Treat her Right: A New Zealand Sexy Beach Romance (Treats to Tempt You Book 2)

by Serenity Woods

  “I really don’t.”

  He rested his forehead against hers for a moment and closed his eyes.

  “Joss…” she whispered.

  “I need to think,” he said. “And I can’t think when you’re kissing me.”

  “There’s nothing to think about.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Yes, there is.”

  She looked up at him, her disappointment mingled with regret. “You let the old Joss out. Just for a moment.”

  “He’s still there.”

  She touched his face. “I’m glad. Are you coming to my party?

  “Yes, Maisey. I’m still coming to the party.”

  Her eyes were warm, deep, her smile gentle. She really was very beautiful. He felt as if all this time he’d been looking everywhere but at her, and suddenly she’d caught his face between her hands and made him look. He closed his eyes, thinking of Kole, worrying he was making a mistake, nervous that—like with Ana—he was doing the wrong thing, and he was going to spoil everything.

  The door opened, the car shifted, and then the door shut again.

  When he finally opened his eyes, she’d let herself in the house, and the front door was closing behind her.

  Chapter Ten

  “I’m not wearing that.” Tasha folded her arms, looking like a four-year-old tomboy who had been instructed to put on a skirt for her grandma’s birthday.

  Maisey glanced down at the dress she was holding. “Don’t you think it’s beautiful?”

  “It’s gorgeous. Whoever wears it will look like a princess. That person is not me.”

  “It’ll look great on you. You have a really good figure beneath those awful clothes you wear.”

  Tasha looked at her over the top of her glasses. “Sometimes I wonder whether you really know me at all.”

  Maisey sighed and hung the dress back up as Tasha rifled through a few items on the rack. She sent Tasha a sly look. “How’s your mum?”

  Tasha glared at her. “Don’t start.”

  “I just hate that you dress the way you do because of her.”

  “I don’t. I like the way I look.” Tasha pushed her glasses farther up the bridge of her nose and turned away to start on the rack behind her.

  Maisey decided not to push her. It was an old argument, one she couldn’t imagine winning any time soon. Tasha’s mother—a beautiful model who was so thin Maisey worried she’d get a paper cut if she bumped into her—constantly harangued her daughter for her weight, her looks, and the care she took over her appearance. Tasha, who believed it was more important to look after her brain than her body, refused to diet, rarely used makeup, wore trousers, and preferred glasses to contact lenses. Luckily, she possessed a fresh, natural beauty that shone through her carefully cultured “I don’t give a damn about what I look like” image. And being with Kole had made a difference. He occasionally persuaded her to wear a skirt or a pretty top when they went out, but it tended to be under sufferance.

  “How about this?” Maisey took a blouse from the rack. “You can wear it with your black trousers, but it will also keep with the theme of the party.”

  Tasha eyed the blouse as if Maisey had given her a sequined boob tube.

  “Pretty please? With a cherry on top?” Maisey put her palms together and begged. “Do it for the shop.”

  Tasha took it with a sigh. “All right. I’ll try it on. I’m not promising anything though.”

  She went into the cubicle and pushed the door shut. Maisey could just see her head and ankles.

  “So how many people have RSVP’d so far?” Tasha asked as she changed.

  “Oh, loads. Once Joss said he’d come, Kole agreed to take the photos, and after that everyone said yes.”

  “How did you get Joss to say yes, by the way? He’s the last person I thought would have agreed.”

  Maisey scuffed the carpet with her shoe. She didn’t want to talk about the moment in the car when she’d thrown caution to the wind and made a lewd suggestion. She cringed to even think about it. The look on his face when she’d said the words had filled her with horror. She couldn’t have felt worse if it had been her brother sitting before her. Had Joss kissed her to make her feel better? Her mortification must have been obvious.

