Just One Kiss (Hearts of the Outback Book 1)

by Susanne Bellamy

  “Now? Right now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Here, in your office?” Her voice was breathy and she looked around as though expecting to see dozens of people.

  He scooted his roller chair close and lightly traced her jaw. “We’re alone. What do you think? Shall we see how we go?”

  Her eyes widened and her lips parted. Wordlessly, she nodded and leaned towards him.

  He kept this first kiss light, brushing her mouth with his, and barely tasting her sweetness. Her lips clung to his and he dared a little more. A gentle nip on her full lower lip that had taunted his dreams. Warm breath shared, she pulled back and looked at him.

  Wonder of wonders. Amy touched her mouth and blinked.

  Dan’s kiss delighted her, both teasing and feeling so real she wanted to dive right back into it. If Dan could kiss her like this, like he meant it, they might just get away with their charade. The only problem she foresaw was wanting more than he could give. She pressed her thighs together and wriggled further back on her seat.

  “Well?”

  “You’ll do.” Oh, how he would do!

  “Should we practise more? I think we should try standing.”

  “No need, honestly, Dan.”

  He seemed a little disappointed. Her reply had been lacklustre, especially given how hard it must be for Dan to kiss a woman. It wasn’t his fault he preferred men. Although, that kiss had surpassed her expectations. Blown them away by the promise of more. She took a deep breath and met his gaze.

  “That was fine. Really nice.”

  “Just—nice? I’m sure I can do better. I must be out of practice.” He got to his feet and, taking her hand, drew her up.

  She rested her hands on Dan’s chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath her palm. Hers thudded wildly as she waited, wanting, not wanting, unsure of her reaction if he really kissed her. Properly. Like she wanted him to.

  Dan cupped her face with one hand and lowered his head.

  “Paging Dr Middleton and Captain Alistair. Please report to your plane. Dr Middleton and Captain Alistair.” The tinny voice crackled over the loudspeaker, breaking the spell of Dan’s lips.

  “We’re needed, Dan. I’ll—meet you at the plane.” She spun on her heel and raced from his office.

  Lizzy met her in the corridor outside Dan’s door. “Amy, here’s the details of the call out.”

  Amy tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and thanked her stars she hadn’t been wearing lipstick. Streaked lipstick and messy hair. Telltale signs like that would fuel the rumour mill in ways she and Dan didn’t need. “Thanks, Lizzy.”

  “How’s your brother? He must be almost ready to be discharged?” Lizzy walked with her as they headed into the hangar.

  “He’s making good progress. Maybe Wednesday or Thursday, the hospital said. Dan thinks the same.”

  “Will you have a welcome home party for him?”

  “Maybe.”

  Lizzy gripped her forearm and, lowering her voice, leaned close. “Watch out for Sharyn. You and the doc, that’s got her riled madder than a cut snake. She rather fancied herself snagging him.”

  Amy looked at the woman who had been the office bitch as long as she’d been there and who now seemed to be a friend. You never knew what lay beneath the face people presented to the world. “Thanks, Lizzy. I’m sure we’ll be fine. She’s just miffed that he’s chasing someone in trousers.” Amy hoped no one suspected the truth behind her throwaway line. Not for a while, at least.

  “Watch your back.” Lizzy headed towards the main office. Through the glass panel, Amy saw her laughing and shaking her head at Tess before the sound of footsteps brought her back to the present.

  “Captain, ready to fly?” Dan carried his medical bag in one hand and slipped his iPhone into his shirt pocket with the other.

  “Ready, Doc.” They climbed aboard and settled into the round of familiar pre-flight checks, the pattern calming Amy’s churning thoughts. Later, when they returned, she’d think about Dan’s kiss. And about how she was going to manage to keep her head out of the clouds if he kissed her again.

  Chapter Eleven

  Dan moved around the front of Jeff’s wheelchair and pulled on the brakes. “Okay, take it easy and slide your backside across the seat.”

  On the other side of his car, Amy opened the passenger door and climbed in, arms ready to guide her brother. “Here’s your seatbelt, Jeff.”

