She lay on the sofa and stared up at the ceiling for hours as the sun rose high in the sky and then began its descent toward the horizon, going over and over things in her head, trying to convince herself she couldn’t be feeling what she was feeling.
But the truth was that yes, every single one of those definitions was true. She trusted him implicitly. Felt comfortable with him, nicely so. The thought of him with Ana ate at her, and she’d felt a definite surge of glee when he’d told her there were things Ana refused to do with him. She missed him now, lying there, wondering what he was getting up to. She wanted to be with him, look after him, help him through his difficult times and celebrate their good ones together. She wanted to explore his body, to try out all the things she’d heard and read about, and to let him do whatever he wanted to her, as many times as wanted, in any position. She wanted to marry him, have his ring on her finger to tell everyone he belonged to her. She wanted to have his kids, grow old together.
She was completely, totally fucked, and not in a good way. Because he didn’t feel the same. She was certain of it. Or at least, he wasn’t in a place where he would let himself love a woman right now. He thought his life was too complicated, and he didn’t want the added difficulty of a relationship confusing matters.
The only way she would be able to keep him was to remind him what had brought him to her in the first place. He thought she was young and flighty, but he didn’t realize he needed that. Yes, he had responsibilities and problems, but that didn’t mean he shouldn’t have someone in his life. He needed some light relief, someone to bring him happiness when he wasn’t being all serious and grown up.
She sat at the little table she and Tasha shared to do paperwork, and took out the bunch of photos Kole had produced for her to choose from for the poster. She withdrew one of Joss and studied it with a smile. It was the first one she’d taken, before he’d dipped his head to cover his face with the hat, and he was giving the camera a wry smile. Grinning, she pulled a piece of paper toward her and wrote a note with her favorite pink pen with a fluffy bouncing dog on the top.
Joss. Thanks for a great day. You see, life’s not all about responsibilities and being serious! If you ever need a bit of light entertainment again, you know who to call.
Was that too tarty? She sighed and signed it with a big flourish and a couple of kisses at the bottom. She needed to do something or she would never get to see him again, would never have another night like the one before.
She slotted the letter and photo into an envelope and addressed it to him, then took a short walk to the nearest postbox. He’d get it on Tuesday probably. It should make him laugh, anyway.
She went back and had just made a plunger of coffee when the door opened and Tasha walked in. Maisey went to say hi, then saw the wary look on her face the same moment that Kole entered behind her.
Shit.
“Hey.” Maisey indicated her coffee cup. “You two want a drink?”
“No, thanks.” Kole dropped Tasha’s night bag on the floor, and came over to stand before his sister, hands on hips.
She stirred her drink, her heart hammering. “What?”
“So, you and Joss. How long has that been going on?”
“Not long.” Maisey walked past him into the living room. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
“It is my business. You’re my sister.”
“And I’m twenty-four, and although it might surprise you to learn this, I have my own brain, Kole.”
“So fucking use it,” he snapped. “What the hell are you doing?”
She put her mug down and glared at him, her stomach in a knot. She hated arguing with him. “What is your problem? Why does it matter to you who I see?”
Although he was obviously angry, another emotion also crossed his face, surprising her. Worry. “It matters because I care about you. And I know what Joss is like. Don’t fall for him, Maisey, because he’ll only hurt you.”
Tongue-tied, she said nothing.
Beside him, Tasha gave her a pitying look. “It’s too late, Kole.”
He stared at his sister, and his expression turned to exasperation. “For fuck’s sake. Maisey, Joss is only here because of his responsibilities. You really think he’d ever be happy with you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I met Ana before they broke up. She looks like a model. She’s incredibly sophisticated.”
“So? I can be sophisticated too,” Maisey protested.
His gaze dropped to her slippers, which were in the shape of two dogs complete with floppy ears and tongue hanging out.
“Well, not all the time,” Maisey snapped.
Tasha sighed. “I wish you’d talked to me first. I knew you liked him, but I didn’t think you’d fall for him.”