  Since the kiss, she’d only seen him briefly when he’d come into the shop for his morning latte. Although he smiled warmly at her each time and enquired about her arm, he hadn’t suggested meeting up at all. She’d blown it, and she only had herself to blame. She didn’t regret what she’d said—life was definitely too short to tiptoe around. But she felt disappointed. The old Joss had surfaced briefly like a shipwreck when the tide was low, but the waves had quickly covered him up. The combination of a bad breakup and family responsibilities had obviously taken its toll on the wicked boy he’d once been.

  Tasha looked over the top of the door, still waiting for an answer and curious as to Maisey’s silence.

  “I bribed him,” Maisey said.

  “Fair enough.” Tasha pulled on the top. “It’s going to be an interesting evening.”

  “It sure will. You know you’re having your photo taken too, right?”

  An alarmed pair of eyes appeared back over the door. “Absolutely not.”

  “We all have to. It’s the law.”

  “It’s Maisey’s Law, and it’ll be interesting to see how you try to enforce it.”

  “I’ll get Kole to tie you up,” Maisey said.

  “What?”

  “So you can’t escape. I’m sure he’ll be happy to oblige.”

  Tasha opened the door, her smile wry. She gestured to the top. “What do you think?”

  Maisey stood and smiled. “You look lovely.”

  “I don’t know. It has a low neckline.”

  Maisey rolled her eyes. “You have one button undone. For God’s sake, woman, live a little.”

  “It does feel nice.” Tasha touched the material on the sleeve, and Maisey felt a surge of affection for her friend. Her mother had really screwed her up. Her constant remarks to Tasha about how overweight she was (she wasn’t) and how plain she looked (she didn’t) had genuinely convinced Tasha she wasn’t anything special. It was nice to see her enjoying wearing something nice for once, and Kole would love it.

  “Great. It’s decided.” Maisey gave her no time to change her mind. “I’m thinking of the short dress in the same color for Caitlin, and the tunic and a pair of flared trousers for Elle.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’m going to wear this.” Maisey retrieved a copy of the dress she’d bought a few days ago. She turned and held it up to her as Tasha came out.

  “Wow.” Tasha grinned. “Someone’s in for a treat. Anyone we know?”

  “Nobody in particular,” Maisey said breezily. And indeed, she thought sadly as they went to the counter to pay, that was probably true.

  But in her usual inimitable style, she determined she wasn’t going to let it get her down, and she threw herself into the preparations for the party with enthusiasm. Every spare minute she wasn’t at work, she plotted and planned and went shopping for items to use on the night. Her wrist remained quite sore, so the other three girls covered some of her shifts and left most of the organization to her.

  She applied to the council for a one night liquor license, and she visited a local vineyard to buy the wine for the evening. Luckily, she still had some savings, and she used most of them to pay up front for the free glasses of wine she’d promised on the tickets. The owner of the bar was so impressed with her idea he suggested he and his wife come along to wait on the customers if Maisey would let him wear the uniform that advertised the wine bar. She said yes, because the girls would be busy serving chocolate, coffee, and ice cream all evening, as well as organizing the photography.

  She took ages coming up with ideas for the décor, and spent her evenings making decorations from paper and the material she’d bought on sale in the local haberdashery. She went into every local shop with posters adver
tising the evening, and asked if they’d display them in the windows. She spoke to the local newspaper who agreed to write an article about it. She put more posters in the local library and community center, and generally made a nuisance of herself around town until she couldn’t bump into anyone who hadn’t heard about it.

  The day of the party dawned quickly, and they decided they would close early at one pm to enable them to get everything ready for the evening, as well as to go home and change. At twelve thirty, Maisey started cleaning up, sweeping the floor and washing down tables, and she was busy cleaning around the chocolate preparation area when she looked up and saw Joss standing there, hands in his pockets, watching her.

  Her heart gave a huge thump, and she inhaled sharply.

  Act cool, Maisey. She leaned on the counter, and promptly knocked a bowl of chopped almonds across the table.

  Joss chuckled. “Hey, clumsy.”

  “Hey.” She concentrated on scooping them carefully back into the bowl. “How’s things?”

  “Good. Just come in for my lunchtime fix, and to see how the wrist is doing.”

