Return to Stringybark Creek

by Karly Lane

  ‘No, sit. I’ve got it,’ he said.

  ‘After all this cooking you’ve done today?’ she said, eyeing him with a dry look. ‘You must be exhausted.’

  ‘Well, you know how it is. A man’s work is never done,’ he grinned.

  Hadley rested her chin on her hand as she watched him place the plates into the sink. Her gaze followed the long length of his back down to where it tapered into a narrower waist and a denim-covered butt. Country boys in jeans should really come with a warning label, she thought weakly. She’d been around men in denim all her life, but she’d never really truly appreciated it until right this very moment.

  There was a restlessness inside her that had been fighting to get out for a while now and this afternoon’s kiss had only increased the desperation. Before she could talk herself out of it, she stood up and crossed to the sink where Ollie stood.

  ‘Seriously, Hads, I got this. Just sit down,’ he said, turning around.

  ‘I don’t want to sit down,’ she said, his body tantalisingly close to her own.

  For a long moment they stood looking at each other. She felt his eyes searching her face, and she was unsure what he was looking for, but in case it was for some kind of sign not to kiss her, she decided to make the first move and put his mind at ease. Pushing onto her tip-toes, she touched her lips to his, sliding her hands up around his tanned neck. The kiss wasn’t the gentle exploration of the last few times. This time it was a statement. She knew what she wanted.

  His arms circled her waist and he pulled her tightly against him, leaning back against the sink. Nothing else mattered. Her earlier nerves seemed to have vanished and all that remained was simple desire. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so consumed with need like this. She knew it was probably in the early days with Mitch, but she was sure it had never been this potent. She was struggling to retain any coherent thought in her head as Ollie’s kisses continued to send her plummeting over the edge of reason.

  Ollie had never been one to question good fortune when it happened to fall into his lap, and he was not about to start now. All through the meal he’d been trying his hardest not to think about Hadley and her mouth, which had been pretty damn difficult when her tongue kept darting out to wipe gravy from her lips. He hoped she couldn’t read minds—she’d think he was some kind of pervert if she knew the things he was thinking about that tongue of hers and what he wanted her to do with it.

  She felt so good in his arms, pressed up against him like this. Her soft curves moulded against him as though the two of them were designed to fit together.

  He moved his lips away from her tempting mouth, needing a moment to control the burning desire he felt building way too quickly inside him. He traced a path down the soft skin of her neck, smiling when he felt her tremor and moan softly. His smile soon faded when he realised how those small whimpering moans managed to harden certain parts of his body at an alarming rate. Goddamn it, how old was he again? Fourteen?

  Hadley tilted her head back, allowing him greater access, and his tongue darted out, tasting the slight saltiness of her skin. He breathed in the warm, heady smell of her that filled his senses almost to point of overdrive. She was everywhere, and still he needed more.

  His hands moved to the hem of her shirt and he heard her gasp as his fingers touched her bare skin and skimmed their way up the sides of her ribs and across the lace of her bra.

  He paused momentarily when she pulled back, fearing he’d misread her signals, until he caught her sultry smile as her hands moved up his torso, pulling the fabric of his T-shirt higher and working it over his head.

  ‘You’re overdressed for the occasion,’ she told him simply.

  ‘I could say the same for you,’ he said and held his breath as she wordlessly pulled her own shirt over her head, tossing it on the floor without breaking eye contact and sliding her hands up his chest as she leaned in and kissed him.

  The friction of the lace against his chest sent an involuntary shiver down his back and he pulled her closer as their kiss deepened. He could feel the heat of her against his thigh as it pushed in between her own and he held back the greedy lust that just wanted to take her right here.

  ‘Come with me,’ he said, taking her hand and tugging her along behind him towards his bedroom.

  ‘Ouch,’ she said, laughing and hopping on one foot. ‘My toe.’

  ‘Sorry!’ He stopped abruptly to check her foot, and she ran into his back, her hands going to her face automatically as she gave a muffled curse. ‘My nose.’

