The chorus merged into the next verse and Drew separated from her, moving about in a teasing way that made her want to pull him back. He sang, ‘Hey baby’, and curled his finger at her again. Chrissie mouthed the lyrics of the verse, the sexy verse, telling him how much she wanted him, more than he knew, and the glow on his face intensified. He pulled her close during the bit about it being okay to lose control, and he bent her body backwards at the waist and swung her around in a sensual arc, his hand supporting her lower back.
She returned to his level, tingling at the rush from being upside down, and resisted the urge to look away at the next part of the lyrics. Her lips recited the words that suggested ‘staying with her tonight’, and deep inside she wished he could.
He swayed with her as one body, their hot skin separated only by a thin barrier of clothing, and as the song built up to the chorus, Drew gave her a questioning look. She knew he wanted to lift her up, like Johnny did to Baby in Dirty Dancing. Well, not exactly. A feat like that would take some practise, but he wanted to lift her nonetheless.
He gripped under her arms and she nodded, and as the chorus built up to that iconic moment, he bent a little and lifted her off the floor, like a parent lifts a toddler to hold them high in the air. His strength was amazing, making her feel as light as the breeze wafting through the open windows, and she looked down at him, his gaze pinned to hers. He held her there for a few moments, then lowered her back down, sharing smiles between each other. They moved as one, the music a part of their intimate dance, joining their hearts and bodies together.
When the song slowed near the end, he serenaded her, his own voice overtaking the singers. Chrissie felt like she was the star of a movie, a leading lady, adored and cherished and desired. She didn’t want this moment to end, but as the music faded so did their energy; their bodies softening and relaxing onto the floor. They spread out flat on their backs, chests rising and falling, hands joined together side by side.
‘That was the most unconventional class I’ve ever taught,’ Chrissie panted.
‘I’m all for unconventional,’ he replied. ‘But I’m spent!’
‘Me too! Yoga isn’t as full on as dancing. It’s still strenuous, but in a calming way. But that — I haven’t done anything like that in a long time.’
‘I haven’t done anything like that, ever.’
Neither had she. She’d danced and let loose, yes, but relive a moment from one of the best romantic movies ever? It was like a dream, a beautiful, surreal dream she didn’t want to wake from.
Her body buzzed even though she was still, the adrenalin still coursing through her body. ‘To satisfy my need for consistency and because I’m pooped and need to lie down, I think we should do Shavasana as usual,’ she said, removing her hand from his and arranging herself into a more structured position instead of one resembling a person who’d passed out after one too many vodkas.
‘Good plan. I need a few minutes to catch my breath anyway.’ He turned his head and gave her a brief smile before looking up at the ceiling.
‘Close your eyes now, breathe deeply, and relax your whole body starting from your toes…’ She ran through her usual spiel, shortening it somewhat as right now she didn’t feel at all like his teacher and didn’t want to sound like one. Soon there was silence as they both relaxed and breathed in complete stillness. Her body gave her that familiar floating sensation, not being able to feel the floor beneath her, like she was lying on a bed of clouds, and the post-exercise bliss engulfed her.
Chrissie didn’t know how many minutes had passed, but she guessed it was time to return to the land of the living when the faint sound of a car in the distance pulling out of the parking lot brought her attention back to reality.
‘Ahh, that was nice,’ she said. ‘Time to get up now.’ She rolled to the side and pushed herself up with her hand, looking at Drew’s idle body beside her. His chest slowly rose and fell, his breathing was smooth and even, and his face relaxed, shiny, and oh so beautiful. His eyes were still closed. She held back a chuckle. Asleep again? She watched him for a moment, her finger wanting to desperately trace the curves on his face, but she settled for tracing them with her gaze instead. She lowered herself onto her elbow next to him, watching him sleep. Everyone said that sleeping children were gorgeous, but no one ever mentioned sleeping celebrities. Only he wasn’t a celebrity to her any more. He was a man. A talented and creative man, and a damn good dancer.
Watching him was like a meditation in itself, centring her mind and calming her breathing. She was about to snuggle up next to him when his eyes snapped open.
‘Gotcha!’ he said, a cheeky grin on his face.
Chrissie sat up. ‘You weren’t asleep?’
He shook his head.
She whacked him lightly on the chest with the back of her hand. ‘You trickster.’
‘You were watching me, weren’t you? I could feel it.’ A smug look graced his face.
‘No I wasn’t,’ she said. ‘I was just…waiting for you to wake up.’ She tightened the elastic on her ponytail and looked away.
‘Come here.’ Drew pulled her on top of him and whispered, ‘I would have watched you too.’
Chrissie confessed the truth with an honest smile, and her finger finally traced around the side of his face as she took in every perfect detail.
‘Your eyes,’ Drew said. ‘You’ve got Hungry Eyes.’
Chrissie smiled, remembering the song of the same name from Dirty Dancing.
‘Well then, you better feed them,’ she said, lowering her face to his and taking his lips in hers.
Chapter 19
A one hour strenuous jog along the scenic walking track did nothing to quash Drew’s desire or distract him from thoughts of Chrissie. Neither did a cold shower. Nor the organic gluten-free steak sandwich he’d had the kitchen staff make him for lunch. It was just past one o’clock on Saturday, only twenty-four hours since he’d last seen her and he was already having Chrissie withdrawals.
