From the last step she jumped down onto the beach. The tide was out, revealing an expanse of smooth sand and weathered grey rock. The heat of the sun soaked into her shoulders. The sunlight was dazzling. Shading a hand over her eyes, she squinted out to sea and saw a man sitting on a rock a short distance to her right, looking out at the horizon. As if he could sense her eyes on him, he turned towards her, rising to his feet at the same time. Against the afternoon glare he was a dark silhouette, his features shadowed, but there was no mistaking who he was.
For a moment the man tensed as he caught sight of her, and then he came bounding towards her, his broad, bare feet kicking up sand.
“Hey, chuckle berry.”
Only one person in the world would call her “chuckle berry”. She peered up at him, a weird constriction crimping her lungs. “Dion?”
He spread his arms wide. “You don’t recognise me?”
Dion Chan. Her childhood buddy. His parents and hers co-owned the Happy Palace, a Chinese restaurant in town, and she’d known him all her life.
She gave a laugh. “Sure I do. Who else would greet me with ‘Hey, chuckle berry’ after all this time?”
Oh boy. She couldn’t stop staring at him. Dion had changed. He used to be elongated and lanky, his jet-black hair all long and shaggy, his body spare and loose-limbed. Now he was broader, more muscular, which seemed to add inches to his height. His shoulders and chest had filled out. His hair was cut short and no-nonsense, revealing a more angular face, all greenness gone, like an image brought into sharp focus. He wore black board shorts and white T-shirt, the thin material clinging to his solid upper body. Toni sucked in another breath. Jeez, why was she nervous about running into Dion again?
He smiled, his whiskey-brown eyes flicking over her, making her aware that the years had changed her too. A lot. “Yeah, it’s been a while.”
“I’m trying to remember how long ago since I last saw you. Were you here when I came up just before leaving for London? No, I don’t think you were.” She was babbling, but she couldn’t seem to stop.
He shook his head, his smile fading. “No, I wasn’t here.”
Now she remembered. The last time she’d seen Dion had been five years ago at her wedding. She had a vague memory of him hanging in the background looking moody, but at the time she’d been too stupid in love with Nick to care about anything else.
“Oh. Right.” Bugger. Since when did she get tongue-tied in front of Dion?
“Welcome back, Toni.” A husky note lurked in his voice. An awkward pause developed before he moved forward and wrapped his arms loosely around her. “It’s good to see you again.”
As their bodies met, she found herself tensing. Over the years she’d received hundreds of hugs from Dion. But this one felt different. Now she was hyper-conscious of his physicality. His biceps were rock-hard, his chin rough stubbled, the mound of his shoulder disturbingly smooth. He smelt of sea and masculinity. Unfamiliar. This wasn’t the Dion she used to know. She pulled away, perplexed.
“Sorry.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I probably need a shower.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s just–” She broke off, unable to explain why she felt so off kilter. “I’m not exactly myself today. That’s why I stopped here for a breather when I arrived.”
He nodded in sympathy. “Not ready to show up at your folks’ place, huh?”
“I’ve been looking forward to seeing them so much, but now I kind of have to gather my thoughts first.”
He pushed sand around with his foot. “Your mum’s been worried about you. Your dad too, though he doesn’t say as much.” He pressed his sole down on the sand hill he’d created. “I know I’ve told you before, but I’m sorry about you and Nick.”
The words sounded flat, rehearsed. She couldn’t decide whether he meant it or not. Dion barely knew her ex-husband. She’d met Nick at Sydney University where they’d both been studying commerce. Nick’s busy social calendar meant he’d only accompanied her to Piper Bay a handful of fleeting occasions. Soon after graduation, she and Nick had married and migrated to London, both of them landing jobs at the same investment bank. They were going to work and travel all over the world, forging their careers, then when they tired of globetrotting they would return to Sydney, buy a house together and start a family. So much for their dreams.
Toni drew in a deep breath. “Thanks,” she replied. “So am I.”
“You’re better off without him.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself.” But it didn’t always help.
