‘Lauren?’
He nodded, too ashamed to speak.
Clair patted his knee. ‘Go and tell her in those exact words. Lauren loves you, Matt, and we women in love can forgive our men almost anything if they love us too.’
Could they? Would Lauren, after his bitter accusations?
* * *
Lauren stared at the four family-sized pizza boxes and clutched her fingers in her lap. She’d always begged off the Monday pizza, footy and whatever-you-want-to-drink evenings in Pete and Jenny’s unit. Why had she agreed to come tonight?
Because she wanted to prove she could watch an Aussie Rules game without breaking down. And she would as long as she didn’t think of the crowded Adelaide oval and being crushed against a warm, muscular body in the crowd.
‘So, did you keep that appointment with your boss, Lauren? Has he made an offer you can’t refuse to get you to stay?’ Jenny leant forward and opened the top box, the aroma evoking memories of the last time she’d been in Matt’s office.
‘We talked. He wants me to consider freelancing for him whenever he gets a job he thinks worthy of my talents. His expression. Soft soap and flattery. I think he’s hoping I’ll relent and come back full time after I’ve had a break.’
‘Could happen.’
‘I doubt it but the idea of a real challenge now and again is tempting.’
The last one had been and look how that ended. No chance of a repeat. She’d fallen in love and lost her heart to Matt Dalton, irretrievable and never to be reclaimed. The pain would subside and become a dull ache she’d learn to live with.
* * *
Matt needed someone to confess to, someone who’d listen, tell him what a drongo he’d been, and offer to help find her. The one person who’d shared all his dreams and aspirations, almost every failure and heartbreak. As soon as he’d finished essential work, he took a taxi to Alan’s city apartment, picking up Chinese food on the way.
The food was hot and spicy, and the cold beer from the fridge slid smoothly down his throat giving him courage to begin. He lounged back, crossing his ankles.
‘Lauren was my balcony girl.’
Alan stopped chewing and stared.
‘You’re kidding? I don’t remember seeing her that night and she’d have been noticeable even then. You definitely never forgot her.’
‘No, she was always there, even when I was contemplating marriage to someone else. I didn’t realise who she was until I kissed her again.’
He almost lost it as the memory seared his brain. Closed his eyes, picturing hazel eyes full of passion, and a smile that always sent his pulse soaring.
‘I’m an idiot, Alan. A blind, insensitive idiot who didn’t have the nous to see the truth in front of me or the guts to claim the sweetest prize any man was ever offered.’
His cousin nodded. ‘I agree. Now you tell me what happened and we’ll work out how you find her, grovel like a lovesick fool—which you’ll happily be—and win her back.’
Matt spilled his guts, taking all the blame. He’d cursed himself for not asking more about her life, her suburb, or the names of her friends. She wasn’t in the phone directory and he hadn’t been able to locate her on social media. Her employer had offered to forward any mail he sent, after justifiably refusing to divulge personal information. Apologetic words on paper could never convey his guilt and remorse. He needed to see her, hold her and beg for forgiveness.
‘My last hope is to contact one of her brothers but they’d probably ask why and refuse if I tell the truth. All I know is she lives on the same floor as her friends, in a suburban block of units in Sydney. I didn’t bother to ask her anything—’
He jerked upright, beer spraying onto his jeans and the floor.
‘The form.’ He sprang to his feet, dumping the can on the table. ‘Come on—you drive.’
‘What form? Where?
Matt was already halfway to the door.
‘The personnel form I filed without bothering to read it. Her name and address, contact number in case of an emergency, et cetera.’
Ten minutes later Matt perched on her desk and read the form out loud.
‘“Lauren Juliet Taylor”, her address and mobile phone number. And—’ the rush of joyful adrenaline almost tipped him off the desk ‘—“Peter Williams”, her friend in the apartment opposite hers.’ He punched the air in triumph. ‘I’ve got where she lives. I’ve got her friend’s number. And with his help, I’ve got a plan.’
* * *
Lauren fumbled in her shoulder bag for her keys as she took the last few steps to the third floor. Her first private lesson had been a success and her next three Tuesday afternoons were taken.
If even half her future clients were as good as feisty seventy-two-year-old Mary—or seventy-two years young as she’d claimed—her new occupation would be a pleasure. She’d listened intently, made copious notes in a neat legible hand, and was willing to give anything a go. She claimed making mistakes was part of living.
If that was the case, Lauren was certainly alive, so why did she feel numb inside? There was...
A large vase containing an incredible arrangement of orchids on the landing outside her door. Her foot caught on the last stair. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t form a coherent thought.
Orchids: deep reds, yellow with leopard spots, and lilac ones of every shade imaginable. She stumbled forward and fell onto her knees, her trembling fingers reaching out to touch the soft petals, confirm they weren’t her imagination.
Tears flooded her eyes. Her heart hammered into life, sending her blood racing to regenerate every pulse point. Orchids. Matt. Linked together in her mind for ever.
‘Lauren?’
Broken, rasping voice. Trembling arms clasped her in a strong embrace. Warm lips pressed to her forehead. Disbelief scrambled her brain, and hope fluttered in her stomach.
