Falling for Flynn

by Nicola Marsh

  Her smile faltered. Making a decision to get reacquainted for Adam’s sake was one thing, maintaining control on her traitorous feelings another.

  “Do you fancy dessert?”

  He returned to his seat and handed her a menu, a slightly bemused expression on his face.

  Mentally cursing her inability to play this cool, she shook her head.

  “No thanks, couldn’t possibly fit another thing in. We can always have coffee at home?”

  His lips compressed in an unimpressed line and she knew why. Home consisted of her and Adam, a place he’d wanted to be. She should be grateful his animosity had returned, for it put some much-needed distance between them. Instead, she couldn’t help but wish her every word didn’t have the potential to slash a hole in their fragile truce.

  “Fine. Let’s go.”

  Once he’d taken the care of the bill — she wasn’t foolish enough to offer to pay half considering his thunderous expression — they stepped out onto Johnston Street, a hive of bustling café culture and restaurants and Spanish dance clubs.

  They had a ten-minute walk back to the car and as they fought their way through a crowd of rowdy teenagers, he placed a hand in the small of her back, the heat from his chivalrous touch penetrating the cotton of her dress and branding her skin like an iron.

  “This place has changed a lot.”

  She gestured toward the street, grasping at any topic of conversation to distract her from the havoc his touch created.

  “For the better thankfully.”

  “Does your grandfather still live here?”

  She’d never visited his home, hadn’t been invited despite her frequent hints. He’d always clammed up when she’d pushed to meet his grandfather, his only family, and by his surly expression, looked like nothing had changed.

  “No. End-stage dementia. He’s in a nursing home. Blames me for putting him there, on the rare occasion he’s compos.”

  She heard the concern in his voice, an instant sliver of guilt stabbing her. Family was important to him, always had been. And she’d robbed him of a major part of his family.

  “It’s hard when they can’t see you’re doing stuff for their own good.”

  His eyes narrowed, watching her, assessing, as she realized her words could’ve applied to their situation: she’d kept Adam from him for her son’s good, for Flynn’s good too in not making him choose between the career he loved and a kid he didn’t ask for.

  However, he didn’t call her on it and she exhaled, unaware she’d been holding her breath.

  “He’s a stubborn old coot but now I’m back for a while maybe he’ll ease up.”

  For a while …

  Her heart sank at the words. What did she expect, for the nomad soldier to resign his commission and stick around just because he had a son?

  “He has to live there, for his own good.”

  “I know.” He paused, fixing her with a pointed glare. “Family is everything to me.”

  She understood the implication behind his words and didn’t know whether to be heartened by how quickly he’d taken to Adam or scared at what the prospect of “family” might entail. Was he talking about the time he’d be in Richmond or did he envisage longer?

  Not willing to jeopardize the tenuous bond that seemed to be growing between them since she’d decided to meet his challenge of getting reacquainted head on, she slipped her hand into his.

  “Let’s take a walk.”

  His hand convulsed for a second, surprise quirking his brows, before his fingers curled around hers, solid, comforting, fitting exactly as they used to.

  She savored the feel of his hand holding hers securely as they strolled past the restaurants, patrons spilling onto the pavements, crowding roadside tables, liked how he guided her through the throng. She hadn’t been here in years, was busy people watching and checking out the interesting cafés, unaware they’d traversed the length of the street until they stopped in front of the high school.

  “Now this place hasn’t changed at all,” she murmured, staring at the sprawling red brick building.

  A host of memories assailed her: arriving here for the first inter-school debate, getting off the bus and holding her head high as she ignored the wolf-whistles of the local boys, laying eyes on Flynn for the first time …

  He’d sat on the opposing team’s table on the auditorium stage looking supremely confident, those gray eyes pinning her with their intensity, as if sizing her up. She’d been smitten ever since.

  “Rumor has it the education department wants to close it down and move all the kids to Richmond High.”

  His cynicism didn’t surprise her. He’d been fiercely proud of his school and its humble beginnings in comparison to its larger, more prestigious competitor in the neighboring suburb a stone’s throw away.

  Rather than answering, she tugged on his hand. “Want to see if it’s still here?”

  “What?”

  He looked down at her, a speculative gleam in his eyes and she had a feeling he knew exactly what she was talking about.

  “Come on. Let’s check it out.”

  They skirted the grounds until they reached the back corner of the schoolyard where a towering gum stood like a lone sentinel guarding its post. She released his hand and knelt, remembering to carefully hold her skirt up at the last minute. She’d squandered way too much on this dress and though it had been her first extravagant purchase in years, she had no intention of ruining it.

  “It’s still here.”

  She tried to quash her irrational excitement and failed, beckoning him to join her on the ground.

  “I don’t know how you can see in this light,” he muttered, squatting next to her.

  She traced the initials that had been carved into the tree almost eleven years earlier, LB 4 FL and the heart that surrounded them.

  “Do you remember the day you did this?”

  He nodded, his eyes glinting silver in the moonlight. “I also remember doing this afterward.”

  Lori registered his meaning and her pulse raced in response as he leaned toward her, captured her face in his hands and kissed her.

