by Coleen Kwan
“Oh, sis.” Jess uttered a deep groan. “I don’t like the sound of this at all. Why on earth would you want to get involved with Nate Hardy?”
The front door jingled as a group of women entered, looking keen to buy something.
“Can’t talk now. I’ve got customers in the shop.” Ally nodded and smiled at the women coming in.
“But we have to discuss this.”
“Later.” Much later, if Ally had anything to do with it. She’d blabbed about her night with Nate in a fit of bravado, but she really didn’t want the third degree from her older sister.
“But Ally—”
Ally pressed the off button and turned gladly to her customers.
Later that afternoon, Ally was doing some bookkeeping when Nate called her. When she saw the caller ID on the screen, she had to take a few deep breaths before she could muster up the appropriately calm voice to answer.
“I’m picking up some Thai takeaway tonight,” he said as soon as she’d said hello. “Why don’t you come over?”
The sound of his caramel fudge voice instantly started to melt her cool. She hadn’t eaten much all day. Now, her stomach knotted and she started to salivate. Not from hunger, but from the thought of seeing Nate again. It wasn’t food she craved, that was for sure.
She cleared her throat. “That depends. What are you ordering?”
“Thai beef salad. Does that sound good?”
Or maybe he could run his fingers slowly down her spine. That sounded good, too. Or nibble on her neck just below her earlobe, or brush his stubbled jaw against her inner thigh, or touch her just about anywhere he pleased. Yum.
“Ally?”
She closed her moistening mouth and fanned her flushed cheeks with a bunch of invoices. “Oh, yeah. Thai beef salad. That’s great.”
“I’ll see you at seven, then. I hope you like it hot and spicy.” He hung up.
Hot and spicy. Damn, that only made her blood pump even harder. He’d been talking about food, but she felt as if she’d just had phone sex.
She told herself this wasn’t a date, so she shouldn’t tart herself up. No slinky dress or jewelry or special makeup. The only thing she allowed herself was some racy red underwear beneath her printed maxi-dress and a slick of pink lip gloss on her mouth.
By the time she pulled up outside Nate’s house she was buzzing with excitement. When he opened the door to her, Nate’s eyes widened, too, and she could have sworn he was equally roused at the thought of what was going to happen that night.
But he was obviously more used to this casual sex thing, because he greeted her smoothly and led her through to the living room where he poured her a glass of wine and opened a beer for himself. For a few minutes she gabbed on about the gift shop, wondering if she was doing the right thing or whether she was being annoying.
“I’m talking too much, aren’t I?” she eventually said.
“If it helps you relax…”
She rolled the wineglass between her palms and made a deprecating moue. “Shoot, am I that obvious?”
He grinned. “I think it’s cute.”
“So are koalas.”
“Yeah, I see the resemblance. Same fluffy ears, cute button nose, and guileless expression.”
She shook her head. “You’re not helping.”
“Maybe this will…” Eyes simmering, he plucked the wineglass from her, set it aside, reeled her into his arms, and kissed her.
His merest touch was all she needed. The nervousness burned away, and she kissed him back, matching his hunger. With his lips still on hers, he backed her up slowly until the edge of the bookshelf nudged her butt, and once he had her nicely trapped, he ravished her mouth even harder. Heat shot through her like erupting lava. She grabbed him round the shoulders and pulled him closer until their hips were locked together. Her body was ready to fry; she couldn’t wait to feel his skin against hers.
Pushing down the strap of her maxi-dress, he suckled on her throat. “Sweetheart, how do you like fast food?” he muttered against her hot, damp skin.
She raked her fingernails down the back of his T-shirt, pulling it free from his waistband. “I love fast food as long as it’s hot.”
“Good.” He swung her up into his arms and strode toward the door. “Because this is going to be very fast and very hot.”
It was fast and hot, and also incredibly tasty.
Ally was stretched out on his bed, panting and stunned but very satisfied, while Nate was lying on his side next to her, his chest heaving and an equally dazed expression on his face.