‘Don’t cry, my love. Please, don’t cry.’
My love. Matt’s voice saying words she wouldn’t dare to dream. Matt kneeling beside her, his body warm and solid, and his heart thudding under her hand. Matt’s fingers lovingly stroking her cheek, and tilting her chin.
She barely had time to register dark shadows under his compassionate blue eyes before he kissed her. Not with the smooth arrogance of the youth, or the competent skill of the sophisticated man. Hesitant, unsure of her response.
She wanted the passionate lover who’d taken her to the moon and beyond, and refused to settle for less. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she tangled her fingers in his hair, binding him to her. She teased him with the tip of her tongue and nipped his lip with her teeth.
In an instant he crushed her against him, chased her tongue back inside with his, stroking and tangling, claiming his rights as her man. His hands caressed her, fuelling fires she’d believed extinguished. His breathing was as ragged as her own.
Voices echoed up the stairwell and he lifted his head, chest heaving, throat convulsing and eyes gleaming.
‘Inside?’ Rough and barely audible.
Unable to speak, she nodded, and looked round for the keys she’d dropped. Matt picked them up and helped her to her feet. Her fingers trembled too much to take them, and her heart flipped at his unsteady attempts to unlock the door.
He followed her in, stopped just inside gazing wide-eyed at her home.
Her home, where she’d spent six tortured nights berating the fool that she’d been to fall in love with him. Where she listlessly performed necessary chores, and agonised over a solitary future without him.
He stood there as if he were a returning hero carrying his gift like the spoils of war. And the anguish and heartache she’d suffered surged into a torrent of anger at his injustice.
‘No.’
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
HIS
BODY JERKED, his brow furrowed, and his mouth fell open.
‘You bring flowers and expect what you did to be wiped away and forgotten? You judged me guilty without proof, willingly believed I lied to you.’ She retreated as she spoke, torn between aching for him and never wanting to suffer like this again.
‘You never trusted me from the day we met. You were willing and eager to take me to bed but never prepared to give anything of yourself. Except your body for your own pleasure.’
‘No. No, Lauren. I was...’
‘Protecting yourself.’
His features contorted. He raised his hands, blinked as the orchids came into his view, and strode across the room to place them on her bookshelf. He turned to face her, his hands reaching out to her, and his dark beseeching eyes pleaded for understanding.
Her heart clamoured for her to run into his arms, surrender and forgive. But he’d disowned her over the phone, without giving her a chance to explain.
She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. When his hands fell then one rose to rake through his hair, her fingers itched to join it.
Flowers and kisses came easily to him. If he thought he could win her over by...
‘How did you get into the building?’
He broke eye contact, and stared at her cream velour sofa with its colourful cushions. Typical Matt, plotting his reply instead of saying what he felt.
‘Can we sit and talk? Please, Lauren. I know I’ve been a drongo and selfish as hell. And the dumbest prize idiot for not admitting even to myself that I love you.’
Her world slammed to a shuddering halt. The air rushed from her lungs, her legs trembled, threatening to buckle, and she leant on the breakfast bar for support.
‘No, you don’t.’ Breathless. Distrustful.
The adoration in his eyes stirred the cold embers in her core, and she scrunched her fingers, wouldn’t fold. He’d coerced her so many times. She’d need more than words to risk her heart again.
She moved to the sofa, determined to conceal the effect of the hot tendrils of desire weaving their way to every extremity as he joined her. Leaving space between them, he spread his arm along the back and hooked one ankle over the other knee—a simple, familiar habit that chipped at her resistance.
‘Pete let me in.’
This wasn’t going the way Matt had planned. He’d been wrong in so many ways, including persuading her to face her demons while fooling himself about his own.
He’d banked on her being thrilled with the flowers, and melting into his arms. Seeing her on her knees with tears streaming down her face had shattered him.
Her response to his kiss had been all he could have wished for. She cared. They’d talk and she’d forgive him. They’d make love and work out how they could be together.
Lauren had stunned him with her hostile stance and accusation, her flashing hazel eyes demanding he fight for her, and prove he was worthy of her love. Living without her had been hell. Together they could build their own heaven.
‘You named Pete as your contact on the company’s personnel form I’d filed without reading. I had completely forgotten about it until yesterday. He was tough to convince, but finally agreed to meet me with no guarantees of help. He also threatened to take me apart if I ever hurt you again.’
Her lips curved and he found himself grinning at the image too. He had height and weight advantages but he had no doubt Pete’s threat was sincere.
‘I have...had trust issues. I never saw my parents kiss or be affectionate, and rarely heard them argue. Came home one evening and it was full on. He’d been having affairs for most of their married life. She put up with it because she wanted the lifestyle he provided. I was gutted at their hypocrisy.’
‘That’s why you left Australia.’ She leant towards him. The tightness in his gut eased, and he ground out the rest.
‘He used his business premises for rendezvous.’
‘The bedroom?’
‘I’ve never been in there. It’s a tangible reminder of his adultery, and I swore I’d never be like him. That’s what always stopped me from kissing you in the office.’