“You’re going to get hurt,” Kole said. “You might think he’s changed since the old days, now he’s all grown up and responsible, but he hasn’t. He’s playing with you, and as soon as he gets bored, he’ll ditch you.”
Maisey’s eyes burned with unshed tears. “You don’t know that.”
Kole’s eyes were hard. “I’m sorry to be so harsh, but it’s the truth. He’s an intelligent man, and he needs more from a woman than glittery hair clips and sparkly nail varnish.”
Resentment welled inside her. “Don’t be so fucking insulting. I’m not the village idiot.”
“Maybe not, but you’re so young, and you don’t take anything seriously. You’re incredibly immature, Maisey. He’ll tire of you, and you’ll end up with a broken heart. And it’ll be your own fault, because I warned you, and I warned him.”
“Kole…” Tasha touched his arm. “Enough.”
He glanced at her, and his frown lifted.
“Go,” she murmured.
Maisey turned away, her throat tight with emotion, her lips trembling.
“I’m sorry to be so blunt,” he stated. “But it had to be said. He’s taken advantage of you, and I’ll never forgive him for that.”
She heard him kiss Tasha on the cheek, and then the front door opened and closed again.
Tasha came up to her, took one look at her face, and wrapped her arms around her. “Don’t cry. Please don’t cry. These fucking men. They’re not worth it.”
But Maisey couldn’t stop the tears flowing. “I didn’t mean to fall for him,” she whispered. “I just thought he needed cheering up. I’m such an idiot.”
Tasha stroked her back. “Kole doesn’t know everything. He likes to think he does, but he doesn’t. He didn’t want to settle down either, but do you know what he did in Auckland?”
Maisey lifted her head and wiped her cheeks. “What?”
“He proposed to me.” Tasha grinned and lifted up her hand, wiggling her fingers to highlight a sparkling diamond.
Maisey’s jaw dropped. “Oh my God. Tash! He asked you to marry him?”
“He did. I never thought he’d ever want to settle down, but he proposed, Maisey. Men do change. They grow up, and their attitudes and priorities alter. It’ll happen to Joss too.”
Maisey nodded and hugged Tasha, pleased for her. But Kole’s words had wounded her, and they would ring in her head for the rest of the night.
You’re incredibly immature, Maisey. He’ll tire of you, and you’ll end up with a broken heart. And it’ll be your own fault.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Joss sat at his computer and glared at the screen. He felt grumpy, stressed, and depressed, and it was only Tuesday. What a terrible start to the week it had been, and it was only going to get worse.
After he’d parted from Maisey on Sunday, he’d gone around to Hayley’s house, picked up Liam and Sammy, and taken them to the indoor swimming pool for a while to let them splash around and wear off some energy. Unfortunately, on the way out Sammy had slipped over and hit her head on the nearby brick wall. She’d knocked herself out for ten seconds, along with causing a gash that had poured blood all over her, him, and Liam. He’d stopped the
bleeding, but he’d had to whisk her to the hospital in Whangarei for stitches, and because she’d lost consciousness briefly, they’d kept her in overnight for observation, much to Hayley’s distress. Hayley had driven down to be with Sammy, and Joss had then returned to her house with Liam and Ethan, and had stayed the night with them, following which he’d had to endure the Monday morning panic of getting them up, making lunches, finding their uniforms, and getting them to school. He’d been late to work, and the day hadn’t improved, ending with several emergencies and a string of appointments that had all taken longer than he’d expected and put him even further behind.
Fortunately, the hospital had released Sammy that afternoon, so Hayley had returned home. But she’d kept the girl off school for another day to let her rest, and Joss had done the school run again that morning, taking the two boys in.
Oddly, he’d quite enjoyed seeing the other world of school and home life. Kids were exhausting in so many ways, but they were also rewarding too. Liam’s teacher had called him over to show him how far the boy had progressed in his reading log, and at the end of the day he’d helped out with refereeing Ethan’s soccer match. It had given him a brief glimpse into a world that could be, a world of youth and fun and energy rather than sickness and hospitals—although obviously they were often part of a child’s world too. But it made him think about whether he would ever have a family himself, whether he would referee at his own son’s football match, go to see his own daughter in a play, or help her with her reading.