“That went off like a rocket,” he said between gulps.
Once they were breathing normally, he stretched out one hand and drew lazy circles over her belly. “I’ll give you the full menu later on. Ten mouth-watering courses all with matching wines.”
A shiver ran through her. Even though he’d just thoroughly taken her, she wanted more. One touch from him and she morphed into a sex glutton. She turned her head to him and gave him a saucy smile. “Will there be dessert?”
“You bet there’ll be dessert.” He teased her breast with his fingers, drawing a whimper from her. “Whipped cream, cherry pie, caramel fudge…whatever you like.”
What was he talking about? Were these euphemisms for kinky sex she was too demure to have heard of?
“Uh…you are just talking about different kinds of dessert, aren’t you?”
He lifted his eyebrows. “What did you think I was talking about?”
“I don’t know.” She glanced down at her aching flesh enslaved by his hand. “Sex, maybe. Dirty sex.”
With a throaty laugh he hauled her into his arms and buried his face in her hair. “Would you like to have dirty sex with me, Ally?”
The rumble in his voice set her quivering. She’d like to have any kind of sex with him. She’d let him do just about anything to her. The idea turned her to mush.
He nibbled on her earlobe and began to lick her neck. “Dirty, smutty, filthy sex…mmm. I like how your mind works.”
Trouble was, her mind wasn’t working. Her mind had been taken over by a sex-crazed deviant. Her mind and her body. She had a virus rampaging through her, and there was nothing she could do except let it run its course.
She turned toward Nate and let the fever sweep over her once more.
“…and the best man got smashed before the reception and started bad-mouthing one of the bridesmaids during his speech. He had to be dragged off, according to my aunt.”
“Mmm,” Ally mumbled, straining to keep her attention on Tyler.
“What’s wrong?” Tyler filched a fry from Ally’s plate, dunked it in ketchup, and popped it into her mouth. “You look like you haven’t heard a word I’ve said.”
Ally sat up and suppressed a yawn. She’d arranged to meet Tyler for lunch at the Red Possum on her Monday off, but she was having trouble staying awake. That’s what happened when you had vigorous, mind-blowing sex with a fit and gorgeous man two nights in a row.
“I’ve been listening,” she said, feeling guilty for not paying attention. Ally knew Tyler was only trying to support her by dwelling on the mishaps of the wedding. “The flower girl tripped over the bride’s train, and the best man was drunk.”
“At least your sister’s okay.” Tyler picked up another of Ally’s fries. “So you spent Saturday night at her place? Is that why you didn’t show up here?”
Oops. Too late Ally remembered that Tyler had badgered her to meet her here at the Red Possum on Saturday night, but Ally wasn’t ready to tell her why she hadn’t made it. Her firecracker fling with Nate was sparking hot, but she feared it would be over soon. Maybe in a couple of days, maybe in a couple of weeks. She wasn’t sure, but she did know it couldn’t last, and so, for the moment at least, she preferred to keep quiet about it.
“Sorry about standing you up,” she said. “I completely forgot.”
Tyler waved her fry. “Don’t worry about it. I was with friends, anyway. I had a good time, ev
en if you didn’t.”
Ally picked up her burger, aware of the faint, pleasurable throb that still lingered in her muscles. She couldn’t tell Tyler yet, but she’d had a damned good time Saturday night. Maybe the best she’d ever had.
…
Nate pulled into his driveway just in time to see Mrs. Bennett letting her mutt take a whiz against his gate post. He hopped out of his pickup truck and strode toward his neighbor. Her fluffy purple slippers and sour expression were blights on the early morning freshness, but today he wasn’t in the mood to pick a fight with the old dragon.
“Morning, Mrs. Bennett. I see your dog’s making himself at home.” He directed a pointed look at the dog.
The old lady scuffled about in her slippers, an uneasy expression in her sunken eyes. Obviously she hadn’t expected him to be outside at this early hour and usually he wasn’t, but he’d spent last night at Ally’s apartment and slipped out at six because he had to be at his landscaping job by seven.