He shot her a sharp glance, his eyes not soft any more. He looked like he was about to say something, but at the last moment he changed his mind and shook his head. What? she wanted to challenge him. What were you going to say about Nick and me? I need to know. But he turned away to pick up his beach towel, leaving her to stare after him in disappointment.
“How long are you staying?” He was all politeness now. Unusually polite. In her company Dion had never pulled his punches. She could remember him calling a boy she had a crush on a douche bag – several times – until she told him to nick off. So why was he biting his lip now? Maybe her mum had said something to him, maybe told him of the last time she’d burst into tears on the phone. Ugh, she didn’t want to remember that.
“Just a few days.” She mimicked his casual tone. “I have a job interview in Sydney middle of next week. I need to get back for that.”
Using the towel he wiped some specks of sand from his upper arms. The sun gleamed on his tanned skin. He was summer-dark, sleek and fit, shimmering with vitality.
“Still doing that bean-counting stuff, huh?” The corner of his mouth twitched.
Her back stiffened. “I’m a qualified CPA now,” she couldn’t help saying.
“A qualified bean counter, then.” He lifted his eyebrows. She opened her mouth to shoot back at him before the grin stretching across his face halted her. “Still so easy to tease. Glad you haven’t changed that much.”
She let out her breath. “I’ve changed?”
“Yeah, you’re all …” He waved towards her. “I dunno, all citified and cosmopolitan now. Before, you’d be wearing a singlet and shorts and rubber thongs, and your hair would be in pigtails. Now you’re … all that.”
She glanced uncertainly at herself. Boutique cotton and linen dress. Flat leather Italian sandals. Toe nails varnished pearly pink. Turquoise and silver medallion. Slimline wristwatch. Hair loose and long down her back. Altogether far more fashion-conscious than she used to be. What did she look like to Dion? High maintenance? Precious? She folded her arms across her chest. “I’m still me,” she said defensively. Wanting to deflect attention, she added, “What about you? I hear you’re practically running the restaurant on your own these days. How’s that working out for you?”
“The jury’s still out. We’ll see once the relaunch happens. Either it’ll succeed or both our parents will come down on me like a ton of bricks.”
For thirty years the Laus and the Chans had been turning out unpretentious Cantonese meals; the husbands manning the woks while the wives took care of everything else, but recently there had been a radical change. According to her mother, the two couples were moving into semi-retirement and leaving most of the operations to Dion.
“You’re braver than me,” she said. “They’ve been running the place the same way for so long, I don’t know how you convinced them to hand over the reins to you.”
“It’s conditional, didn’t you know? If I don’t make a good fist of it and very soon, my dad will step in.”
That was no idle threat. The relationship between Dion and his dad had often been testy. “I’m sure it won’t come down to that,” she said.
He shrugged, still cagey. “Tomorrow, we’ll see.”
Tomorrow night was when the Happy Palace would be relaunched after several weeks of renovation. A party would be held, with lots of influential people invited. Toni had heard all the details via her mother and b
een none too subtly urged to come up to Piper Bay for the event. Toni had been meaning to visit her parents anyway, and she was curious about the changes Dion would make. Plus, it was her birthday in three days’ time. She’d be turning twenty-seven. Damn – not even thirty and already divorced. Not a record she’d envisaged in her teens.
“I’m sure you’ll manage,” she said. “You always do.”
For as long as she’d known him Dion had coasted through life, reluctant to break out in a sweat over anything. She was the one who’d stressed out over her marks, her friends, her future. Dion didn’t care about grades. He had more friends than he could handle. Even ex-girlfriends couldn’t stay mad with him. And he never worried about the future.
Except right now he didn’t look all that carefree. There was a frown between his eyes and his shoulders were tense. Could he be nervous about taking on the responsibility of the restaurant? No, he’d been helping out there since he was twelve. His dad had taught him how to cook, and he’d worked overseas in Hong Kong and Beijing for three years. Was there something else then? She chewed on her lower lip, conscious of the distance between them. Five years was a long time. In the years they’d been apart they’d exchanged emails and Facebook updates, but cyberspace was no substitute for personal communication. They’d grown apart, and the gap couldn’t be bridged with a few minutes of casual conversation.
