ‘Come, let’s go. Dinner is waiting in the dining room.’ Jaime held out an arm to each of them.
Dinner was a happy affair and Peta wanted it to last forever. Even Jaime’s confidence and show of commitment couldn’t erase the feeling in her stomach that it wasn’t going to be as easy as he made it sound. Her intuition had seldom failed her in the past.
A few minutes later, Jaime pulled up in front of his parents’ home. Peta eyed the big double oak doors apprehensively. Her palms were sweaty and she wiped them against the black upholstery of the seat. Jaime reached across to reassure her with a pat on her thigh. A little higher and she’d be happy to forget all about meeting his parents again.
‘We’re in this together now. They can’t come between us again, Peta. This time I won’t let them,’ Jaime promised quietly.
Peta looked at him, doubts vying for attention in her mind, churning up her nerves. ‘They did once before, quite easily. What if we’re rushing things, Jaime? Maybe it’s too soon. We’re still raw from all that’s happened in these last few days. Maybe we’re being ruled by our emotions and not our heads. Maybe we should give it more time.’
Jaime shook his head. ‘What happened between us last night was not a playback from the past, Peta. It was real and the feelings we have for each other are stronger than ever before. Please don’t deny that,’ he said as he saw her mouth move to interrupt. ‘Don’t get cold feet on me now. Let’s just play it one day at a time, just like we planned. We’ve had a tough few days and a lot of changes. This time we have to see it through together. No more running away.’
Peta sighed and nodded. He was right. They had wasted enough time waiting for this to happen, expecting to have to deal with all the hurt some day. It had to be for real this time. It was their last chance granted to them by fate and her wonderful big brother. She owed it to Mark to give it her best shot, for everything he’d done for her, for them.