  ‘Damn it, Hadley, I’m sorry.’ This was great: in the middle of his big seduction scene, he’d so far managed to break her toe and her nose and they hadn’t even got naked yet. Well, broken may have been going a tad far, but still … this had not been part of any fantasy he’d ever had. ‘Here, let me.’ He bent down to lift her into his arms, just as she was straightening from checking her toe, and he felt a blinding pain that sent stars dancing before his eyes as the top of her head smashed up under his jaw. They both cried out in pain at the same time and staggered away from each other.

  ‘Son of a b—’

  ‘Mother … trucker,’ Hadley bit out tightly over Ollie’s sharp retort, rubbing the top of her head.

  ‘Let me,’ Ollie started to speak, moving towards her, but stopped abruptly as Hadley put out a hand in alarm.

  ‘Stay there. Do not move,’ she said firmly. ‘I’m going to walk over to you. Stay absolutely still,’ she warned.

  This was so stupid. Ollie did as he was told and remained perfectly still. Stupid or not, she had a point: another incident and one of them would wind up in emergency at this rate.

  Her hands went to his chest, slowly moving in a gentle touch. His breath caught as he felt the barest brush across one taut nipple, and a shiver ran through him that he couldn’t quite conceal. When he made to move, she lifted an eyebrow sharply, making him stop.

  He watched as her gaze slowly travelled up across his pecs and along his shoulders and arms, then shivered again as her hands followed the same path, moving from his wrist to the waist of his jeans. He drew in a sharp breath as the coolness of her fingers came in contact with the warm, sensitive skin just under the waistband of his jeans.

  She gave a small smirk at the sound before lifting her face, her eyes heavy with sultry desire. Never had he been so turned on in his whole life.

  ‘Move back towards the bed,’ she instructed him, her voice as smooth as aged bourbon.

  He found himself doing as he was told almost without thought. She followed him, her hands against his chest, lightly guiding him until the back of his legs touched the foot of the bed.

  ‘Sit down,’ she ordered, and Ollie did as he was told. Who knew he was into being dominated? He frowned a little at that and hoped she wasn’t about to pull out a pair of leather chaps for him to wear or, worse, dress him up like a My Little Pony, something he’d recently read about on Facebook as the new freaky sex craze. He definitely wouldn’t be into that.

  There were no signs of whips or chains as he sat down on the end of the bed. Hadley moved forwards between his knees. Instinctively his hands came up to rest on her hips and he leaned forwards to nuzzle the soft skin exposed above the black lacy bra she wore.

  He watched as her hand moved to the front of her jeans and slowly unfastened the button then began shimmying out of them. Ollie’s eyes followed the denim sliding down her thighs. Hadley stepped out of them and straightened, placing her hands over his on her waist and prodding them away lightly. ‘Lie back.’

  He did so without protest, his eyes never leaving hers. They widened slightly as she followed him, crawling with feline grace to straddle his lap, setting off a million nerve endings and sending his libido into overdrive. With steady hands she reached behind her and unfastened her bra. With another of those sultry smiles that did dangerously erotic things to pretty much every part of his body, she peeled it away, making him groan slowly at the picture she made before him
. Never in any of his wildest fantasies of her—and there had been a lot over the years—had he ever pictured her looking like she did at this very moment. She was beautiful.

  ‘Is there something wrong?’ Hadley said, and he saw her arms hover in front of her chest, realising he’d simply been staring at her.

  ‘No,’ he said quickly. ‘God, no. I’m sorry, I … you’re perfect,’ he gave up trying to untie his tongue and just let it spill out.

  She looked surprised by his words, and a little embarrassed, but had lost the uncertainty of a few moments before. ‘You’re the perfect one,’ she murmured, leaning forwards to whisper against his lips. ‘How have I been missing out on this for so long?’

  ‘Good things come to those who wait,’ he told her, nipping at her bottom lip gently, her nearness surrounding him and clouding his mind.

  ‘Then be prepared to have some very, very good things happening tonight,’ she whispered in between hot, deep kisses.

  Thirteen

  Christmas was looming. It didn’t mean the work eased around Stringybark, but it did mean that the community festive season was at its peak.