“Dion?” she asked hesitantly. “Is everything okay? With you, I mean.”
A strange expression flitted over his face, one she couldn’t interpret.
“I’m great.” He sucked in a breath, his T-shirt stretching tight across his chest. “I’ve just got a lot of things on my mind.” He slung the towel over his shoulder. “I need a shower. You coming?”
For a split second she had a powerful visual of Dion in the shower, water cascading over his tanned, naked body. She blushed furiously. Jeez, how inappropriate could she get? Dion was practically her cousin, and you didn’t mentally undress your cousin. It was too … bizarre.
Hurriedly she spun away, hiding her hot face behind a curtain of hair. “Yes, I should get going or my mum will start ringing.” She began to walk back to the stairs, Dion following close behind. “Um, I’ll see you soon.”
“Tonight, to be precise.”
“Oh?” She swung round. She hadn’t realised how close he was. He bumped into her, the solidness of his chest surprising her.
He hissed out a breath, took a quick step back. “Yup, your, er, mum invited us over for dinner.”
The front of her torso was still tingling from the brief contact with his body. What was the matter with her? Low blood sugar? PMS? Post-divorce craziness? She had to get out of here before she made a complete fool of herself.
“Right, right. Okay. See you tonight.”
Glaring sunshine poured over her as she scrambled up the wooden stairs. The back of her neck was sticky, but somehow she didn’t think that was entirely due to the air temperature.
Dion stared after Toni as she hurried up the stairs to her car. His gaze was glued to the tantalising sight of her thighs flashing beneath the short hem of her dress. Damn, she had sexy legs. And a luscious bottom. Did she know what an eyeful she was giving him from this angle? Probably not. Toni had never been a flirt.
Sunlight glinted off her blue-black hair. Her hair was like a midnight waterfall, shiny and immaculate. Probably cost a fortune to maintain. She looked a million dollars, despite her divorce … or maybe because of it. Her figure had rounded out, become more attractive, if that was possible. He stared after her until his eyeballs hurt. Eventually she disappeared from sight, and a few moments later he heard a car pulling off. Only then did he realise he’d been holding his breath. He exhaled, rubbing the dull ache in the centre of his chest.
Well, that could have gone better. How could he be so dumbstruck in front of such an old friend? This was Toni, for chrissakes. They’d shared baths when they were toddlers, discussed pimple creams when they were teenagers, argued over music and TV, seen each other almost every day for the first eighteen years of their lives. But everything was different now. He was different. For the first time in his life he was nervous around a woman.
Scowling, he tramped up the wooden stairs, his bare soles slapping on the rough boards. His SUV was parked a short distance up the road. He got in and pulled off in a flurry of gravel.
Trouble was, he didn’t know how to act around Toni any more. Until the end of high school he’d taken her for granted. She was just a part of his life, always there, like his right arm. Then she’d left. With her drive and academic smarts it was a given she’d go to university. Everyone expected her to succeed, including him. While she went off to Sydney uni, he’d stayed behind in Piper Bay, doing what he did best which was not to take life too seriously.
When had he come to realise what a gaping hole she’d left in his life? Was it before or after his big blow up with his dad? He couldn’t even label the emotion he’d felt every time he thought of her. Even now he couldn’t. Those few minutes with her on the beach had been all kinds of things – terrific, terrifying, and miserable all at the same time. When her face had clouded over at the mention of her ex, he’d felt so furious and hamstrung. Furious that someone had hurt her so badly; hamstrung because he couldn’t act on his instincts – which were to pull her into his arms, stroke her hair, and tell her everything was going to be all right. Nick had screwed her over, but at least the bastard was out of the picture now. Maybe now Toni would finally begin to notice him, not as a platonic friend, but as a man.
