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

by Jennie Adams

  ‘It won’t. Not in that way, now that I’ve been shifted. But this is still my worst nightmare.’ Stacey’s words were low. ‘And I’ve brought it down not only on myself but on you. I’m so sorry, Cecilia.’

  ‘We’re going to be okay, Stacey. We can get through this together.’ She had to tell her sister what she’d discovered about this man. ‘There’s more you need to know. Joe has warrants out in New Zealand for offences the police described as “both violent and serious”, as well as for the robbery here.’

  ‘Are you completely sure about this?’ Stacey’s voice shook as she asked the question.

  Cecilia’s heart ached for her sister so much in that moment. ‘I’m quite sure.’

  ‘He needs to be caught.’ There was a pause and then Stacey spoke again. ‘There are things I can tell the authorities that might help them to track him down. Cee, I know you may not believe me, but I thought he and I were going to have a life together. That sounds ludicrous now, but I thought he was someone different.’

  ‘I understand, Stacey. Please don’t give up on yourself because this has happened.’

  ‘I won’t.’ Determination fuelled Stacey’s words. ‘If I do that, then I’ll be letting him get away with how he used me.’

  Cecilia was grateful to hear the words but knew her sister would need to hold on to her determination as hard as she could. ‘I love you, Stacey.’

  They talked for a minute or two more, until Cecilia was finally able to put the phone down.

  She turned to Linc, and all the pent-up emotion surfaced. ‘She’s going to work with the police to try and help them catch him.’

  ‘That’s good.’

  He handed her the cup of tea and settled beside her on the sofa with his coffee. His calmness helped her to centre herself again.

  ‘She’s not a criminal.’ It was a relief to say it and to let it sink into her own heart. ‘Stacey has a great deal of passion for life, but deep down she has a good heart.’

  ‘Something tells me that with you to help her, she’ll find her way back to the best of herself in time.’

  ‘Thank you, Linc—for helping me with these issues.’ She went on, ‘Most people wouldn’t even want to try to understand what it’s like to have to deal with a person you care about being incarcerated, let alone today’s problems.’

  ‘I understand more than you know.’ His words were low.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  How could he understand more? For a moment she wasn’t sure if he would answer, but then he spoke.

  ‘My brothers and I had a great deal of our freedom taken from us when we were growing up.’ His gaze fell to his hands for a moment. ‘Being stuck in an orphanage, with no option to get away until we were old enough to leave under our own steam. Scant meals, and all of them identical. I know it’s not the same as your sister’s situation, but it had a strong impact on each of us.’

  ‘How did that happen to you—to them?’ She knew Linc and the other two weren’t blood brothers, yet their love for each other was as strong as hers for Stacey. His brothers even carried his last name now.

  ‘Brent’s father thought he was a disappointment.’ Linc’s words were low, edged with harshness, as though even to say it, let alone reveal that it had happened to Brent, infuriated him. ‘In my case my mother had died and my father was an alcoholic. He didn’t want the responsibility of raising a child so he dumped me at the orphanage.’

  ‘Like our mother leaving Stacey and me...’ There was an oddly comforting affinity in knowing that she and Linc held this common bond. ‘In our case she waited until we finished school, but even that much was a strain for her—and she didn’t hold back in letting us know that.’

  ‘Regardless of their age, no person deserves to be treated that way.’

  Linc said this with finality, just as his brother Alex buzzed to come up, and Linc got up and punched a code into a number pad on the wall to allow Alex access.

  Minutes later Linc’s youngest brother stepped into Linc’s apartment, clapped his brother on the back and turned his attention to Cecilia. ‘You’re all right? Linc said there was a bit of a shake-up with some guy threatening you.’

  ‘I’m fine. Thank you, Alex.’

  In that moment Cecilia knew that Linc hadn’t exposed any more of her story than had been necessary. She valued Linc for that but couldn’t help wondering why he’d left Alex out of his explanation about the orphanage.

  Cecilia forced her attention back to Linc’s brother. ‘It was good of you and Brent to go to my home and collect Linc’s car.’

  The brothers might have grown up in difficult circumstances, but it appeared to have brought out the best in all of them.

  Cecilia’s glance shifted to the man holding her thoughts, and her heart softened despite herself.

  Linc’s gaze locked with hers, and for a moment she thought she saw deep emotion churning in his eyes.

  Seconds later he’d looked away, and Alex’s calm words filled what Cecilia hadn’t noticed yet was a silence.

  ‘So you’re okay, big brother?’ The younger man glanced from one to the other of them. His gaze finally settled on Linc. ‘There’s nothing else I can do for you? I could ask Jayne to come over for a while to visit with Cecilia. Brent’s waiting in the parking area, but I can get him up here now, too, if needed.’

  ‘I’ve got it covered.’ Linc’s face softened. ‘But thanks.’

  ‘You’ll both be safe here for as long as necessary. I know nothing will happen. It’s just—’ Alex headed for the door. ‘Aw, well, you know... Anyway, if you need anything, you know I’ll come in an instant. As will Brent. Keep us informed of developments, please.’