“He’s only marking his territory. It’s in their nature. Can’t stop him.” She aimed a surly glower at him, daring him to contradict her.
He could think of one way to stop the mutt. Cut off his balls. “That looks more like a full bladder to me. Next time, make him pee on your gate before you take him for a walk.”
Her mottled cheeks darkened, and her lips flapped, but she didn’t seem to know what to say.
“See you later.” With a brisk nod he brushed past her. Not long ago he would have been fuming at Mrs. Bennett, but today he felt too buoyant to argue with anyone.
He bounced into his house, feeling as if he could bench press a hundred kilos. Maybe it was because he’d spent the night with Ally. Their fifth night in a row, and it just kept on getting better. A month ago he would have snickered at the idea that prim and proper Ally Griffin would be any good in bed, but he’d learned she wasn’t at all prim or proper; she was more than good…she was dynamite. And it wasn’t just about sex. It was her. There was something about her that captured his attention. She didn’t try to pretend she was something she wasn’t. She was real and honest, and oftentimes he caught himself smiling and realized he was thinking about Ally.
She was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
And that was very good and very bad, depending on which way you looked at it. Good because it demonstrated he’d moved on from the superficial affairs he used to prefer. He’d progressed as a person, which was one of the goals he’d been shooting for when he’d moved back to Burronga.
But no matter how good it felt to be with Ally, it would also be bad to get too caught up. She didn’t see him as anything more than a cathartic fling. She wanted to change herself, break free from old habits, and he was about as different as she could get.
Besides, why would he want to turn what they had into a proper relationship? It was just something light and easy. Uncomplicated. And when it ended neither of them would get hurt.
He stripped off his clothes and stepped into the hot shower. The scent of Ally and the sex they’d shared last night soon washed away, but the memory lingered on for the rest of the day, indelible and unforgettable.
…
A bumblebee droned in the flowerbeds around the patio. When Ally had arrived at Mr. Cummings’s house, he’d insisted on serving her tea in the garden. “I’ll be renting out this house when I move to Queensland,” he said. “I know I should sell, but I can’t bring myself to part with it. I’ll miss this garden, especially my roses. I planted them for Roseanne, you see.”
Ally didn’t see. Roseanne was the scheming bitch who’d run off with another man and bled Mr. Cummings dry at the divorce. Why did he still miss her?
“But I’m all set,” he continued on a brighter note, folding his hands across his comfortable paunch. “Nate Hardy and I settle tomorrow, and then you’ll have a new landlord.”
Ally wriggled in the wicker chair. “That’s what I’ve come to see you about today.”
“You’re not still worried about getting Nate as your landlord, are you? He’s assured me he has no intentions of making any changes.”
She didn’t want to think about Nate as her landlord. Not when she was currently sleeping with him.
“Actually, it’s my current landlord I’m worried about.” She set her teacup on the table and smoothed down her skirt. “About the rent I still owe you—”
“Oh, pshaw.” He gave her a languid wave. “I’d be happy to forget about that.”
“No, no, I don’t want you to forget about it. It’s very important to me. I have most of the money, but I’m about five hundred dollars short—”
“You mustn’t worry about a small sum like that. Especially a nice young woman like yourself.”
Ally pressed her lips together. She’d just ignore that patronizing comment for now. “I want you to know I’m good for it. I’m going to have a massive sale in the next few days, and I’m positive I’ll be able to pay you everything by the end of next week.”
“Capital, capital.” He beamed at her cherubically.
She said her good-byes and drove back to Burronga where Tyler had been minding the store for her.
“Mr. Cummings is a sweet man, but he drives me batty sometimes,” she said to her friend after she’d told her what had happened. “He honestly believes I won’t have the money ready by next week.”
“You do realize that paying Mr. Cummings back just means you’ll be behind your rent with Nate.”