  “Yes, mother hen. Don’t you think I’m big enough and ugly enough to do it for myself?” Jeff winced as Dan lifted his leg in its plaster cast.

  “Hop in, Amy. Let’s get this show on the road.” Dan held the door as Amy slipped into the front seat. She seemed a bit twitchy and he wondered if it was only because her brother and her parents would be staying with her for a few weeks. Time recuperating at Amy’s home before he attempted the long drive back to the family property had been non-negotiable, especially when he needed to access the hospital for physiotherapy.

  Dan drove smoothly through the lunchtime traffic, chatting about mundane topics until they pulled into Amy’s drive. Gareth and Jessie Alistair came down the front steps to greet them and help Jeff into the house. With one parent on each side, Jeff swung his crutches slowly along the garden path.

  Amy grabbed Dan’s arm and held him back. Her clear hazel gaze darted from the retreating backs of her family and fixed on him. “Remember, play it down.”

  “I got it the first time, Amy. We’re dating but it’s not serious.” Even if he wanted it to be, rushing Amy into anything was a sure way to scare her off. “No kissing needed to convince the folks we’re together.”

  “Okay, good, just checking.”

  He followed her into the house. Jessie Alistair was fussing with Amy’s cushions, tucking them behind her son.

  “Mum, it’s fine there, thanks.”

  Dan watched the byplay between mother and son, and glanced at Amy. She rolled her eyes and disappeared down the hallway with Jeff’s overnight bag. Jeff would need the patience of a saint if his mother didn’t find something else to divert her attention from her son.

  “I’ll make a pot of tea.” Jessie went into the kitchen and the sounds of water boiling and pottery mugs being set out filtered into the lounge room.

  Dan sat on a footstool beside the television. “So, Jeff, what are your plans to stay occupied while you give your leg time to heal?”

  “Go stir crazy probably.” Jeff closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Any suggestions, Doc?”

  “How are you at graphic design? We need some stuff done up for the Flying Doctor fundraiser.”

  “Not my area of expertise. I’m colour blind.”

  “Lucky you weren’t into flying like Amy.”

  Gareth returned with a box full of folders and a laptop and put them on the table beside his son before sitting in the sleek armchair. “I thought you might like to look over our breeding programme while you’ve got time to read. See if you can tweak it.”

  Jeff looked at his father and grinned before reaching across the arm of the chair and grabbing a folder. “Beaut, thanks, Dad. I wondered how I was going to pass my time here.”

  “You have an interest in genetics? What traits are you looking at?” It had been a close run thing at uni, a toss up between genetics and paediatrics when Dan was choosing his specialty area. His choice had come down to what was the best fit for his ultimate goal of rural medicine.

  Jeff pulled out a photo and held it out to Dan. “Drought hardiness, and tick resistance are our primary goals but then we’re looking for tender, flavoursome meat. That’s one of our successes.”

  “Export market?”

  “Out of Cairns to Asia.”

  Amy passed through on her way into the kitchen and flicked him a worried look. He smiled in response to her raised eyebrow. All was going well so far.

  A few minutes later, she and her mother reappeared with a tray of tea things and a plate of biscuits and homemade fruit ca
ke, which they placed on the coffee table.

  Jessie piled up a plate and handed it to her son. “Your favourite, darling. And we’re cooking roast beef with all the trimmings for dinner.”

  Amy placed a mug on the arm of Jeff’s chair and carried one across to Dan. He caught her hand and twined his fingers with hers. “When do you want to tell them?”

  “Hey, spill. Are you two an item now?” Jeff’s question knocked any plans to delay sharing the news until later.

  Amy spun around to face her brother and parents. “Look, it’s not what it looks like. Well, it is, but it isn’t.”

  Dan tugged her down and she sat on his knee. “Amy and I are going out but it’s very new.”

  Eyes glistening, Jessie clasped her hands together. “Oh, darling, that’s wonderful news. Isn’t it, Gareth?”

  Gareth looked at his son and shrugged. “Er, yeah. Good news.”

  Jessie hovered with her hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Amy, darling, will you help me prepare the vegetables for dinner?”