His head told him he shouldn’t be getting involved with anyone, especially considering the fact he’d be out of here in just over a week’s time, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her, wanting to be with her. She was such a contrast from the women he often met in L.A. She was honest, charming, funny, and stronger than she knew. His attraction to her was beyond physical. Sure, desire had flickered within the first time he’d seen her, only intensifying the more time he spent with her; but she was a beautiful woman, he wouldn’t be a red-blooded man if he hadn’t felt at least some attraction initially. But something else about her had taken hold, something deeper, something that affected him emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, as well as physically. It was surreal he’d only known her for three weeks.
He reached for his guitar to keep his hands occupied, but placed it back down and grabbed his phone instead.
He pressed contacts and then Chrissie, and his finger hovered over the screen. Kai would be with her this weekend, he didn’t want to interrupt their mother and son time. But he ached for some contact with her, even if only via text. He typed in a message:
Hope your weekend is off to A Good Start (hehe). Last week was the best.
He hesitated for a moment then added:
Thinking about you - D.
He hit send and took a deep breath, then opened his email and scrolled through the messages, deleting some along the way. He was in the middle of replying to a message from his manager when Chrissie’s text came in:
Yes it’s off to A Good Start (that pun’s getting really old btw). Kai & I are Fired Up (hehe) for an afternoon of sorting stuff and painting the rooms upstairs.
Thinking about you too - C. xx
The addition of two kisses brought a smile to his face. He loved how women often did things like that. Sarah was always adding smiley faces to her texts and emails, and Gemma used plenty of LOLs and exclamation marks to make everything look super exciting.
He typed back:
Maybe I’m a
ll out of pun ideas. I might have passed the skill onto you. Good luck painting. :)
He smiled as he added the smiley face, hit send, then had a thought. Should he? No, probably not a good idea. But…
Before he could stop himself, he typed:
Do you need an extra set of hands?
Sent. Too late now.
A few minutes passed without a reply. Crap. Maybe he crossed a line. What was he doing, offering to help her paint? And with her son around too. He should have just —
His phone beeped:
I thought you didn’t want to risk your visit being public knowledge. My son’s not the town gossip or anything, but you know kids, they can be unpredictable.
Damn. He should have thought more about it before hitting send. Now he’s put her on the spot.
Beep. Another message:
But if you’re okay with it, I’d love nothing more than to have your extra set of hands. ;)
Drew grinned. What a relief. And was the mention of his hands a subtle attempt at flirtation? He liked it. The wise thing to do would be to stay put and continue with his relaxing time off, but he needed to keep busy, and Chrissie had a lot on her plate. If he could help her in any way, it would make him feel good. Plus, he loved hanging out with kids, and he wanted to meet the famous Kai.
My hands can be there in ten. Can the rest of me come too? Looking forward to meeting Kai.
Chrissie replied:
Please bring all of you. I won’t tell Kai exactly who you are, just in case. I’ll say you’re a friend helping out with the painting.
He typed back:
Fine with me. I’m on my way :)
She replied with a simple smiley face, and Drew assessed his clothing for painting suitability. Nup. He pulled his white top over his head and zipped off his jeans, exchanging them for a casual pair of cargo shorts and a dark grey t-shirt. He gave his underarms a quick spray of deodorant and grabbed his phone and room key. There was one week left in Tarrin’s Bay, and he didn’t want to waste a single minute.
* * *
Chrissie checked her reflection in the hallway mirror, smoothing her hair and tightening the ponytail that had come loose. She glanced down at her painting outfit. Denim capri’s with a couple of frayed holes in them, and an oversized lemon-coloured t-shirt with a picture of palm tree on it. Oh dear. She shrugged. Oh well, who cares. He’s seen me at my worst. She picked up the two storage boxes she’d bought and approached Kai in the living room.
‘Kai, here are the boxes. I’ve laid everything out upstairs, and I want you to put all the things made of paper in one box, and everything else in the other, okay?’ He nodded. ‘Good man.’
Kai laughed. ‘You called me man.’
‘That’s because you’re being very helpful and acting like one.’ She leant forward and kissed him on the forehead.
‘I’ll carry them upstairs, Mum.’ He took the boxes from her — almost the size of his body — and heaved them over to the stairs.
‘Oh, Kai? A friend of mine will be arriving soon to help with the painting. His name is Drew.’
‘Oh,’ he said. ‘Then there’ll be two men in the house.’ He smiled and turned to walk up the stairs.
Chrissie chuckled and walked to the back door that opened onto the verandah facing the ocean. She was used to the sound of the waves again now and had become immune to the salty smell, but not once had she set foot within metres of the water’s edge. One thing at a time, she reminded herself.
She ducked inside to fill a jug of water then returned to the verandah, pouring the water into a couple of potted plants near the doorway. The wind chimes she’d hung from the beam on the verandah roof clinked and twanged as a breeze floated over, and a nice feeling rose within knowing who would be walking towards her any minute now.