  Hadley shook her head as she watched her mother move around the kitchen, preparing for the upcoming week of Christmas parties and end-of-year functions. On the calendar there was a mind-blowing number of commitments written neatly in red pen and just looking at them made Hadley feel exhausted.

  ‘Can I do anything, Mum?’

  ‘I think everything’s under control, darling, but you could come along if you like. We’re having the CWA Christmas lunch.’

  ‘Thanks, but I have a few things I need to get sent off today.’ She was enjoying the break from the relentless travel her job usually entailed, but her workload hadn’t diminished that much. She had a number of projects she’d been needing to finish, and she’d managed to write a number of new articles that she’d been itching to do but hadn’t had the time to pursue until now. She went back inside after waving off her mother.

  It was nice to have some downtime. Even if it had been in order to keep out of the public eye until the whole divorce thing blew over. This wouldn’t be such a horrible way to work. She pulled herself up short. What was she thinking? This was not her plan. Neither was a divorce, a small voice echoed. True, but when had she begun to think this could be part of her future? She wasn’t, was she? She groaned and dropped her head into her hands.

  It was all very well to give into her feelings for Ollie, but at some point the two of them had to address the issue of the future. What future? Would it be the occasional hook-up whenever she came home or he managed a weekend to fly to the city? What more could it be?

  The sound of tyres crunching on the gravel outside put a stop to Hadley’s endless circle of questions. The white four-wheel drive could have belonged to anyone around here, but the rental car company logo on the back window gave it away.

  Her smile widened as she reached the bottom of the stairs, throwing her arms wide to hug her eldest brother as he took his sunglasses from his face and hooked them onto the front of his shirt.

  ‘You two are risking actual bodily harm from Mum by not telling her you were coming today.’

  ‘Don’t look at me, I told him to call,’ said Cash, Hadley’s sister-in-law, turning from the back passenger side of the car with a dark-haired bundle of baby in her arms. ‘But I figured Mia would be a good distraction,’ she added dryly.

  Hadley’s heart almost exploded with a powerful surge of love as Cash handed across her daughter. ‘Mia,’ Hadley breathed softly. ‘Look how much you’ve grown.’

  ‘It’s hard to believe she’s already eight months old.’

  ‘She’s so gorgeous. Look at those big brown eyes,’ Hadley crooned down at the small face blinking up at her and looking surprisingly settled.

  ‘Just like her mum’s,’ Linc said, slipping his arms around Cash’s waist and smiling adoringly down into his wife’s shining eyes.

  They were disgustingly in love … still … even with a newborn in the house. A small twinge of envy snaked its way through Hadley, but she squashed it immediately. She was not going to feel sorry for herself. Just because she was soon to be divorced didn’t mean she had a right to feel cheated about not having a baby of her own. For a moment she thought about her miscarriage, remembering that children hadn’t been part of her and Mitch’s plan, not for a long while—if ever. They hadn’t discussed starting a family. Kids did not fit into their work schedule. Hadn’t fit, she corrected before stopping. Still didn’t. Good grief! Having a baby was even less likely to suit her lifestyle now that she was single. It must be that warm, snuggly baby-powder smell messing with her mind. Gingerly she handed back her niece to Cash and waved the trio towards the house. ‘Mum’s at the CWA Christmas lunch, but she should be home soon. She’s going to freak when she sees you all.’

  ‘Linc, can you bring up Mia’s bag so I can change her?’ Cash asked over her shoulder.

  Hadley bit back a smile as she watched her tough, ex-commando brother hoist a delicate floral nappy bag over his broad shoulder as he retrieved their luggage from the rear of the vehicle.

  ‘So how’s things, sis?’ Linc asked as they trailed slightly behind Cash, who’d already reached the top of the stairs.

  ‘Not too bad.’

  ‘I heard there was some trouble with a reporter. Is that still a problem?’

  Hadley looked up at her brother and shook her head. ‘It wasn’t as bad as you probably heard. Things have settled down.’

  ‘Mitch is just lucky he isn’t here. I can’t believe that jerk would dump you in it like that and leave you to face the press alone.’

  Hadley gave a shrug as they climbed the front steps. ‘We both knew it was going to cause a stir. It’s old news already.’