  “Fine,” she said, although it was still a little sore.

  “Are you still taking the painkillers?”

  “Occasionally.”

  “But it’s not getting any worse?”

  “No, no.” Even if it was, she wouldn’t have gone back to him at the surgery.

  She studied him for a moment. He looked tired and stressed, his shoulders slumped a little, his brow furrowed. “Is everything okay?”

  He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah, fine. I just…” He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. “I wanted to see you.” He looked hesitant, and a sudden thought struck her.

  “You are still coming tonight?”

  “Yes, of course. You’ve worked really hard for this—I wouldn’t dream of missing it.”

  “How do you know how hard I’ve been working?” Hope rose inside her, but she kept her tone playful. “Have you been spying on me?”

  “Maybe.” He smiled. “I like to check on my patients.”

  Her heart sank. He was only being professional. “Oh. Yeah. Right.” She scooped the last of the chopped almonds into a bowl, put it to one side, and cleaned the rest of the table with a cloth. For some peculiar reason, she felt near to tears. How stupid.

  “Maisey… Stop a minute.” He put a hand on her arm.

  She looked up. “What?”

  He caressed her skin with his thumb. “I feel awkward, the way things ended in the car.”

  She pinned a bright smile on her face. “I told you, it was nothing serious or complicated. I’ve hardly thought about it. I’ve been concentrating on the party.”

  He nodded and dropped his hand. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “I hope it’s successful.” She glanced around the shop, trying to quell the nerves that kept threatening to rise. “It’ll be awful if nobody turns up.”

  “Well, for a start, people have bought tickets, and nobody likes to waste money,” he said. “Plus, chocolate and wine? Who wouldn’t want to come?”

  “I guess. It’s just that…” She paused. Confiding her deepest worries didn’t come naturally, but there was something in the way he was looking at her that unlocked the barriers she normally erected around herself. “I’ve done most of the organization, and it’ll be my fault if it all falls flat.”

  “It won’t,” he promised. “You’ve worked far too hard.” He tipped his head. “I’m impressed how dedicated you’ve been.”

  That was a tad patronizing, but she knew she had a reputation for being flighty, so she couldn’t really blame him for the comment. Even if it did make her feel like a teenager studying for her exams. “Thanks. I think.”

  “Kole let it slip things are a little tight, money-wise.” He frowned. “You should have told me.”

  Maisey stiffened. Kole and his big mouth. “That’s hardly anyone else’s business.”

  “I know, but we’re all friends, aren’t we? I’d have said yes to the photos immediately if I’d known you needed the help.”

  “I don’t want charity,” she said sharply. “We’re not that bad. And anyway, that’s not the only reason I want this to work.”

  “Oh?”

  She picked at a piece of toffee stuck to the worktop. “Everyone still treats me like a kid. I know I can be impulsive and flighty, and I don’t take many things seriously, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have my pride. We’ve worked hard to get this shop up and running, and I’ll be damned if I’ll let it fail after we’ve got this far.”

  She didn’t add it wasn’t any old person she wanted to impress. But she couldn’t deny it to herself. She wanted to impress him. She wanted him to think of her as more than a giggly schoolgirl, and see her as the woman she felt inside.

  “You won’t fail,” he said.

  She looked up, into his eyes. “I wish I had your confidence,” she whispered.

  “You have a star watching over you, Maisey Graham. You have ambition and drive, and a little extra something I can’t put my finger on, but it shines from you like a beacon. You inspire people, and you encourage them to be better than they are. You’re going to be a big success one day, whatever happens tonight. But don’t worry. It will be a success. I’ll be here to make sure of it.”

  He grinned, and his eyes twinkled with some of his old wickedness. Maisey glowed at both his compliment and his promise.

  “Thank you,” she murmured.

  He nodded and turned to accept the latte from Caitlin as she brought it over.

  “See you later,” he said, and turned and walked out.

  The two girls watched him go.

  “He has a nice arse,” Caitlin said. “Tonight’s going to be very interesting.”