She placed the jug back in the kitchen and through the window saw Drew walking around the rocky hill, sunglasses covering his eyes and golden skin glowing in the sun.
She sucked in an anticipatory breath and pressed her lips together in a smile as she walked outside.
‘Well, here they are.’ He held up his hands. ‘Where do you want them?’
Chrissie turned to check Kai was out of sight and whispered, ‘Right here.’ She placed them on the sides of her waist, then lifted his sunglasses onto his forehead.
Drew smiled and leaned forward, giving her a brief but tender kiss on the lips.
Chrissie tugged on his hand and led him inside. ‘Welcome to the beach house.’
‘What a nice place. I already feel at home.’
‘It does have that effect. I think it’s all the knick-knacks. And maybe the toys and clutter I have lying around!’
‘It’s nice. I love being in people’s homes. Hotels get so clinical after a while.’
‘Can I get you anything to drink?’
‘Nope, I’m good, thanks.’ He glanced around. ‘Where is the young man of the house?’
‘Upstairs.’ She gestured to the staircase. ‘Shall we?’
Drew walked in front of her and she watched the way his calf muscles bulged with each step. She may have looked a little further north too.
They reached the top of the stairs and the large open area that served as a multipurpose room. Bookcases framed the walls, a desk sat under the front window, armchairs in the corner, and an old radio sat on a side table. It had become an extra playroom for Kai, and he often set up his train tracks along the worn-out carpeted floor. This time, he was placing items in the boxes as she’d instructed. He looked up with curious eyes at Drew.
‘Oh. You’re the painting friend.’
‘I sure am. I’m Drew. And you must be Kai, the man of the house?’
Kai grinned. ‘Yep.’ Although he was obviously impressed at being called a man twice in one day, his eyes still held a touch of caution at this stranger in the house.
‘Looks like you’re doing a good job there, mate.’
‘I am.’ He picked up a couple of old magazines and placed them in a box.
Drew glanced at Chrissie and smiled.
‘Well, over here is one of the spare bedrooms.’ She walked Drew to the room, the sparse furniture already covered with protective sheets. ‘I thought we’d start in here. It’s already had a base coat, so we’ll be putting the top coat on now.’
Drew checked the tins of paint on the floor. ‘Golden Dawn,’ he said. ‘I wonder who has the job of coming up with names for paint colours?’
‘And I wonder what job title they’d have…Paint Colour Namer? Name Designer?’ Chrissie mused.
‘Or, Executive Creator of Paint Colour Names,’ Drew suggested.
‘That sounds more distinguished, we’ll go with that one.’ She handed him a paint tray and roller. ‘How about you start at that corner, I’ll start over here, and we’ll meet in the middle?’
Drew frowned. ‘I thought you said nobody puts Drew in a corner.’
Chrissie gave him a light whack with her paint roller.
‘If that had paint on it, you’d be in big trouble, Burns.’ He smiled.
‘Then we’ll both have to behave ourselves and make sure the paint goes where it’s meant to go.’
‘I’ll do my best.’
When they were halfway through the painting of the room, the sound of something falling or colliding broke their rhythm. It was followed by Kai saying, ‘It’s not fair!’
Chrissie exchanged curious glances with Drew then got off the stepladder. ‘Wonderful. I’ll go see what that’s about.’
Kai stood in the open area with arms crossed and his trademark cranky face that outdid Drew’s version as a child.
‘What’s wrong, Kai?’
‘My stupid yo-yo doesn’t work properly.’
Chrissie glanced at the plastic round shape on the floor, string spilling out of it. She picked it up. ‘Well that’s no reason to throw it.’
‘It made me so angry. Why can’t it just work, why?’
Chrissie glanced around, noticing the ite
ms she’d laid out were no longer in piles on the floor. ‘You finished putting things away in the boxes?’
‘Yes. That’s why I started playing with my yo-yo, but the string’s all tangled and I still can’t do the tricks that Dad taught me. They’re too hard.’
‘Okay, well first of all, good work with the boxes. Secondly, if you’re angry about something I want you to come and tell me, not throw things, okay?’
His cranky face remained.
‘Okay?’
‘Okaaay.’ He sighed.
‘Now, why don’t you go play with something else for a while so Drew and I can get this painting done? I can help you with the yo-yo later.’ Though she didn’t know if she could. She’d have to Google yo-yo tricks to get some tips.
‘But I really want to play with it now.’
‘Yo-yo, huh? I used to have one of those when I was a kid.’ Drew appeared behind them. ‘Here, let me take a look.’
Chrissie handed the toy to Drew and he studied it and pulled all of the string out. ‘Just a few knots. I’ll try to get rid of them.’ He fiddled with the clumps, pulled and threaded and untangled them one at a time, then rolled the string back around the yo-yo. ‘There, all fixed.’ He smiled. Kai’s face softened a little but he didn’t take the yo-yo from Drew’s outstretched hand. ‘You want me to show you a couple of tricks?’
‘Yes, but not hard ones.’
‘Okay, give me a minute.’ Drew hooked the string over his finger and flicked his wrist, rolling the yo-yo down and back up again. ‘Ah, I haven’t done that in years. Brings back memories.’
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