  ‘If you want to talk about it …’ Linc said, stopping at the top of the stairs.

  ‘I don’t,’ she said quickly, then softened her words with a smile. ‘Thank you, but I’m fine. Really. As soon as Christmas is over I’ll be able to return to my old life. Until then I have my family and the cutest niece ever to keep me occupied.’

  ‘She is pretty cute. Gets that part from her dad,’ he added without modesty.

  ‘Really?’ A loud, insistent crying came from inside the house. ‘Now that’s more like her father.’ Hadley flashed a smug smile at her brother as he reached the screen door and sent her a dark look.

  It was actually insane how one small baby could make so much mess.

  ‘No wonder you’re so cranky,’ Cash was crooning above the red-faced, angry baby kicking her legs wildly on the bed. ‘Let’s get you cleaned up.’

  The nappy that Cash was changing was so potent that Hadley had to back out of the spare room. ‘I’ll put the jug on,’ she called over her shoulder.

  By the time the two parents came out of the room, she had their coffee and a plate of her mother’s biscuits on the kitchen table.

  ‘Dear God, was that smell normal?’ Hadley asked Cash as they sat down.

  ‘That was a rather large one, even for us,’ Cash said, eyeing her daughter sternly, which melted into a look of pure adoration within seconds. Clearly mothering involved the ability to instantly forget all unpleasant memories of their child, including pooey nappies. She supposed it had to be that way or no one would ever have a second baby.

  ‘So where’s Dad?’ Linc asked as he reached for a biscuit.

  ‘He went to a sale.’

  ‘I guess this was that one time that surprising the olds backfired on me, huh?’

  ‘Mum warned you,’ Hadley said, sipping her coffee. ‘She’s going to freak when she gets home.’

  ‘Nah, she loves it. She’d be disappointed if we ever turned up when we said we would.’

  ‘Only in this family would that remark sound logical,’ Cash drawled.

  The three of them caught up over a cuppa and chatted, before Cash decided to go and put Mia to bed before the grandparents came home and all hope of any kind of ro
utine went flying out the window.

  It amazed Hadley that her mother could turn a simple Tuesday night meal for three into a family feast without so much as a blink of an eye. After an afternoon of cooing over her grandchild, Lavinia headed out to the kitchen and within minutes had enough food cooking to feed a small army.

  Griff and Olivia arrived, further lengthening the queue to play with the baby, and Hadley excused herself to take a phone call from Ollie.

  ‘Hey,’ she answered, her voice quiet as she made her way across the room to head outside.

  ‘Hey. Why are you whispering?’

  ‘I’m just going outside.’

  ‘Sounds like you have a crowd there.’

  ‘Yeah. Linc and Cash arrived out of the blue earlier. I meant to text you but I haven’t been able to get away. There’s no way I’ll be able to get out of dinner here tonight.’

  ‘Nah, that’s all good. I understand.’

  ‘But I was thinking maybe I could come by afterwards?’

  ‘Sure,’ his voice seemed to brighten, and she was relieved to realise he’d been as disappointed about them not seeing each other as she’d been.

  ‘Last night was—’ he paused and then breathed ‘—freakin’ awesome?’ She felt her stomach flip as memories of the night before flashed though her head. God, the things they’d done … the things she’d done. She felt a flush creeping up her neck.

  ‘Yeah. It was,’ she said, her voice a little unsteady. The screen door opened and Hadley turned away. ‘I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you later,’ she said, hanging up just as her father and brothers came out onto the verandah with all the subtlety of a herd of elephants, abruptly putting an end to any further lustful thoughts.

  She didn’t like sneaking about, but the alternative was being interrogated by her family and dealing with what everyone may or may not be thinking about her relationship with Ollie. It was too soon for all that; besides, she already had more than enough on her plate that hadn’t been dealt with yet.

  Ollie looked down at the phone thoughtfully. When Hadley had said she was going to have to cancel coming over tonight, he’d had a moment of panic. Had she decided it wasn’t going to work out between them? It only lasted a few seconds, until she’d added that she’d come over later, but the speed with which the devastation had struck surprised him. So much for playing it cool and seeing where this thing took them.