  This kiss was nothing like the first tentative joining of lips that had occurred beneath the tree more than a decade ago.

  Oh no, this mind-blowing kiss was an open-mouthed expression of hunger between two people starving for each other.

  Simmering need exploded as his tongue swept into her mouth, taunting her to match him thrust for thrust. She did, eager to savor the thrill of tasting this man all over again despite the foolishness.

  She made a throaty sound as he angled his head, deepening the kiss to the point where she was ready to lie down and make love to him in the scattered bark around the tree’s base, without thought, without reason.

  Her palms pressed against his chest, appreciating the sculpted muscle as she slid her hands around to his back. He’d never felt like this as a teen and she was annoyingly grateful to the job that would tear them apart in the end.

  He broke the kiss, bestowing a trail of tiny kisses from her mouth to her ear where he gently suckled her lobe. She tilted her head back, allowing him easier access and he responded by nibbling his way down her neck to the hollow between the collarbones.

  “Flynn,” she moaned, as his tongue flickered along her skin while his hands pulled her flush against him. “What the hell are we doing?”

  He stilled, eased away, leaving her breathless, stunned, hankering for more and regretting an impulsive kiss for old times sake that could only add to their complications.

  “We’re going at it like a couple of teenagers,” he muttered, standing and brushing down before extending a hand to her.

  “Like we used to?”

  She stumbled as he helped her to her feet and fell against him, his arms sliding around her waist to steady her feeling way too comfortable.

  “Yeah.”

  He shook his head, his smile wry. “Time to get you home. What would our son say if I k
ept you out too late?”

  “He’d probably give you the bedtime curfew lecture I usually give him.”

  He caressed her cheek, the tenderness in his eyes reaching all the way down to her heart as he dropped a quick peck on her lips before she could protest.

  “I’d love to hear it. Let’s go.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Flynn’s fists thudded into the punching bag, the repetitive motion soothing.

  He’d worked out at this old gym in Collingwood’s back streets as a kid, venting his frustrations over Pop’s moods by sweating it out rather than taking it out on anyone else.

  Exercise had always been cathartic, had helped ground him and after last night, he’d hightailed it down here first thing.

  His battle plan had been scuttled.

  By one beautiful woman who his body craved even if his head insisted take the next commission and bolt back to some godforsaken hellhole.

  He’d been determined to get answers, to stay aloof. Instead, the moment he’d heard her reasoning, some of his latent anger had waned.

  He understood.

  Lori loved Adam that much; she hadn’t wanted to put their son through what she’d had to live with.

  He’d seen it over the years, army brats being dragged from one war-torn country to another, never forming real friendships, loners, always being the odd one out at their new schools.

  He’d never want that for his son.

  And while he understood her fears of him not returning from the front, he’d had a right to know his son, would’ve protected him from the harsh truths of his job, could’ve been there for him as much as possible.

  The way he saw it, he had two choices.

  Hold onto bitter resentment and sabotage a potential cordial relationship with Lori or let it go for Adam’s sake and make up for lost time with the son he’d never known.

  A memory of that searing kiss flashed across his mind and he punched the bag, a quick right-left combo, jabbing at it, how he’d like to attack his common sense — or lack of it.

  First time he’d kissed her had been about proving a point but last night had been all about memories and bonding and passion. Passion, dormant yet blazing, too easily reawakened.

  Sure, he wanted to have a relationship with Lori, but not that kind of relationship. Yet when he’d dropped her off, had seen her tuck the blankets around Adam and kiss him gently on the forehead, the yearning to be part of the bedtime ritual had slammed into him with the force of an out of control tank.

  Hanging onto his anger was futile in the face of what he could have if he let it go.

  A family. The type of family he’d always wanted.

  Close. Affectionate. Normal.

  He ripped off his gloves, picked up his water bottle and took a slug. Jumping into a relationship with Lori wasn’t first on his list of priorities. He wanted to get the training school up and running, get to know his son and give them all time to adjust to the new situation before maybe exploring the spark still sizzling between them.

  She’d been thrust into the role of single parenthood far too early and he’d been partly to blame. He hadn’t known about Adam but if he’d really loved her like he’d said back then he would have at least come back one more time to see her rather than relying on phone calls and emails she ignored. And considering the reaction he’d got when he had showed up that night before shipping out …

  Yep, animosity toward Lori wasn’t worth it.

  Maybe he’d be smarter trying to build the family he never had?

  “Thanks for the pizza, Dad. That was yummo.”

  Adam rubbed his stomach, sending Flynn a wide, greasy grin before taking a healthy slurp from his soda can.

  “No worries.”

  Flynn returned his son’s grin, wondering when he’d last enjoyed a pizza so much and trying to ignore the acid burn in his chest that had nothing to do with indigestion and everything to do with the fact he’d missed out on so many great dinners like this one.

  “And a rare treat.”

  Lori sent him a pointed glare, as if warning him not to make a habit of bringing around junk food, though he sensed she’d liked their casual dinner in her backyard as much as he had.