It gave him a strange ache to think about it, because at the moment he couldn’t envisage it coming to fruition for a long time. To find the right girl, to get married, to settle down and go through the process of trying for a family, it all took time, and it wasn’t something to be undertaken lightly. Meeting a girl then marrying her two weeks later wasn’t an option—any marriage formed on such fragile footing was bound to end in disaster. If and when it happened, he wanted someone he loved and desired, but who he also felt comfortable with, someone he’d known for a while. Someone compatible in and out of bed.
An image formed in his mind of Maisey lying half covered in the duvet, skin shining in the moonlight. Of her sitting next to him on his sofa, watching the movie; of her laughing, teasing him, making him feel good. But then he remembered the awkward way she’d held the Maggot, her statement that she wasn’t ready for a family, and just how unreliable and flighty she was. She had a lot of growing up to do before she even thought of settling down, and besides, she was Kole’s sister.
As if on cue, Kole’s car appeared in the parking space across from Joss’s office, visible through the slanted blinds. He groaned and rested his head in his hands. Kole had wanted to see him the day before, but he’d managed to make excuses about being busy. He’d known he wouldn’t be able to get away with it for long though, and sure enough, that morning Kole had emailed to say he’d drop by during Joss’s lunch hour.
Joss pushed himself away from the desk and walked down the corridor to the waiting room where Kole was talking to the receptionists. As Joss walked out, the young women all giggled. He frowned at them. What had got into them?
“Kia ora,” Joss said to Kole.
“Kia ora.” Kole pushed himself off the desk, and the two guys stared at one other. Kole’s eyes were cool, his face impassive, but Joss knew him well enough to know anger would be bubbling beneath the calm façade.
“Come through.” Joss led the way back to his office, automatically opening the door and standing back to let his “patient” precede him. Kole glared at him as he went through, and Joss blew out a silent breath as he closed the door behind him.
He gestured to a chair, but Kole shook his head and remained standing, his hands in his pockets.
“Before you start,” Joss said, “you should know I have an ambulance on standby.”
“I’m not planning on hitting you.”
“Well, that’s a relief.” Joss thought he could have taken a genial Kole, but a pissed off Kole would be more troublesome.
The two of them studied each other for a long moment. The pressure eventually got to Joss though, and he sighed heavily. “For God’s sake, get on with it.”
“Get on with what?”
“Whatever you’ve come here to say. I know you’re mad at me. Let’s not drag this out.”
“I don’t quite know what to say.” Kole glanced out of the window, looking oddly sad. “In a strange way, I wasn’t surprised at all. You two have always had a spark, and I’ve half expected to find out you were dating for years.”
Joss stared at him, taken aback by his words. “What?”
Kole frowned. “I just thought you’d at least treat her right, you know? Take her out to dinner, buy her flowers, at least try to make it look as if you were treating her nicely. But this…” Distaste crossed his face. “A one-night stand? I’m so fucking disappointed in you, bro.”
For the first time, anger stirred in Joss’s belly. Yes, Kole may be her older brother, but he wasn’t her father. Joss hadn’t seduced Maisey. This wasn’t the Regency period, and she’d known perfectly well what she was doing. “Look…”
“She’s very young,” Kole interrupted, “and very innocent.”
“Not that innocent,” Joss said sarcastically before he could stop himself.
Kole’s expression turned thunderous. “For fuck’s sake—do you want me to hit you? I meant in life. I’m not stupid, Joss, I know she’s no shy virgin, but I don’t care if she danced around you with a sign saying ‘Get it here,’ you’re four years older than her physically and about fifteen mentally, and you’re my best mate. You’re old enough to control yourself. You should have kept your dick in your pants and said no, not screwed her like she was some slapper you’d met at a party.”
