Sons Of Australia: The Mackays: Australian Boss: Diamond Ring/Surprise: Outback Proposal/Tempted by Her Tycoon Boss

by Jennie Adams

  Maybe if he tested this interest in her he would prove to himself that the feelings were no different from those he’d felt towards any other woman who’d passed through his life. Then he could move on.

  It was either sound reasoning or the flimsiest excuse of all time. Linc didn’t try to discern which.

  ‘There’s just one petal remaining.’ He reached up, drew the soft velvety petal from Cecilia’s golden hair and placed it into her palm.

  ‘Oh.’ Her fingers closed over the petal. Her gaze lifted and searched his.

  That was all. Just a touch and a glance and he was lost.

  ‘I’ve wanted—’ He searched her face, her eyes, and when he found curiosity, consciousness, he kissed her.

  The moment their lips met, hers softened.

  Oh, so sweetly.

  Linc drew their joined hands to his chest and held them there. He wanted to keep kissing her and never stop. He wanted this one moment to last forever so he didn’t have to think about it, or about what it meant, why it felt different from any kiss that had gone before it. Why his arms seemed to need so very much to envelop her. Instead, his fingers tightened around hers.

  Cecilia had waited for Linc’s kiss. She didn’t want to admit that to herself, but it was true. She had wanted and needed to know how this would make her feel, and now she was experiencing it.

  Against their joined hands she could feel the warmth of Linc’s chest through his shirt, the hard wall of muscle. Yet his lips were soft as they caressed hers. She felt cherished and as if she was the absolute focus of his attention in this moment. She felt...different inside. As though this was changing her even as it happened.

  Oh, she didn’t want this kiss to end.

  Cecilia curved her other hand against the column of his neck and acknowledged that this was not like it had been with Hugh. This was not like anything or anyone before.

  Uncertainty rose then—because how could this touch her emotions so immediately? With this man who dated but didn’t seem to look for the same kind of relationship as Cecilia did? The long-term, permanent kind?

  ‘Cecilia...’ Linc murmured her name against the side of her face as his lips left hers. He enveloped her in a hug.

  She felt again the magnitude of the barriers within herself, wanting so very much to let them topple and fall, to open her heart to at least the hope of him.

  Oh, Cecilia. That would be such foolishness. A kiss is a kiss is a kiss. With a man like Linc, how can you believe it means anything beyond the moment?

  Hugs weren’t kisses, though, and she hugged back and then quickly freed herself, searched his face. Because if there was even a hint of pity for her circumstances...

  But all she could read in Linc’s expression was bemusement, before he blinked and blinked again.

  What had happened to her emotions just now?

  They’d kissed, and that had been wonderful and amazing for her, but she needed to find some reality here. Linc’s bemused expression might be for a hundred reasons. Hopefully, not because he knew she’d reacted as though her whole world had tilted on its axis when they kissed!

  Pride surfaced as she confronted that absolutely untenable possibility. It was Valentine’s Day. He’d kissed her. It could easily have been nothing more than a spontaneous act of the moment. Indeed, he could be regretting it even now, because of their business relationship. Remember? What would happen to that now?

  It would be reinstated immediately—that was what! And for the sake of her pride Cecilia wanted to be the one to initiate that.

  ‘I—I believe I’ll do as you’ve suggested and head home. There’ll be work again, bright and early in the morning, and it’s been a long and busy day.’

  Maybe Linc would put their kiss—or at least any vulnerability he might have detected in her as a result of it—down to the physical drain of the day.

  She didn’t wait to find out. Instead, Cecilia turned quickly and left him there to lock up, to secure everything.

  ‘Goodnight.’

  For the second time Cecilia abandoned her duty because her heart was in the way.

  Not her heart! Her emotions. There was a difference—a really big difference. She had been overwhelmed by the power of the day and her exhaustion and missing her sister.

  Oh, yes? And somehow that had made her trip and fall onto Linc’s lips and kiss him and feel things she had never felt before? Even now she wanted to turn around, to go back, to extend her time in his company. Because...

  Because of hope that shouldn’t exist and that needed to be extinguished now—before it was allowed to grow any further. How could she feel this way? Be so drawn to him and in some part of herself so willing to leap in and believe he had some kind of emotional investment in her when no evidence whatsoever existed to prove that?

  Linc wasn’t offering her anything! One stolen kiss that might have happened without forethought or reason did not add up to...anything.

  He was probably thinking already that it shouldn’t have happened. And Cecilia would think exactly the same—just as soon as she could get her emotions unjumbled and back into some kind of reasoning, sensible order.

  Maybe she and her sister were doomed to pick out the wrong men in their lives. Well, at least in Cecilia’s case Linc would walk away from this moment, and it would fade to oblivion and be forgotten.

  The same way Cecilia had ‘forgotten’ a six-year-old crush?

  Fine. He would bury it and forget it. She might take a little longer to get to that point, but in the end she would.

  She would!