  “Mom’s pretty keen on eating meat and veggies,” Adam said, eyeing off the last remaining pizza wedge with longing. “We don’t eat good stuff like pizza or hamburgers very often.”

  Lori’s mouth twitched with barely concealed amusement as she pushed the box toward Adam.

  “No, we don’t, because good stuff like that isn’t as great as broccoli and carrots and lamb chops.”

  Adam mouthed “yuck” at Flynn and he laughed, enchanted with the byplay between mother and son. Lori was a natural at this parenting stuff and he hoped he’d be half as good.

  Lori smiled as she scooped the last piece of pizza onto Adam’s plate.

  “Here you go. Enjoy your treat, particularly when you rarely complain about all that great stuff I usually feed you.”

  “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.”

  Flynn silently agreed as their eyes met and held while Adam demolished the pizza wedge in record time.

  Flynn wanted to look away, to gain some control over his expression, which must’ve read somewhere between goofy and smitten but the sparks he glimpsed in her luminous eyes held him mesmerized.

  “May I be excused now?”

  Lori blinked and he sighed in relief, caught up in something he knew was bigger than the both of them.

  They’d always shared a special connection but now, with Adam completing their circle, every emotion intensified.

  “Sure thing, sweetheart. Do you have any homework to finish?”

  Adam rolled his eyes, his exasperated expression so like his mother’s Flynn had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop from laughing out loud.

  “I finished it all before dinner so is it okay if I read a bit before bed?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Later alligators.” Adam waved as he bounded up the back steps and into the house, leaving Flynn with a silly grin on his face.

  “He’s some kid.”

  Lori nodded and reached for her soda. “Sure is.”

  Flynn wanted to say more. In fact, he wanted to ask a millions questions, like when had Adam taken his first step, when he’d uttered his first word, what was his favorite subject at school and did he like cars and trucks over dinosaurs and pirates.

  However, he didn’t want to break the contented silence that had descended upon them, the balmy evening air wrapping them in an intimate cocoon that felt safe and comfortable and free of conflict.

  “We should talk about that kiss.”

  Just like that, the illusion of peace shattered.

  “Uh-huh.”

  He deliberately kept his voice devoid of emotion, ignoring the rush of heat as he remembered it in every tempting detail.

  She sighed, a soft, plaintive sound that shot straight to his heart.

  “You’re right about us needing to get reacquainted.”

  Her gaze drifted to the back door where their son had vanished. “Tonight proved it.”

  “But you’re not happy about it?”

  “It’s not that.”

  Longing shifted across Lori’s face, as expressive as ever in the low light cast from a mosquito lamp in the center of the table.

  “Tell me.”

  She fiddled with the condiments, buying time, and he let her. He’d been foolish in turning up here unannounced, hoping she’d forget that little aberration under the high school gum tree last night.

  When she finally raised her gaze to his, what he saw there snatched his breath.

  Fire. Daring. Challenge.

  “That’s the second time you’ve kissed me.” She unconsciously traced her bottom lip. “And I let you, which pretty much proves we’ve got unresolved issues. And the more time we spend together odds are things will intensify.”

  Risking a quick glance over her shoulder, she placed her
palms on the table and leaned forward.

  “Is that what you want?”

  Damned if he knew.

  Until now, the army had been the only family he’d known. Pop barely acknowledged him after he’d enlisted, an irony in itself considering he’d done it for him. He’d like to think it was early onset dementia that caused Pop’s withdrawal but in reality, it was the ongoing aloofness of a man who’d given up everything to raise him and had resented it every day since.

  Considering his upbringing, could he be the family man Lori expected? Deserved?

  “Let’s see how it goes.”

  The corners of her mouth drooped and he felt like the biggest bastard in the world.

  “I don’t want to make any promises I can’t keep.”

  He didn’t add, not after last time.

  She nodded, the fire in her gaze replaced by a sadness he wished he could banish.

  “I know this situation is difficult, but I’m doing the best I can.” He reached out, covered her hand with his, surprised when she turned hers over to grab hold tight.

  “None of this is your fault.”

  Her guilt was palpable as she squeezed his hand, tears shimmering in her eyes, and it took all his willpower not to haul her into his arms.

  “Lori, look at me.”

  He placed a finger under her chin and gently tilted her face up, leaving her little option but to look him straight in the eye.

  “We can’t change the past. We both messed up but the important thing is I’m here now, you’ve done an incredible job with Adam and we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

  She blinked, once, twice, a single, fat tear rolling down her cheek before she swiped it away, a tremulous smile lightening her somber expression.

  “Catching up, huh?”

  “You bet.”

  He slanted a gentle kiss across her lips, keeping it much briefer than he would’ve liked. Way too brief considering every cell in his body cried out for her, needing her with a staggering fierceness he’d never felt before even in the hormonal hunger of their youth.

  Lori’s eyes fluttered open as Flynn pulled away, his kiss the barest whisper against her lips.

  She knew it wasn’t the time or place to push for more considering Adam might pop his head out the back door any moment to say goodnight but that didn’t stop the raging need burning her up from the inside out.