  Amy turned her head and whispered to Dan. “That’s mum-code for tell me everything. Please come and rescue me if I’m not out within ten minutes.”

  “Would you like an emergency at work, or the suggestion we need some alone time?”

  The panicked look in Amy’s eyes made him relent.

  “Work, it is.” With her mother looking on fondly, he gave Amy a kiss on her cheek.

  “What’s that for?”

  “Luck.” He winked and released her hand.

  The warmth of his touch and the humour of his wink carried her through her mother’s kitchen inquisition, and the rest of the evening. And when she fell into bed, it was Dan’s face and touch that lulled her to sleep.

  ##

  Without Johnno to keep the younger mechanic in check, her good mood from the previous evening leached away as the day wore on and disappeared completely with Mike’s needling over coffee at the afternoon tea break. By the time Dan pulled up outside Terri and Johnno’s home, she couldn’t hold in her temper any longer.

  “Tell me what Johnno said to you.” Hands on hips, Amy planted her feet on the yellowing grass footpath outside Johnno and Terri’s house. A long day followed by Mike’s smirking comment about Johnno and Dan’s discussion had fired her temper. “I refuse to go inside until you tell me what he said about me that Mike thought was so funny.”

  Dan spread his hands, palms up, as he rounded the back of his car. “Johnno just wanted to let me know that there are people looking out for you.”

  “I can take care of myself. I don’t need a man watching me like a hawk. Who does he think he is, warning you off? I’ve a good mind to—”

  Dan covered her hands with his. Startled, she realised she’d made fists of them.

  “Amy, he cares about you. Don’t make a fuss or you’ll embarrass him.”

  “But—”

  “Mike was being a dozy B. You know he likes to stir you. Now can we just go in and have a drink with friends?” The hint of husky voice was so unlike Dan and it occurred to Amy that his start had been even earlier than hers. Sympathy filled her and she nodded.

  “If you’re sure that was all it was. I hate being gossiped about, especially after—”

  A door squeaked and Johnno peered out from the veranda. “Hey, are you two coming in anytime soon? Terri’s got kebabs on the barbeque and the beer’s getting warm.”

  “Coming, Johnno.” Amy knew she needed to settle down and forget Mike’s stupid remark, and enjoy the evening.

  Dan took her arm but stopped with a hand on the latch of the front gate. Hooking his arm around her waist he pulled her up close. “Are you okay, Amy? We don’t have to stay long if you’re tired.”

  “Dan, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped on you like that. It’s just—frustrating having my every move watched. I haven’t lived with my family for years and now, I don’t seem to have any personal space. Anywhere.”

  “Okay. If that’s all it is, let’s try to relax for a couple of hours.”

  His body was warm and comforting and she told herself to relax like Dan had suggested. She lowered her head onto his shoulder and her nose brushed bare skin in the open neck of his shirt. Breathing in Dan’s scent, she closed her eyes. Her hand crept up his chest, sliding over his shirt, feeling the flex of muscles beneath her fingers as he raised his hand.

  Dan released her hair from its tie and softly massaged her scalp. Was it her imagination or did his lips touch her head? Amy sighed as the day’s tensions drained away.

  “We can leave if you like?” Dan’s warm breath tickled her ear.

  It would be so easy to hop in the car, drive home and snuggle up with Dan for her pillow. Except—her home was full of family who would want to chat about her day and ask how she felt. Beautiful people who loved her and drove her crazy at the same time.

  “Terri’s made kebabs. We can’t disappoint her.” Amy inhaled Dan’s scent one more time and then, with a supreme effort of will, lifted her head and looked at him. “We’ll have to have an evening in at your home again soon.”

  ##

  Amy wanted to come back to his home? Either she was more tired than he thought and rambling or . . .

  The alternative put a spring in his step as they walked along the garden path.

  Terri opened the screen door and grinned as she looked from one to the other. “Hi, guys. Come on through to the pool. Kebabs are ready and I’ve made a new dipping sauce I want you to try. You’re my guinea pigs.” They led the way through to the back of the house and Johnno offered a choice of wine or beer when they sat at the table.