  Linc stopped him before he got through the door and clasped his shoulder for a long moment. ‘I know, and I will. Say hi to Jayne.’

  Alex’s glance drifted to Cecilia for a moment and then back to his brother. ‘See you later.’

  The day passed. There were further conversations with the police, and then Cecilia and Linc prepared an early evening meal together. Linc proved a dab hand with pasta and confided that he’d worked for a time in a restaurant when he’d been trying to amass enough resources to get his brothers out of the orphanage and make his business empire strong enough that he could afford to support them.

  He seemed sad as he spoke.

  ‘You never mentioned how Alex ended up in the orphanage.’ Cecilia carried her plate to the outdoor dining seating on Linc’s balcony.

  ‘We never knew.’ Linc pushed his food around on his plate.

  Cecilia tried to give her attention to the meal. The food was delicious, the wine Linc had poured to go with it beautifully refreshing. Yet she really couldn’t do the food justice. Linc seemed to be struggling, too.

  ‘Not hungry?’ Linc asked of Cecilia and wished he could take the strain from her slender shoulders.

  She shook her head. ‘It’s delicious, Linc, but I keep thinking about all that’s happened today and about families and the difficulties they face. I hate thinking how hard it must have been for you and your brothers.’

  ‘For you and your sister, too, by the sounds of it.’

  He set down his fork and, by silent mutual consent, they moved back inside. This time when she settled on the sofa, he sat right beside her.

  He went on. ‘It sounds as though both of you needed your mother’s support and missed out on it.’

  ‘Yes.’ That was certainly true. ‘I ended up trying to be a mother to Stacey, and that hasn’t always worked out well for our relationship with each other. You know, this has been a rough day, and I’m worried about what’s ahead. I have to go back to work tomorrow. There’s just too much to be done.’

  ‘You would have managed on your own today if you’d had to, but I’m glad to have been able to help. And we’ll
see how things are going tomorrow when tomorrow arrives.’

  His fingers threaded through hers. It was just that—such a simple thing—but Cecilia sighed and closed her eyes and he drew her head onto his shoulder as they sat there side by side.

  She needed this comfort more than she ever would have wanted to admit. So she took it and let herself absorb the healing it brought.

  That it would shift from comfort to something more than that was inevitable. Cecilia knew it, and when Linc turned his head, she met him halfway—wanting this, wanting him.

  Outside, night was falling over the city, and there was a man on the loose somewhere who’d threatened her and who had to be caught.

  But here in Linc’s apartment Cecilia was safe, and she lost herself in Linc’s kiss. That kiss became another. And another.

  As their lips meshed, tenderness for him swept through her and she received tenderness from him. That tenderness brought healing from the most overwhelming aspects of the day they had both shared. Fears receded to a more manageable level. Gratitude was registered and remembered, and then placed aside to allow her to focus wholly on these precious shared kisses with a man who was perhaps also becoming precious to her.

  She’d asked herself where a relationship between them might go. Tonight there was desire and need and tender emotion, and she wanted all of those things with Linc. She wanted that beginning. Cecilia didn’t let herself think of where such a beginning might lead.

  ‘I have longed for this more than you can know.’ Linc’s words were low.

  His fingers sifted through her hair, and his hand came to rest on the nape of her neck. A shiver of pleasure followed his touch.

  She cupped his cheek and, when the kiss deepened, gripped his strong upper arm and allowed delight and need to blend in the giving and returning of each breathless moment. Cecilia could have continued like that forever, and yet she wanted more. So much more.

  ‘Cecilia...’

  Oh, so much was expressed in that simple speaking of her name, in a voice that had deepened and mellowed with all they had shared.

  Yet there was a question there—a silent seeking of agreement.

  Yes, Linc. Yes, with all that I have and all that I am. Yes.

  The response was deep within her soul, surpassing any conscious thought of warning to herself that she might have formulated. She couldn’t have denied that ‘yes’ if she’d tried.

  And there were no thoughts of warning or caution or ‘what ifs’ or concerns. There was this and only this, and her heart was engaged.

  She acknowledged that in this moment she should gently extract herself, end this here, cherish these shared kisses and seek nothing more. But Cecilia could only focus on the desire for her that glowed in the depths of Linc’s eyes, on all the emotions she felt within herself, both named and unnamed, and on the soft and gentle expression on his face. On the touch of his hands that now cupped her shoulders and stroked her face.

  ‘Take me to your room, Linc.’

  Linc heard Cecilia’s words, saw the need and longing reflected in her eyes, and faced a watershed moment deep within himself.

  He had turned his back six years ago, for her sake, because he’d known he would never truly commit. Now Linc knew that his emotions were invested in Cecilia, that his feelings were real and only for her.

  Linc wanted to give her those things, but would she be able to receive them and let it end there without being hurt? For that matter, could he give in that way and end it without hurt to his own emotions?

  Too late, Linc. You’re already there.

  Deep down he knew that, and he hoped for this chance to just this once do all that he could to show her those feelings.

  ‘I need you, Cecilia, and I need this night. But I can’t... In terms of the future...’ His chest hurt and he struggled to go on.