  CHAPTER FIVE

  ‘YOU’RE LOOKING AT a classic nineteen-forties pram, luv.’ The man selling the item turned the frame this way and that so Cecilia could get a better view of it. ‘A bit of paint and you’ve got yourself—’

  ‘A refurbished carcass missing all its interior parts?’ Cecilia softened her words with a smile. ‘I do concede that the frame is still in decent order. There’s not too much rust.’

  She named her final offer.

  ‘It’s that or no sale, I’m afraid. I have my buying limits, just as you have your selling ones.’

  Cecilia was at a used-items fair in an outer suburb of Sydney. Hundreds of sellers had taken stalls both inside the pavilion and outdoors on the grassed area, and there were plenty of browsers and buyers there to enjoy the day.

  She was doing her best to focus on her surroundings, but she was struggling. All she could think about was those moments with Linc at the nursery. What was he thinking? Had he thought about it at all? Or forgotten it the moment it happened?

  Why had it happened, in any case? Had it been a moment of forgetfulness on his part? Had he seen the rose petal in her hair and that had led to an automatic response that might have happened anywhere, with any person? Maybe he’d intended a quick brush of lips or something and she’d prolonged that?

  No. They’d both been equally involved. Hadn’t they...?

  This was what happened when a girl spent too much time revisiting a few special moments. She lost any shred of objectivity she might have had.

  ‘All right, then.’ The seller gave a brief nod. A twinkle of approval for her bargaining prowess flitted through his eyes. ‘You can have it for that.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Cecilia finalised the transaction and told herself to draw a line under her thoughts about that kiss with Linc at the same time.

  She had just handed over the money and turned to begin the task of taking the pram frame away when a deep voice spoke.

  ‘I thought I saw a familiar face. Grabbing more items for refurbishment?’

  It was Linc. A rush of warmth flooded into her cheeks. Oh, she hoped he wouldn’t be able to see that in the dim lighting!

  ‘Linc! I was just think—’

  She had j
ust been remembering a kiss that had left her confused and fighting herself, and now Linc was right here. She needed to step past that memory and not embarrass herself or let him see in any way how much those moments had affected her.

  ‘How—how are you? What are you doing here?’

  He’d seemed to materialise beside her as though from thin air. In fact, the air did seem thin around Cecilia in that moment. She could barely breathe.

  Linc, in casual Saturday gear, was—well, he was Linc. The man she had kissed with such shattering impact on her equilibrium. And then she’d left him and told herself to forget all about it. But she hadn’t managed very well. She hadn’t managed at all.

  Had it affected Linc in that way or not at all? And what was he doing here right now? Oh, my. What if he wanted to talk about it? To make sure she understood it had been a momentary slip in good judgment on his part or something?

  Yet there’d been that bemusement in him, so maybe he had been affected by it, too?

  And he couldn’t have known he’d find her here today.

  ‘I plan to fill the pram with snapdragons and baby’s breath and mint.’ She prattled the words with a breathless edge.

  Get a grip, Cecilia!

  She forced herself to slow down and to ask as casually as possible, ‘What’s brought you to the fair?’

  Unfortunately, as she asked the question she allowed herself to really look at him. He looked amazing, in a polo shirt that emphasised the breadth of his shoulders and faded jeans.

  He’d kissed her, and she’d seen stars and flowers and all manner of romantic things.

  Well, wasn’t she better off admitting that to herself? At least then she could start fighting the foolish feelings.

  ‘My sisters-in-law plan regular outings for the family.’

  His gaze roved her face as he spoke. And in that moment of examination Cecilia was certain that the memory of their kiss was in his eyes.

  ‘Do—do they?’

  ‘Yes.’ He took a half step closer to her. ‘They wanted to visit the fair because it has a number of vintage train sets and other vintage toys listed, and Fiona and Jayne know that Brent is mad about those. They...ah...they already have a restorer lined up to work on anything we find today.’

  Oh, Linc. What’s happening here? Do you feel this?

  Cecilia realised in that moment that the hurt of Hugh was over. It had given way to more immediate things.

  The thought brought panic with it. Was she allowing those barriers to disappear because of Linc? Surely that would do nothing more than open her up to far greater hurt?

  ‘It’s sweet that Fiona and Jayne are doing that for your brother.’ And Linc was sweet too—for participating, for caring about his family.

  There goes one corner of a barrier.

  Fine. So maybe Cecilia was changed as a result of their kiss. She would just have to make sure it didn’t show in any way that Linc could discern.

  ‘Have you found anything?’

  Enlightenment? A desire for us to be together or to find out more about these shared feelings that are so amazing to me?

  And that probably didn’t even exist for him!

  ‘I’ve got a few items.’ He pointed to the bag in his hand and gave a short laugh, but his gaze still searched hers.

  Oh, how she wished she could simply read his thoughts.

  ‘The girls went off together when we arrived, and Brent and Alex and I decided to split up and buy everything any of us came across and sort it out later. I’m not sure whether I’ve got junk or buried treasure, but at least I haven’t come up empty-handed.’

  Cecilia laughed. She just couldn’t help it. This was a different side of Linc—a family-activities side—and it was adorable.