  “Just water please. I’m half asleep on my feet and I’m flying tomorrow.” Amy picked up a carrot stick from the plate of nibbles and dipped it in creamy dip. As she took a bite a smear of sauce coated her lower lip.

  Dan’s gaze zeroed in on her mouth and he froze, his stubby halfway to his mouth. He could lean across the short distance between them and help her lick it clean. The taste of Amy with—

  “Dan, try some of the antipasto.” The plate rose in his peripheral vision.

  With a start, Dan remembered they weren’t alone. “Not for me, thanks.” Leaning his arms on the table, he raised his stubby and took a swig. Not that anything would douse the heat pulsing through him. Nothing but losing himself in Amy’s body.

  Johnno placed a platter of steaming kebabs in the centre of the table and sat next to Amy. Terri added two bowls of dipping sauce, one between each couple, and a bowl of layered salad. “Okay, two, four, six, eight, bog in—”

  “Don’t wait. It looks and smells wonderful, Terri. Thanks for inviting us.” Amy took two skewers and a scoop of salad. “How’s the fundraiser planning coming along? Need a hand with anything else?”

  “All undercontrol.” Terri served herself and picked up her fork.

  “She’s only pulled her hair out once this week.” Johnno hoed into his kebab and grinned when Terri mock-punched his arm.

  They reminded Dan of his parents, and his hopes of finding the same kind of relationship one day. Gosford had burned him, it was true. Amy had remarked on his standoffish behaviour with the women on base, but as he watched her with her friends—his friends now, too—the past slipped away. With luck on his side, Amy was his future.

  He just had to convince her he was hers.

  Johnno refilled their glasses and cleared away the plates before rejoining them. “Coffee’s on, unless anyone prefers tea?” With no takers for tea, he sat and linked hands with his wife.

  Terri leaned forward. “I’m really pleased you two are together. You’re a perfect couple. We both agree.”

  “Oh, Terri, we’re just going out and having a bit of fun. Nothing serious.” Amy toyed with her glass of water and glanced at Dan. “Aren’t we, Dan?”

  “Sure.” He raised his stubby and toasted her. Fun was the best way to start his pursuit of Amy. And it looked as if he could count Terri on his side.

  Across the tab
le, Johnno’s gaze connected with his in tacit reminder of their chat before he turned to Amy. “You deserve a bit of fun, Tweety Bird.”

  Terri nodded. “Especially after Derek. What a prawn he was.”

  “We agreed never to mention him again.” Amy placed her glass on the table and pushed her chair back. “I really don’t feel like coffee. Would you mind if we called it a night?”

  “Sweetie, I’m sorry. Please don’t go because I mentioned that idiot’s name.” Terri rose and came around the table to stand beside Amy.

  “No, it’s not that. I’m just tired.”

  Dan finished his drink and stood as well. “Thanks for a lovely dinner, Terri. I should take Amy home. She’s had a long day. Johnno, see you at work.”

  Terri and Johnno accompanied them to Dan’s car and stood, arms around one another, and waved goodbye.

  “Should I be jealous of Derek?” Dan broke the silence as he waited for the change of traffic light.

  “No.” Amy slipped her shoes off and tucked her feet up under her skirt.

  “Is he still on the scene?”

  “No. And can we leave his name out of the conversation from now on?”

  “Okay. I only wondered—”

  “We went out together, people expected us to marry, then we split up. He left Mt. Isa. Now I’m going out with you. End of story.” She turned her head away.

  The light changed to green and Dan accelerated smoothly across the intersection. If the relationship had been serious and this Derek had dumped Amy, it would explain why Johnno was so protective of her. And why her mother was happy to see her only daughter going out again.

  He glanced over at Amy. Her arms hugged her knees and her head leaned into the seat. Fighting the urge to pull over and wrap his arms around her, he concentrated on driving. Amy would share the details or not, as she chose. But if ever he met the unfortunate Derek, he’d have to decide whether to thump him or thank him. On balance, both seemed appropriate.

  “Here you are. Home again.” Dan switched off the engine and waited.

  Amy wasn’t making any moves to get out of the car.

  “Do you want to talk?” He touched her shoulder. “Amy?”