  “Yes,” Maisey said, unable to stop thoughts of Joss posing shirtless passing through her brain. “It is.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Joss had a busy afternoon at the surgery and didn’t leave work until after six. He drove north, past the shops and out of the relatively crowded housing areas, and headed for the part of Doubtless Bay where he’d bought himself a place when he’d returned to the Northland after breaking up with Ana. For practical purposes, it would have made more sense to get a house in Mangonui, near to work and closer to his family, but even though he’d returned because he wanted to be there for them, the twenty minute journey—thought to be a long commute to most Northlanders—gave him a feeling of freedom when family pressures weighed him down.

  He felt the usual surge of pleasure as he turned into the drive and parked in front of the long, low house overlooking the bay. He paused as he got out of the car and looked down at the sparkling blue water, fringed by the wide crescent of golden sand. In the small garden, fantails flitted from tree to tree, and tui birds called out, the only sound in the peace and quiet of the early evening.

  He leaned on the low wall and let out a long, slow breath. He had a headache, partly from the busy afternoon, partly from worrying about the matter that had been on his mind all week. He thought about the phone call he’d received a few days before. His mother had been in tears because his father had taken her in the wheelchair to the supermarket, left her at the end of one of the aisles while he fetched an item, and had promptly forgotten she was there. He’d gotten all the way home before he remembered, and by then Sarah had been embarrassed, upset, and a little frightened. Joss had spoken to Noel Heaven, who’d been angered by his son’s suggestion his forgetfulness was becoming more than absent-mindedness. He’d promptly hung up, leaving Joss frustrated at his father’s refusal to accept he had dementia, most likely caused by Alzheimer’s Disease.

  Joss had left it a few hours and then gone to his parents’ house, but his father had still refused to talk about it. Joss had at least been able to try and offer his mother some comfort, and he’d held her as she sobbed, and had muttered platitudes to make her feel better. But the truth was that telling her everything was g
oing to be okay was a lie. Confined to a wheelchair, she was reliant on her husband for most day-to-day matters. But if Noel did have Alzheimer’s, things were only going to get worse.

  Joss hung his head and closed his eyes. Life seemed to be conspiring against him. What had happened to his dreams of adventure and a life spent doing an exciting, challenging job? That morning he’d given two flu jabs, treated a foot infection, and referred several patients for depression, one of whom had sat and sobbed so hard in front of him he’d felt close to joining her. He felt fifty years old and eighty years tired. He desperately needed a bit of fun in his life.

  That was what had made him visit Maisey. His feet had automatically walked into the shop. When he’d seen her there, humming away to herself as she worked without a care in the world, his heart had lifted as he’d known it would. There was something about her that was so gentle, so light and carefree, and she never failed to cheer him up.

  He sighed, watching a pukeko bird with its fat blue body, red beak, and comical red legs walk across the small patch of grass to the side of the house. His conversation with Maisey in the car had plagued him all week. Grown up, professional, responsible Joss knew he had to refuse her proposition. He’d promised Kole he wouldn’t go near his sister, and fooling around with Maisey was going to land him in trouble if it all went tits up, so to speak.

  And yet… Come play with me, Joss… Her playful invitation and her downright erotic suggestion of a “quick fuck” were so appealing he was seriously considering her proposal. I’m not talking about making things complicated, about commitment, or forever, she’d said, and the idea of indulging in a brief affair tempted him. Was it possible? In his experience, girls didn’t launch themselves into a fling without hoping for something more. But maybe he was being old fashioned. Most of the women he’d dated had loved sex, and while at uni, he’d had his share of one-night stands, which should have proved to him not all girls were constantly looking for Mr. Right.

  Maisey was concentrating on making the shop work, and she’d made it clear she wasn’t ready to settle down. They were both single, and as long as they used protection, kept the affair to themselves, and treated each other with respect, what could go wrong? To assume she was going to fall in love with him and then make a scene when he ended things was egotistical to say the least. And it would be a long time before he’d fall for another girl. He wouldn’t let himself. That was one complication he’d put off for a while yet.