  He smiled, and his gaze seemed to soften as he did so. That softening reminded her of when he’d kissed her.

  So now she thought he was adorable, and she couldn’t forget their kiss.

  Bye-bye second corner of a barrier.

  Don’t you dare hope, Cecilia.

  It was only as she warned herself against hope that Cecilia realised just how much she had allowed it to rise, despite all her warnings to herself.

  Yet Linc was here, and she was here. Why couldn’t she enjoy a chance encounter without getting bogged down in all kinds of worries and concerns and thoughts about who felt what? Linc wasn’t making reference to their kiss, so why should she let it stop her from enjoying seeing him in this simple, everyday sort of way?

  There. You see?

  This didn’t have to be a problem. She had let her thoughts run away with her, but she realised that now and would be able to bring them back into line. She and Linc had shared a kiss—it was over. He didn’t seem to be about to mention it. She didn’t have to, either. They could just act as though it had never happened.

  The completely illogical nature of this decision-making process she simply ignored.

  ‘What about you?’ He glanced at the pram frame. ‘Are you still looking around, or did you come just for that?’

  ‘I’ve been here all morning, and I’ve got more searching to do.’ She gestured towards the exit. ‘But for now I need to get this pram back to my car and do something about lunch.’

  That was fairly normal, wasn’t it? She drew a deep breath and caught the scent of his aftershave...not blunted this time from a day’s wear, as it had been when they—

  ‘It’s later than I thought.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘I must have got caught up in my browsing. Let me help you.’

  As though he dealt with nineteen-forties baby carriages on a daily basis, he lifted the pram frame.

  ‘Would you like to lead the way?’

  Yes. Yes, I would. I’d like to lead you all the way to revisiting that kiss to see if I made up my reactions or if they happen again.

  No sooner had the recalcitrant thought passed through her mind than Linc shifted his grip on the pram frame. The muscles in his arms flexed.

  Had it just got really warm in there?

  Not helpful, Cecilia.

  ‘My car is beside the park.’

  They left the building, crossed the road and Cecilia led the way to her car, where it stood at the edge of a public park. The vehicle was an old model, red because she hadn’t been able to help herself and most importantly a hatchback, with seats that would lie down to make more storage space. She still felt completely flustered.

  Linc tucked the elderly pram into her car. As he did so, he glanced at the items she’d bought earlier in the day. ‘That’s a nice load of junk—I mean refurbishing items you’ve got there.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She laughed and pointed to his bag. ‘That looks quite bulky, and by the sounds of it you got quite involved in your shopping if you lost track of time. It seems I’m not the only one who has been engrossed in collecting junk—I mean vintage items today.’

  Seeing shared amusement crinkle the lines around his eyes while his lips kicked up made her smile even more. She tried not to acknowledge that it also made her breathless.

  Cecilia pressed the lock to her car and turned her back on it. ‘Buying used items is a lot of fun. Maybe you’ll want to keep doing it now that you’ve started?’

  ‘Perhaps I will.’ He gestured towards the park. ‘My family are gathering for a picnic lunch. Join us. You said you were due for a break, and you can lend your expert opinion on the vintage items we’ve found.’

  The invitation was casual, and yet her heart leapt stupidly and so easily.

  Cecilia warned herself to thank him and say no. ‘I guess I could take a look—but only if you’re sure I wouldn’t be imposing.’

  ‘You won’t be. They’ll love it.’ He started moving into the park, clearly expecting her to keep pace with him.

  Cecilia did.

/>   Fine. So she’d accepted his invitation? That didn’t have to mean anything in particular. Lunch with his family didn’t have to be a big deal unless she thought of it in that way. She’d obviously overthought the kiss they had shared, but if Linc could go on acting as though it hadn’t happened, then so could she.

  They made their way down a beautiful tree-lined avenue, past plane trees and palm trees and boab trees and a children’s playground, and strolled up the curved path that skirted a classic fountain. Two soft grey pigeons rested right at the top, their heads close together.

  Cecilia’s glance remained fixed on them for too long, and she almost lost her footing on an uneven segment of the path.

  ‘Careful.’ Linc tucked her hand through his arm as though it were the most natural thing to do. ‘It’s tranquil here, isn’t it?’ He turned his head and glanced into her eyes.

  ‘Yes.’ She returned his glance before she looked away again. ‘There’s a sense of peace.’

  They walked on in silence until finally she looked ahead and there, seated on a massive picnic blanket beneath the shade of a eucalypt tree, were Linc’s family members. Two men. Two women. Each familiar to her.

  She’d met them all before, at various times, but never in this kind of idyllic setting. Never while arm in arm with Linc and trying so hard not to make too much of that.

  Cecilia dropped her hold of Linc’s arm. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t—’

  She thought he murmured, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t, either...’ before he cleared his throat and said, ‘I think it might be too late. They’ve seen you.’ He gave his family a wave that on the surface at least appeared casual.

  Cecilia forced her attention to the group. She glanced at the scattered bags the family had accumulated, particularly the pile beside Linc’s sisters-in-law. ‘It will be fun to look at the vintage items.’