  ‘I don’t care, Linc. I need—’ She broke off, and her gaze was clear and determined as it held his.

  Thank you. With all my heart and soul, thank you.

  Linc took Cecilia’s hand and drew her from the sofa. It felt like the most natural and right thing to lead her to the door of his room.

  He drew Cecilia inside with him, turned her into his arms and lowered his mouth to hers once again, knowing that now there would be more. There would be the fulfilment of all the desire that hummed in the air surrounding them, the opportunity to cherish and give and revere.

  He gave himself to making it the most special experience for her that he possibly could. Valuing her with all he could invest in that valuing. Expressing without words the emotions running through the fabric of his soul.

  If you don’t say it, it’s not real.

  The childhood words were silly, because these emotions were entirely real, whether they were verbalised or not. Yet they couldn’t be spoken because he couldn’t look for a future.

  Linc didn’t ask himself in that moment just what those deep emotions meant. He wasn’t sure he could afford to know. Instead, he breathed deeply and inhaled Cecilia’s closeness and let it fill him.

  Linc gave himself to these shared and treasured pleasures, this precious giving and receiving. He was all of himself and yet more within himself than he had ever been. That was all Linc knew—that and the deep, resonating need to demonstrate to Cecilia how much sharing this with her meant to him.

  His breath caught as she melted wholly into his embrace. His arms trembled with how deeply he valued holding her. Chest to chest, warmth shared, soft lips against caressing lips, they explored as people who knew each other but didn’t really, and now they needed so much more.

  Today had acted as a catalyst for him. He felt as though layers had been peeled from his soul and that he could finally acknowledge that he did long for Cecilia. That he did not simply want but needed to carry their closeness to this inevitable conclusion.

  Linc needed this with everything within him. Just once...and only with her...

  ‘Linc...’ She whispered his name against his lips.

  He swept her closer and gave all his being to the sense of her—the soft loveliness of her arms about his neck and the delicate arch of her spine where his hands held her. She pressed closer still. She seemed unable to be near enough.

  Something inside Linc, in some place that he hadn’t known before, felt right for the first time in his life. This was right—holding her, sharing these precious moments.

  His chest rose and fell on a deep breath. He pushed away the thought that there could never be this again—pushed it far, far away, where it couldn’t tighten its grip until he could no longer breathe, where he might not feel it even existed any more.

  ‘Cecilia...’ He murmured her name against her lips and grounded his emotions in this giving.

  ‘Oh, Linc...’

  My heart is so full of emotion for you right now.

  Cecilia couldn’t speak the words, but they rose in her mind as she embraced Linc and he embraced her. Everything about these moments imbued her with thoughts and emotions so deep she couldn’t fathom how she could feel so much.

  Impossible to try to stop herself, to protect those emotions. So she told herself not to label them, not to give them names—because while they were nebulous and unnamed she could have this and not think about tomorrow...

  Linc’s hand rose to stroke her hair. ‘Your hair is beautiful. It’s so soft.’

  He murmured the words before his lips touched hers again.

  ‘I want this.’

  Conviction echoed in her quiet words. Her hand rose to his chest, felt its strong rise and fall as he registered her words.

  She went on. ‘I want to share this—with you. Everything there is to share...’ Everything that could be shared from her emotions to his.

  He’d made no promises, had been careful that she understood there wo
uld be no tomorrow. And Cecilia did understand, and it made this easier. One chance to give and receive and close a chapter. She would feel happy because of that.

  Surely she would...

  His hands stroked her arms reverently, with the lightest touch against her skin, and she let go of the uneasy thought.

  As clothing fell away she felt only a sense of rightness so strong and so comforting that it was infinitely beautiful finally to become one with him. Every barrier was removed and only this existed.

  He held her tenderly and his gaze locked with hers. Each touch seemed to value her deeply, each moment of delight seemed to bring them closer.

  Time ceased to exist. Nothing existed but the two of them. His touch. Their shared kisses. And more...

  A crescendo built—until finally she looked deep into his eyes and felt that their souls must have merged as they yielded together.

  Held in his arms in the afterglow, Cecilia asked herself how she could feel as though her world had stopped still and as if Linc held the key to all that she was and would ever be. This didn’t feel like ‘closure’ from her six-year-old feelings.

  Inside her was a burgeoning emotion. It spread through her heart until she felt overtaken by it. She realised in that moment that she had fallen deeply and irrevocably in love with Linc. Rather than having closed the chapter, she had unleashed this.

  The knowledge was so large, so all-encompassing, that she thought he must surely sense it. She tensed, and her breath stopped. Because he mustn’t know. Not now. Not until she could come to terms with this and know how to deal with it.

  She loved him! Loved him in a way that would dictate her wanting to be with him and be part of his life forever. No, not just part. She would want to be right there in the centre of his world, and him in hers, living out life together.

  Linc gave a deep sigh and drew her gently closer, encouraging her to curl into his arms. He seemed close to sleep as he placed a soft kiss in her hair.

  ‘Your hair is beautiful. It’s so soft.’

  The echo of his earlier words reverberated.