“I know that.” Ally flipped the door sign to Closed and moved to the register to count the day’s takings. Even as she busied herself she was aware of Tyler watching her closely.
“So that’s all you’re saying?” Tyler said when the pause had stretched to half a minute.
“About what?”
Tyler waggled her eyebrows. “About a certain hunk of a man?”
Ally blushed, lost track of her counting, and laid down the bundle of notes. “Okay, you got me. Yes, I have been seeing Nate.”
Her friend let out a triumphant whoop. “I knew it!”
“How exactly did you find out?” Ally was pretty sure Jess wouldn’t have spread the gossip.
Tyler rested her elbow on the counter and leaned in. “Have you forgotten what a small town we live in? If I spent every night of the week with a certain man, the news would get around, no matter how careful I was.” Her grin widened. “And you, my little daredevil, have not been very careful.”
Ally’s cheeks grew hotter. “It’s not a big deal, honestly. Nate and I are just… It’s just a casual thing. Nothing heavy.”
“And you’re fine with that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? Most people have flings.”
“You’re not most people.”
She frowned at that. “Maybe I want to be.”
“I bet your family doesn’t approve.”
Her stomach clenched. Jess had been muttering her disapproval ever since Ally had confessed about Nate. The way she carried on made Ally’s connection with Nate sound so sleazy, but in all honesty Ally couldn’t say she felt ashamed. When she was with Nate he made her feel wonderful, free, uninhibited. He made her laugh and blush; he made her oh, so hot. They weren’t hurting anyone, so why was Jess convinced that Ally was on a path of certain self-destruction?
She tossed back her head. “Jess was the one who advised me to ‘have some fun’ in the first place, but now she’s changed her mind because it’s Nate. She thinks I’ll get hurt, but she doesn’t understand that I’m perfectly happy with the way things are.”
“Oh, I understand. You know what I think about relationships. Nooo thank you.” Tyler’s earrings jingled as she shook her auburn hair vehemently. “Yup, you and I are on the same wavelength now. No-strings-attached sex is the best. We don’t need all the muss and fuss. We’re the ones calling the shots. When we need a man for a bit of fun, we can just call him up, no problem.”
This time Ally had to lower her gaze. Who was calling the shots between her and Nate
? For the past week they had spent every night together, either at his place or hers, but they never made any plans to see each other in advance. It was usually just a quick phone call at the end of the day, and she’d become accustomed to her stomach knotting up with anticipation as the clock ticked past five and she waited for her phone to buzz. But it was Nate who’d called every time, she realized, while she’d just waited. Nate was the one calling the shots, and she hadn’t even noticed until now.
“Sure, I call him up whenever I want,” she blustered. Oh, yeah? The clock stood at five-fifteen now, and he hadn’t called yet. Did she have the nerve to ring him? Yes, she could do that. Maybe. On the other hand, maybe she should play it cool and do something else tonight. She didn’t want to make herself too available or he’d take her for granted.
“But you don’t want to ring the man too often,” Tyler said, “or he’ll think you’re desperate, and there’s nothing more pathetic than a desperate woman.”
Great. Why did Tyler have to echo the exact thing she’d been thinking? Ally rubbed her forehead. She wasn’t used to these games, this scheming and second-guessing.
“Quite right. Don’t want to let things get out of control.” After all, who’s to say Nate was going to stick around Burronga? What if he got tired of the whole change-his-life thing and ran back to Sydney? She didn’t want to be left behind nursing a broken heart.
“A girl has to look out for herself, because the man’s not going to do it for her.” Tyler picked up her handbag from behind the counter. “Gotta go, see you later.”
Alone, Ally concentrated on counting the register, all the while trying not to glance at the clock every five seconds. The minute hand ticked on, and still there was no call from Nate. Her stomach felt hollow, and a dull ache squeezed her shoulder blades together. Damn, this was just a foretaste of what would happen to her if she let things with Nate carry on at the current delirious pace. She had to draw back. She had to mark the boundaries and protect herself. Protect her heart.