He definitely wanted more than friendship. He wanted to hold her close and smell her hair. Wanted to slide his hands over those tasty legs of hers, pull off that dress and get down and dirty with her. Wanted it more than ever after bumping into her near the stairs. The memory of her breasts squishing against his chest brought the heat seething through his body.
He pulled up in his driveway and jumped out the car. What was wrong with him? Five minutes with his childhood buddy and his brain was a mess. Where was his cool? Sure, he’d carried a yen for Toni for too long, but that was no excuse to lose it with her. She was here for a few days only. She’d split with her husband. And this was the worst time for him to become distracted. The relaunch of the restaurant was his golden opportunity to finally prove himself to his dad. No time to fool around with a woman, especially one in a vulnerable state like Toni. He’d just have to bring his balls into line. Keep things light between himself and Toni. Be the easy-going guy she’d always known.
And maybe a cold shower wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
As he hustled into his house, the phone started to ring.
“Where are you?” his dad grumbled as soon as he picked up the call. “I’m at the restaurant. Why aren’t you?”
Dion sucked in his stomach. His father wasn’t supposed to be at the restaurant. The entire relaunch was meant to be Dion’s baby, but of course his dad couldn’t help himself interfering. “I’m just going to take a shower and I’ll be right over,” Dion said evenly.
His dad snorted. “So much work to do and you taking shower? How you going to be ready tomorrow?”
Dion gritted his teeth. “Dad, it’s my responsibility. Let me handle it.”
“I don’t know if you’re ready.”
“Dad, just give me a proper chance, why don’t you? I won’t let you down.”
His father groused further, but eventually hung up. Dion tilted back his head and let out a deep sigh. He stood for a while, flexing his toes against the cool floorboards, his thoughts returning compulsively to Toni despite his best intentions. He should focus on the restaurant and forget about Toni for a while. But he knew he couldn’t. After all these years she was back, and available.
Blood thumped in his veins. He exhaled a long breath. Somehow he didn’t think the cold shower would do it for him.
Excerpt from The Danger Game by Caitlyn Nicholas
“It’s your last chance with the Vice Chancellor.”<
br />
“I said I’d be there.” Flick didn’t bother to hide her irritation. “I just won the man a million-dollar grant, what more does he want?”
“Your bubbly and fun personality?” There was amusement beneath Andy’s sarcasm.
Flick snorted. “All right. Okay. I’m leaving now.” She growled the words, and hit the off-button on her phone.
They both knew she lied.
She dropped the phone onto the desk. Then, scowling, she clicked on the icon that’d run the Bellona program. It crashed instantly, and took the computer with it.
“Awesome.” She threw herself back into her chair and stared at the ceiling panels, running the changes she’d made to the code through her mind. Realizing it’d be a waste of time to unpick what she’d done, Flick rebooted her computer and went in search of a clean copy of the program on the backup server.
There were two versions. Usually they only kept one, but she thought nothing of it, and after saving a copy to her hard drive, she opened it up.
She scanned quickly through the code, looking for the section she’d been working on, so preoccupied with figuring out how to manipulate it into doing what she wanted, she nearly missed the strange command. Her eye travelled straight past it. But then she hesitated and went back to the unusual group of letters. They hadn’t been there before.
A logic bomb? Some little joke Andy was playing?
She ran the command and it brought up a whole section of Bellona that she’d never seen before.
“Bloody hell —” For a moment she simply stared at the screen.
It was no joke.
Not only had she never seen it, but also couldn’t understand, or interpret it. Goosebumps prickled on her arms. Her computer understood, otherwise it couldn’t have run it. But she, who effortlessly programmed in everything from BASIC to C++, had never seen anything like it.
The section of code was written in a new programming language.
She grabbed a USB key, shoved it into the computer port, then with a couple of mouse clicks copied this altered version of Bellona. She should’ve been intrigued, or excited. A new programming language. It was unbelievable. But instead a sense of dread settled itself in her abdomen. Bellona was her program, she knew it inside and out. She’d spent thousands of hours working on it, too long to have any enthusiasm about weird changes she didn’t understand.
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