She shuffled a bit closer, and covered his outstretched hand with hers. As always with her touch, his heart beat faster, and his temperature rose. He needed to get the truth out, have no more secrets. Then he could hold her again.
‘Apart from the woman in London, I knew others, male and female, who believed fidelity was outmoded. Faithful couples seemed to be a minority, or maybe my pride saw it that way as proof my father wasn’t so contemptible. If I didn’t believe in love their relationship wasn’t abnormal.’
He took a chance and moved towards her. She stopped him with a hand on his chest, eyes wary and sceptical.
‘You didn’t want any of the photos.’
He caught her hand, raised it to his lips and kissed her palm. Rejoiced in her quivering reaction, and his own. Regaining her trust was paramount so he fought the craving to enfold her in arms and kiss her the way he had in the hall.
‘They were for you. I ordered another set, which should have told me how special the evening with you was, and how much you already meant to me. It came the day after you left.’
His thumb began an automatic caress of her knuckles. When she didn’t pull free, he closed his eyes and took a long breath.
‘I refused to believe in love even though I knew couples who proved me wrong. My experiences, including suspicion of my father’s computer deception, gave me little reason to trust in any sphere of life.
‘Then you walked into my office and all my resolutions collapsed. I fell in love, probably had ten years ago and hadn’t been mature enough to recognise it. I stubbornly ignored the reality when we met again.’
Her smile grew as he spoke, her beautiful hazel eyes glowed, and his resolve crashed. He gathered her into his arms where she belonged, setting his world right. A different aroma, as alluring as the other, filled his nostrils. He brushed his lips across her forehead, and if his heart beat any faster, he’d short circuit.
‘Matt?’ She raised her head, a tiny furrow creasing her brow. ‘That reporter...’
‘She overheard my mother talking at a luncheon and started digging. I should have come home and talked to you. Instead I let my past rule my head. I couldn’t admit, even to myself, that only you had the power to break my heart. My stupid pride almost destroyed us both.’
‘She said she knew Clair, implied things about your father. I swear I told her I didn’t know what she was talking about.’
‘I believe you. I’ll never doubt you again, my darling. I love you. With all my heart and all that I am.’
He kissed her deeply, lovingly with no reservations. Cradled her as close as humanly possible, only breaking away to breathe. Found the air clogged his throat at the love shining in her eyes.
‘I love you too, Matt.’
He slipped from the sofa onto his knees in front of her and held her hands in his.
‘Lauren Taylor, you are sweet and courageous, and I’ll love you ’til my last breath and beyond. I’m yours, only yours, for ever. Marry me?’
Lauren couldn’t speak. Her head spun as if she’d drunk too much champagne; the electrical zing from his fingers through hers was zapping along her veins at airship speed. Her already pounding heart threatened to burst from her ribcage.
The love in Matt’s eyes wrapped her in an aura of soft warmth, a haven where there were only gentle caresses and love. A special place of devotion and commitment. For two.
‘Yes. Oh, yes, please. I love you, Matt. I’m yours, now and for ever.’
He let out a roar of triumph, scooped her up and swung her round. She clung to him as her joyous laughter mingled with his. When he stopped, his kiss was gentle, reverent. He laid his forehead to hers.
‘I
ache to make love to you, darling, but I promised Pete and Jenny we’d go and tell them the good news.’
‘Confident, huh?’ She tried to sound stern; it came out husky and adoring.
‘Optimistically hoping I hadn’t misread the signs when we were together, the passion when we made love. No way was I going to walk away unless you looked me in the eyes and swore you never wanted to see me again.’
He kissed her again then set her on her feet and nuzzled her neck.
‘We’ll still have all night.’
* * *
Matt missed the earliest flight home in the morning, caught the next and went straight to the office. He stood in the doorway, taking in the expensive décor, the stunning views and his father’s top-of-the-range desk. He didn’t need all this to define himself, never had.
Knowing Lauren loved him gave him a goal to be better than he was. It was time to lay the first ghost to rest. He strode purposefully across the deluxe tiles, through the first door and into the bedroom.
It was neat, tidy and impersonal. Overwhelming sorrow shook him as he thought of how much his father had risked for the brief encounters in this cold place. He thought of his mother knowing the truth and living a lie.
Closing his eyes, he conjured up Lauren’s lovely face as he’d kissed her goodbye, hair tousled, eyes shining. Together they’d face the uncertainties ahead. Together—a couple united by a vow to share life’s fears and sorrows, its triumphs and joys.
Leaving youth’s judgement and bitterness behind, he scrolled for his mother’s number. From today he’d make up for the years of estrangement.
* * *
That evening, Matt held his mother close without censure and, for the first time in nine years, embraced his father. The hug he received in return filled his heart with love and relief.
Marcus was almost his old self and pleased with the gift of his favourite wine. As Matt opened it he regretted missed opportunities like this, reflected on his culpability then let it go. The past couldn’t be changed but it could be left behind if they were all willing to face the future.
‘I’m in love with a very special lady and she’s agreed to marry me.’ He couldn’t keep it in any longer, and was elated at how good the words sounded out loud. Even more so when his mother hugged and kissed him and his father shook his hand.
A Bride for the Brooding Boss Page 17