Joss felt about an inch high. “It wasn’t like that.” But it was like that, and he couldn’t pretend to himself otherwise. It didn’t matter that Maisey had been the one to state there’d be no strings and no commitment. She was Kole’s sister, and he’d used her to suit himself.
He ran a hand through his hair. How come he fucked up everything he touched lately? Resentment bubbled inside him. This was the twenty-first century. Sex was fun, and provided protection was used, what was the problem in having a few partners? He and Maisey had come together metaphorically and physically because they’d wanted to. He certainly hadn’t led her astray with talk of going steady or anything like that. In fact, he’d been the one to make it clear several times that he wasn’t interested in a relationship, but it hadn’t stopped her.
Should he take responsibility for what had happened just because he was older and a guy? If anything, he was the one feeling used at the moment. Maisey had tempted him into a brief fling, but instead of being satisfying, it had made him yearn for her. And that was hopeless, because they were totally incompatible, and a relationship with her would never work.
Irritated now at being made to feel as if he’d done something wrong, he gestured to the door. “I think you should leave.”
Kole tipped his head, glaring at him. “Yeah, I’m sure that would suit you fine. I’m waiting for an apology.”
“Well, you’re not fucking going to get one.” Joss’s tight control snapped. “Maisey knew perfectly well what she was doing, and so did I. I know you’re just looking out for her and that’s fair enough, and I know you think I should have turned her down, but you know what? I’m glad I didn’t, because she was fucking unbelievable in bed. And I can’t say I wish it hadn’t happened because I enjoyed every fucking minute. And I’m not going to stand here and say I didn’t to please you. I had a great time, and so did Maisey, as far as I know. But it’s done, it’s over, and the only one making a big deal about it at the moment is you.”
Kole stared at him for a long, long moment. Then without another word he turned and walked out.
Joss stood there, shaking with anger and other emotions he couldn’t put a name to, cursing Kole, cursing himself, and curs
ing Maisey for putting him in this stupid position. No, he didn’t regret sleeping with her because she’d been amazing.
But he couldn’t help but wish he’d been strong enough to say no. Kole was right—it would have been the bigger thing to do, and he felt very small for having given in to his lust. But she’d known exactly how to tempt him to the point where any red-blooded male would have had trouble saying no. He’d like to have seen Kole turn down free sex with a hot chick. The two-faced bastard had slept with Tasha, for crying out loud.
He desperately needed a coffee, but there was no way he was going to Treats today. Deciding he’d have to settle for a cup of instant, he walked out of his office to the reception area.
The three receptionists looked up as he came out, and one of them nudged the young woman next to her, and they both giggled. Una, the third, slightly older woman, frowned at them, but when she glanced up at Joss, she had a twinkle in her eye.
He stopped, suspicious. “What?”
“Nothing.” Una took a pile of letters and slid them over to him, having the grace to look embarrassed. “We…um…opened your mail, and there was one letter that wasn’t marked as private and confidential, but I think it was possibly meant to be. I’m so sorry we opened it.”
Joss frowned and took the well-thumbed envelope from the top of the pile, turned it over, and slid out the contents. He read Maisey’s note, then flipped the photo over.
Fuck. He closed his eyes for a moment.
When he opened them, the two young women were openly laughing and Una was having a hell of a job keeping a straight face.
“Nice hat,” she said.
“Thanks.”
“I didn’t realize you were the shop’s poster boy,” one of the women said.
Una sent her a sharp look, but her eyes still twinkled.
Joss cleared his throat. “Yes, well, it was supposed to be anonymous.”
“Don’t worry,” the younger receptionist said, “we won’t tell.” But her face told him the first thing she was going to do when he left the office was ring up all her friends. Glancing behind reception to the kitchen, he saw the two nurses standing having a coffee laughing at him, and beside them one of the other doctors, looking much amused.
Treat her Right: A New Zealand Sexy Beach Romance (Treats to Tempt You Book 2) Page 18